Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch

Aromas of blackberries, snapped twigs, stone, deep earth, and a bit herbaceous, like a hint of bell pepper. Palate shows like its color, purple fruited with some gentle ripeness - that macerated, creamy dark fruits. Tons of deep black and bitter earth, and gentle minerality on the mid palate. The finish shows steeped tea, dusty tannin and some chalky graphite. Let breathe for an hour or two for it to open up.

2018 vintage

Needed all 4 hour decant to soften up and express better. Solid structure, toasted dark berry fruit, lit tobacco, crushed gravel, cedarwood, with more air fresh tangerine peel note developed, rose petals, mint chocolate and new leather. Good finish. This should have been a lot better for the price, vineyard and winemaker. Hopefully it gets better with age.

2018 vintage

Decided to pop the cork on one of these last evening, and while it showed very well, its best years are ahead of it. If opening now, please decant for several hours (4+), as the last sips were the best. Classic Oakville flavor profile and that Sam Kaplan magic. IMHO, this should be forgotten about for at least 3+ years. 96-97 now with upside.

2018 vintage

Birthday month August 2024

2018 vintage

Christmas Eve VHR Faceoff -- 2018 Memento Mori Vine Hill Ranch vs. 2009 VHR. Both were amazing yet so different. The MM is a young wine and required 4+ hours to really strut its stuff. It is much darker fruited and higher density (yet not heavy) than the 2009 VHR with darker secondary flavors. The tiny bit left over preformed very well on day#2. It showed the Vine Hill Ranch sophistication that I've become accustomed to from Bruce's vineyards.

2018 vintage

Drinking really well. Aromatics are amazing on this wine. Tannins present but not overbearing. Paired well with a porterhouse.

2018 vintage

This wine is showing well so early: I’m a bit in shock. VHR grapes are fabled and obviously working with a pallete that an artist can really work. Kaplan has done something remarkable: a tamed lion sipping tea at high noon while eyeing the yonder zebra with aplomb. The nose is rich with notes of wet flint, rhubarb and earth. The palate is greeted with plush red fruit, mocha chocolate and licorice ending with earthiness. The mouthfeel is voluptuous and …

2018 vintage

This is an incredibly smooth & unique wine, showing very well early on. My first Memento Mori, VHR nonetheless. I heard so much about this wine that the anticipation added to the experience. My first impression was the distinctive tannins, though not overpowering. Bittersweet with notes of spice, oak and a very pleasant hint of cherry. Again the tannins… this wine was so well made. At the 3-4 hour mark a smoothness came over the wine. Next level, though I …

2018 vintage

Blind bottles pulled by my gf for Thanksgiving Eve. Both were given a few hours air before trying. It just happened she picked two Sam Kaplan wines, which was a fun experiment. 2018 MM VHR - nose smelled familiar, felt like a Kaplan wine if there ever was one. Turns out I had tasted this back in May during my trip to Napa. Was a beautiful wine.. More red fruited than Vangone, with more swirling flavors and dusty tannins. Well …

2018 vintage

2018 VHR Face Off (blind), with Arrow & Branch, Mememto Mori, VHR and Tor represented. This was the most floral and showed the most fruit. It had almost a To Kalon like profile, although my impression could have been clouded by how savory and earth driven the others were in the tasting. Wonderful aromas of violets, cassis, fragrant earth, hints of cedar and dried herbs. Sashays out of the glass with pure blue and black fruit that wafts over the …

2018 vintage

a great wine, gravel, dirt, turkish tobacco, herbs

2018 vintage

This rich and grainy Cabernet needs another few years to settle down, since right now it comes across as a bit raw and extracted (even after several hours of air). Dark purple in color; full in body; heady aromas of blueberry liqueur, pencil lead, and sour cherry. Flavors of boysenberry, cocoa powder, and pie cherry, with a sweet finish. 15.3% alcohol. I've been a fan of MM for a long time, but both the 2016 and 2018 vintages have seemed …

2018 vintage

Opened 4 hours in advance, 3-hour slow-ox then poured into a decanter. Deep dark ruby with a purple hue. Super high viscosity on the glass showing the concentration of fruit, inviting you to take a sip. Seductive perfume of blackberry, blackcurrant, and chocolate. On the palate, vanilla, mushroom, and tobacco notes in addition to primary flavors like black fruits and licorice. High but ripe tannins with a long, 10s+ finish. Although young, everything from fruit, oak, tannins, and alcohol are …

2018 vintage

Beware! After opening your first bottle of MM,VHR,2018 hold tight onto your corkscrew. It will want to pull you over to another bottle of the same and without hesitation open up another bottle. What a wonderful deep color to the wine! And true to its color the nose greets you, after five hours of air, with dark characteristics that force-yes force you to come back for more. Of course this wine grabs your nose and offers up much more. Deep, …

