Mourvedre rosé with good acidity can sit for a long time. Tercero and Liquid Farm are good examples. I’ll have to look but I’ve had 5 year old rosé that was still rock solid.
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That’s the right answer to end that reputation damaging question! 
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In for a case. 
This August I had a 2017 Tercero Mourvèdre rose from magnum and it was lovely. Don’t think I’d hold it much longer but it was still hanging on.
I don’t recall what prompted my interest in Corison, but once the hook was set I was willingly reeled in. The “regular” Cabernet Sauvignon is IMO the best value for well established Cabernet in Northern California. Cathy Corison also makes some excellent Gewurztraminer, Cabernet Franc, and a really tasty Rosé, not to mention the Kronos and Sunbasket Cabs.
Anyway, this 2014 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is just hitting a fantastic early drinking window. The fruit is still fresh and bright, tannins are mellow (until the finish), and it’s just taking on a bit of earthy, leafy complexity, like a dash of Maldon salt to finish off a dish.
p.s. I gave this bottle to my dad for Christmas a few years ago. He never opened it.
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Thanks @David_Bu3ker, every note you leave from here on = $30 more to the Youth Center. I wish I could afford more Cabs because Cathy Corison rocks it!
Today was pick-up day! A trip to Sonoma to see @Morgan_Twain-Peterson, @Chris_Cottrell, @Cody_Rasmussen and @emilyrasmussen at Bedrock. Pouring lots of wines, Wirz Riesling, Bedrock Carignan, Evangelho Zinfandel, Papera Zinfandel, Old Hill Ranch and Oakville Farmhouse.
The Old Hill Ranch stole the show for me. Boysenberry Nose, creamy blackberry, bramble, white pepper, mouth coating texture, long and luxurious! Upped my purchase by 4 bottles.
Dava Loved The Papera so I bought more of that too.
The Farmhouse was excruciatingly young, I’m hiding this vintage for a long time.
Then it was on to Carlisle where, when we arrived, they were packing up for the day. Jay poured me a taste of Derivative, Syrah, RRV Zin and Petite Sirah but we were out of there in a flash s we didn’t want to hold them up. They’re back at it next weekend so I may pay another visit then. They said the next and final pick-up day will be in April. A bittersweet end of a legend. It’ll definitely be the hottest ticket in town. No pics.
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It has been a challenging week for me, so we were not able to make it up to Carlisle and will have the wines shipped. Definitely want to get up there in April.
For our mailing list wine, the choice was easy. My wife knew about Rafanelli Winery since before we met. One of her professors at Chico State bought several cases back in the day, when David’s father was still the winemaker. We have been buying from Rafanelli for many years. We started buying when the only way to order the wine was to call in and give the wine order to Patty Rafanelli. Since they only had one phone line, one could get a busy signal for several hours before getting through.
We opened a 2016 Rafanelli Cabernet for college football, hockey and our coq au vin dinner later tonight. We opened the wine around 4 hours ago and just took our first sips. This wine is still very youthful, full of black fruits on the nose, as well as a touch of oak and a little bit of green pepper. It also has a little bit of the brambly flavor that you find in their zins. The 14.4% alcohol is very well balanced with the fruit and tannin. A nice long finish, and I am sure that it will be ever better with the meal. This vintage has years and years to go. A really nice wine! And, below are the pics. Cheers!
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Robert Craig cabernet Howell Mountain 2014. Coravined- spice and oak on the nose, black raspberry, cherry, and a bunch of other flavors, tangy tannins still present but mild and framing, mouth coating and quite long on the finish. Good freshness. This is really good. I continue to buy these because the wines are consistently very good to excellent at a very reasonable price point. And they age well.
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Thanks for the info. I bought a 1997 (wedding year) at auction and am planning to open it soon. Have you had any Rafanellis with significant age?
Hi, Patrick.
I have not had one that was close to 30 years old, but I suspect this will still be drinking well as long as it was stored properly. I have had several that were 20+ years old and they were still enjoyable.
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I’ve had ‘95, ‘96 and ‘97 Zins in the last few years and they were all very good
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Thanks for chiming in @Ed_Steinway, Mike is doing pick-up next Sat too if you have time.
@Jim_F thanks for contributing to the cause, keep ‘em coming!
