Shay A

9.6

After an epic lunch from @joe leatherwood , a few of us got together for a socially-distanced evening hosted by @Keith Fisher to keep the party going.

After the 2012 Harlan at lunch, Keith decided to continue with the theme with an ‘06. Unbelievably smooth and balanced while still retaining power. Aromatically it is very black fruit dominant...blackberries, cassis, sweet tar/pipe tobacco, graphite and channeling just a touch of bay leaf. Waves of flavor on the palate of smoked meat, creme de cassis, currant, mocha, baking spices and a supremely balanced finish. At this point in its evolution, it’s reminiscent of a high end bordeaux from a warm/ripe vintage. A total treat. — 5 years ago

with Jid, joe and 3 others

Shay A

9.3

I was surprised at how much better this was almost two hours from pop. The profile here is fairly light and bordeaux like. Initially it was mainly herbs de Provence, leather, underripe black cherries and even some tomato like notes on the nose with more of the same on the palate, but then it channeled some smoked meat, plum, and peppercorn characteristics as it opened alongside more bright red and black fruits. Really beefed up and drank younger than it is. I think this can still hold for a few more years, though it’s not getting better. Thanks @Keith Fisher . — 5 years ago

with Mark and Dan

Shay A

9.3

Fun Friday evening with great wines.

This surprised me at how good it was. Then again, I don’t get to enjoy older Aubert Pinot very often. Normally, Aubert pinots are powerhouses of flavor, but I wonder if the cool/wet vintage of ‘11 dialed things back a bit in a good way. Very perfumed and floral. Black cherries, rose petals, and sandalwood aromatics. Great acidity on the palate with red and black fruits (and even a hint of blueberries), baking spices and cedar. These may be best with some age on them. Thanks @Keith Fisher . — 6 years ago

with joe and Dan

Shay A

9.6

July 4th Friday was a total blowout! Killer bottles one after another. Here are just a few of the bottles we all enjoyed!

An astounding Syrah, and one of the best I’ve ever come across. Didn’t even know Ovid made this wine. At 9yrs old, balance is perfect. To me, this brought in what makes all US Syrahs great...smoked meat, olive and savory notes (Walla Walla Syrahs), charcoal smoke and grit like finish (Paso Syrahs) and decadent red and black fruit (Napa Syrahs). At 9yrs old, this seemed to just be blossoming in to a stunner. Great bottle, @Keith Fisher . — 6 years ago

with Benjamin, joe and 2 others

Bryan Kesting

9.4

Enjoyed my time with Shay, Dan, Keith and Brad at Classic Wine Storage. This was really drinking great. Very long finish. Thanks for sharing, Keith. @Keith Fisher — 6 years ago

with Shay and Dan

Shay A

9.5

Just a few bottles from an awesome Open That Bottle Night celebration this past weekend.

One of the awesome bottles @Keith Fisher broke out...this is drinking really well with little air time. It’s dusty, elegant and also gripping. Loads of dark red and black fruit. Dates, mocha and dark chocolate. So good. — 6 years ago

with Bill and Dan

Shay A

9.4

Another 4th Friday for the books!

Great nose, easy to pick up the floral cab franc. Dusty cocoa dates, red/black licorice, underripe blackberry on the nose. Surprisingly, I think it’s still got some time ahead of it with the tannic grip on the palate. A lot of plum and currant dominate this blend. It’s juicy without being fruity/jammy...if that makes sense. Really nice lift to it. Thanks @Keith Fisher ! — 7 years ago

with Dan and Mark

Ron R

9.5

Wifey and I concur with the score. May have approached this too early. Lacks the depth and complexity we have come to expect from this vineyard. Still very good. Hoping that bottle age brings a little more intensity, although it may just bring age.

Day 2 and this wine has has switched gears and developed more urgency. Much improved, so I’ll take the score up 2 pts. This reminds me of a quote “Instant gratification takes too long” - Carrie Fisher 😏 — 5 years ago

with Anne-marie

Shay A

9.4

Great pull by Keith. My first Relic. Up front, holiday baking spices, eucalyptus/Andes mint, and sandalwood aromatics. The palate was rich without being dense or flabby, showing chocolate dipped blueberries and blackberries, ripe jam over graham crackers, cocoa, and some sweet tobacco. Delicious. Thanks @Keith Fisher — 5 years ago

with Dan and joe

Bryan Kesting

9.3

This is a continuation of the wines that were at the fourth Friday gathering in Fort Worth, TX. As @Shay A mentioned there were too many wines to taste them all. Here are a few other great ones that Shay did not post.