2018 vintage

Napa 2021 Trip; 5/10/2021-5/13/2021 (Napa Valley, CA) : Out of the 14 flagship, 18 flagship, and this bottling, the VHR narrowly edges out the 18 flagship for the tasting. This also shows so much potential Surprisingly accessible out of the gate, this wine begs for your attention. I think it had a good amount of air from the morning since it was more open than some of the other notes that I am reading. Lite is right - a 2018 …

2018 vintage

Napa - Lokoya - Vice Versa - Memento Mori : This wine was #1 for the flight. It didn’t start as my #1 but it quickly got there with some time in glass. Dark blackberries, cherries, silky tannins, some floral and earth components, mouth watering acidity that was begging for something. The wife busted out some dark chocolate and Bam!...a pairing matched in heaven. VHR is one of those sites that is quickly becoming tops on my list along with …

2018 vintage

Maxem & Memento Mori tasting (Napa) : [No formal notes] Nose was initially covered by a funky earth aspect but by the time it got to open up near the end of the tasting, I was able to pick up dark red fruits, deep earth, a bit of spiced oak and dark graphite. On the palate, really dark fruit, intense deep earth, spiced and lots of graphite. Quite untamed in this tasting and can definitely use a lot more air …

2018 vintage

Exploring 2018s and 2019s in Napa - Spring 2021; 4/18/2021-4/22/2021 (Napa Valley, CA) : This wine was my favorite of the tasting, besting the 2014 and 2018 flagship blends. Mineral driven with notes of dirt, crushed stone, crushed violets, lavender, earth, toffee, chocolate, red currant, red cherry, creme de cassis. Grippy tannins (much more compared to the 2014 flagship), but fresh and elegant mouthfeel.

2018 vintage

Dream Trip - Napa On A Mission - All My favorites Plus A Few New Ones; 4/1/2021-4/4/2021 (Napa Valley) : Of all of the MM wines, even with Dr Crane as my general favorite, I was most intrigued on how this would end up in bottle as the final blend since this is their new vineyard and Kaplan is a wizard. Yes a faceoff between FP VHR vs SK MM VHR is in order- you could probably sell tickets for …

2018 vintage

Wow! What a fantastic wine. Decanted for 3 hours prior to starting to drink it. I think 3 hrs is the minimum to decant right now, it continued to evolve with each glass. I’m excited to see how my two other bottles will improve with age. So far I have drank 77 quality and bottles of wine, this one is on the top of the list supplanting a 2012 Cliff Lede Poetry.

2018 vintage

Nose: [58°] Dark, ripe red and purple fruit, deep black damp earth, damp bark and tree branches. There's a scent of a clean pond as if you're standing near one. [61°] A bit of subtle spiced oak way in the background. It slowly comes out of its shell with time. Palate: [59°] Deep, ripe black and purple fruit, deep black earth, bitter minerals like crushed river stones. Finishes with a bit of brash oak and I don't mean that in …

2018 vintage

This is a very rich and beautiful bottle of purple elegance. Translucent purple with body but nothing over the top. Sam has tamed these tannins and brought forth a wine that is full in flavor, rich in color and yet medium-bodied. I am unfamiliar with Vine Hill Ranch, except a bottle from Cakebread Cellars but if this is representative of the vineyard, I can clearly see why the 3 proprietors from Memento Mori would seek this out. It's really stunning. …

2018 vintage

Tasted at the DT Napa tasting room with Emily. 18 Vine Hill, 18 Blend & 15 Blend. 18 Blend & 18 Vine Hill are locked up tight and too early for my palate to decide how to score this wine. Part of my consideration of not scoring this wine is I tasted Abreu before this over lunch. That is a tough one to follow. Young Napa vs. something with bottle age is just not a fair fight. I love the …

2018 vintage

Sam Kaplan - Arkenstone, Mememto Mori, Maxem, Vangone #3 : A gorgeous array of fruit flavors pop out of this wine like Jenna Jameson in a twenty-layered whipped cream birthday cake. Purple, blue, black, red…all just gushing out all over the palate. And just when you think you need to go get tested for some weird back ally virus, a much-needed judicious conscience of acid spits up and corrals all of the swanky fruit and keeps it in total check. …

2018 vintage

Tasting among Napa giants consisting of 58 wines. No notes as spitting was frowned upon with my group... even punishable. Top wines 2018 Keplinger Oakville and Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet, Tusk, 2016 Colgin Tychson Hill, 2016 Vine Hill Ranch, Maxem Pinot and Chardonnay (tied for top QPR with La Pelle), La Pelle SB & Cabernet, 2012 Del Dotto Beast. Runner ups 2018 Memento Mori SVDs, 2018 Vice Versa, 2018 Keplinger Sumo and Lithic, 2016 Dana Hershey, 2016 Colgin Cariad and …

2018 vintage

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Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch

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