Reviews

AJ Pearce Cabernet Sauvignon Massoumi Vineyard

Made by the proprietor at The Wine Thief in Napa. As a sub-$100 wine ($75 retail), this showed a very approachable side to the 2013 vintage. If I understood him correctly, this wine was aged for 39…

Outpost Cabernet Sauvignon

Same as my notes from last year, except that I would project an optimum drinking window as far out as after 2020 or 2021+. The first few hours of consumption were so constricted it was difficult to…

Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Amoenus

Similar to my tasting notes in March, except that this especially showed dominant red and black cherry liqueur notes, along with red volcanic minerality and red clay earth notes. A fascinating wine…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Initial sip on PnP was a hit of heat/alcohol and high register notes of pink terra cotta, hot red brick, pomegranate, and tart plum. A bit splintery on the attack, with the heat washing around the…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard

I recall liking this wine, but it didn't evoke any true sense of draw or fascination for me. I thought it was a very well crafted wine (as is true with many of Russell's wines), and the fruit…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Tin Box Vineyard

Similar to last year, this version of Tin Box displayed its signature red, black, and some purple fruit flavors, plum, black and red currant, black cherry, and the slightest hints of spice. This was…

Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

I was quite impressed with this wine. Not my preferred style in some respects, with a more reserved, classical profile on the attack. Yet, the delineation of flavors was extremely precise and…

Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

This was an interesting addition to the lineup, providing a potential look at how the Staglin Cabernets stand to progress over time. Resolved in some respects (almost "over resolved"), with red and…

Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon Salus

Notes of red and black currant, plum, chocolate, and some spice. Hints of dust on the back end. The soft tannins crept up on the finish and gently provided grip. A softer, more round version of a…

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

Previous notes apply. 9 months since my last 2012 OG. Performed very nicely, but I felt like this was still a bit restrained. Purity of fruit was noteworthy, with a nice cedar note that crept up on…

TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 337 Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

From Magnum. Drank over the course of two nights. Black and red currant, black cherry, cedar, mulch, and some pebbles. Alcohol lingered on the finish throughout consumption. The fruit was more…

Kobalt Cabernet Sauvignon

Same as my previous notes. This wine pummeled an Arkenstone served beside it.

Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon NVD

Same as previous notes. Not bad. Not earth shattering. Held interest to pair well enough with 6-hour smoked pork ribs, but I think that had more to do with the ribs than the wine. Seemingly higher in…

Montagu Cabernet Sauvignon The Baron

GIII fruit, but a fairly walk-in-the-park version of the site. A bit of an imbalance between the overt fruitiness and whacky acid. The bottom of the barrel in terms of the GIII site. "It was ok," is…

Harumph Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain

More structure and focus than its Napa sibling, the Spring Mountain at least had some seemingly decent fruit to balance the otherwise boozy profile. The attack was alcohol first, fruit later. 88…

Harumph Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

Hints of decent black and dark red fruits, but pretty boozy. The Spring Mountain version of this was a hint better, but overall, the Harumph wines came off like wines that would be better served at…

Silver Ghost Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

In a world amongst $150+ Napa Cabernets, this $35 bugger was a "decent" surprise. Was it epic?.uh, no. Was it captivating?...still no. Was it at least complex and attention grabbing?...not…

Aequitas Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Not an ounce of depth to speak of. Totally watery, thin, and dead; no mid-palate; no attack; no finish; no nothing.

Modus Operandi Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

Undrinkable. Menthol and NyQuil. Like washing your mouth out with cough syrup and grape stems. This didn't even taste like wine.

Brasswood Cabernet Sauvignon

Nope. Thin and forgettable. Tasted like a one-cent sale wine at BevMo.

Haber Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain

"Much" better than the 2014 Haber Howell Cabernet, but unfortunately that isn't saying much given the prune-tinged extraction and over-ripe flavors that still managed to wash over the palate with…

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder

Notes of red and black currant, black cherry, and black raspberry. Acid seemed a bit higher, with a more red fruit profile than the Bergfeld and Diamond served before this Veeder. A lot of tension…

Haber Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

Completely cooked to the point that even the stewed plum and raisin flavors were only barely identifiable as fruit. Beef broth and wrinkly raisin aftertaste. A muddled grapey note showed up briefly,…

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain

Even better than when I had this wine four months ago. Much more open and giving (the bottle had been open a couple of hours). Powerful and concentrated blue and black fruits. Some nice char and…

Parallel Cabernet Sauvignon Outer Limits

From three different sites (instead of the six sites for the standard Napa Cabernet). The outer limits had a slight bit more push and "depth" than the standard Cabernet, but nothing that would…