Moone-Tsai, Hillside Blend, Howell Mountain

Purchased in 2019 and kept at 55F since then. On opening, a bit heavy handed with oak, but with about 2 hours of air this opens up into a very Howell Mountain wine, but without being too overly extracted. Went phenomenally with A5 wagyu tenderloin that was cooked on a grill(!) by a friend. This to my palate is clearly at peak and will likely stay there for a couple of years from now. After that point I fear the …

2015 vintage

Could stay in the cellar a while longer

2018 vintage

Pretty good. Dark ruby red Good on the nose, but a bit heavy for my taste. Typical of a California red

2018 vintage

One hour double decanted and still tight and tanninc, the body is medium plus, it possesses a solid structure and lots of acidity and tannins but to me is a bit all over the place and lacking finest. We had it for Memorial Day with Ribeye hamburgers. After about 2 hours we finished half of the bottle and it was already going south with signs of oxidation and higher acidity. My girlfriend liked it though.

2014 vintage

Drank this bottle much too young, several years ago, and didn't give it time to open up. Today it was still tight, with mild complexity, but the last glass finally opened up to a more enjoyable point with a legit 5-6 hour decant. Would recommend a few more years or a very very long decant to reveal more potential.

2014 vintage

Opened at home with Priscilla NY Strip Steak in cast iron skillet. The wine looks inky colored. The legs are slow. There is heavy sediment in the bottle. It smells like black currant (cassis), blackberry, mushroom, cedar, clove and mint. It tastes like blackberry and black currant (cassis). The body is full. The wine has fleshy texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has high acidity.

2010 vintage

AW93. This was a very nice surprise. Bursting with big mountain fruit, smooth finish. First time trying a Moone-Tsai red, have had their chardonnay and it is excellent. Impressive.

2014 vintage

Full bodied and concentrated structure blackberry, cherry, pepper and cocoa. Balanced acidity and soft mellow tannins, leading to a long lasting smooth finish. A wonderful example of Melka wines.

2015 vintage

Concentrated, flavory and structured exuding blackberry, plum, licorice and cocoa. Full bodied, medium acidity and fine grained tannins, a masterpiece!. NI:4, FI:23, FC:9, B:5, L:5

2015 vintage

Drinking very well. A little closed on the nose so decanted, then cassis and vanilla. Intense mountain fruit edging to blackberry and blueberry. Tannins come out on finish to lend some grip but still on the softer side. Bordeaux drinkers will dislike lack of structure but what a beautiful glass of Napa cab with a very long finish.

2015 vintage

Big wine. Dark berry, smooth tannins.

2015 vintage

Quite nice warm ripe sweet fruit. Quite high acidity, lacks real depth. Blackcurrant and cassis. Harsh tart finish, medium weight straightforward. Better in 2 years and drink through the next 10.

2018 vintage

Always great!

2014 vintage

Buccan 10-10-21. A+++. Super smooth.

2014 vintage

Wonderful well balanced wine, drinking well but could go much longer.

2014 vintage

Very aromatic wine with dark berries, cherries, & earth. First impressions of dark berries & oak. Fairly dry but well balanced with tannins suggesting this wine would still be delightful 5-10 years from now. Long finish.

2015 vintage

Bistro. Jupiter 7-21-20. Loved it! Jammy, easy to drink right out of the bottle. No headache.

2015 vintage

It was very much enjoyed as the first bottle of the long evening

2015 vintage

One of the more balanced and elegant Napa blends I have had in a long time. Not over done, not over extracted. Very balanced and integrated. More reddish fruit than black or blue fruit. Full and round with a silky finish.

2014 vintage

12-28-19 2015 moone chai hillside blend. Very smooth, jammy, excellent. Buccan west palm beach.

2015 vintage

Beautiful wine. Shows all the characteristics of a Howell Mountain cab.

2014 vintage

Awesome

2014 vintage

My wife drank it with her drunk friend. She said it was ok. Never got my permission. Asking for divorce.

