Beta
Tenuta San Leonardo
San Leonardo Red Blend 2016
Popped and poured; enjoyed over a several hour period. No formal notes. I figured this would be a baby and it certainly was. At this point, everything is wound up into a tight coil. The nose is loaded with dark crunchy fruits, green bell pepper, tobacco, dried Italian herbs, aromatic wood and light baking spices. On the palate, the fruit is super fresh. This comes across elegant however the structure is pretty significant; the acid in particular with the tannin being a bit more on the sneaky side. I drank alongside the 2018 Beta “Maus” and while the nose on the San Leonardo was a bit more exotic, these shared a lot of similarities from a body, texture and structure standpoint. I expect this will begin to show better after 2026 however, I have no plans to touch my remaining bottle until after 2030. Patience will be handsomely rewarded. — 2 years ago
Sandlands Vineyards
Sonoma County Chardonnay 2018
My first experience with Tegan’s Chardonnay and I nerded out on this one. The fruit for this wine was the last harvest from the “Chuy” vineyard, a dry-farmed mountain vineyard at 1000ft elevation with 45yr old vines. It was particularly fun for me because Ketan Mody also harvested Chardonnay from Chuy in 2018 to make a one-off Chardonnay under his Beta label. Both are delicious expressions of the variety. My notes on this one below:
Popped and poured. A very brilliant color reminds me of a yellow diamond and beautifully transparent with medium viscosity. On the nose, kumquat, passion fruit, and lime. Slightly reductive. On the palate, tropical fruit and saline minerals with the silkiest of textures. Medium+ acid helps deliver a long, satisfying finish. Lovely now but could probably cellar for a bit too. If only I had been allocated more than one bottle. — 3 years ago
Beta Wine
Vare Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Initially popped and poured and holy smokes, this is green! The nose is youthful but not without charm, with tart red and black fruit and fresh cut roses. On the palate however, this was simply too green; too tart. So I ended up decanting for a couple of hours before returning to the bottle and checked in on it over the following four days. Probably best on Day 4 but it remained pretty youthful.
After four days of being open, the 2017 “Vare Vineyard” pours a ruby color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is youthful with pretty notes of bright, underripe fruit: blackberries, raspberries, red currants, cranberries, fresh leaf tobacco, Anaheim pepper, roses, dried herbs and autumn forest floor. On the palate, the wine is dry with sneaky medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from nose. The finish is medium+. Overall, this is a very young wine that’s full of energy and needs many years to come into balance. Better after 2027 and drink through 2042. 12.3% ABV. Yes, you read that right. — 2 months ago
Beta Wine
Maus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Popped and poured; enjoyed over two days with consistent notes. This is my first bottle of the 2018 “Maus” which shares the same clonal material as the fruit from Montecillo but sits about 1000ft below. No formal notes. The overall impression of freshness is unassailable. At this stage, the wine is super duper primary with cassis and tobacco taking a dominant role. There seems to be some fairly good tannin management happening because the effect on the palate is moderate. Acid, on the other hand, is medium++ and there may be a touch of VA; all good though. This is a very light, elegant and natural expression of Cabernet Sauvignon that’s showing a bit green at the moment however, I feel very confident that time will help this flesh out. Patience will be rewarded. Drink from 2025-2038+. — 2 years ago
Sheldrake Point
Beta Series Strike Back Gewürztraminer 2018
Very interesting and spicy dessert wine. Dark golden color. Aromas of orange zest, mango, lychee fruit and a bevy of spices. The palate notes orange marmalade, cooked peach and those ever present sweet baking spices. Viscous texture but not syrupy sweet for a dessert wine. Paired nicely with carrot cake. Interesting! — 8 months ago
Jay Kline
Opened a day prior and poured into a wide bottom decanter for several hours before returning to the bottle overnight. Double-decanted again prior to service and then enjoyed over the next three days. The wine pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is youthful with notes of tart and ripe black currants, a mix of black and red bramble fruit, dried leaf tobacco, crushed rock and a vast array of minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry and still exhibiting fairly massive structure. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. There is a sneaky density to this wine that indicates this is very special and yet, compared to my experience back in 2019, this seems recalcitrant. Regardless, this is a classically structured Cabernet Sauvignon. I have one bottle remaining and won’t plan to touch it until closer to 2030. — 21 days ago