Very drinkable at Love & Salt — 3 years ago
[Tasted on November 17, 2024 at Home with Linda]
Cherry, raspberry and strawberry fruit, with tobaccco, earth, spice, cedar and smoke. — 7 months ago
I tasted this at cork pull and it looked & tasted a bit brickish. Waited to decant but it still needed a hour in the decanter. 97 a great Napa vintage. Well stored bottle bought from auction.
The fruits are lush, velvety & ruby; blackberries, black plum, plum pudding, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries & blueberry hues. Dark chocolate, mocha, salted caramel, malt balls on the long decant, black licorice, there is a touch of v/a-bandaid but it’s not spoiling and dissipates some in time, dusty to slightly moist top soil, olive tapenade, herbaceous notes, soft, dark spice, half used, dry tobacco w/ ash, sandalwood, moist, grey volcanic clay, limestone, dry crushed rocks, notes of black pepper, candied, liquid, fresh & mostly withering, dark, red, purple flowers, very round acidity and a very well balanced, tensioned, nicely structured and a smartly polished, round finish that lasts two-minutes.
Second wine to pair with/ Allen Brothers Cover Ribs. — a year ago
[Tasted on October 11, 2024 at Home with Jay, Eric and Lillie]
Wine is Annabelle’s Block Pinot Noir from Klopp Ranch in Russian River Valley. Purchased wine at Donelan tasting organized by Ned and Beth on May 8, 2024. Tart black cherry, boysenberry and black currant fruit, with nice acidity, spice and chalky note. — 8 months ago
Popped and poured, no formal notes. This bottle has been stored in my cellar since release. I have always appreciated the restrained expression of Clos du Val however, this was enjoyed after the 2005 “Caravina” and there is a very clear difference in class between the two. The Seavey had a level of energy, sophistication and polish that the CdV just couldn’t match, even though it was 8 years younger. However, there was a subtle charm to it and if enjoyed on its own, would have made more of an impression. The profile was dark, with loads of earth. Structure was firm but in balance with the fruit. Finish was medium. Built for another decade but probably won’t improve.
— 3 years ago
The Château Brûlesécaille 2016 is comprised of 55% Merlot and a little under 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, with Cabernet Franc and Malbec making up the balance. In the glass, the wine has a glistening dark royal purple color, almost opaque at the center, with flashes of magenta just at the edge. The classic Right Bank nose unfurls gradually with aromas of sun-warmed black raspberries, griotte cherries, and sweet white tobacco, along with fleeting suggestions of eucalyptus and exotic spices as the wine evolves in the glass. On entry, the wine is meaty and succulent, building to a burly, lingering, rich mid-palate, loaded with a cornucopia of black and red fruit flavors that echo the nose; lightly seasoned with pine needles, toasted coconut, and baker’s chocolate – all framed in sinuous, assertive, ripe fine-grained tannins. Almost California-like in concentration and texture, with dusty minerality and fresh Right Bank acidity that carries the flavors through a long, elegant finish. Drink now – 2030. — Moore Brothers Wine Co. — 4 years ago
Shay A

One of the wines I supplied for an annual lunch hosting (co-host this time). I was really hesitant to open this given the fanfare of this specific wine, but also how DrCrane can be an in-between wine for me (so explosive young, shut down at 5-10yrs, re-open 10+). Decanted two-three hours.
Classic deep purple-black DrCrane in the glass. Aromatics are immediate with ripe blue and black fruits, baking spices, mocha and graphite. Just a little bit of high-toned EA to make it pop, along with this roasted character I always get from DrCrane wines. Opulent and polished in every way on the palate, this is a tidal wave of flavor with no hard edges. It’s a towering wine in the sense of so much concentration and depth on the mid-palate, but it’s so incredibly polished at the finish…almost shockingly so. The ripe fruits and the dark chocolate linger longer than any Napa cab I can remember. Iron first in a velvet glove.
No need to worry, these are open for business. Plenty of structure to carry a while, but this window seems like it was made for how this wine is drinking now. — 2 months ago