Reviews

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Deeper than the day is long, this was a shot across the bow with a concentration cannon that blasted flavor and depth right to the mid-palate, diving even deeper and with more fortitude as it…

Vice Versa Beatrix Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

A pretty wine, with violets and juicy red/purple fruit popping on the palate. Here the nose is muted, but the affable flavors skip along the front end upon first sip, marking the path of a wine that…

Vice Versa Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard

A full bodied, masculine front end kicks off a rush of deep and dark black cherry, black raspberry, and soil notes. A pine needle flavor adds further interest on the finish. This is a broad stroke of…

Vice Versa Chardonnay Platt Vineyard

Clementine, lime, white travertine, and a long lemony finish mark the latest vintage of the 2021 Platt Chardonnay. It is both vibrant and full, with energy and acidity that fully encompass the back…

Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection

. Purple-frosted doughnut sweat.

Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill Vineyard

Day one under Coravin for this wine made for an angular and a bit boozy showing, with a mechanical delivery that was fairly foursquare from front to back. The fruit wasn't as expressive as I usually…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

The best MACDONALD to date, without question. The refinement, polish, and sophistication that shines through in the 2021 vintage is no doubt a next-next level for what is already a storied legacy of…

Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Bella Oaks

This must have been a perfectly stored bottle, because it was completely singing with beautifully balanced fruit, flowing with macerated black cherry, plum, and orange rind flavors. Not tired by a…

Bella Oaks Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Le Génie

The fruit-friendly Genie is a good warm up to the over-the-moon performance of the 2021 Bella Oaks. The Genie is young and gliding on the lighter side of achieving substantial depth at this juvenile…

Bella Oaks Vineyard Proprietary Red

This is as solid as it ever has been compared to the last sample I was lucky enough to try the year prior. At first, it was a gushing glow of fruit awesomeness all at once, but with some air to…

Kinsman Eades Aisana

I LOVE fresh Sauv Blanc right out of the tap. I've found my interest in SB waning a bit, to be honest; however, when you have the right one, it really hits the spot. I know there are some smoking…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Hierothesion

The Hiero is a slighter higher riding monkey when compared to the Kaannos, Kodo, and Aphex. Yummy right now and not shying away from letting you know it likes to party, the Hiero is smooth, inviting,…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Aphex Ecotone Vineyard

If you have twenty minutes of your life you feel like burning, go ahead and check out my tasting notes for the 2021 Kaannos and Kodo. You'll get the sense of where my head was at during this recent…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Kodo M-Bar Ranch

Punchline first: And 'the Ks' have it!! Kaannos and Kodo! I know I'm supposed to find beauty in all creatures great and small, and that love is discovered in all forms of doe-eyed unicorns and…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Käännös Vine Hill Ranch

Punchline first: And 'the Ks' have it!! Kaannos and Kodo! I know I'm supposed to find beauty in all creatures great and small, and that love is discovered in all forms of doe-eyed unicorns and…

Henri Giraud Champagne Grand Cru Brut MV16 Aÿ

Even more ripe and Martinelli's "apple cidery" than the previous bottle I had a little while back, this is a miss overall for me unfortunately. It's in the good/not great category. As others have…

Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère

Sherried and poxed. Vibrancy is flat and the finish immediately falls off a cliff. Carries the tension and acidity of low fat milk. Down the drain.

Claude Cazals Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Clos Cazals

Even better than last year. With a bit of air, this becomes a phenomenal BdB, marrying controlled depth and ripeness with judicious acidity and chalky cut. Finishes both savory and uplifting. Drink…

Walter Scott Chardonnay X-Novo Vineyard

There's a lot of back and forth about the perceived reduction here, so I'll save the great debate for another time and simply say that this bottle indeed shows as such on the nose, but not in an…

Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Les Bermonts

More approachable than the 2017, but with a tick less verve, this 2018 is pretty much good from go. This isn't to say that it's not without requisite tension and energy; in fact, it's extremely…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon GIII Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Vanilla slathered banana chips and dried coconut shavings. All oak and no joke. There is also a spearmint tinge on the finish that, along with the lumber, washes over what would be the expression of…

Sine Qua Non Grenache The Duel

A consistent showing from when I've sampled this wine in 2021 and 2018. Spice box, dark black cherry, ripe black raspberry, soil, cedar, and even more spice (cinnamon stick). Expressive and…

Sine Qua Non Syrah The Duel

Boy has this clamped down on itself since I last had it in 2018. Back then, it was gushing 100 points all day long. This bottle was sleepy and strict. Even with air, it was still kinda angry and in a…

Château Cos d'Estournel

This bottle was pristine, and needed at least a couple of hours of decanted air to get into form and offer some decent flavor expansion. Plum, black cherry, cedar, dusty spice, and subtle hints of…

Sodhani Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

This is an incredibly compelling wine. The spine and pulsating energy unite to make for a perfect juxtaposition to the dark, ripe fruit. There is the slightest touch of pyrazine (which I love) to…