So impressed….and jealous….and sad I could not be there. The photo of all the bottles may have to go into my wine room.
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Great notes and what a great event, Todd. The comments about the 2014 intrigue me. Was the consensus that this is a characteristic of the 2014 vintage in general, or just specific to the Macdonald wine? Curios if there was discussion about this.
Again, thanks for the notes!
Ed
I can send you the full resolution photo if you like
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It is a striking photo!
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Except the 2 corks sticking out like sore thumbs. Any reason for the corks in the bottles?
Clearly a once in a life tasting. Well done folks! 
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Dang!
(Drools)
FWIW- 2014 has been a great early drinking Napa vintage.
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yeah, I took the photo, wish I took those out beforehand, dammit
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Such a cool event!!
My favorite was the 2013 and 2019 (with a ton of air). The 16 was great as well. The 17 may drink the best right now, or at least with the decanting instructions we received it did. The 14 had a Finish that was a bit short compared to the rest. Graeme recalled a small earthquake occurring during the growing season and felt that may explain it. The 2017 held its own despite being from a less then ideal vintage. Same with the 2011 which had some drying tannins on the end so it could still use some more aging. Goes to show you that great vineyards and great winemaking can overcome challenging vintages. We have both of those elements here.
With a ton of time and air, the 2019 turned into something truly amazing. Cinnamon and nutmeg and an elegant finish.
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Have they ever spoken about their elevage? I.e., barrels, what kind, how long etc?
14 before 12 ?
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14 before anything, the way those bottles showed the other night, yes, without question. Graeme said he had a few ethereal bottles of it in the past, but they both showed similarly during the event.
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Surprised to hear that? It was drinking amazing when we had it in April? I believe ours was open in bottle for 24hrs. Maybe less air needed?
- 2014 MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (4/25/2022)
Friggin LOVE these wines…wish I was on the list, but nice to have friends that are! Had with the 12…the 14 is firing on all cylinders right now…HUGE mouthful of liqueured blue and black fruits…licorice, creme de cassis, violets, smoked cherry wood…with perfect graphite dry extract and spicy silky tannin integration…so rich and full bodied, yet pure class and elegance…the complexities, balance, and depth of flavors are just intoxicating. The 12 was just as good, just in one less gear. Amazing wines! (98 pts.) - 2012 MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (4/25/2022)
Had with the 14…both wines were drinking AMAZING…the absolute perfect rich extraction sweetness to dryness wines made in Napa. Just pure crushed dark liqueured berry fruits…creme de cassis and rich soiled earth…expressive bouquet of violets and white flower florals…smoked cherrywood, black olive…again, like the 14, the perfect graphite dryness to the sweet rich fruit…yet SO silky and elegant…the complexities are endless and intoxicating. The extra age on the 12 has it in one less gear than the 14…in more integration mode with restraint…but brilliant none the less. Just gorgeous! (97 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
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Could be!
Now I have to decide if I want to drink it during the holidays or not and how long to decant! Better ask Alex!
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So @ToddFrench, c’mon, it’s been enough time - it’s safe to admit now that it was just you and 20 bottles of Macdonald.
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How exactly would an earthquake affect the ultimate quality of the wine?..
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Theory is that the August earthquake loosened the soil/water table, thereby giving a jolt of abnormal supply of water to the roots at that critical time of grape maturation. Might be interesting to have a '14 horizontal with other similar wines in the area.
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