Black, earthy core fruit surrounded by black currant, dark spice box, coffee grounds, and some faint truffle and earthy cedar on the tail end. Massive and finessed at the same time; as with the 2014…
An interesting wine with a lot of flavors going on. Plum, black and red currant, blackberry, dark cranberry, earth, spice, oolong tea, and cedar. A little leathery and raisiny on the back end, with a…
A wonderfully balanced version of To Kalon. Not overtly flavor-blasted or extracted the way some versions of BTK can end up. Haunting and dark with still a finessed lift that elevates the core fruit,…
Straightforward and agreeable, with "medium" everything.attack, body, mid, finish. It was an ok wine, if not a bit uninspiring. Fairly soft and round overall. Red and black currant, cedar, and…
This followed a very similar path as the 2013 Carter LPV served alongside it. A little fruity (not as much red fruit as the Carter) and cattywampus on PnP, but with an hour or two in the decanter…
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.…
Thanks to Cristal2000 for bringing this wine to the party. For me, the Hobbs had an inverse progression than the Carter. The Carter started out fruity and a bit over-lush and then made it's way into…
From the Charles Heintz Vineyard (one of my personal favorites), Moone Tsai's version flaunts a rich, buttery profile, with pure and plump yellow core fruit, lemon curd, olive oil, subtle pineapple,…
This was a barrel sample generously gifted to us for our Las Piedras taste-off at Cook Restaurant in St. Helena, which also included a '13 Carter LPV, '13 Hobbs LPV, '13 Quivet LPV, and a '12 Vice…
Similar to the 2014s except that this 2013 was wound a little tighter and showed more of a linear profile. Plum, black and red currant, camphor, leather, and cedar. Tight, bitter, and pretty…
This Reserve was a little less funky than the standard 2014, but it still carried a strange aftertaste that I couldn't quite put my finger on. The attack started out seemingly solid, but then a…
Notes of ripe plum, camphor, mulch, and wet leather. Unfortunately all of the wines in the Sodhani lineup had a wood turpentine note to them. Not sure what was going on there. No rating.
Just when I thought nothing would be able to compete with Vice Versa's 2016 LPV served just before this wine, along came the good Doctor who just had to try to push the reigning champ off to the…
Absolutely unreal! This stands to become one of the best LPVs I've ever had; this juice blew the socks off of just about any LPV I've experienced. Of course, as a barrel sample, and as a wine that…
Served side-by-side with the "standard" 2014 VV LPV. This BBS ratchets up the concentration and drive ever slightly when compared to its secondary counterpart. Carrying much of the same black and red…
You might as well cut and paste Cristal2000's detailed notes on this wine, as he and I had a near-identical experience. PnP and this was initially overtly fruity (red fruited) and kinda wonky. We all…
Served side-by-side with the 2014 VV LPV BBS. This "standard" LPV provided a seamless delivery of black and red fruit notes along with the signature LPV minerality indicative of the rocky site. Silky…
Same as my previous notes on this wine from August. This is both strong and beautiful in its delivery of red and black fruits. An interesting hybrid of sites that ultimately ends up creating a…
This had a very prominent funky railroad tie nose. On the palate, a little bit of the same, with a decent core of dark red/black fruit with some earth and spice. A fairly significant clamp on the…
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…
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…
Earthy, ominous, and a bit gritty, the 2006 BTK was exhibiting a "Fistful of Dollars" profile of weathered, black soil, grating earth, and antique wood notes encompassing the mature, dark core fruit…
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…
This has lost a ton of energy since I last had it a year ago. Good thing no one else on Cellar Tracker is apparently drinking this. My last bottle. Time to venture elsewhere.
