Reviews

Selah Cabernet Sauvignon

Much like TRB's Caterwaul, the Selah (one of TRB's 45+ other ventures) is also a fairly straight-forward, walk-in-the-park version of the varietal. This is certainly NOT a "mountain fruit" rendition…

Becklyn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Moulds Vineyard

Coravin pour. A bit of a whirlwind of flavors, with blackberry, black and red currant, black and red licorice, black raspberry, blueberry, vanilla bean, and hints of spice. Some Twizzlers notes…

Caterwaul Cabernet Sauvignon Regusci Vineyard

Coravin pour. Mid-weight push of black and dark red core fruit; blackberry, black and red currant, wet earth, processed vanilla extract, and black slate notes. A fairly level attack, with a…

Depiction Cabernet Sauvignon

PnP with dark, ripe black core fruit, with a rich, chocolatey plum-driven attack; some barely discernible spice emerged as well. There was a bit of an over-ripe plummy effect on the back end that…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon American Oak Alain Fouquet St Helena Mountain Block 2

Straightforward representation of the varietal. Good balance, with medium-bodied black and dark red core fruit. Not a whole lot else going on here, but a friendly delivery of flavor. An average grip,…

Buoncristiani Cabernet Sauvignon

Opened the night before, gassed, re-corked, and tasted at 11AM the next day. Super compacted and almost totally inaccessible. A complete saliva-sucker. Leave this alone for a couple of years and hope…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper

Opened the night before, gassed, re-corked, and tasted at 11AM the next day. Fairly tight and clipped on the back end. However, youth aside, this wine seems to show some of the most agability over…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Opened the night before, gassed, re-corked, and tasted at 11AM the next day. A not-too-surprising representation of the GIII site. Plush, fruit-driven, and flavorful, with fairly soft edges and an…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon

Opened the night before, gassed, re-corked, and tasted at 11AM the next day. Accessible with medium-bodied, purple and black core fruit. Good flavor overall and a friendly display of round and a…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Royalty in Exile

Previous notes from last year apply. PnP and we were off and running. F-in' unbelievable bottle of Pinot! Fruit and spice and everything nice! Beautiful and unctuous all wrapped up in an enveloping,…

The Grade Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Winfield Vineyard

Same as previous notes. I feel as though I rushed through it this time around. 93-95 points. An excellent wine, especially for the price-point, but I should've taken some more time to follow it…

Salinia Chardonnay Heintz Ranch

All previous notes apply. Reductive and very Sherry-like. Just know what you're getting into. Drink now.

D.R. Stephens Chardonnay Star Vineyard

PnP with beautiful notes of yellow citrus, lemon curd, vanilla bean, white bread center, and light honey. Creamy and giving, with an immediate accessibility that draws you in with each sip. Medium…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The Grand Daddy Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Previous notes apply. Three hours of air in the decanter helped immensely. Excellent bottle of juice. Ideally, worth waiting a year or two. 95-96+ points

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Daughters of Earth Goldrock Ridge

Still right in my wheelhouse. A little rich and spicy after a couple hours of air, but otherwise was a fun Pinot. Don't try to geek-out on it too much. It was flaunting some of its Bevan party flair…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Previous notes apply. This rescued us from an otherwise abysmal wine consumption lineup earlier in the evening. 93+ points. Some short term (6 months) cellaring is probably best, but it performed…

Goldeneye Pinot Noir Anderson Valley

My friends keep buying it, so I keep rating it. A wet blanket of a Pinot; total snoozer. My previous notes apply.

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

A messy diaper performance; wonky, fruity, and pretty mushy. Not much focus, with a one-note pile of ripe, flabby fruit. Sorta like taking a spoonful of raw Bisquick drop biscuit dough and plopping…

Honig Cabernet Sauvignon

Lithe, cedar-laced black and red currant, tan bark, and dry dirt. A little stemmy, with a limited display of flavor. Thin mid-palate. Bitter on the back end. Weak.

J Vineyards & Winery Chardonnay Estate

Simple and somewhat harsh. No finesse or sense of sophistication at all. Little depth, with an edgy bite and astringency that screams cheap Chard. Pass.

Buccella Merlot

Pretty shut down overall this go-around. Some red and light black fruit flavors, but otherwise not much excitement going on here. Some vanilla and alcohol-laced cassis on the back end; showing lithe…

Switchback Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Peterson Family Vineyard

PnP was a tad tight and linear, but after a few hours of stretchy-time, it stopped being a wallflower and its flavors started to arrive to the party. A wine for those that don't necessarily gravitate…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

All previous notes apply. Last minute pull this time. Served in crappy stemware with lackluster food. Luckily this wine was a nice reprieve from an otherwise challenging dinner service. 92+ points.…

Talley Vineyards Pinot Noir Rosemary's Vineyard

Same as last month's notes. Drink now as a PnP, or hold for another year with confidence.

Argot Chardonnay Simpatico Ranch

Previous notes apply. Last minute cellar pull. Needs another year to fan out its flavors. Super focused with a chiseled delivery of yellow citrus fruit. It kinda shows like a hyper-skilled math…