Blankiet Estate
Paradise Hills Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, California, USA
An absolutely stunning lunch from @joe leatherwood today. 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine. All served blind.
You know you are living right when this wine is probably number five out of five reds on the table. Sounds like a slight, but with two old vintages of Insignia, older Masseto, and older Haut Brion, that’s stiff competition. Compared to those other four reds, there was more sweet fruit here. Dark fruit has softened to more of a black cherry medley, but the red fruit is still nicely tart and youthful. I picked up licorice and juicy blackberries here, both of which took me to South America for my guess. Not much herbal or secondary notes here...impressive fruit at 17yrs.
An absolutely stunning lunch from @joe leatherwood today. 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine. All served blind.
You know you are living right when this wine is probably number five out of five reds on the table. Sounds like a slight, but with two old vintages of Insignia, older Masseto, and older Haut Brion, that’s stiff competition. Compared to those other four reds, there was more sweet fruit here. Dark fruit has softened to more of a black cherry medley, but the red fruit is still nicely tart and youthful. I picked up licorice and juicy blackberries here, both of which took me to South America for my guess. Not much herbal or secondary notes here...impressive fruit at 17yrs.
Loads of fruit! Would have never guessed it was 17yrs old. Fruit isn’t quite stewed but definitely overripe; mainly dark (blackberry, blueberry) and lots of sweet pipe tobacco. It’s beginning to channel a touch of leather to show some age.
Loads of fruit! Would have never guessed it was 17yrs old. Fruit isn’t quite stewed but definitely overripe; mainly dark (blackberry, blueberry) and lots of sweet pipe tobacco. It’s beginning to channel a touch of leather to show some age.
Feb 23rd, 201902 blankiet after 2 hours decanting was graphite herbs and blackberry
02 blankiet after 2 hours decanting was graphite herbs and blackberry
Feb 15th, 2014
2002 vintage. Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Great fill. Excellent cork. Heavy body. Initially, just oodles of richness (still!) but after 30 minutes, began to fill in structural details on the back end dossier. First impressions, a 9.3 so things definitely improved. Tasted more like a 2016 or newer vintage-very fresh. Nicely made and seems to be effortlessly gliding along currently. Feel it needs another 4-5 years to kick in the door to "the zone" but in the adjacent zip code currently. Still on the ascent to the top of the bell curve. Be patient. 12.8.23.
2002 vintage. Decanted and tasted over the course of two hours. Great fill. Excellent cork. Heavy body. Initially, just oodles of richness (still!) but after 30 minutes, began to fill in structural details on the back end dossier. First impressions, a 9.3 so things definitely improved. Tasted more like a 2016 or newer vintage-very fresh. Nicely made and seems to be effortlessly gliding along currently. Feel it needs another 4-5 years to kick in the door to "the zone" but in the adjacent zip code currently. Still on the ascent to the top of the bell curve. Be patient. 12.8.23.
Dec 9th, 2023Still heavy. A bit of sharpness. Dark berries. It’s ok. Not really impressed.
Still heavy. A bit of sharpness. Dark berries. It’s ok. Not really impressed.
May 30th, 2020
So good! Fruit driven, great balance, very long finish. Beautiful wine. Drinking so well right now!
So good! Fruit driven, great balance, very long finish. Beautiful wine. Drinking so well right now!
Jul 29th, 2017
The wine Nick won. Luscious is the right word. Cherry. Flavorful and tanin forward. No doubt the price influenced my opinion but it's really great.
The wine Nick won. Luscious is the right word. Cherry. Flavorful and tanin forward. No doubt the price influenced my opinion but it's really great.
Feb 15th, 2016