Beta
Sheldrake Point
Beta Series Strike Back Gewürztraminer 2018
Very interesting and spicy dessert wine. Dark golden color. Aromas of orange zest, mango, lychee fruit and a bevy of spices. The palate notes orange marmalade, cooked peach and those ever present sweet baking spices. Viscous texture but not syrupy sweet for a dessert wine. Paired nicely with carrot cake. Interesting! — a year ago
Sommras Wines
Estate Tuscan 2022
This bottle was opened several hours prior to service and enjoyed over the course of five days. Remarkably, this was consistent throughout. The 2022 “Estate Tuscan” pours a deep, ruby color with a magenta rim; medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with heady notes of ripe and tart fruit: blackberry, black cherry, raspberry, red flowers, tobacco, graphite, wood varnish, and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose where the red fruit seems to show itself a little more. The finish is long and grippy. For me, this is one of the most enjoyable new wines from Napa since discovering Ketan Mody’s Beta wines back in 2019. Yes, it flush with beautiful, ripe fruit but it’s the red fruits and massive structure that really grabs my interest. The Super Tuscan inspiration is palpable. Worth seeking out. Drink now through 2047. — 3 months ago
Tenuta San Leonardo
San Leonardo Red Blend 2016
Popped and poured; enjoyed over a several hour period. No formal notes. I figured this would be a baby and it certainly was. At this point, everything is wound up into a tight coil. The nose is loaded with dark crunchy fruits, green bell pepper, tobacco, dried Italian herbs, aromatic wood and light baking spices. On the palate, the fruit is super fresh. This comes across elegant however the structure is pretty significant; the acid in particular with the tannin being a bit more on the sneaky side. I drank alongside the 2018 Beta “Maus” and while the nose on the San Leonardo was a bit more exotic, these shared a lot of similarities from a body, texture and structure standpoint. I expect this will begin to show better after 2026 however, I have no plans to touch my remaining bottle until after 2030. Patience will be handsomely rewarded. — 3 years ago
Beta Wine
Vare Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley — 5 months ago
Beta Wine
Maus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Popped and poured; enjoyed over two days with consistent notes. This is my first bottle of the 2018 “Maus” which shares the same clonal material as the fruit from Montecillo but sits about 1000ft below. No formal notes. The overall impression of freshness is unassailable. At this stage, the wine is super duper primary with cassis and tobacco taking a dominant role. There seems to be some fairly good tannin management happening because the effect on the palate is moderate. Acid, on the other hand, is medium++ and there may be a touch of VA; all good though. This is a very light, elegant and natural expression of Cabernet Sauvignon that’s showing a bit green at the moment however, I feel very confident that time will help this flesh out. Patience will be rewarded. Drink from 2025-2038+. — 3 years ago
Jay Kline
My previous bottle of the 2014 Montecillo was enjoyed back in January of 2021. That bottle, as my previous notes indicated, exhibited quite a bit of volatile acidity. This bottle did not seem to have much VA at all. In fact, this showed well right from the moment the cork was pulled.
Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a game of 10 point pitch. The 2014 Montecillo pours a garnet/purple color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous, lifted notes of cassis, black berries, leaf tobacco, Anaheim peppers, Herbs de Provence, eucalyptus and minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long a with spices and minerals. Really tasty and distinctive stuff. I’m in no rush to openly third and final bottle. Drink now with patience, through 2039. — 5 days ago