Tasted with Alan (and Trevor) at Vini Wine Bar in Davis.
This was my last bottle of Bartholemew Park wine. After sampling the new Scribe Riesling (also from a Sonoma winery) and a surprisingly tropical yet fresh SPANISH Sauvignon Blanc
, we opened this baby up! Popped and poured through a Vinturi (one of Alan's toys!) Started out very primary and very alcoholic. A ton of licorice and blackberry confit. This was not how I remembered BP cabernet.
Happily, the wine evolved rather quickly, showing more prominent herbal and earth notes. Definitely a powerful CALIFORNIA black fruit character remained (licorice) but more complexity. Oak not dominating on either nose or palate.
Alan somehow rustled up a ribeye steak which three of us divided up, and that definitely helped-red meat and California Cabernet are a good thing.