Doug Powers

9.7

From a really fine, structured Napa vintage, this shows dark fruits and mineral notes aromatically, still has loads of Dunn Howell Mountain structure and tannin, long, lingering finish, but the finish suggests that it needs 10-20 more years of aging, simply an incredible, old school (13% ABV) Napa mountain Cabernet with amazing length and freshness, a true WOW wine (if you’re moderately unoffended by the enormous structure still remaining)!!! — 25 days ago

with Jim

Ted

9.1

Herbal. Steal for under $20. Cherry pie — 8 months ago

with Jeni

Scott Kahn

9.2

A classic Thomas Rivers Brown cab with rich structure, deep color, and wonderful dark fruit, vanilla, and Cacau in the glass. — 10 months ago

Deborah M

9.4

Friday wine. This was a easy choice for National Women’s History month. An iconic winemaker. A true trailblazer. Exceptional wines. An endless amount of superlatives that can go with Cathy Corison. Her wines are described as having both elegance and power.

2013 Corison Cabernet was perfection in my glass last night. Winemaker notes describe the wine as having aromas and flavors tend toward the dark end of the Cabernet fruit spectrum with blueberries, black cherries, blackberries and dark plums all singing in close harmony. Complexing notes include tobacco, baking spices, chocolate, and savory herbs including sage, thyme and basil. Floral notes of violets and rose petals play with a notable stony minerality in the aromas and long finish. 13.5%ABV. I described this wine as being both elegant and stunning.

Grateful for the women who busted through those glass ceilings. Grateful for the trailblazers. — 2 years ago

Ron R

9.4

I bought this as a test, given that we normally drink the regular Outpost cab. We find no perceptible difference between the True and the regular. Stick with the regular and enjoy the value.
That’s my shepherd’s pie 👊🏾 — 4 months ago

with Anne-marie

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

2013 vintage. Pretty much identical to @Shay A's beyond excellent notes on this wine from 03.31.23. This was from an infuriatingly custom 5L bottle tho. Super-youthful. From this format? An easy 15-20 years of life. From a standard 750ml format? 12-15 years of great drinking. Right in line with Central Coast red Rhône blend/varietals usual ABV%. That is, to say, not exactly bashful. 12.06.24. — 6 months ago

Ericsson

9.6

This bottle is bound to make any day that much better. It’s young but composed with ample elegance and perfect balance. A true gem, even at this age. — 9 months ago

Ming L

9.3

My last bottle of this amazing 19’ Rose. Prior notes apply. — 2 years ago

Tom Garland

9.3

Happy New Year Delectable!

Double decant and pour. A splendid tawny red color. On the nose: dark fruit, cigar ash, cedar, smoked meat, pencil shavings, mint. Taste: soft, silky, elegant, still fresh wine with dark red fruit, worn leather, graphite, loamy soil, spiced herbs, minty black tea and a dry medium finish. YUM! What a fun wine to end 2024 with. A wine bought at auction, and a cork which was not in the best shape, so not sure if this is a true representation of where this wine is at.

FOOD:
Island creek oyster and cavier
Lobster butternut bisque
Pan roasted duck breast
Braised beef short rib
Black forest chocolate cake — 5 months ago

with Brenda

Aaron Tan

9.9

One of the best evenings of wine I’ve had this year, and it was just focused on this duo. Opened as inspiration for this year’s red pick at Miao Lu (a name to remember for those reading. I’ll say it here first - some of the best Pinot’s and Chard’s in the world will be coming out of this project high up in Yunnan!), and they both gave great context to the task.

When I harvested with Klaus-Peter in 2017, the vineyards bore the scars of hail, every last one of them. The damage was manifest in what we came to call "hail berries" (misshapen berries). To my untrained palate, they tasted perfectly fine. Naturally, I asked KP why we were discarding them, and his response, while not entirely unexpected, was still astonishing (paraphrasing of course): "I don't need to know precisely what they do," he said, "but if there's even a chance they might diminish the wine by 1%, they're gone. And these? They look capable of much worse."

That unyielding spirit of his was, I must admit, my torment at Abtserde, the vineyard hit hardest by the hail. We spent an entire day sorting and picking a single row - granted, the rows were long, but the pace was glacial. The true enemy, though, wasn’t the relentless sorting, but the wasps. Those little demons made an already grueling task even more daunting, dodging their stings as we plucked berries one by one, like selecting pearls from a troubled sea. What we ended up with were, quite literally, tiny gems - "caviar" berries of purity. By day’s end, the sight was something to behold. Despite the torment, the hard work was unquestionably worth it. The 17’ Abtserde is my wine of the vintage.

I’ve had the 17’ Abtserde on numerous occasions but this takes the cake as the best (note to self: best to decant a young Abtserde hard). It is a marvel of purity and depth, with its nose evoking Meyer lemon, iodine, chalk, and flint. These aromas reappear on the palate with a nearly overwhelming intensity, blending piquant brightness and mineral-rich concentration. With more air, a floral, bittersweet herbal note very typical of the vineyard appears (smells like the place even). As the evening unfolded, the wine seemed to grow younger, each glass more lively than the last. The final sip was almost painfully austere, like drinking pure limestone, its explosive palate held together by sharp acidity and a palpable, phenolic grip. The finish seemed endless. One of my best Keller experiences this year. — 8 months ago