Berry liqueur, red and black raspberry and cherry, licorice, and hints of earth, this vintage of Crane has hallmark Vice Versa power, but is downshifted a bit compared to other vintages. There is a…
It’s been five years since I’ve last cracked open one of these bottles. Holy bazoonga; this is a lightening strike of a wine right now! In its current state, the 2019 TK is in SpaceX mode, with a…
The 2014 M7 had been the only vintage of M7 I had not tasted until now. This particular bottle showed a relatively sweet and rich profile, with perhaps less delineation of flavor than more recent…
Powerful and front loaded. Boom! Instantly turns richer and longer with the first sip. A beast of a wine that holds it all together with graphite and mineral elements providing an amazing stretch of…
Great right now. I mean, it's the friendly GIII, so how could it not be?! Concentration and balance are especially notable in 2021, with a refinement that really showcases a sophisticated side of…
Like a hybrid of Cousins and Beatrix, the Spinning Plates offers a similar profile to its two brothers (or, Cousins.?), with a concentration that is dialed-down but is more tannic and linear in its…
Deeper than the day is long, this was a shot across the bow with a concentration cannon that blasted flavor and depth right to the mid-palate, diving even deeper and with more fortitude as it…
A pretty wine, with violets and juicy red/purple fruit popping on the palate. Here the nose is muted, but the affable flavors skip along the front end upon first sip, marking the path of a wine that…
A full bodied, masculine front end kicks off a rush of deep and dark black cherry, black raspberry, and soil notes. A pine needle flavor adds further interest on the finish. This is a broad stroke of…
Clementine, lime, white travertine, and a long lemony finish mark the latest vintage of the 2021 Platt Chardonnay. It is both vibrant and full, with energy and acidity that fully encompass the back…
True to its name the Mysterons was fairly cat-and-mouse on the nose and the palate. It was truly a bit of a mystery with its dodgy flavor expression and somewhat indiscernible profile. For some…
At first pass, this thing was balled up like, well. a ball. Quivering and compact, I sensed this might be M7 simply because of the sheer Oppenheimer-type encased fury-boom potential it possessed, but…
If a Northern Rhone Cornas butcher met up with a Stags Leap socialite, you'd have the 2021 Vice Versa Stelzner. This thing is slathered in meat drippings, soil, char, burnt embers, and the black…
I had to laugh because I have always considered Dr. Crane fruit-driven for my palate. The first word in my notes says, "fruity." CT'r Cristal2000 thinks I make this stuff up just cuz I give him a…
A biiiiiiig daddy, the M7 is the most powerful and bicep-driven of all the 40+ wines served up over the course of three days. Having come off a tasting where the 2016 M7 was the belle of the ball in…
There were a couple of Auberts in the tasting that I inadvertently dodged and for whatever reason was unable to conjure up the logistical prowess to get to them and proffer some sort of comparison…
Black earth, soil, black cherry, blackberry, and a slight vanillin chocolate note, this was the most succulent and deep wine in the lineup. It shows cascading opulence without being overdone. The…
Revisiting this wine, I can't help but continue to be impressed by the tension and acidity that swarm around the gorgeous yellow citrus fruit. Even as this warmed up in the glass (beyond what I would…
The polish and texture here is really something to take note. Accessible and giving, the Spinning Plates is more than just an introduction to the Vice Versa portfolio. It possesses a singular…
The 2019 Mysterons (Ecotone) was served side-by-side with the 2018 Abreu Thorevilos. The vintages and stylistic differences between producers/winemakers was evident, with more…
What can you say? It's M7. I've consistently given it 99 points the last few times I've had it. Why stop there? 99 it is. Always a bottle of crazy juice. If you haven't had a enough superlatives from…
As much as the LPV and Crane are like eating a blackberry pie with the best fruit ever made on earth, the BTK is undeniably the leader of the SVD triad. The concentration is so insanely on-point,…
The 2021 LPV and Crane especially lead with vanilla and chocolate notes, flaunting their baby fat like the happiest kid on the planet with a triple scoop ice cream cone in one hand and a pinwheel in…
The 2021 LPV and Crane especially lead with vanilla and chocolate notes, flaunting their baby fat like the happiest kid on the planet with a triple scoop ice cream cone in one hand and a pinwheel in…
This sample was actually a bit subdued (comparatively to other vintages of VV LPVs at least), but certainly with enough potency and drive that there is little question of its origin and of the…
