Release Feb 9th at 10am
2016 MM Dr Crane was a top wine of the vintage for me. Can’t wait to open the 2018s!
Always look forward to this one. I thought I might see Sam’s new “RTL” wine release too, maybe in the fall…
Crane
99 WA
98+ JD
LP
97 WA
98 JD
The email I received about this said they wouldn’t be able to give me an allocation but that I’d be able to wishlist. Does anyone know if they typically are able to grant wishlist requests for these? I thought the single vineyards are pretty small production so I’m not holding my breadth.
Matt- thanks for the added info. What is the RTL wine you reference above?
David- not sure how much larger the production was in 2018 but it’s hard to say if there will be enough of these two available.
It was mentioned in a zoom meeting back in May.
Extended barrel aged 2018 Cabernet. I don’t remember all the details. “Remember to Live”
1 Like
Where would you guys put MM on a list including Vice Versa, Realm, TOR, Bevan, etc.? As always, there are many great choices out there and you can’t buy them all.
1 Like
Owen- I am not a good person to be able to clearly articulate styles as I don’t want anything to be misconstrued as I speak to one style or another. Sam K (winemaker) has a unique style that lends itself to deliver on the terrior (you should really try his Pinot/Chard label called Maxem and I am not a typical Pinot/Chard drinker) in a very subtle way. His wine is very much in balance with a core of fruit, minerals and structure giving it its own medium to full body that is extremely pleasurable- it’s not overtly fruit forward nor classic in nature rather somewhere in the middle.
If we were talking a specific wine I could probably do a much better job than attempting to summarize his style. Sorry it probably was not much help.
Well, I feel that MM, Realm, and VV are all high quality wines. It’s hard to pinpoint the difference because if you like one…you’re sure to like the other.
It comes down to price and availability.
If I had to pick, Memento Mori is probably my favorite.
Their main Cab is my favorite and the people (Emily & Genevieve) are great to work with. Just started buying the SV’s in 2017.
Realm a close second (Bard is best QPR)
I wish I had more experience with their single vineyards but I have not received an offer for the To Kalon or Dr Crane. 
I hope that changes this release. I bought half a case of the 2014 To Kalon a couple years ago at an auction and every one of those has been spectacular.
Vice Versa, again a coin flip of the 3. Is slightly more dialed back you could say. More finesse. Their blend ($150) is good but over shadowed by the Bard. Their Single Vineyards are out of this world. I haven’t touched my 18’s yet. Samantha is super nice as well.
My dream wine flight would be:
2018 Vice Versa Magnificent 7
2018 Ream Absurd
2018 Memento Mori RTL
Thanks Matt! Although I think you made this harder, not easier…
I just have to ask. The above wines are all $200 and higher. My higher end wines are Carter, Maybach, MCDONALD, Myriad, and Schrader. In the case of Carter, Myriad, and Schrader I own Dr Crane and Las Piedras.
Since these are the premier vineyards, is there that much of a difference in taste that makes MM, Realm, and VV worth the price?
Matt- once you are able to taste the full portfolio of each you may be able to notice considerable differences between them, most specifically Memento Mori from the other two. In general Realm is more plush, rounder and fruit forward in comparison to MM. MM tends to be more terroir driven than the others (although all three are very good wineries with their own style showcasing the terrior).
Your three dream lineup are their top wines, they are very good wines for sure!
1 Like
Dan- yes there are significant differences between Mike Smith wines and Kaplan, Benoit, Melka. Smith is more of the bigger fruit forward very lush soft tannins even out of the gate. All three Dr wines are excellent with their unique style. LPV vary as well and it’s worth tasting to better identify which style appeals to you- and how you like to drink your wines. Suggestion is to spin through cellar tracker and pick out a very good to great vintage and read through the notes as it might help shed more light.
1 Like
Do you have to buy the intro pack to get the single vineyard offers? Not suuuuuper interested in a $225 cab that didn’t make the cut for a single vineyard bottling. Much easier to justify knowing that $200+ is simply the price of entry these days to get SVD wines from vineyards like Crane or LP.
I’m not exactly sure how it works but I assume it works like Realm’s model. Past purchase history and interest opens up access to the SVD’s. 2016 was my first year buying. (Bought Cab & Sauvignon Blanc) I received access to the 17 SV’s the following year.
Only down side, these are offered in 3 packs only. $675
I definitely would not say “didn’t make the cut” for their main Cab (98WA & 99JD). Made up of Dr. Crane, Las Piedras, Weitz, Oakville Ranch, and Vine Hill.
Of course I have no insider info, but an educated guess, this is Sam’s way of highlighting the vineyard by doing a SV bottle. 150 cases of each made. $675 3/pack
Yes, you need to purchase the regular bottling to get offered SVD with MM. The regular bottle of MM is fabulous.
I had a bottle of 2018 MM VHR up in Napa this weekend, and it was delicious. Sam says the Crane and LPV are just as good, if not better.
He crushed the 2018 vintage…
Blarm- awesome! Super jealous. Although to be honest, I would be jealous even if you went to the Dakotas at this point… I had them in barrel and they were killer. Can’t wait to taste out of bottle. Such good juice.
Order in for 1 bottle of each (all is was offered) with wish list request for more of both 
Order in for one each LPV and Dr Crane and wish requested one more of each.