At Vivace. Balanced. Very bright. Lovely. — 12 days ago
2019 vintage. Less body (light-medium vs medium/medium heavy) than the 2018 effort. Absolutely phenomenal nose. Wowza. Starts off decently demonstrative, then dovetails into Subtletown. Catching this on the relatively youthful side so anticipating variability/changes but drinking beautifully now for the price. You could easily throw this into a Bordeaux tasting and get away with it. Full disclosure...massive Mount Eden honk but a Domaine Eden (2nd label) sceptic. Laying on the horn here as I did with the 2018. Beep beep n beep beep, beep beep n beep beep, yeah. 5.5.24. — a month ago
2018 vintage. Oak a little showier than last visit 4.20.24. *Full disclosure* Probably my favorite CA cabernet for QPR purposes-year in, year out-since the early 90's. Not inexpensive, yet, in a world of ridiculous CA cab pricing, this is a bargain. Had I storage space and projected lifespan, would pick up two cases and crack a bottle every year starting in 2028. Some overt baby fat/oak to dissipate in anticipation. Currently, wanting more structure and depth but, given the track record with this wine/producer, it's enroute. 5.29.24. — 19 days ago
Delightfully complicated California Chard masquerading as a White Burgundy. French nose and French finish. Minerals, flint, stone and fruit—apple, pear, peach and nectarine, with an obvious but restrained layer of oak. Not overly fruity or oaky; no pineapple or butterscotch here. Paired well with the Seafood Tower, Swordfish and Black Cod at the Water Grill Santa Monica. This was a juvenile 2021 vintage, tasted in 2024. Eager to try this gem after another half decade. — 16 days ago
Might be declassified, but it drinks like a tight single vineyard. Very concentrated, fleshy red fruit, not quite raspberry, maybe rhubarb. Any oak influence is not noticeable, if anything contributes to the woodsy quality that keeps the tightly a fruit serious rather than frivolous. The pallet is driven by broad acidity, with tannins spreading to the cheeks that keep things lingering and give way to the spicy finish — a day ago
Promising red fruit on the nose but a bit too tannic—decanting was de rigueur. After 45 minutes it was better but still tight. It took a full two hours to open up fully and show interesting notes of tobacco, earth and pencil shavings to balance the fruit and acid. Tells me that I should wait another five years before opening my remaining bottles. Enjoyed the 2021 vintage with prime ribeye cap steak from Costco, chicken liver pate and Taleggio cheese, with visiting family (William, Teresa, Xander and Samantha). — 8 days ago
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego
2019 vintage. As delicious as ever. Exquisite balance of fruit and acidity. Medium-heavy bod. Clean with a smattering of mineral influence here and there. So good. 6.5.24. — 12 days ago