Edmond Bordelon

9.9

Even up against the other two Sam Kaplan powerhouse wines (Nine Suns and Memento Mori), the Obsidian was my personal favorite. Maybe because it is his home field (Howell Mountain) advantage, having been there making wine with Ron and Susan Krausz for over 10 years. This Bordeaux blend spends 22 months in French Oak and another year in the bottle. Deep and brooding, complex and yet approachable, dense and balanced,...all the things I look for in a wine (and myself 😬). Robert Parker gave it a 98. While many of us don't always credit RP's scores, and as such, I am also going to have to disagree with him. I'm going for one of my all time high scores of 9.9. Again, personally to me, this wine is everything that I look for in a big Napa Cab expression. Sam Kaplan is doing great things up there in the hills! — 8 years ago

with Beth and Katherine

Carl Fischer

9.5

It's still SNOWING! So what is one to do? Back to the cellar! Dark fruits, tobacco, brown sugar - smooth as hell. This is drinking great now with a little air. We had a prior vintage at the recommendation of the somm at Press in St Helena which was great - the '12 blows it away. Especially considering we had this after a Memento Mori! Great wine. — 8 years ago

Joe Billesbach

9.4

A memento from a SF trip. Totally worth the checked bag fee. Sour cherries with a dried potting soil thing happening. In a totally delicious way. 2005 — 9 years ago

Edmond Bordelon

9.4

Have had several vintages of Obsidian lately, and they have all been memorable. I am becoming a raving fan (note: stalker) of winemaker Sam Kaplan. (Memento Mori and Nine Suns are also on his list) — 9 years ago

with Beth and Katherine

Kevin Yen

9.9

2013/2/26 @Xin Long Ji restaurent by Chen Yu Xiang — 11 years ago

Edmond Bordelon

9.6

Nine Suns and their favorite son, Sam Kaplan!
Sam and his lovely wife, Nancy were kind enough to take time out of their Florida vacation and stop by our house for a great Tasting Event of his big 3 Wines,... Arkenstone, Memento Mori and Nine Suns. And then he pulled out his latest project, soon to be released in the fall, Maxem! (Named after his two children, Max and Emma.) Not to compete with his huge red blends, his Maxem line is Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, both from the famed UV Vineyard in Sonoma. (Think Aubert Pinot Noir😃). I will try to review the Maxem wines later, but back to the amazing Nine Suns red blend from Pritchard Hill. We had the 2012 recently and were blown away by how much it has improved in such a short time. The 2013 needed some more time, but you can already sense the greatness to come. Already balanced feel and long finish. I decanted it for 4 hours to ensure we were doing justice to this deep purple stunner. While I liked the 2012 better, this 2013 was still lush and had blueberries as the major fruit up front and dark cherries on the back end. Sam talked about Nine Sun's amazing Houyi Vineyard, calling it the Rodéo Drive of Napa with all of their big neighbors. 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec, 8% Petit Verdot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot. Robert Parker gave it a 96, and I am in full agreement! — 8 years ago

with Beth and Katherine

Alicia M

9.1

A memento from the Leuta vineyard in Cortona, Italy. Absolutely delicious! — 9 years ago

Ben Tarkany

9.0

Needed to breath, but really enjoyed it... — 9 years ago

with Kate

DAG

9.7

I'm usually not a DANA fan but tasted blindly in this evenings line up it won #WOTN the Memento Mori a close second. — 9 years ago

Adriel Lares

Vintner/Owner Memento Mori

9.6

Wine closest in style to Memento Mori that I've ever tasted! Great aromatics, light on its feet but enough lengthy tannins to carry a finish. Thank you Greg for sharing! — 11 years ago

with Greg

Tiffany Buckner

9.5

Light, fresh, goes down nice — 12 years ago

TheSkip

10

So, I came home yesterday and there was a package at the door. I wasn't expecting anything and looked at the sender. @Martin G Rivard ! Well then! I knew santa was over, but perhaps Easter Bunny Rivard had struck?

I opened the box with haste. Surely anything from @Martin G Rivard would be of high quality. I saw a flash of orange and though, oh my! But there was only one bottle and it was oddly shaped. This must be the limited edition, double magnum of @Jason Chang's Nine Suns cuvée! I ripped open as if it were Christmas and out came Carlo Rossi.

I'd never heard of this producer but I trusted Martin. This bottle came with a very handy pour handle at the top. I was excited. Although it was only 4pm, I remembered what @Bill Bender said about 3pm so, I thought to myself, why not?

Hurriedly, I came into the kitchen and got my favorite Zalto glass, as inspired first by @Roman Sukley. I retrieved my corkscrew and opened the knife only to discover that this was a convenient screw cap! How thoughtful of Martin!

Open it went and the room filled with a lovely sweet grape must. I knew this would be special. I grabbed my winestop given to me by @Ron R and inserted to to insure there would be not a drop wasted.

Into the glass and my excitement prevented any thought of a decant.

What a wine! Those Concord grapes - what has Welch's been thinking? They've missed out on one of the finest varietals I've ever encountered. I knew I was truly lucky to try this rare wine.

But something felt...off. And I realized, I had nothing to pair with this! Thankfully there was a full 4L in this bad boy. And the screw cap allowed for prompt resealing.

Away I went in the car. What oh what to have? Aih! Exactly! @Paul T told me about the heaven of pairing McNuggets. Off to Ol' McDonalds I went.

Twenty McNuggets and sweet and sour sauce please!

I scurried to the back, and carefully withdrew my Zalto from my backpack. Opening the McNuggets, I knew this would be special. And indeed, I am with words to describe the experience. Yet, again, I knew something just wasn't right. The wine wasn't presenting itself. So I thought, how can I classy this up? And then I remembered all of @David L's posts with the classy silver wine coaster.

I had to have one. I asked the chap at the counter of McDonalds, but the response I received was less than satisfactory. I had to solve this issue myself. Thankfully , while returning to my table, I spotted a HomeGoods store immediately next door. I ran across and found a lovely silver charger.

And finally, returning to my table, I was now all smiles! More smiles than @Mike R !

What a special evening. I really wanted to end this off right. I grabbed a dozen roses and rushed home to the wife. Half a bottle Rossi still intact!

I showed her the bottle and wow! You should have see her eyes. I then suggested we retire to the bedroom and this was met with prompt approval.

And with such a great night, I wanted a lovely memento. I gently placed the bottle against her and snapped a lovely shot that is sure to be on the cover of the next issue of BBB with @Bill Bender !

Thanks for thinking of me @Martin G Rivard ! — 8 years ago

Adriel Lares

Vintner/Owner Memento Mori

10

How can you not love this deliciousness?? — 9 years ago

with Adam

S. Metzler

9.5

1979. Cellar memento from our earliest days in Spain. Elegant cedar nose with notable Cabernet influence. Firm on palate, softening and lengthening with air. Argues for the supremacy of Valbuena vs. Unico with time. — 10 years ago

Grayson Hartley

Winemaker David Girard Vineyards

9.0

memento mori — 11 years ago