Actually, though I know Brian is very knowledgable on Mike, Envy was a collaboration between Carter and Venge and Venge was the winemaker of Envy - Mike made Carter at the same facility. I did not know Robin was elevated to be winemaker (I thought he may have been an assistant and I liked his own label) or that Venge was not. Things change in the area.
Also didn’t know TRB was back at Tamber Bey, as he was the first winemaker, then it was Mike for a while. They make some nice Chard! The 2012 Carter BTK Granddaddy we had last week was pretty nice as was the '09 Myriad Dr. Crane.
Robin was in charge of the winemaking duties for Envy and managing the custom crush crew for the facility. Mike made the wine and winemaking decisions for the labels he was responsible for. When Robin left they hired Banyan to manage the custom crush crew/winemaking facility and Mike took over the winemaking duties for Envy.
Nils and Mark are still the money behind the operation but Nils hasn’t made the wine for a while now.
This 2011 Scarlett Cab shows that a great wine maker can make a good wine in a off vintage year. We gave it an hour decant and it was really good. Typical dark ruby fruit in the glass, strong blackfruit on the nose, maybe a touch of chocolate, good mid-palate feel with black-dark red fruit and some tannin intergration but still present. Long finish. Very enjoyable!
On Easter I foiled up the 2013 Becklyn and 2013 Scarlett. Went back and forth over about two hours and when the foil was removed found it was the Scarlett I preferred. Both wines have the telltale Mike Smith rush of lush fruit, plus good depth and structure. I felt the Scarlett had a little something more, hard to define, maybe a touch of old school Cab. Of course, if I repeat the tasting, chances are the Becklyn will be the favorite. They are very similar, both first class and relatively good deals in the crazy world of Napa Cabernet.
2013 12c last night, acrually my first Mike Smith wine. Decanted for 3 hours, it needed more. Tannic backbone and balance evident, I think this will really be terrific down the road.
This was the “funkier” of the two. More gamey notes, and smoke. Just a really deep and intriguing wine. Finish maybe a little more disjointed than the Myriad right now, but very powerful.
Certainly needs lots of air right now, and this baby will only get better. (93 pts.)
2014 Myriad Cellars Syrah Halcon Vineyard- USA, California, North Coast, Yorkville Highlands (4/9/2016)
Gave this about 4 hours of slow ox, then into decanter for another 10 hours. Drank alongside a '14 Quivet Las Madres (Hulda).
This was the “frutier” of the two, but in no sense a fruit bomb - just less of the smokey/gamey qualities of the Quivet. Deep, dark purple. Medium + weight with some real liveliness on the palate. Finish was smoother than the Quivet right now. Would also note that the Myriad was in a big “wide bottomed” decanter so I was able to slosh it around quite a bit more than the Quivet (which was in a smaller decanter). I think the agitation might have helped the Myriad open even further.
Certainly needs lots of air right now, and will only get better. (93 pts.)
It’s amazing how big the fruit shows on this wine considering the site that barely gets ripe. Probably the least ripe fruit in Mike’s Syrah portfolio but one of the biggest showings.
My first Mike Smith wine.
'15 Myriad, Semillon, Tofanelli. White flowers, citrus, wax and honey blend together with wonderfully lively acids to create an outstanding wine.
PnP with notes of deep red and black currant, black amber plum, cacao, red and black licorice, deep black cherry, slate, and a hint of anise spice.
Decanted for two+ hours, which didn’t change it too much. A nice milk chocolate note emerged, which added a bit of additional depth. I thought this might end up just a tad cloying, with soft, rounded edges that were going to come across possibly muddled. It skirted that issue, never falling off; it maintained its integrity and sailed on through the finish.
Comparatively, the 2013 was definitely a wine with more power and layered structure, but the 2012 held its own. The 2012 was indeed a more plush wine, but it was able to maintain interest throughout the entire bottle with some mineral and chalk notes framing the otherwise ripe, round fruit flavors. I probably favor the 2013 at this stage a little more, as it has a good dose of youthful power. However, the 2012 is ready for prime-time drinking in my opinion. Drink now and over the next 3-5 years, if you like a little “push” in your Cabernet. I’m sure it will last longer, with tertiary flavors emerging as it rolls into the 7 year mark.
Not atypical of GIII fruit, structure seemed not at the absolute forefront; the 2012 is all about the fruit! Good stuff!
On the PnP, I was initially struck by how sweet and ripe this wine came across. Deep black/purple/blue fruit flavors, creme de cassis, and sweet red/black licorice. Almost liqueur-like and pretty boozy. Clearly a little clunky at the moment.
I gave it two+ hours in a wide-bottomed decanter at 54 degrees. It didn’t budge too much. I brought it up to more room temperature (65+ degrees) for another hour and the sweetness subsided a bit. Some additional notes of dark red currant, sweet Amarena Fabbri black cherry, and vanilla bean.
As mentioned by others whose palates are far more refined than mine, this needs some time. I would guess at least a year to become a little more finessed and seamless. I admittedly don’t have a lot of experience with the Kenefick site, so I’m not sure if this is par for the course or if the sweetness is an anomaly. Still a good wine with promise.
Just took delivery of my first batch of myriad and quivet syrahs, had to pop a myriad sugarloaf to see what the Mike smith hype is about… What a stunning wine! Game and olive notes giving way to brooding dark fruit, firm but approachable tannins and great length on the finish. Slow-oxed for two hours and drank over another two with burgers, glad I have lots more, excellent QPR.
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