Red and black fruit, expressive but tannic on the back end, finishing dry but not without requisite flavor and length. With air, the layering continued, though it was a bit unresolved and slightly…
Deep and rich, but with a black fruited and mineral cut that starts out angular but quickly moves into a nice combination of grippy and giving. This is an interesting wine in that it starts out…
This was the first wine in the tasting that seemed less uptight and unyielding. Here, a plushness and savoriness shows. A bit fruity at first, but with a textual seamlessness that seems to indicate a…
On first pass, and during the blind portion of this tasting, this presents as somewhat reduced, with muted fruit; it shows as both rounder and drier on the finish (if that's possible?). Shy red fruit…
Compared to wine before it in the lineup (which was a red-"fruited" [mostly tannic] Abreu Thorevilos), this was all about black fruit, bitter chocolate, and black minerality. Did I mention black?…
Red, powerful, tannic, and dry, with a woody finish that makes for an arid exit. A salty olive brine note adds to the initial feeling of astringency. With air, menthol, gravel, and unripe red cherry…
A juicy delivery with ripe and saturated red raspberry and cherry notes, with a dusting of earth and meaty flavors. A bit of heat on the back end but with a savory helping of fruit to fully encircle…
Barrel sample. Initial impressions focus on super impressive purity of fruit (muddled red raspberry) and an almost surprisingly elegant tannin structure for what one would expect from a thief from…
Another go-around with this wine, which delivered the initial hit of powerful tannins, but was able to find a nice groove once given a healthy amount of air. This bottle kicked out super dark, black…
Broad-shouldered and powerful, the T6 launches its attack with copious amounts of cassis, muddled black and red raspberry, red cherry liqueur, and some boozy vanillin flavors, finishing strong and…
A very plush rendering of Sleeping Lady, with mocha, blueberries, blackberry cobbler, milk chocolate, vanilla, and sweet cassis, the 2016 Roam is succulent and round, with an easily accessible…
Still about 3-5 years before prime time, though there is an accessibility that displays pure and clean black and red cherry, black currant, cedar, dried roses, and hints of tobacco leaf. It rides a…
With a makeup of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon (per Valandraud's spec sheets. Note, however, that I've seen other erroneous "pro" reports that list the CF as high as 15%…
A little Merlot-y at times, with plumy, softer and rounder contours presenting like hanging out and watching tv with your best friend, or maybe just a decent friend. A chill experience without being…
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…
Dark and deep, with ripe blackberry, purple plum, and red and black raspberry notes almost immediately landing on the mid-palate with a perfect dollop of savory goodness, but also with red currant…
The front end on the 2015 Adamvs shows quite a bit of plush and deep fruit flavor as it immediately gushes over the palate and forms a wave of mixed berry and dark earth elements. A half second…
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…
If you have $85 burning a hole in your corduroys and don't know what to spend it on, might I suggest the La Pelle Napa Valley. This is a total bang for your buck wine. You can drink this now and not…
The 2018 is a somewhat softer version of the 2016 Quintvs, which really just means it wasn't as much of a powerhouse as the 2016. The 2018 is rounder in the mouth, with more succulent blackberry and…
While the 2019 Impensata Ecotone Merlot is out at the clubs dancing the night away, the 2018 Engelhard is stuck at home studying for the LSAT. There is richness here, but it is corralled pretty darn…
Salty and funky on the nose, with an instant cool climate aura that makes you wanna stick your face further into the glass and pretend you tripped and fell in a blackberry field off the coast of…
Hands-down my favorite Quintvs of the lineup, with a depth and purity that truly delivers all the goods with one gorgeous gulp. The 2016s at this address are phenomenal, and the Quintvs showcases it…
Plush and opulent in the mouth, with blackberry, chocolate, dark spice, pink roses, fresh soil, and ripe red and black raspberry notes wasting no time in enveloping the palate and leaving a deep…