It was fun to drink a Marcassin Pinot with some age on it. Thank you @Keith Fisher — 6 years ago

with Shay

Shay A

9.4

Fun afternoon at Classic with great company. Glad you could join us Bryan.

Basically a lighter version of the Fracture that it shared the table with tonight. Red, blue and black fruit. Chocolate. Less dense, but more lifted/higher acidity. There is a distinct graham cracker note showing sweetness on the finish. The nose on this is what makes it great. So much complexity. Another few years and everything will come together. Thanks for opening @Keith Fisher . — 6 years ago

with Dan, Mark and 1 other

Shay A

9.4

Drinking so well and was improving the longer it was open. So fragrant and aromatic...crushed potpourri, cherry pipe tobacco and baked blackberry pie. Dusty on the palate and still youthful. Dark cocoa dusted dates, roasted plum, blackberry and raspberry pie with strong acidity and tannin. A great drinking window. Thanks @Keith Fisher — 6 years ago

with Weston

Kate Stone

9.2

Smooth and light for a cab — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.5

Broken record, I know, but these wines are just mesmerizing and right up my alley. I’d say this is drinking close to its apex, and that the overwhelming funk you get when young has become more integrated. Olive tapenade, cherry jerky, soy, and peppercorn crusted rhubarb aromatics. Gorgeous floral lift on the palate showing whole cluster flair. Added notes of potpourri, herbs de Provence, smoked meat, mulberries and raspberries. So complex. Thanks @Keith Fisher . — 5 years ago

with Bill, Dan and 1 other

Shay A

9.6

A few wines from last week’s 4th Friday event!

The sheer opulence of this is astounding. Obviously young, this was actually my first Realm BTK courtesy of @Keith Fisher . When thinking back to the last stunning 2016 BTK I had (MacDonald), where the MacDonald is more dusty, slightly more herbal and full of tightly coiled BTK power, this was an embarrassment of rich dark fruits, baking spices and sporting a creme de cassis like profile. Classic To Kalon power, with so much to unpack. Thank you, Keith! — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.7

July 4th Friday was a total blowout! Killer bottles one after another. Here are just a few of the bottles we all enjoyed!

En mag (as they only come en mag). Just a total knockout with heady aromatics. Compared against the ‘08 To-Kalon and the ‘12 T6, what separates this from the field is how pure and dense this is without overwhelming the senses. Decidedly dark fruit dominant...ripe blackberries and blueberries accompanied by licorice and Mexican vanilla/sandalwood notes. More powerful and compact than the others. Baking spices and dusty components. Velvet like tannins. A treat, @Keith Fisher . — 6 years ago

with joe, Dan and 2 others

Shay A

9.3

This was fun to try next to my Cayuse Syrah, so I appreciate @Keith Fisher opening this. There is no way I would have called this cab dominant if tasting blind. It has Walla Walla like Syrah notes with the iron and olive tapenade on the nose but was very dense on the mid palate. Glycerin like with muddled blackberries and sweet boysenberries. This didn’t show much for the first hour, but really changed after an additional hour. Very cool. — 6 years ago

with Bill and Weston

Shay A

9.6

Just a few bottles from an awesome Open That Bottle Night celebration this past weekend.

Never had anything like this. It was captivating. The fruit is all dark and very stewed and muddled. Sweet toasted blueberry and blackberry pie. Black licorice and tar. What a great wine @Keith Fisher — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.5

The balance here is impeccable! Sweet oak, red, blue and black fruit, plum and nutmeg on the nose. Cascading dark chocolate/Andes mint on the palate to go with ripe fruit and mocha...youthful tannins. Just wonderful. Thank you @Keith Fisher — 6 years ago

with Dan

Shay A

9.4

Monthly 4th Friday is post Thanksgiving this year, so lots of Thanksgiving style wines!

Tight on the nose. A flavor punch of raspberries and blackberries dipped in maple bark. Very herbal and savory on the palate with acidity that is surprising for its age (in a good way). It actually tasted like a young, fruit forward CdP with black pepper, dates, and ripe blackberries. Drinking really well right now. Thanks @Keith Fisher — 6 years ago

with Dan