2014 vintage

Drank this very generous gift over several hours after a splash decant. It certainly wasn't bad, but the best way I can describe it was that it was exhausting. High alcohol (but then maybe 14.8% doesn't count as that anymore) wines can impress at first taste, but even taking time to nurse them over a steak dinner and its aftermath can be too much of a lush thing. The oak was relatively restrained and the color was still purplish. Could …

2015 vintage

Comparing this to the great '13 vintage...this carries a bit more oak influence, not quite as deep fruited, virtually no mineral component. More of an open and ready to go style, but just by degrees.

2015 vintage

Deep dense purple color. Extracted and massive for a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cab. 15.1% abv for a Howell Moutain wine. Globs of black and blueberry fruits but the tannins were rather subdued (particularly compared to some of the professional tasting notes suggesting a 2018-2030 drinking window). I’d expect more from a wine at this price point, but in fairness to the producer, big Napa wines are no longer in my sweet spot.

2010 vintage

Next morning notes after opening for my birthday. Deep mostly translucent garnet. Nose of lilac, oak, cedar and blackberries. Flavors are similar with heavy woodsy note and acidity. Medium tannins. Right now this is mostly "woods" dominated with not enough fruit coming through and too much oak, alcohol and acidity. Likely better in 2-4 years so I'd lay this one down and forget about it for awhile. 90-91 for now.

2014 vintage

Drank by my wife and friend

2014 vintage

Dark fruit, spices, menthol on the nose. Good acidity on the palate, quite vibrant and lively, generous fruit, spicy, long. Hold. 92-93+

2015 vintage

Nose: Very subtle deep, red fruit (but almost not there), a slight/soft cream/vanilla smell.. oak and some slight spice. There's some heat.. Palate: Dry, same as the nose but minus the fruit and cream, the heat comes through at the end.. the fruit is barely there, if at all. The fruit is really subtle.. It's really dry and all I can really pick up on are wood/oak notes along with mineral and some spice notes. With all that being said.. …

2014 vintage

Marmelade

2014 vintage

Solid but not very expressive

2014 vintage

Loved this wine. Will buy more.

2014 vintage

This wine woke up after my tasting in 2016. I simply left it alone for over a year. I have eight left. A considerable amount of up front fruit and complexity with a definite Napa stamp. Outstanding nose, attack and mellow, but long-lasting finish. Strongly recommend.

2010 vintage

Moone Tsai : Much like the Napa Cabernet version, this was a fairly simple walk throughout consumption. A bit of an odd interplay between the jammy plum and musty earth notes, with the back end a little clunky. The sweet, plumy fruit flavors clashed with some of the bitter earth notes. 86-88 points.

2014 vintage

Purple in color. Nose of blackberry and mocha. Same on the palate. First time drinking the 2010 vintage of this wine. This was good but not great. I have drank a 2008, 2009, and 2010 of this wine this year. None have come close to the level of the 2009 I drank at 4 and 5 years old. Typically Howell Mountain wines need at least 5 years and maybe better at 10. I am starting to think because this is …

2010 vintage

Howell Mountain Spring Wine Tasting, SF, just bottled, nose of black fruit, black berry jam, closed compared to the 2013, and boysenberry jam, same on the palate, rich fruit almost sweet fruit but not cloying, big body, needs 5 years to peak, my impression was a slightly better wine to me than the 2013, long finish. $125 retail and probably worth it.

2014 vintage

Disappointing. Not a lot of character for this expensive a bottle. Didn't improve over two days, either.

2010 vintage

close to my ratings of the 2008 and 2009 vintages (see there), except that flavor intensity and balance were closer to the outstanding 2008 scores and the 50/50 mix of cab and merlot adopted in the 2009 vintage is maintained; Vivino shows a $140 average on-line price from external shops as of 4/22/2022

2010 vintage

Color: Deep dark red hue. Nose: Intense yet elegant aromas of red fruits, spice, hints of graphite, oak and earthiness - The waiter event commented on the smell when pouring into the decanter. Palate: It was powerful yet elegant on the palate with a great balance of tannins and dark fruits/berries. Finish: Silky smooth and long lasting finish that was extremely well balanced. Decanting: We decanted for approximately 20 minutes at the table then poured into the glass, it took …

2010 vintage

Deep dark ruby. Very strong tannins.

2010 vintage

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Moone-Tsai, Hillside Blend, Howell Mountain

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