After reading through these posts, I had to open a bottle of the 2013 Mending Wall last night. Absolutely beautiful right now, especially with a proper meal. Give it another year for the fine tannins to integrate more and it’s only going to improve.
Had the 2013 Myriad Dr. Crane recently… Simply awesome! Some of my notes included:
The 2013 Myriad Dr. Crane boasts a powerful core of black and dark purple and blue berry flavors. Blackberry, black currant, rich red plum, fresh red and black licorice, baking spices, and a touch of burnt embers. There is a notable minerality that adds interest to the huge fruit. This is a wine that truly epitomizes the locked and loaded aspects of the top echelon Cabernets of the 2013 vintage.
Amazing purity of fruit with a powerful push of beautifully delineated and sweet tannins. I wanted to spend the next few hours with this wine, watching it evolve; unfortunately I didn’t have the opportunity this go-around.
97+ at the moment, knowing full well that this ethereal wine will evolve into something even more special over the coming years. I would hold this wine until early 2018 before its truly optimized drinking window appears.
Is the 2013 Mending Wall a dense, full bodied cabernet or is it lighter bodied like many TRB wines?
I loved the RM Lore but have found other TRB to be thinner than I like.
Thanks
I tasted the 2012 and 2013 Mending Wall Cabernets side-by-side recently. The 2013 has all of the crowd-pleasing stuffing of the 2012, but the 2013 also gains points for a more layered and complex fruit and mineral profile. Whereas the 2012 is all about rounded, plush red and purple fruit, the 2013 hits that next level with added blackberry, blueberry, red and black licorice, bitter chocolate, graphite, and granite dust.
The 2013 is a nice, plush Cabernet, with a boatload of flavors. I would not consider it “light” by any means, as its persona leans more toward purple, blue, and black fruits, and less on the higher-toned red currant and red berry style (the former being more my preference). It is full-bodied, but I would say it is a bit of a different animal than the RM wines. The MH is not as earthy as the RM Corona or as black and concentrated as the RM Panek, for example. It is not quite in the Schrader category in terms of intensity, but the 2013 MH is especially layered in its energetic flavors. Plus its QPR is south of $100, so you can’t beat that. It drinks like a $150-200 bottle of wine. Those are just my thoughts.
If you want a thick and massive 2013, take a 2013 Herold Stagecoach Cabernet for a spin! Holy Jeezus it’s a biggin!..
BUMP!!
Anyone?
Planning to go long.
1 Like
Thought I would tack on to my earlier post - had a 2013 Pott Wine Kaliholmanok last night that was absolutely singing. Definitely right up there with Carter 3 Kings and Myriad GIII, and for me probably just a tick higher.
I love the 2012s. Might be the most accessible of them I’ve had and I’ve been a buyer since 2006. I haven’t had the '13. I believe they’re released in February.
+1 on A.G. Everett’s note on the 2013 Kaliholmanok. Stunning bottle of wine for sure. Wildly awesome and unique Spring Mountain Cabernet! Specific notes can be found on Cellar Tracker.
Opened a 2013 Schrader RBS last night at the suggestion of a friend I was hosting. Per my earlier post, I would list this third among the Bevan Sugarloaf and Pott Acteon thus far. The nose was incredible, but it was a bit more muted on the palate (still delicious) than I was expecting…I plan on revisiting this wine in at least 6-12 months as it simply might just need more time to come around. Lot of wood and charcoal/coffee on the nose, more black/blue fruit than red on the palate and in color, and with air the fruit faded a bit more into the background. Balance/acidity spot on - I just think this will be a much better wine in a few years than it is today.
Thanks J.Smallwood for the Schrader note! TRB had mentioned that these wines will apparently hit their stride in 3-5 years, but I’m not so sure I’ll be keeping my hands off them for that long. Thanks for sacrificing the RBS for the cause!
I had the 2013 Venge Bone Ash yesterday and it was pretty incredible for the price point (sub-$100). A LOT of fruit cascading across the palate, and in need of some short-term bottle integration as well to work out a little of the clunkiness. Rides that line between full-throttle and jammy, but manages to pull it off successfully. A huge and extracted wine to be sure!
New to Berserkers, so hello everyone! By far the best Napa Cabs I’ve had so far this year are the Myriad GIII and Scarlett McGah. Both Mike Smith cabs, so clearly a preference for his winemaking. The GIII is the overall winner. For $65, you just can’t beat the Scarlett Cab IMO. A little more red fruit than his Myriad wines, but just amazing this year. Same vineyard used for Bevan’s 100 pointers in the past I believe. Definitely new world and just tremendous. Hard to believe they don’t sell out.
We were in Napa tasting last month and came away with these favorites:
Outpost True Cabernet
Outpost Howell Mountain Cabernet
(Both were our first exposure to Outpost, and it immediately entered our Top 5 Napa producers list)
Mending Wall Cabernet
Frank Family The Patriarch (different price point, I know)
But perhaps right at the top of this list, and the lowest price of them all… the 2013 Chappellet Signature Cab. With the wine club discount, a ridiculous $48, and widely available online in the $50s. Chappellet is our favorite Napa producer, and we think there is no better value. To me, this drinks like a $100 bottle (more?), can cellar for 20 years, and is exactly what I’m looking for in a Napa Cabernet.
Thanks MSNOWDEN! Another nod for the Mike Smith fan club. He is definitely hitting his stride these last few years for sure!
I second Alex G on the Outpost wines. TRB does a great job. That 2013 Howell Mountain is a great wine for the price point indeed! I haven’t had the 2013 Chappellet. Is that a more red fruit profile Cabernet? A few of their wines I’ve had in the past seemed a little too high-toned for me.
Chris – the Chappellet Signature Cab is big and bold, but NOT as big and bold as the TRB wines. To me, it’s a softer, maybe slightly more feminine expression. Beautiful, colorful fireworks in the sky, not the huge bass explosions you feel in your chest.
Awesome! Thanks for the recommendation!
I am interested in trying some TRB wines. Can someone compare them to Phelps Cabs? I have become a huge fan of Phelps recently, but I am new to the hobby. Thanks!
Mending Wall is a good intro to TRB and the 2013 Cabernet is available through the winery. However, Outpost may actually rival MW, specifically their Howell Mtn. and True Vineyard offerings. 2013 is especially great for Outpost in my opinion. If you can get on their mailing list, Rivers-Marie Cabernets, especially the Panek and Corona are priced around the same as the MW and Outpost Cabs. The best of the best from TRB is of course Schrader ($175 off the mailing list; $250-350 on the secondary market depending on Parker scores usually).
Compared to Phelps, I think Scrader, Rivers-Marie, and Outpost all drink above Phelps’ wines (the Insignia in certain vintages is the only exception). The Mending Wall Cab. is much more interesting to me than Phelps’ standard Cab.
The best 2013 I have had is the 2013 Maybach Materium (TRB wine) and anyone passing on their allocation would be foolish. Note on cellartracker. (I gave it 99pts)
Phelps Insignia is like nothing TRB makes. His vineyard designates do not stack up when we speak of pure cab excellence, although very fine wines in their own right.
River-Marie Panek is one of the best sub-$100 wines around. I have loved both of the Becklyns in 2013 as well, the 2013 Becklyn Reserve is the second best 2013 I have had yet (Parker should anoint with a 96 later this week. Watch for it). Panek awaits…
Cheerios!
1 Like