TN: 2017 Blackbird Vineyards Arise (USA, California, Napa Valley)

  • 2017 Blackbird Vineyards Arise - USA, California, Napa Valley (10/14/2021)
    Day 1: First bottle was slightly corked. I will say I like another vintage of this wine but this 2017 is awful. Hot wine with oak, vanilla, spices, ripe fruits and no balance. This is a huge disappointment. The fact Vinous Media gave this 90 points only should be alarming. 84 points
    Day 2: A little better but not much. So much oak/vanilla even worse than a Rioja aged in new American oak. Some fruit there but so heavy. Dark chocolate on the finish. 84.5 points
    Day 3: The worst of the days. What a mess of a wine with over the top oak with little else showing through. 80 points
    Recommendation: Unless you like big oak wines this one is not for you and I don’t see this aging well but if you have some drink 2028 and beyond. (84 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

I don’t think the problem with that score is the wine…

1 Like

I don’t think I understand your comment. Can you elaborate?

What caused you to try this wine? Everything I have heard about Blackbird suggests it’s ripe and oaky. Were you expecting something else?

Just because the wine isn’t to your taste doesn’t mean that Vinuous is wrong and “alarming”. It just is evidence of the sheer subjectiveness of tasting and scoring. I mean, if you hated it that much, why did you give it an 84, which isn’t a bad score? Seems high for an “awful” wine.

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I haven’t tried the 2017, but have had the ‘16 recently that I picked up earlier on sale for $28/bottle (iirc).
Merlot, cab & cab franc- so it has a lot going on, a bit plump at first. With air it smoothed out nicely. Ultimately, I thought it one of the better QPR’s I’ve had this year.

We drink the 18 from 375s at home. I think it’s a great value if you like the style - definitely ripe, definitely oaky, but delicious and hard to find that style done well at that price.

I think John was suggesting that 90 was alarmingly low for a professional review these days and that should have deterred him from drinking it in the first place.

John, the wine was made by Aaron Pott. I have had dozens of his wines over the years and not one has been remotely like what you describe. His style of winemaking prioritizes balance and depends on careful use of oak. Arise is a personal favorite and I have always found it to be a bargain. Where did you get the wine? Any chance it was improperly stored?

Yes the 14 was very good.

2014 Blackbird Vineyards Arise - USA, California, Napa Valley (12/14/2019)
Sunfish Cellars Napa Valley Extravaganza (Sunfish Cellars/I Nonni Minneapolis, MN): The most approachable of the 3 Blackbird wines at the tasting. Blueberries, oak, dust, chocolate and earth. Medium plus finish and good concentration. This is enjoyable on a pop and pour but will benefit with some aging.
37% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Petit Verdot (92 points)
Posted from CellarTracker

Not that all 90 point scores are bad but yes at $40 retail I would pass when these wines get 92/93 all day long.

Probably not improper stored as got it from Surdyk’s in Minneapolis and all other 11 wines from different producers were fine. I have not had a wine with that much oak influence in a long time.

I don’t follow that logic. So a 90-point score should be a red flag that a wine is in reality “awful”?

If you look at the Vinuous website, they themselves don’t make that case:

The Antonio Galloni/Vinous Rating Scale

96-100 Exceptional. A profound and emotionally moving wine that exemplifies the very best attributes of its kind. These are the world’s great, iconic wines

90-95 Outstanding. A wine of remarkable personality and breed that is well worth seeking out.

85-89 Excellent. A strong wine with true character that provides highly enjoyable drinking. This is the sweet spot for values and everyday wines that won’t break the bank

80-84 Average. A wine with no flaws, but no distinction

75-79 Below Average. A wine with at least one noticeable flaw

Below 75 Not worth your time
—
The fact that the OP themselves gave an 84 to a wine they also decided was “awful” shows how scores are mostly subjective bullshit (IMHO). If the OP hated it that much, it should have been scored a 0, or 75, I suppose.

We get they have a scoring scale but hardly any critic uses it. The descriptors are vague at best. 90 points now a days is not an outstanding effort from most critics.