Reviews

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

Normally I wouldn't even think of messing with this wine inside of the 7+ year mark, but I wanted to get a feel for how it might hold over the course of the next decade and if it stands to be as…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

If you know Bevan and you know Crane, then this inaugural interpretation of the lauded site won't come as any surprise. Big, deep, concentrated, intense, and all those other Schwarzenegger-type…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

I've written quite a bit here already, so I won't go too in-depth specifically on this wine. This was full of depth and flavor expansion from the very beginning. Ripe and rich, but not too sweet…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Not as stubborn as the last time I had this wine 2.5 years ago, but still somewhat disinclined to fan out and show its full flavor potential, the 2015 VV LPV is going to be a slow burn of a wine…

VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch

Young, driven, and really, really determined in its energy and thrust, this wine was off to the racetracks with a super thrilling acidic frame that was spinning its essences in the mouth with so much…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Barrel sample. Anyone who knows me knows that LPV is directly in my wheelhouse, and based on the performance of this LPV, it should be in your wheelhouse, too. Aside from the 2019 M7 (which was just…

Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon Heimark Vineyard

Instantly yummy, with an added dark and serious streak that is certainly attention-grabbing. A textural masterpiece, with fine-grained tannins offering the perfect frame and speed by which to carry…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

I've written quite a bit on this wine already. Strikingly similar to the 2019 barrel sample we had two days earlier, the 2016 LPV from Memento Mori busts out of its seams with powerfully ripe black…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon La Voleuse Du Chagrin Geeslin Vineyard

You want an Eisele that went on a major Miami Vice bender, pararescued its way out of an Apache AH-64 on to Pablo Escobar's zooming SCARAB, tripped on 60 kilos of Bolivian marching powder,…

Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon NVD

Higher-toned and red-fruited on entry, with cranberry puckering the tip of the tongue on the first flash of the initial entry, quickly giving way to an instantly easy-going fruity mid-palate.…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

A perfect wine in the making, the 2018 Macdonald is undoubtedly going to be one of the top wines of the vintage. For those familiar with the Macdonald lineage, the 2018 will be no surprise as a…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Anjea Sleeping Lady Vineyard

A barrel sample to be sure, with all the succulence and flamboyance you'd want from a burst of astound-me juice rocketing to the back of your throat. But again, even with a barrel sample like this,…

Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 3 Tench Vineyard

Decidedly Tench, with red and purple fruit and a sack of booze to boot upfront, as a wave of cassis and freshly washed berries play catch-me-if-you-can with a bouquet of dried flowers. The power and…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Anjea Sleeping Lady Vineyard

The best wine I've had from the Sleeping Lady site. I've honestly never been wholly impressed with that vineyard nor convinced it had the ultimate potential to compete with some of the big boys in…

Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 2 Pritchard Hill

Pritchard Hill berries baby! Unripe red raspberries, cranberry, red and black cherry, cassis, and iron all culminate to push out higher register tones, finishing youthfully fuzzy and grippy. Treble…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Rhadamanthus

Well now party people, you can add me to the list of Cellar Trackers who are all about trumpeting the Kinsman label. The hype is real my friends. I know you don't need me to convince you otherwise,…

Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 1 Perrarus Block 1

Dark berry fruit with a gravelly Las Piedras-type of demeanor. In fact, I would have guessed this Stones 1 was still carrying the LPV site in its profile. Blackberry, black currant, river rock,…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

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…

Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Sigaro

Bright red mountain fruit, with beaming acidity that makes for a fresh and brightly styled profile. Finishes with a cedar-meets-spice flavor that dries the back of the palate and keeps the fruit from…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

Electric and fresh, exhibiting matching sparkle akin to the 2019 MG barrel sample, the 2018 MG is locked-and-loaded with acidic vitality and dynamism. With notable structure and acidic speed, this is…

Accendo Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

Similar in profile to the 2016, this 2017 exhibited the driest of demeanors when compared to its siblings. Mid-palate was a tad hollow initially but began to fill in nicely as air penetrated the…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

My second time trying this wine (since 12/07/2019), the 2017 MG carries interesting plum and muddled blackberry flavors complimented by red/purple licorice, vanillin black cherry, and some dark spice…

Accendo Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

Red and black cherry dominant, with a dry but concentrated flavor profile that begs for time in bottle (and food). There is power here, especially when compared next to the Laurea, with the Estate…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

Two years since I've last sampled this juice. One of the most phenomenal wines I've had all year, the 2012 Tynan MG absolutely soars from the glass with aromas of ripe blackberries and earth. On the…

Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Proprietor Grown 25th Anniversary

Blackberry skin, bitter chocolate, black rock, and anise notes leap from the glass with nervy tension and a firm acidic clamp that instantly grips the palate and the jaw with skillful might. Finishes…