Reviews

Fairchild Estate Chardonnay Stones Russian River Perrarus Block A3

Take all the notes I just wrote on the 2018 Chardonnay and add an extra layer of delectableness - without sacrificing all of the harmonious zing and energy brought about by the otherwise Burgundian…

Fairchild Estate Chardonnay Stones Russian River Perrarus Block A3

On the nose, you think you are in for a creamy and succulent California Chardonnay just waiting to slather your palate with lemon curd gooeyness. But surprise on you silly domestic switcheroo boy,…

Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 3 Tench Vineyard

Decidedly Tench, with red and purple fruit and a sack of booze to boot upfront, as a wave of cassis and freshly washed berries play catch-me-if-you-can with a bouquet of dried flowers. The power and…

Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 2 Pritchard Hill

Pritchard Hill berries baby! Unripe red raspberries, cranberry, red and black cherry, cassis, and iron all culminate to push out higher register tones, finishing youthfully fuzzy and grippy. Treble…

Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 1 Perrarus Block 1

Dark berry fruit with a gravelly Las Piedras-type of demeanor. In fact, I would have guessed this Stones 1 was still carrying the LPV site in its profile. Blackberry, black currant, river rock,…

Fairchild Estate Stones Longitude - Latitude

Red and black fruits, with the red berry and currant notes ultimately elbowing their ways ahead of the overall march of flavors, this offers slightly more depth than the Sigaro initially, but then…

Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Sigaro

Bright red mountain fruit, with beaming acidity that makes for a fresh and brightly styled profile. Finishes with a cedar-meets-spice flavor that dries the back of the palate and keeps the fruit from…

Accendo Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

Similar in profile to the 2016, this 2017 exhibited the driest of demeanors when compared to its siblings. Mid-palate was a tad hollow initially but began to fill in nicely as air penetrated the…

Accendo Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

Red and black cherry dominant, with a dry but concentrated flavor profile that begs for time in bottle (and food). There is power here, especially when compared next to the Laurea, with the Estate…

Accendo Cellars Laurea Red Blend

Ripe plum, deep red and black cherry, and cedar ride the crest of the flavor wave, almost immediately skipping over the mid-palate and skirting into an exceptionally dry finish. This wine desperately…

Accendo Cellars Sauvignon Blanc

Kiwi and lime notes lead the charge, with a secondary rush of lemon and quince flavors rounding-out the profile. A very suave rendition of Sauvignon Blanc, with notable texture and a silky mouthfeel.…

Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Réserve

Lemon seed and yeast. Rides high and angular, finishing sharp. Would pair well with oyster shells on the half shell, with more shells, topped with shells.

Domaine Henri Boillot Volnay 1er Cru Les Fremiets

Boy was thing this spun up. A high rider that refused to come down off the ledge. This particular bottle was screaming, "Get bent and piss off." Vanilla booze, bright red cherry water, and raw…

Château Lafleur Les Perrières de Lafleur

Painfully young, with acid, booze, and crunchy black cherry making for a formidable profile that didn't seem to want to play with the rest of the wines of food one bit that night. Hold. like, for a…

Realm Cellars The Absurd

A chocolate cream and vanilla bean dream that saturates the entire mouth with creamy oak, massively luscious dark fruit, chocolate syrup, and alcohol. This behaved very much like the Realm Crane we…

Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Proprietor Grown 25th Anniversary

Blackberry skin, bitter chocolate, black rock, and anise notes leap from the glass with nervy tension and a firm acidic clamp that instantly grips the palate and the jaw with skillful might. Finishes…

Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon SongBook

Though knowing Tynan is the winemaker here might have influenced my mindset, upon first sip of the Songbook, I was instantly reminded of the Tynan MGs we had sampled earlier that morning (of course,…

Tusk Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

This bottle is all about power right now. Black fruit and booze dominate the entry, finally relaxing after an hour or so of air. In fact, I revisited this bottle 24 hours later and it wasn't until…

Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros

I truly dig this wine. I love the electricity and the supreme focus here. It is chiseled and detailed without being sterile and continues to offer so much zippy pleasure. Squirt, lemon-lime juice and…

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg

Earthy and funky black cherry flavors dolphin their way in and out of waves of furry tannins, further warming the palate with plum, allspice, and faint burnt orange rind notes. Finishes slightly…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon The Magnificent Seven

Locked and loaded is most apropos here. Packed, stacked, but not yet cracked, this 2018 M7 is fortified with tense and quivering black cherry, bitter chocolate, and rock notes that stubbornly tell…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon The Magnificent Seven

So this didn't suck at all. Holy Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, what is this concentrated showboater of a jammin' juice to which you have put before me good sir?! You want a standout? Here it…

Vice Versa Beatrix Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Barrel sample. Immediately recognizable as Valley Floor/Oakville fruit. Big, warm, fruity, and earthy, this specimen is a To Kalon mullet on the palate: Cab Franc on the front end, Cab Sauv on the…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Barrel sample. On the nose, this was notably more austere and muted compared to the others sampled. On the palate, the reservation of flavor parroted the nose, with an overly measured delivery of…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Mysterons

Barrel sample. This new blend from Vice Versa showcases luscious black fruit on the front end that is instantly swept away by a wash of fabulous acidity and drive. A wave of rolling power pushes the…