Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Notes on a half-hour decant. $59.99 at Costco; which shows again there is a wine glut out there in the marketplace. All the Napa wineries have stepped up their frequency of emails, added texts and backed up w/ personal calls. They have all raised their pricing over the years and now an abundance of fruit being sold for less, but less buyers these days due to a troubled economy & new generation(s) not buying wine like previous ones. They might have to rely on very good AI to figure out those issues.

The nose is; dark, lush, ruby; dark currants, blackberries, elderberries, black plum, boysenberries, some blueberries, dark cherries, plum & raspberries. The core is black currants, sweet tarriness with anise that runs into black licorice. Dark chocolate, dark cocoa, soft baking spices; vanillin, cinnamon, nutmeg & clove, cedar with shaved oak, shaved coconut notes, fresh tobacco, new leather, dark, sweet, turned earth w/ dry leaves & twigs, under toned dark spices, dash of fresh & dry herbs, dry stone, crushed limestone, liquid, ruby, candied, dark fresh & withering flowers framed in lavender & violets.

The M+ tannins are big, bold, round & coated with dust. Bigger & bolder than most other 21’s I’ve had. It is still beastly and definitely needs another 5+ years in bottle before opening and will last two decades w/ change. The sense of the 14.9% palate ABV seems more 15.7 at this point, but believe it will tame with more bottle age. Lush, ruby, dark currants, blackberries, elderberries, black plum, boysenberries, some blueberries, dark cherries, plum, raspberries w/ strawberries notes. The core is also black currants, sweet, deep tarriness with anise that runs into black licorice. Dark chocolate, dark cocoa powder, a little more pronounced baking spices; vanillin, cinnamon, nutmeg & clove, big, dry cedar with shaved oak, shaved coconut notes, dry tobacco, new leather, dark, sweet, turned earth w/ dry leaves & twig, grey volcanic ash & clay, charcoal w/ ash, bolder, dark spices; which penetrate the tongue with heat, a dash of fresh & dry herbs, dry river stone, crushed limestone with volcanic rock, liquid, ruby, candied, dark fresh & withering flowers, red roses, framed in lavender & violets. Good, round acidity with a huge finish that shows big structure & tension, not quite in balance yet as it needs to resolve further, the promise of more elegance and a lasting long finish landing squarely on earth & spices.

This shows all the elements that promise another two, maybe three points with better aging.

86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot & 3% Malbec. Aged 20 months is 80% New French Oak Barrels.

Photos of; their estate vines, tasting room & patio, swing on the small lake that sits on/near the estate. . — 6 days ago

Kamall

8.9

This was the sans soufre “N”. Not a patch on the S that I had in a restaurant recently, but maybe that’s bottle variation? I loved the 2019 S I had. One of the best vintages in the last 5 years I thought. Now I’m not sure! — 3 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Mid gold in colour. Aromatics of yellow peach and honeyed notes. No traces of petro chemical. Medium plus intensity of stone fruit and mineral on the palate. Great depth. One of the top Rieslings in Alsace and showing it in spades. A beautiful Riesling and probably at its peak. Will stay on this plateau through the 2020’s. Interestingly about 25% went through malolactic so this is a different style from the usual Cuvée Frederic Emile. Very fresh for a 14 year old Riesling but remaining fleshy and M plus bodied. — 9 months ago

GV

9.2

Another very good bottle by M&S in their own "Classics" label offerings. Nice deep colour, plenty of cherry and plum, and a pleasure to drink with food or on its own. — a year ago

GV

8.9

Solid and punchy red with a deep, dark hue. Lots of fruit and hint of violets on the nose. Cherry, berries and red fruit. Went very well with a pork loin in a tuscan bean tomato sauce. — 2 years ago

Tree Kilpatrick

9.0

Classic looking bottle. Lovely deep purple color. Smells like berry ice cream and smoke. Flavors of the Rhone if a bit on the big/heavy handed side of the style. Coffee and berry pie with a scoop of ice cream. That’s what I’m tasting here. Sorta short on the backside, but I’d be quite pleased with a glass of this at my favorite wine bar or bistro. It’s even mostly Grenache! Good job blending the S(yrah) & the M (ourvèdre) in there Romain D. — 3 years ago

Mark Chandler

8.9

Always love a Sancerre! This one from the M&S collection hits the right citrus and green fruit (lime and apple) notes with a subtle yet distinct note of fennel right at the end. Crisp with a high acidity and medium alcohol. Dry to medium body. Can be enjoyed on its own. — a year ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

The 3rd matching wine in the degustation at Restaurant Dan Arnold. I’ve been a long time fan of Yarra Yering back to the 1980’s, pretty much exclusively with their reds. This Dry White is a blend of Semillon and Chardonnay. ( not as per the title) Lemon and lime notes on nose and palate with M plus acid I recall. Certainly drinking this in its infancy. — a year ago

with Byron

Jay Kline

9.4

A lovely, luxurious and archetypal version of Syrah that showed very well alongside the other late-90’s examples from Hermitage on the table. I felt this showed a little bit better than the “La Chapelle” but it was really close. It’s showing some charming secondary characteristics but has plenty of gas left in the tank. — 3 years ago

Ed Chin

8.9

This is misidentified as Pinot noir as the back label lists about 5 other varieties. Then again the back label is generic enough that it seems they put them on all their bottles back then. No vintage noted but is an early 60’s bottling. Still bright with loads of red fruit. What I seem to detect is a slight VA but others with more experience with older vintages says that it was on point. I’m good on the palate just not the aromatics. For a 50yr old wine I’m good with it. — 3 years ago