Here is my recent tasting note (I forgot how to add it directly from CT…)
Continues to amaze. Lovely dark red fruits balanced with some great leather and earth notes. Really captures right bank notes but with a new word twist. Definitely more balanced and restrained. This just kept getting better and better over the evening. PnP. Coterno. 93 points
Emily still has some of these, as well as other vintages. As many here know she is no longer making wine, but she has some great back vintages at very reasonable prices (I think this is $60 at the moment). Really lovely wine that drinks well now and will improve at least for a few more years.
Love this wine, and Virage in general. Had the 2007 as recently as last September and it was still going strong, so these can go the distance no problem. A great new world take on right bank, lush, but still good energy, not over the top in any way.
Thanks for all the kind words! OMG I agree the 2010 is singing right now, Ron’s description is perfect. I haven’t been drinking much wine lately, but funnily enough, that very same night, I brought one to share over dinner with a Neighbor in Nashville, to accompany sausage/kale/garlic/squash soup, and charcuterie beforehand. I did the PnP QC check then we decanted. OMG, I was stunned myself how lush and layered, the balance was perfect all night, just rounding up a bit with more O2. My host promptly ordered a case. I’ve had my issues with this wine; upon release it seemed hot to me, it is the ripest of the Virage vintages I produced. It took time to gain weight/density, but now showing herself a true equal to the beloved 2007. Psyched.
Can’t wait to read your notes. I have three I don’t want to open. I confess I hated this wine on release (happens a lot, mostly because I was madly in love with the 2015 which was far more subtle/sheer), but I agree bottle age did interesting things. There are some tannins in there, so a little structure and a little more age-able.
This reminds me that I had two bottles of every rose’ I ever made (7 vintages), all in a case I was going to create a lighted display as the colors are all unique, and to my eye, they all looked like they tasted. It really broke my heart those bottles burned. Maybe I’m sending a shout out for OLD Virage rose’s stuck in the back of Berserkers’ cellars, to re-create this display lineup. I just need one of each. I doubt the 2010-2014’s are very drinkable now. Maybe 2014 would surprise me… I cracked a 2015 with salmon a few days ago expecting no flavor and found sublime peach pit almond cream. But needed to be consumed quickly. Unfortunately, I forgot it was my ONLY bottle of 2015. WHO put that in the refrigerator!?!
AND YES, I’ll be here on BD. But sadly, no rose’ to offer until I set up a new production structure, source grapes, etc. Hasn’t been in the cards last couple years.
Seeing this thread we opened our first 2010 tonight (from BerserkerDay last year). Throwing a bit of sediment so I decanted about an hour ago. Harmonious and balanced-not getting any heat at all-no overripe notes. Really nice wine Emily.
I had one over the weekend and really liked it (the first wine from my modest WBD13 haul:
2010 Virage Vineyards- USA, California, Napa Valley (3/4/2022)
I bought this as part of a 2010-2011-2012 package offered as part of BerserkerDay 13. Not decanted, served in Gabriel Glas Gold stems. The nose was youthful and showed the deep berry scents I associate with great Cali Cab: huckleberry, blackberry maybe. The palate didn’t have much tannic presence anymore, but it wasn’t flabby or lacking in structure. Rather, it showed rich but balanced currant, huckleberry preserves, and slight spice flavors. While the fruit is still up-front, this doesn’t need any more age necessarily. I think it’ll drink really well for another 5 years. Delicious stuff, and I’m glad I bought some. (92 pts.)
