Christopher Tynan, Meleagris Gallopavo Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines, Napa Valley

Napa Quick Trip 2026; 1/10/2026-1/14/2026 (San Francisco and Napa) : PnP and drank half the bottle with Chris and others in the cellar. Big and structured though far more tame than earlier renditions. Red and black fruit on a mineral tannic structure. Reminded me of a young 2012. Will buy. Took the other half of the bottle with us and revisited later in the day, surprise, surprise, it continued to improve, the young structure pulling back a bit and letting …

2 days in the Valley with the Texas Tiger; 1/11/2026-1/12/2026 (Napa Valley) : My first MG, this is a massive wine at the moment (and while it likely will settle down, much like the 22 year old Abreu Madrona of 2 days before, it will always be huge) dominated on opening by rocky minerality largely eclipsing notes of dark berries, plums, wet soil, and mixed spice. If not a chore to drink, then not a complete pleasure, and my initial …

3 days in Napa: Arkenstone, Memento Mori, Maxem, The French Laundry, Christopher Tynan, Kinsman, Harlan, Vice Versa, Accendo, Fairchild, Macdonald, and a truckload of others (Napa) : Barrel sample. Outstanding acid and beautifully defined fine-grained tannins fashion a gorgeously fresh and grippy MG. Blackberry seed and freshly popped pomegranate seeds lead the charge, with the speed and palate endurance that launch the flavors from front to back with both precision and commanding gusto. Unripe plum and river rock notes add …

Based on this barrel sample, I'd guess the 19 may eclipse all the other vintages of this wine. There is something really great that happens when you get a more opulently fruited vintage and pair it with a classically made and older school style from a great winemaker. That seems to be what you have here. Absolutely unreal fruit quality and purity comes bursting at you from the first sip. Aromas of rose petals, blackberries, asian spices, fragrant earth and …

Dream Trip - Napa On A Mission - All My favorites Plus A Few New Ones; 4/1/2021-4/4/2021 (Napa Valley) : Question: Who is Christopher Tynan and what the heck is the MG vineyard? Answer: A new favorite winery and vineyard that no one knows about. Apparently it is made from some really old vines with elevation in St Helena and named after wild turkeys, not the spirit although a good drinking game would be to drink wild turkey and then …

Christopher Tynan (Cliff Lede Caves - Yountville) : Obviously a barrel sample that has only had just a wee bit of time to even start thinking about what it wants to be when it goes up, the 2019 MG juice clearly has high aspirations from becoming an utterly phenomenal wine. The dark crimson and black/purple juice is so fresh and pure, with unmatched energy that is likely going to make a stab at lapping the 2018 one day. The 2018 …

Tasting w/Chris Tynan (Cliff Lede Caves, Yountville) : This was a WOW wine right out of the barrel. Coming right after the 2018, this was surprisingly showing even better. Very similar nose as the 18, with lots of expressive creme de cassis, black cherry, violets and forest floor. Chewy tannin gives way to excellent backbone. Super pure and amazingly concentrated, this showed serious depth and great potential to be something near perfect when it gets to bottle. Obviously this is …