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Bump…
As has been the case for 10+ years, I received wines from Marcus and Megan at Goodfellow (fka Matello) this year. I first had one of Marcus’ wines on a trip to Portland over Thanksgiving 2013 - a 2011 Durant Pinot - which blew me away. On a quick day trip to McMinnville in May 2014 (more on that below), I tasted his current releases which all really impressed me, including the last vintage of his standalone Riesling - the 2012 which was from Cary Creek Vineyard IRC - until he revived the bottling with the 2018 bottling from Whistling Ridge Vineyard. While a huge fan of his Whistling Ridge Blanc, I’m thrilled he brought back the standalone bottling. I adore all of Marcus’ wines - and am grateful to have become friendly with him over the years - but the Riesling is a small production wine that remains very special. Even my wife likes it despite generally disliking Riesling.
This 2019 bottling has a lovely lemon/lime focus with ample but not overbearing acidity. Quite dry. It shows Riesling typicity but is also clearly a different beast than German, Alsatian or Austrian Riesling while standing proudly next to them. Went down easily and perfectly tonight with vegan dumplings.
While the following (presumably) won’t satisfy the donation criteria, I wanted to provide a note on a beer from a fellow Berserker who not only founded one of the best American breweries, but also personally introduced me to so many around the Willamette Valley, including Marcus. Rick Allen of Heater Allen Brewing, along with his wonderful wife Jan, have welcomed me and my wife into their homes on numerous occasions and enabled us to have experiences in the Willamette Valley that we could never have imagined.
The 2023 Sandy Paws is velvet chocolate with a hint of blueberry and fruity coffee. Noticeable acid. Despite having a robust and delicious flavor profile, it finishes so smooth without any bitterness. A lively beer, as it is every year (although Rick would probably point out brewing differences between the vintages 
). A beer I buy multiples of every year on release and have found that they age very well, especially now that it is canned.
A delicious beer that I’d buy no matter what, my prior dog was on the label for the 2014 “vintage” (see my avatar) which is how I met Rick. I was solo with the dog down in the Columbia Gorge in May 2014 and drove down to McMinnville for the afternoon to taste Rick’s beers for the first time and attend the lottery drawing for the 2014 label. While I’d bought lottery tix via WB prior to that day, I bought a few more in person prior to the drawing. To our very pleasant surprise, we won the drawing! Peloton let out a victory howl befitting a beagle mix. A few years later, our current dog graced the 2017 label. I’ll never get over how cool it was to go into beer shops and see your dog on the label of a beer in the cooler.
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What a cool story @Scott_Tallman, I’m counting the wine and the beer for a $30 donation!
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I thought I’d join in from across the pond:
This is a chenin I’d never tried before, from a producer I’d never tried before:
Les Quarterons 2022 - Anjou - Agnès and Xavier Amirault
Fresh notes of lemon and honeysuckle, with some white peach, all very mouth-watering, then a brisk attack of lemon and lime, before broadening into white peaches and honey, and a long, satisfying finish combining subtle richness with crisp citric fruit. Really rather good and at 13 euros, excellent value for money.
Not quite as taut as the “new Anjou” producers, but very much in the same style, so right up my street. Well worth seeking out.
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I’ll happily count the beer as a “second note with photo” as well, so in for another $15!
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@Julian_Marshall first times are great aren’t they? Especially when they come off without a hitch. Thanks for reaching out and joining in the fun. I love how this group stretches around the globe (take that flat-Earthers) and draws everyone together for a common cause. Thanks for participting!
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2018 Carlisle Carlisle Zinfandel
Several months ago I emailed Mike asking him how long I’ve been buying Carlisle wines. I knew it had been a LONG time but couldn’t recall how long. He replied that I was one of the OG, buying from the beginning. A Carlisle Original Gangsta! Yeah, I like the sound of that!
So to add a tasting note and some $$ to the cause, we opened a 2018 Carlisle Carlisle last night. My wife refers to it as ‘the good stuff’. And good it was! Blackberries and cherries, full and rich. I love the mouthfeel of Mike’s zins. I hate that the end is in sight though….
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@Pete_Lawley 
cheers to an OG, very Tim Hill’esque “I followed him from the beginning!” The Carlisle Carlise is one of my favorites also. Went home with a 6-pack of them yesterday after visiting Mike and Jay on pick-up day. Really sad to see this era come to a close but happy for all involved as they embark on their next journey in life. They will continue to give back to the community with donations from these Virtual Tastings and to our enjoyment as we slowly drink through our inventories. Thanks for the note. If you are inclined to do a second the donation will be doubled!
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