Bootleg is the newest Napa label under the Jackson Family umbrella, which also includes Cardinale, Freemark Abbey, Galerie, La Jota, Lokoya, and Mt. Brave. The label pays homage to “the winegrowing rogues, who smuggled vine cuttings from renowned French vineyards and replanted them in California.” Kristy Melton, formerly director of winemaking at Clos du Val, crafts the wines and this blend of 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Petite Sirah, 21% Zinfandel, 12% Merlot, 3% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot. The fruit is sourced from vineyards on Atlas Peak, Oakville, Mt. Veeder, Rutherford and Spring Mountain. Parker called it “off-the-charts in terms of its hedonistic appeal” and I can’t disagree. Blackberry, kirsch and cassis combine to yield an ultra rich fruit bomb, but it doesn’t stop there, adding Rutherford dust, cocoa powder, licorice, purple flowers, cedar, and crushed rock. I’ve heard several comparisons of this to the wines of Orin Swift, and while both are fruit bomb, high octane wines, I’m more inclined to compare this to something like Andy Erickson’s Leviathan. — 7 years ago
Round two wrestling the creamy grapefruit leviathan. Orange and pomelo nose with golden raisin dried mango and dried pineapple. Creamy, rolling entry turns pithy and sharp like black lime on tin foil. Giant grapefruit note grenades the middle, spiral-sliced into lemon peel, with a touch of candied lemon peel on the tip of its citric tail. — 9 years ago
Oily bubble, troil of trouble. Inky dinky dew lacing dripping around the hulk of the behemoth leviathan like measured cliff grooves. Mace, allspice, cinnamon apple, cedar and brown sugar-caramel define the shape of the nose. Bourbon is bursting from its pumpkin shell and therein lies its maple well. Impressively endless resonation of whisk(e)y arpeggios circling round the usual barrel suspects sing with real meaning the pear and apple, fig and tobacco, cola and bitter pineapple. Incontrovertibly stunning.
#heavyseas #mdbeer #heavyseasbeer #heavyseasgreaterpumpkin #greaterpumpkin #pumpkinale #imperialpumpkinale #bourbonbarrelaged #unchartedwaters #unchartededwatersseries #beer #biere #bier #birra #cerveza #seasonalbeer — a month ago
Certainly no slouch, but not quite as leviathan as the Gaja that preceded. Babbo 2001 Barolo Revisited. Outstanding! — 7 years ago
Nice brew. Mango leaves a pleasant after taste — 8 years ago
Sweet, slightly better than leviathan — 9 years ago
Chip Habegger
Napa Cabs are good but this one didn’t do much to set itself apart. Excellent pairing with steak as expected. Notes paired with steak moved into menthol territory with just a little dark berry. More herbaceous. — 23 days ago