Same as all of my previous notes on this wine. PnP was the way to go. Performed optimally at 54 degrees throughout service. Solid 95 points during this time period. (1-1.5 hours).
Same as my previous notes from 01/23/2017. Scrap the decant and stick with PnP. This doesn't need extra air or any kind of extended decant in my opinion. The air it gets in the glass is just fine.…
PnP with red and purple berry notes. A black cherry liqueur flavor was prominent, surrounded by river rock and alcohol on the back end. Concentration and depth were notable, as was the sweet tannic…
An improvement from last summer. Time in bottle appears to have smoothed out this wine significantly and allowed the yellow fruit to deepen nicely. Some subtle vanilla, lemon curd, olive oil, and…
Last minute pull. Still needs some time in my opinion. Similar to my previous notes, but a little more rambunctious than I remember. Kicking out a lot of black cherry liqueur, red and black licorice,…
Gobs of blackberry pie and ripe plum notes. Just bottled last week, so it's going to need another year or two to really settle into itself. Lots of acid and some bitterness on the back end, but the…
Just bottled; a little difficult to totally assess at this juncture, with some strong acid pushing out in front of the overtly primary fruit. Some herbal notes on the back end that helped to frame…
A striking bottle of wine, this blend was less brooding and deeply pitched than the 2015 PerUs Cabernet Sauvignon. Of course, that's not to say this wine wasn't a big, dark, modern expression of a…
A very intriguing wine. Displayed classical red and black currant, cedar, and fruitcake notes, but also enveloped the palate with a rush of dark purple and black core fruit, cloves, and asphalt. The…
Insane concentration and intensity. Grabs ahold of you and doesn't let go. Blackberry, forest floor, black currant, tobacco, cacao, tar. A seemingly endless kick of dark, rich black fruit flavors.
Similar to all of my previous notes on this wine. The only issue this go-around is that the Debate fell behind the competition when served alongside a whole host of Russell Bevan top flight 2015s…
Same as my notes from 12/15/2016. Accessible and balanced. Blue and black fruit dominated. A great house blend from Bevan that is an easy drinker for the most part at this stage. It indeed shows the…
An exquisite bottle of domestic Chardonnay. Much fuller and richer than some of the other Aubert Chardonnays, but this was an absolute pleasure to drink. Super smooth and viscous, with ripe yellow…
Similar to previous notes. This came off as a little clunky and funky this time around. It was a PnP and in need of more air to clear out some of the dark mulch funk. Otherwise, this was chalk full…
This poor little guy couldn't come close to hanging with the other big boys served alongside it. Some dark currant and cedar notes, but pretty thin mid-palate. Unfortunately forgettable. 88-90 points…
Same as my previous notes. Especially notable mid-palate this time around. Softer and rounder on the finish, but then the tannins crept up nicely and framed out the fruit. Hold until 2018+ at least.
A very deep and extracted Cabernet. Dark black fruit, with some earth and subtle spice notes. Indeed captivating and extraordinarily crafted with quality in mind.
Phenomenal performance for such a young wine. Hands down the best EE I've ever had. So concentrated, opulent, and deep, but at the same time brimming with energetic purple and red core fruit.…
Same as my notes from 12/13/2016. Developed a really nice dusty, sedimentary rock tinge on the back end after about 3 hours of air. Stags Leap represented very well with this wine. A very "complete"…
PnP with initially tart red and purple berry notes and alcohol on the back end. An hour in the decanter yielded ripe and fruity core flavors with plum, red and black licorice, and some vanilla. There…
Medium bodied and fairly thin mid-palate. Tasted somewhat cheap for a Howell Mointain Reserve Cabernet. Performed at around the $30 level. Some decent dark fruit flavors, but not much complexity and…
A very agreeable 10 year TP. Displayed some nice nutty, caramel driven flavors. Light golden raisin and toffee notes pushed through and delivered some decent complexity throughout consumption. 88-89…
Dark black fruit, oak char, wood, mulch, and some stone. An earthy, brooding rendition, with the forest floor and wood notes really dominating over the fruit after some air. Seemed as though it was…
From Magnum. Shockingly intense and powerful for a 2002. Really nice concentration. A little rough around the edges, with a gritty, cedar-laced finish. However, the core purple and black fruit, black…
Previous notes apply. Black cherry and black raspberry notes dominated. This was smooth and approachable right out of the gate. Some purple plum flavors emerged after a couple of hours. I didn't get…
