Reviews

Fairest Creature "Sine Fine" Cabernet Sauvignon

Dark and ripe fruit present a modern profile that is covered in dark chocolate, cardamom, and vanilla bean. It's a rich hippo that has an elevated amount of mouth-coating lusciousness and gobs of…

Fairest Creature Cabernet Sauvignon Flow State

Purple plum, vanilla, powdered sugar, and red cherry. Medium bodied with a finish that fades fairly quickly.

Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

This sample was fruity and vanilla-coated, with a single note delivery of dark purple berry fruit. Medium finish.

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Kodo M-Bar Ranch

Dude! What the heck. Stop making stupid good wine. It's insulting. We get it; you win. It's the best. Dear Lord. Having this again just makes me mad at every other Napa Cab ever produced. "This! This…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Anjea Sleeping Lady Vineyard

What's this.? The Anjea be gettin a lil serious on yer boy here. It still carries all of the enveloping characteristics that make this site so lovable, but I notice a bit o' chisel from this bottle.…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon La Voleuse Du Chagrin Geeslin Vineyard

Man, this thing is still in rock star leather pants mode with all the fixins. Mick Jagger swagger. Freddy Mercury twerkery. David Bowie showy. and Steven Tyler. um. styler?.. or whatever rhymes with…

Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon

A natural step up from "The Flight," this flagship offering shows dark, black fruit that is initially chewy on the front but dilutes quickly on the back end (not sure what kind of flavor-mullet that…

Keplinger Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Ranch Vineyard

There's a bit of an old school thing going on with this vintage of OVR, kicking out leather, cedar, and dried herb notes, complimenting the red and black plum fruit. Additionally, true to Keplinger's…

Keplinger Cabernet Sauvignon RBK

Franc is for Freshness, and the RBK has plenty of freshness. It's an airy and lighter version of the vintages before it, but it carries a basket full of lift and energy wholly led by the Cab Franc at…

Keplinger Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch

Surely the standout in the 2022 lineup, the VHR displays captivating intensity and flex in a fashion that also embraces Keplinger's hallmark poise and purity. Though the fruit is primary and compact,…

Grace Family Cabernet Sauvignon Cornelius Grove

I favored this Cornelius over the Estate. Whereas the Estate is much more modern and fruit-driven in profile, the Cornelius carries heightened focus and precision. The speed and freshness are of…

Grace Family Cabernet Sauvignon

This was surprisingly more modern in profile than I had anticipated, with a gushing posture kicking out fruity red and black fruit, licorice, and cedar notes. The tannins whip up in short order to…

Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

A standout at Inspire Napa Valley, and clearly one of the top wines at the entire event, the 2022 Bryant is instantly captivating. Baker's bitter chocolate, charcoal, black soil, black cherry, and…

Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Tiiiiiiiiiight and linear, but luckily not angry or overly angular, the 2021 Eisele needs time of course, as in 10-15 years minimum. Red and black fruits dominate, with some pine and pebbly soil…

Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

From a Coravin pull. I gotta say, this was strikingly fabulous. Will it be even better in 10/15/20 years? I mean, I guess, maybe, probably, depending on your stylistic preferences. However, right out…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

Dark, chewy, and brooding, this carries a thicker and richer texture than other MGs. Deep and ripe black cherry, cassis, black currant, wet bark, purple plum skin, and soil. Finishes slightly warm,…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon La Verdad Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Red cherry and blackberry pie, red and black licorice, black current, vanilla, and red cherry syrup. Comes on strong and finishes hot. Missing the black earth and LPV rock elements, presumably masked…

Elyse Cabernet Sauvignon Morisoli Vineyard

In great shape. A lot of fruit, with a nice balance of tension. Finishes softer, with smooth blackberry and red/black cherry. Chewy. Starts to tighten up with air. Overall.Gobs of fruit. A hint of…

Morisoli Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Red cherry and purple fruit spritz; reduced. Great fruit. Blackberry, blueberry, and purple-red skinned cherry. A streak of neon red cherry flashes around the core. Raw and exciting.

Morisoli Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Sweet fruit on the nose equates to sweet-sour on the palate (in a good way). When compared to the 2020 and 2021, this 2022 carries brighter red cherry flavors that pop on the palate with intense…

Morisoli Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Dark, serious, tense, tannic (but still perfectly balanced), and maybe even a bit 'The Professional,' with its brooding and beady-eyed black cherry flavors piercing the palate throughout the attack,…

Morisoli Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

With notably softer contours than the 2021, this 2020 is kinda red-purple fruity on the front end and kinda darker on the tail. It's a medium bodied animal, with a cherry note that carries through…

Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon

From Magnum.

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

Freshy Fresh McFreshalot, the 2022 MacDonald dials the fresh-o-meter up to 11, revealing exceptionally clean and driven fruit with a polish that is unmatched. I gotta say, the last two vintages of…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

Whaaaaat?! If this was blind (and in retrospect I wish it would have been just to put a double period of confidence on the end of this sentence), I would've called this out as not just a stronger…