Reviews

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon La Bam Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Boy did this kick out a s***-ton of fruit this time around. Gobs of black and purple berry flavors injected with healthy doses of black rock, cassis, and some sweet spice.

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Carter

Carter Carter... The wine so nice, they named it twice (Oh, that never gets old! - I don't get out much apparently)... Anyway...

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Weitz Vineyard

Previous notes apply. Wonderfully vivacious fruit flavors, with a youthful tension that begs for a little more time in bottle to settle in. Acid and structure are at the forefront. It is certainly…

Château Boswell Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

The most complete of the Boswell reds in the lineup presented, this BTK showed a notable distribution of weight (especially mid-palate) and a medium-bodied flavor profile overall. Holding a bit firm…

Château Boswell Cabernet Sauvignon At Anchor

Black cherry dominated, with somewhat invasive menthol and evergreen notes swirling around additional flavors of forest floor and spice. Medium bodied and somewhat restrained overall, with the core…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The G.T.O Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

It's perfect. So shut up already and find some... The GTO is the runway model OG, but also with an MD from Yale. A bucket list wine for the 2016 vintage. Previous notes apply otherwise.

VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch

Coiled-up red currant, red cherry liqueur, black cherry, spice, and peppercorn. Bound up pretty tight, with a spicy/peppery element to compliment the red (and black-ish) core fruit. The purity of…

Dana Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Hershey Vineyard

My first experience with this wine. It unfolded really nicely throughout the evening. A ton of verve here, with a tension that provides a hyper-focused delivery of flavors. As others have noted, it…

Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

PnP. An absolutely incredible showing. The best I've experienced with this wine, and probably one of the best 2012 Napa Cabs I've had in recent memory. I almost wanted to hit it with a 100 point…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

A fun addition to the lineup, this VV BTK (labeled as "Napa Valley") is a beautiful example of how these wines can show their maturity while still displaying youthful verve and energy. Black cherry,…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Intense and concentrated notes of blackberry, black cherry, bitter chocolate, scorched earth, asphalt, and some spice. CRISTAL covered this thoroughly in his recent note more than I really need to…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Previous notes apply. I absolutely love this wine. So concentrated. So intense. But so balanced and a textural dream. Dark and haunting while simultaneously alive and energetic.

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon

Notes of chocolatey blackberry, black raspberry, earthy blueberry, forest floor, bitter dark chocolate, and spice.

JCB Cabernet Sauvignon Nº 10

Red and black currant, cedar, black licorice, and some spice. World's apart from the wah-waahh 2011 version served before it. That said, this 2012 was an average performer. Medium bodied and a little…

JCB Cabernet Sauvignon Nº 10

Oh 2011, once again you have failed me. It's not a "style;" it's not "palate preference." It's just "not good." Sometimes I feel as though I shouldn't even comment on wines like this. That if I don't…

Venge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Bone Ash Vineyard

Same as last month's note. Drinking good now, but another year+ might do it well. Hold until late 2019/2020+.

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Same as previous notes. Last minute pull. PnP. Still a decent amount of baby fat here. Hold until after 2020++ minimum.

Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon

PnP with red and black cherry core fruit. Some cassis, vanilla, earthy cedar, red and black currant, and incense emerged. Faint hints of bitter chocolate covered cherry oozed out on the back end…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Previous notes apply. 6+ months since my last bottle. PnP was perfect. Served at 52-54 degrees, which kept the fruit in focus and allowed for an ideal delivery over the course of two hours. Black…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Kaliholmanok Kicu'me

Previous note applies. Finished the bottle; consumed over two+ hours. Served at 52 degrees as a PnP. 93-94 points. I'll try to hold remaining bottles for at least another year or two.

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon 9 Oaks 36 Month French Select Block 2 St. Helena Mountain

Finished the bottle. Previous note from the other day still applies except that the delivery was even more gorgeous. The supposed issue earlier on the back end where it seemed potentially flat seemed…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon 9 Oaks 36 Month French Select Block 2 St. Helena Mountain

Coravin pour. Beautiful black and dark purple core fruit. Some nice black currant, purple/black plum, black rock, and some dark soil to round it all out. Subtle spice (anise, black pepper, and clove)…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Kaliholmanok Kicu'me

Coravin pour, with notes of red cherry, purple plum, Dalmatia sour cherry spread, cedar, underbrush, garrigue, and some forest floor. Approachable enough, but still youthfully linear and a little…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

A super solid wine and even better than when I had this almost one year ago. In a perfect drinking window now. PnP was just fine, though about 30 minutes in the glass with some swirling really…

Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Red currant, cedar, underbrush, and some thin black cherry notes. A pedestrian front end attack, with a simple mid-palate and overly lithe finish. Not even that much acid or grip to cut the beautiful…