Mike gave me a couple bottles the other day hoping to get some feedback. These wines are releasing in the upcoming Myriad portfolio offering. I opened them Thursday with Jorge, Shawnda and Leenda over dinner and tonight I revisited them with some air. Hope the notes are helpful.
Opened on a Thursday, notes from Saturday evening. Dark ruby color. Tobacco leaf, cedar, dark chocolate covered cherries greet the nose. More cedar, creme de cassis, mocha and toasty oak. Rich red and black fruit from a persistent core. Fine ripe tannins finish it off. A restrained version of Mike Smith Cab wth a more traditional red fruited profile with lots of cedar notes at a price point that’s easier on the pocketbook.
A week after bottling, opened on a Thursday, notes from Saturday evening. Dark black to the core with dark ruby rim. Concentrated aromas of blackberry and anise. Rich extracted blackberry, cherry and black currant. Dense and layered with wonderful purity and depth. Fruit pulls right through the finish framed by firm tannins and cocoa.
Satisfies immediately yet the structure assures a long happy shelf life. Another thoroughbred in the Myriad stable. Exceptional.
Deep dark red with purple tinges really opaque. Ripe purple berries abouund on the nose with some earthiness thrown in. Picking up rich Calistoga fruit up front, not sure what the vineyard blend is but Kenefick Ranch and GIII come to mind here. I’m probably wrong but the flavors remind me of those vineyards. Very rich ripe purple core, teeth staining and chewy. A big mouthful of Cabernet goodness and another solid Napa Blend in 2016.
So is that the old Steltzner vineyard next to Stag’s Leap winery that was sold a few years ago? If so, it’s a great source of fruit - Steltzner was always good wine.
In your bottom pic, with my phone screen resolution, the artwork appears to depict a law enforcement officer riding a rearing llama unicorn - over on the far right of the picture.
Those wines sound fantastic, I look forward to the future!
Greg T wrote:
So is that the old Steltzner vineyard next to Stag’s Leap winery that was sold a few years ago? If so, it’s a great source of fruit - Steltzner was always good wine.
+1. One of my good friends has been friends with Dick Steltzner for many years. He bought a 15L of his Cab several years ago to open for a milestone birthday. I think the vintage was 1997, and he opened the bottle last July. It took half an hour to uncork the bottle, and someone had to make a wooden cradle to help pour the wine out, but it was outstanding.
What interests me is WHICH Round Pond Vineyard he is using.
The formal Round Pond Vineyard sits directly across from F Block of GIII and shares similar soils to that block of GIII. I am curious if Round Pond is making available a vineyard they purchased last year called “M Bar.” If so, that would be very interesting and I would get in line for that fruit, myself. Some of you may remember Mondavi made an M-Bar Reserve wine for several years.
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