Beta, Montecillo Cabernet Sauvignon, Moon Mountain District

Just delicious. In a really great place. Came across as a little lean at PnP, and then when immediately tasted next to some heavy hitter Napa. But, after about an hour, everyone’s palate tired of the other wines, and gravitated towards the Beta. In fact, nearly everyone said, “wow, this is a really lovely wine.” And that’s what it is. A really lovely wine.

2011 vintage

About as good as cabernet gets in my mind. Delicious, complex, well balanced. Great now but will easily go another decade (or two or three).

2011 vintage

Tasted on the mountain with Ketan. Loved this. Just starting to turn and show some age. After about 6h of air it is shows a great balance between aged fruit and mountain structure. The more air it sees the more the aged notes come out. A lovely wine that is drinking at peak for me. Will comfortably cellar for another 5+ years.

2011 vintage

Interesting, if somewhat polarizing wine. I liked its balance, but others found it wanting. More red than black fruit, with just about everything dialed back from current Napa cabs. Mostly that is a good thing, but definitely tough when being tasted next to 10+ other Napa cabs (Lokoya, Elyse, Chimney Rock, Insignia, and others). I spent a lot of time talking about Keetan, but found it tough to get people interested. Their loss I think.

2011 vintage

Deep ruby. Leather on the nose. On the palate black cherries and pepper. Needs a good decant now, this is still very tannic and it does unwind a bit with air. This is built to go for decades. Outstanding and will improve, hold. (94 points)

2011 vintage

PNP needed an hour to open up. Classic nose of cassis and red currant. Same on the palate, vivid fruit, medium body, medium plus acid, just a touch of green. Well integrated tannins. Old school Napa style cab. Ready to go, although there is no rush.

2011 vintage

The nose is a tight, dry, and herbal black fruit with essences of menthol and Luxardo cherry. The palate entry is well-focused dry red fruit and cassis. Cedar and mature, polished blue plum on the core finishing with notes of camphor. Drink 2019 – 2025.

2011 vintage

Filled out quite a bit from prior bottle 3 years ago, really in a great spot.

2011 vintage

Drank over 3 days and was kickin butt each day. Opening the nose seemed a little medicinal in terms of cherry/dark fruit but still mineral, ash/gravel & black tea. By day 3 it had opened up to start showing some coca and charred jalapeno.

2011 vintage

Consistent with prior notes. Good stuff done in an old world style. Outstanding for 2011. I am finding many of the high end ones are hitting their stride now/peak now. Personally don’t see a need to hold.

2011 vintage

This bottle was great when I last had it with Ketan on the mountain a couple summers ago, but is even better integrated now. Spiced black cherries, red currant, graphite, black tea, and a touch of pyrazine on the back end. With a little more air some tobacco leaf shows itself while the wine swirls in the glass. Silky tannins combined with lively acidity and medium body make it hard to put the glass down. And this is just with …

2011 vintage

This is a great wine. Soft tannins and medium bodied. Drinking well now.

2011 vintage

Needs a few hours open for the green notes to blow off but had substantially improved since last tasted in 2018. Cassis, black tea, dark chocolate and some semi sweet ripe fruit. Time open really helps the Baka and plushness but no hard edges. Maybe up there with my favorite 2011’s. Drink in the next 3-4 years

2011 vintage

Riper profile than the 2013, with a slightly roasted character. Less detailed than that wine and lacking its length and pixie dust. At the moment it has nothing on the 2013, but we shall see. The final glass 3 days later is a touch better, but still not yet special. A puzzling showing for this bottle.

2011 vintage

Classic cabernet, red-fruited, cassis, pencil lead, wet earth, but in a medium-bodied package with silky tannin. Really charming

2011 vintage

Young but good. Shocked that so much was done with so little in ‘11. 2 hr decant and drank over 2 hr. Last sips excelled the most. Purple and blue fruits, tannins and oak at bay. Mrs Geaux asked why we didn’t order more than our (my) allocation—a rare inquiry indeed.

2011 vintage

This was an excellent wine for 2011 Napa, which was quite a tough vintage. This wine was elegant with no edges at all. Nicely balanced black and blue berries fruits, smoke, and pepper spices, there was also modest acidity into finish, offered good complexity to the wine. Ketan Mody aims to "Make Napa Cab great again!"

2011 vintage

The 2011 Beta is a lovely wine in a light style, rare from this whole region, and especially hard to pull off in 2011 due to weather. But the wine is medium crimson in color, very aromatic with red licorice, cassis and spices, floral notes, sweet cherry pastilles. Quite a potpourri! On th palate, light and rather lithe, balanced, good acidity. Nothing overdone, awkward or hot here. 2012 is perhaps the better of the current releases, but this is very …

2011 vintage

Might like this even better than the 12. This isn't "good for 2011" - it's a fantastic, unusual wine with a complex flavor profile that needed three hours in the decanter to even say Hello. Developed nicely in the glass, with all these great, subtle hints of sage and flowers and a non-cloying sweetness. Will age well. My score might be conservative.

2011 vintage

Pnp. Pretty enjoyable right out of the bottle. Nose is a bit tight – some currants/raspberries, a bit of blood, some twigs and sous bois. On the palate, some nice dark chocolate, tart cherries, hints of mint, with a nice long finish. This is well put together – nice medium weight in the mouth, the flavors are all wrapped up nicely together, supported by some good acidity and fine tannins. This really gets smoother with time. Everything moves more seamlessly …

2011 vintage

This was really good. Some nice fruit, dusty tannins, should go a long while but quite delicious now. C swears she was picking up some stone fruit but I couldn't get there (but her palette is better than mine).

2011 vintage

With considerable aeration, notes of cassis, spices, mint and a touch of leather are easy to find. Medium-bodied in the mouth, with blackcurrents, minerals, sage and earth that are accompanied by dusty, broad tannins which evenly coat the palate. This classically-styled, impressive Cabernet is approachable now, but will benefit from a few more years of slumber. Good stuff! 93.

2011 vintage

This definitely improved with air/time. First glass was slightly thin, a touch of green and some heat. It rounded out with time with fruit red and dark fruits showing.

2011 vintage

Enjoyable and balanced but I did find it a bit dilute. My better half loved it. Seemed to fill out a bit more on day 2.

2011 vintage

Really enjoyed the balance of this wine - not overly driven by any one factor - fruit, savory/light tobacco, herbs/licorice and dusty tannin all in balance. Suspect this will be better years from now - has all the right components in harmony - though it’s lovely now. ‘11 not an off year at all for this style

2011 vintage

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Beta, Montecillo Cabernet Sauvignon, Moon Mountain District

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