The Bard Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

It’s going to be a Benoit kind of night.

Damn well made Napa cab dominated wine

full bodied blend cab dominated but taste the softness of the merlot and the tanginess of the PV blend - for me it is sweet almost but elegance with a very dense purple zing from blackberry fruit intermixed with licorice and lime soil - the texture is nice loamy forest floor but not all earthy and a gritty layered mouthfeel - love the length

God I miss a brilliantly made cab from Napa

@Eric LaMasters @Carl Fischer your thoughts as you tasted the same tonight

Yum

Getting better with age!

First red on night four at Chops Grille aboard the Harmony of the Seas. Deep purplish red. Rich nose with sweet cinnamon, vanilla, blackberries, cassis, dark gravel and dark cocoa. Heavy tannins (7.5/10) and full bodied. Lush palate with blue and black fruits as well as baking spices, purple flowers and a bit of minerals. Long and lingering finish with a touch of heat. Could use a short decant next time. Drink till 2033.

Deep purplish core with ruby edges. Tight on the nose with anise, dark spices, cinnamon, vanilla, dark cherries and cassis. Heavy tannins (8/10) and medium plus to full bodied. Tons of dark cherries, blackcurrants, baking spices and dark gravel. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2033.

Blackberry, anise, some baking spice and a touch of wet gravel. Smooth and mouth coating and a touch sweet on the entry. The finish is long and dry - the tannins are gripping even after two hours.

Third red of the cruise, and given around a two hour decant. Deep and dark ruby red that completely coats the glass. A touch stinky to start on the nose that opened up with layers of dark cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon, a touch of chalk, purple flowers and dark gravel. Heavy tannins (7/10) and full bodied. Tons of spices and fruits, like black currants, nutmeg, anise and black berries. Long and lingering finish. Definitely improvement over the last time we tried this bottling, it will only get better with some more bottle age. Drink till 2035. (94+)

4th Friday of the month means Classic Wine Storage happy hour! Great wines, as always, today!

This was my contribution as I needed to make space for the revered ‘15s. My first time having the ‘14, and I’m glad I was able to wait a year. Still needed every bit of the 2hrs it was open. Incredibly plush...difference between that and silky. It coated every bit of the mouth, but had a softness to it. Blackberries, licorice, wet stone, graphite, and a finishing note of nutmeg. Impressive.

Dense, dark, and awesome