The event was truly amazing. These wines were all fantastic. They would all hold their own when poured by itself. Since we’re splitting hairs I will throw in my two cents.
Out of the 10 vintages if I had to choose which one I would glug all night long I would go with the 2014. It was fun, juicy, silky, balanced and kept me wanting to go back for more. This was the most open for business.
If I wanted to go with a more pensive evening the 2010 and 2011 were the most fragrant. They both had a distinct floral component to them along with the creamy red fruits and chocolate. I thought the 2011 was the most elegant and the 2010 was the most balanced.
I think the 2013, 2015, 2016 still need more time in bottle. The fruit (think blue/black) and tannins in those wines were really concentrated probably due to the drought years but the wine went really well with steak.
I thought the 2017 was similar to 2011.
The 2018 and 2019’s were pretty primary at this stage so I’ll let mine sleep for while.
We agree on this - stylistically, and a fun comparison to know what the 2017 will eventually be like. I guess it makes sense, given the similarities in the vintages…
What an epic evening! If this isn’t enough to break me out of lurkerdom, I don’t know what is.
It was great meeting everyone. Great conversation all around. The venue layout limited conversation through most of the night to those seated immediately next to across from you, but I really enjoyed getting to know @ToddFrench, @Kevin_Lloyd, @Scott_McDonald, @C_Wong and @Andre_M.
I agree with Todd on the 2014. It was the relative weak spot in the lineup (“weak” is very much a relative term here). The finish was clipped compared to the other wines in the lineup, and it just wasn’t as full in the midpalate. I have had the 2014 on two other occasions and enjoyed it very much both times. Looking back at my Cellartracker history, both of those bottles were opened in 2019. With that in mind, I suspect the 2014s will be the shortest lived of this bunch and I’ll likely drink my last bottle sometime in the next couple of years.
That said, the wines ranged from really good (in the case of the 2014) to spectacular across the board. Highlights for me were the 2010 (my favorite of the night), 2013 and the 2016. The 2018 and 2019 showed a ton of potential, but they were just a little too young for me. I recall Todd noted that the 2010 is in a perfect spot for him right now. While I don’t necessarily disagree, I’m really curious what that wine holds in another 10 or even 20 years. With the exception of the 2014, I don’t think any of the wines are in danger of going down hill anytime soon. It is just a matter of what stage of development you prefer.
The 2011 was the real surprise of the night for me. I’m already down to a single bottle of this vintage, and the showing on Thursday leaves me wishing I had more. I wrongly assumed this would be a short-lived wine.
And I have to say a public thank you to @Joe_W_i_n_o_g_r_a_d. Thank you, Joe, for arranging a spot at this dinner for me through your raffle to support the ALS Association. It was an amazing experience.
Thread drift…Regarding the 2011 vintage, I have never had the opportunity to taste Macdonald, but I have been very pleasantly surprised by many 2011 Napa Cabs over the years…that vintage was universally panned early on, but many of the wines I have tasted have really surprised on the upside…a few that I have enjoyed include board favorites Congruence, Rivers Marie, and Bougetz Eminence…
Going from memory over a decade ago, but 2011 was a cooler year, with an early start to the rainy season. Some producers picked early, between storms, seeing the writing on the wall. Some tried to ride it out, hoping for a warming spell. The early pickers made some very nice wines, almost classic, harkening back to the 70s. The late pickers had problems with mildew. Critics panned the vintage, but growers who knew what they were doing made some of the best wines that have come out of Napa in decades (depending on your tastes).
On the whole, I was extremely impressed by the lineup. I was particularly impressed that they did such a good job in tough vintages (11, 17). This is hardly new advice, but if you are not already on, this is a wait list you should sign up for immediately.
I think I liked the 14 a bit more than Todd. I do think that a four hour double decant was too much, and that if you are opening one, I would consider this a pop and pour or a very short decant. I agree that the 14 is not going to improve significantly with age. I have one bottle left and I don’t think it will survive the holiday season.
In terms of drinking decisions my thoughts would be:
Drink now:
10, 12, 14
Needs more time to show its best:
11, 13
If it’s the only one you have and you can decant all day:
15
Don’t even think about it:
16 forward
As a final note, thank you very much to everyone who brought additional bottles to open.
Thrilled to have been able to take part in this event. Huge thank you to Todd, Brent and Taylor for all the effort to make this work.
The Todd/Scott/Scott notes on the 2010-2015 vintages above are pretty spot on for me, but I did like the 2014 quite a bit, It was certainly the most open wine on initial pour, so would have to agree that it is in the drink sooner than later group based at least on the two bottles in our tasting.
Overall, the 2010 was my favorite on the evening, followed by the 2013 and 2016.
Also have to give a special shout out to Graeme and Alex for bringing the 2009(?) I-Block shiner, a true Unicorn wine. The question mark is that Graeme ‘thinks’ it is 09, but said he was not taking great notes back then. Story is that they picked/cleaned up about 10 vines left after the Mondavi harvest. Only 6 bottles remain per Graeme. I really loved it, but didn’t have time to savor it as the first MacD flight started pouring a few minutes later and I didn’t have a spare glass to keep it. Also kicking myself for not checking if there was any left at the end of the dinner. Of course this led to a few questions of whether there would ever be a MacDonald white. The short answer was probably not, but a twinkle in the eye seemed to say ‘never say never’.
2011 O’Shaughnessey Howell Mountain has been a pleasant surprise. I was at a dinner with Betty O’Shaughnessey in September of 2011 and I asked her how things were looking. She said they had fared better than most because they were high up on the mountain and were able to get some sun and drying out.
2011 Ridge is another over-performer, obviously not Napa, but I think a similar situation.
Btw, thanks for all the notes. I have been wondering what to open and now it looks like the '14 is the obvious choice.
Just to be clear. Double decanted 8 hours means decanted and directly back in the bottle 8 hours prior to consumption or decanted for 8 hours than back in the bottle?
And by ‘a few minutes’ we’re talking between a minute forty seconds and two minutes 38 seconds, but NOT including actual pouring time into or out of the decanter. Ambient temperature was 65 degrees.
