Based on the Zoom WB event, there are plenty of fans to warrant a separate thread. I will be working through my 150 plus bottles
2014 Silver Eagle Pinot - very nice at opening, but really singing 30 minutes later, young robust spicy red fruit, lots of depth and very nice balance. Feels like it can go 10 more years. Excellent.
I had a 2013 RM Calistoga the other night and it was disappointing. First taste around the half hour in the decanter, again an hour later, and even three hours in… very muted.
I was bummed as this was the only bottle of theirs that has ever left me wanting more. Oh well, at least I have a grip of their 16’s that I’m sure will perform better.
May have been the provenance of this, as I had bought it at auction, but who knows.
Loved the 2013 Calistoga when I last tried it in April 2016. Had it side by side with a 2012 Panek at a steakhouse and all four of us preferred the Calistoga. Maybe it’s in a shut-down phase?
2018 Occidental Ridge Pinot - larger-scaled and beautiful, VERY youthful…that said, opened up beautifully 2-3 hours after opening. Bigger than the 2018 Summa OV but not massive by any means.
2016 RM Cab - Decant! It really unwound itself after about hour of airtime. Ripe tannins,dark/black fruit, oak is well integrated but the extra time made this wine shine. Great finish and outclassed the 2016 Realm CS The Bard and 2016 Dancing Hares we had as comparisons.
2012 Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Panek the night of the Zoom event. Very good and in a good place. Two nights later we had a 2012 Myriad GIII which was absolutely stunning.
This sounds similar to some notes I’ve read on various 2013 Mike 2013 cabs in the last six months. It is also matched some of my own experiences with those wines during that time. I wonder if many of the more modern 2013 Napa cabs are currently in a shut down phase.
I intend to let mine sleep for a while to see what happens, as they aren’t drinking particularly well right now.
First post, figured this would be a good place to start.
2014 Occidental Ridge PN - Lovely darker fruits that are ripe to dried, charred earth, spices, cured meat, burnt orange peel, dirt. Really well structured and could definitely go another 5 years. Went great with dinner of duck confit and steak frites shared with the better half from a local french bistro doing takeout
I also drank an 18 Sonoma Coast Pinot Keith. It was the biggest and most structured RM SC Pinot I can ever remember, the acidity was just ripping in that thing. I wish I could let these rest a year, but it’s just not gonna happen.
2006 Napa Cab. I think Thomas said 40% of this or so was young Outpost True vines. Bottle was in perfect shape (bought on release) and the cork was perfect. A powerhouse, tasted 5 years old, with black cherry and blackberry fruit. The tannin really provided the structure. Not the last word in complexity, but it seems it could go many more years and was better on day two than day one. Very nice, the wife loved it.
I also popped an '18 Sonoma Coast Pinot today. My second so far. Such a gorgeous beautifully fruited Sonoma Pinot. This one had a bit more balance and less fat in the mid palate, with a long long finish. Really a spectacular Pinot at this price, and a very good California Pinot at any price. Yum for sure. I was going to sock away the SVDs but I may have to open one for scientific comparison!