Reviews

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder

Wanted to see if the bottle I had a few weeks ago was just an anomaly.

TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Cimarossa Vineyard

Served alongside a 2012 Fleury BDX, also from Howell Mountain, which was a little more structure driven and less giving in the dark core fruit flavor department when compared to the more…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Stagecoach Vineyard

This BBS was a beautifully crafted, brooding but sultry beast, strikingly indicative of the best of what can come out of the alluring 2012 vintage and the Stagecoach site. Sexy black core fruit,…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

Cocked, locked, and spitting black nails the size of broadswords right through the back of the mouth on initial entry. Decanted for a total of three+ hours, and it could've used even more air time.…

Addax Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

A year since I last had this wine. It should still be another year before I revisit it again. Previous notes apply otherwise, as this is overall a well crafted bottle of juice.

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Twins Vineyard

Starting to really come into a nice drinking window. PnP with just a little swirling in the glass to blow off a little initial heat worked just fine service-wise. Black cherry, plum, cassis, and…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Previous notes apply. Purity of fruit is evident, as is the overall flavor profile. This still has some fattening-up to do in my opinion. Frame first then fruit, at this stage at least. A wine to…

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder

The optimist would say this wine is "in a transition phase," "still integrating," "of a particular style," or "a unique representation of the terroir."

Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon NVD

A 2011 that didn't instantly catapult me into adversity and grumpiness, this Arkenstone NVD actually showed a decent flavor profile that wasn't washed over with bell pepper and wood flavors. Rather,…

Hourglass Cabernet Sauvignon Blueline

Fun to check out and debate-about from an educational perspective, this wine was brought out by our gracious host primarily for that exact purpose. Specific notes typical of those 2011 Napa Cabs I've…

Hourglass Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

Blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry, black and red currant, tobacco leaf, and some spice. Less overtly modern and ripe than the Blueline, with a bit more focus and frame. Solid acid, especially…

Hourglass Cabernet Sauvignon Blueline

Blackberry jam, dark ripe plum, black cherry, dark chocolate, coffee grounds, chocolate covered blueberry, and some spice and stone.

Hourglass Cabernet Sauvignon Blueline

Gobs of dark black and blue fruit. Ripe blackberry and blueberry flavors dominating. Heavily toasted notes of oak char, smoke, vanilla, and chocolate cake. A heavy confection aftertaste made for a…

Hourglass Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

For a barrel sample, this wine displayed notable focus and frame, especially given how ripe and bombastic the black and dark red core fruit was delivering on the front of the attack. A lot of power…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Wildfoote Vineyard, Vixen Block

A massively powerful and intense wine, packed with black core fruit. Burnt embers, scorched earth, black soil, river rock, pulverized granite, black pen ink, and some dark cassis. The front end is an…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard

Displaying a wonderful amount of energy and intensity, the 2015 Tench has a captivating pop of black cherry, red and black currant, black raspberry, cassis, bitter chocolate, and some spice. A little…

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

Did you really think this would be anything other than a perfect representation of the BTK site?! In 2015, I thought the GTO was indeed an example of perfection...and I still think that. I will say…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon McGah Vineyard

All previous notes apply. Very compelling blue and black core fruit, with subtle streaks of black asphalt and river rock. A straightforward 2014 type of delivery and execution, medium complexity,…

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

Previous notes apply. This OG certainly showed the most structure when directly compared to the intensely sexy Three Kings and fruitier Grand Daddy. The OG is exacting, complex, and has a cerebral…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Kings Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

This may be the best Three Kings I've had to date. A step up from 2015, and a worthy competitor to my usual favorite, the OG. This Kings was all about a perfect combination of sexy flavor and…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The Grand Daddy Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

An almost exact replica of the 2015, this 2016 delivers all of the expected wonderful fruit that GD has successfully provided over the years. As usual, this is the most fruit-driven of the BTKs, with…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon La Verdad Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Another awesome vintage of this wine, the 2016 stands toe-to-toe with its 2015 older brother. Outrageous purity of fruit, with sweet tannins and uber-flavorful core fruit that swirl around…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon La Bam Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

A huge step up from the inaugural 2015 vintage of La Bam, this 2016 is a gorgeous representation of the LPV site. Purple and black core fruit with gravel and rocks swirling all around.…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Carter

A primarily purple core, with some black, and deep, dark red fruit flavors. Black raspberry, black currant, purple plum, bitter chocolate, river rock, and some mocha.

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Weitz Vineyard

Black/red and some purple core fruit. Similar in profile to the Fortuna with its black cherry, plum, and currant notes. A little higher register red fruit kicking out at this point (not unlike…