Im assuming this still needs more time but i bet @Jeff_M1 would know! For now, gotta call it like i see it:
Beautiful crimson purple color with a really nice nose of soil and light red fruits. In the mouth, on PnP, it’s all under-ripe raspberries and bitter stems with a tannic finish. Drinkable but not exactly enjoyable. After some air it opens up a bit and the red fruit is more expressive and it becomes less astringent, but still lacking any sort of excitement. Definitely better but I’d say it’s more interesting than good. Saved a glass for tomorrow and will update if there’s significant improvement.
Will be interesting to see where it goes with more time. It wasnt overly tannic (at all) but most definitely seemed to lack any sort of ‘X-Factor’. Hoping more time brings it all together. Bit of a crap-shoot i guess since this is the 2nd vintage produced and there’s not much else to compare it to but i remain hopeful.
Kinda looking forward to trying the last glass tomorrow.
Nice! 13 is Such a structured vintage across most of CA and ive found 2014’s to be so much more approachable across the board (for almost all varieties) so i would have bet money that this one would have been more open… but shows what i know, ha!
Dont have a 13 but will def look to get my hands on one
I have hemmed and hawed at bringing my 14’ Beta’s home from my offsite as I feel the vintage as a whole is ready to drink but Ketan’s wines are made to lay sideways.
I had the Vare 13’ 2 years back, tea leaves, floral, feminine finish.
Nothing wrong with trying these with a LOT of air but I’d hold off a couple more years.
Thanks for the honest assessment, Rich. While I’m sure others will tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about, this was my experience with the 2017s (the only vintage I tried). It was a wine I wanted to like that, alas, I just didn’t. Could be the case here, too?
Yep, it definitely might be! I agree this could probably use more time, but my real question is…what does this become with extended aging? As in, will the under-ripe fruit and stems transform into something else? It definitely might, and i guess there’s only one way to find out!
I truly hope that this is a spectacular wine and simply needs time - but just because we really really want to like something, doesn’t mean we have to simply because that is what is expected.
It’s kinda like when I see a review of a ‘board favorite’ on CT with a 93 score - even though the reviewer says the wine is badly corked and slightly oxidized . . .
Update. This definitely improved a bit with the fruit fleshing out more and everything becoming much more balanced. But its still…for a lack of a better word…kinda boring.
I was expecting a very restrained cab, but also anticipated more energy and verve. Saved a little bit for tomorrow so we’ll try it one more time
Yeah when we had this wine last year it felt tight and disjointed, which leads me to believe it’ll get better with some cellar time, although it seems like @Scott_Brunson didn’t necessarily agree from his notes.
I’ve had this twice, including back in March. I didn’t find it disjointed, but it is lacking in power. Obviously Ketan’s wines don’t have a decades long track record. To me, best case is it evolves into something light, textured and ethereal, worst case the fruit fades and it just becomes shrill. I’m trying to save my last one to test this out. My TN:
Decanted off moderate fine sediment. Drank over several hours. Red currant and black currant, black tea. Nice concentration, but very light on its feet. Chewy tannins, bright acidity. 12.7 ABV.
Here is an honest question for you. If you knew nothing about the producer and tried this wine, would you have the same belief that it just needs more time? Or would you discount it as being at a balance?
And I’m just trying to be as objective here as possible. Just really curious.
