This started out with a great rush of typical broad-shouldered Howell Mountain fruit. Fairly plush and round though, with its tight grip immediately after PnP only lasting about 20 minutes before it…
PnP was a little tight. After an hour in the decanter, prominent notes of black cherry, cassis, tobacco, incense, and hints of vanilla liqueur. Mid-palate was especially notable, with a fuller…
The best of the Blacklist wines, the X was comprised of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, a whopping 33% PV, and 2% Merlot. A ton of grip on this wine, but the black fruit still managed to push through. Some…
Much like the Napa Cabernet version, this was a fairly simple walk throughout consumption. A bit of an odd interplay between the jammy plum and musty earth notes, with the back end a little clunky.…
A Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend with a heavy PV component (and a dollop of Merlot), this Blacklist version presented itself much in the same way of the 2013 Blacklist IX. Dark fruit with some…
A wine that delivers the hallmark black and purple berry core fruit flavors, with chocolate chunk, black raspberry, and cassis notes. Some vanilla liqueur on the back end. Slightly wonky in its…
Another "library" offering, this 2010 Falstaff had a little more verve and energy than the 2009 Tempest served before it. A somewhat tart pop of black cherry on the initial sip gave a first…
The first of a few "library" wines offered at the tasting. An inviting, if not a bit dark and brooding example of a more mature Merlot-based blend. Dark red and black currant, some wet cedar, cacao…
With the cork pulled a couple of hours before consumption, this Cabernet was given just the right amount of air to allow it to gracefully deliver its black cherry, deep red and black currant, tobacco…
Some red and blue fruit, cranberry, black cherry, and limestone. A somewhat steely and bitter delivery. Tight and lacking a focused flavor profile overall.
From a vertical of 2006-2011 Conn Valley Eloge. The 2006 and 2007 were my favorites in the lineup. This was my least favorite. Thin, watery, and muted. Some light currant, cedar, and cranberry notes.…
From a vertical of 2006-2011 Conn Valley Eloge. The 2006 and 2007 were my favorites in the lineup. This 2010 had some leather and cedar notes along with the light currant flavors. Fairly thin and…
From a vertical of 2006-2011 Conn Valley Eloge. The 2006 and 2007 were my favorites in the lineup. This 2009 held some interest, but like its siblings, it was dominated with a strong cedar element…
From a vertical of 2006-2011 Conn Valley Eloge. The 2006 and 2007 were my favorites in the lineup. This 2008 was fairly flat and lacked much delivery of flavor overall. Like its siblings, it threw…
From a vertical of 2006-2011 Conn Valley Eloge. The 2006 and 2007 were my favorites in the lineup. A decent amount of cedar and thin red and black currant dominated throughout the attack. This 2007…
From a vertical of 2006-2011 Conn Valley Eloge. The 2006 and 2007 were my favorites in the lineup. A decent amount of cedar and thin red and black currant dominated throughout the attack. Drink now.…
PnP with notes of blackberry, black cherry, charcoal, bitter chocolate, and hints of cassis liqueur. After a 30 minute decant, the alcohol/liqueur flavor tapered off; the charcoal note became more…
Coiled up and somewhat subdued notes of dark black cherry, black and red currant, cedar, and some fuzzy graphite on the back end. The black cherry note repeated itself prominently after it had some…
A special treat to be able to try this wine. Tasted with "Danger D" himself - a remarkable man indeed. Beautifully integrated tannins with resolved flavors of deep black and red fruit, black and red…
Round, plush, fruit-forward, and indicative of the 2014 vintage. Not extraordinarily complex in terms of its delivery of any captivating, tiered flavors, the Ineo was a bit forgettable, especially…
Very similar to the 2015 EE, except that the Sugarloaf was a little more subdued and flat in its execution. The red and black fruit stuffing is all there, along with some interesting pebble and…
Same as my notes two months ago. The best of the 2015 Bevans. Though still young and somewhat primary in its youthful delivery, the mid-palate concentration and complex flavor profile are certainly…
Similar to my previous notes. This was served next to a 2013 Bevan Sugarloaf, which bested this Realm by a couple of points. The Bard was a good wine, but it came off a little one-note by comparison,…
This version of Bevan's Sugarloaf was indeed a well crafted and interesting wine. Notes of deep, dark black raspberry, black cherry liqueur, a streak of ripe cranberry, dark chocolate chunk, and some…
A somewhat strange BDX hybrid. Some dark currant flavors with some wood. Not a lot of depth, viscosity, or complexity. Clipped and thin on the back end. I couldn't get into it unfortunately.
