This is a solid wine at the $25 price point. Let it breath for about 20min and it should open up. Although thos was good, I still mich rather prefer a regular Mount Veeder Cab that is right around this price point. — 5 years ago
Medium bodied. Balanced acidity. A good amount of oak, but not too heavy. Startling depth for the age and price. — 6 years ago
Earlier this week, a rep for Crown Point wines hosted a tasting to show off a few of their newer releases. New to me, they are out of Santa Barbara and have the duo of Adam Henkel (former assistant winemaker at Harlan for 8yrs) and Philippe Melka (who came on starting with the ‘15 vintage) making the wines.
The difference between this wine and the previous two is that this is their Cabernet (92%) with just a dash of merlot, petit Verdot, malbec and cab franc. Similar to the ‘15 Estate Selection in how this is big and dense but still harmonious. Rich and dark fruits with graphite, cassis, and mocha. Big tannins with a dark and compact core...blackberries, underripe blueberries, violets, and dusty cedar. — 3 years ago
Very smooth, full body — 7 years ago
Earlier this week, a rep for Crown Point wines hosted a tasting to show off a few of their newer releases. New to me, they are out of Santa Barbara and have the duo of Adam Henkel (former assistant winemaker at Harlan for 8yrs) and Philippe Melka (who came on starting with the ‘15 vintage) making the wines.
I found there to be a noticeable step up in quality between the ‘14 and this ‘15...maybe that was due to Melka coming on board at this point. Where this differs from the ‘14 is the added cab franc and petit Verdot. Smells a touch more herbaceous and crunchy instead of being a fruit bomb. It was also more chalky and dusty. Floral with potpourri and flowers give this better balance on the nose. The palate sports the whole fruit spectrum from red, blue and black but also has good acidity and tannin. Slightly savory finish of dark cocoa, peppercorns and cassis with underripe blackberries. Nice aging potential. — 3 years ago
Wow. I don't know what happened in the interim since I last had this, but it really turned the corner. The winemaker is Adam Henkel, formerly of Harlan, who seems to have really crafted a sleeper. Wonderfully integrated tannins! Dark cherry and some other red fruits on the palate. Excellent finish. — 5 years ago
Pat Taylor
The namesake of my brother, this was my first sampling of the Ryan Vineyard. It was outstanding! Through August, this is easily in my top 3 bottles so far this year! — 2 days ago