Reviews

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon 9 Oaks 36 Month French Select Block 2 St. Helena Mountain

Coravin pour. Beautiful black and dark purple core fruit. Some nice black currant, purple/black plum, black rock, and some dark soil to round it all out. Subtle spice (anise, black pepper, and clove)…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon 887

I always have a soft spot in my heart (or palate) for the St. Helena wines from Del Dotto. This 2013 is a medium-bodied animal (when compared to what I remember about the 2014), darker fruit profile,…

Del Dotto Chardonnay Cinghiale Vineyard

Same as my previous notes a couple of months ago. Served next to a 2013 Rivers Marie B. Thieriot Chardonnay, which I thought was much more sophisticated and complex. Still, the Del Dotto performed…

Del Dotto Chardonnay Cinghiale Vineyard

Same as previous notes, except this time it came off a little buttery. A rounder profile than I recall, but the fruit still seemed of good quality. A nice sipper, though I was searching for a bit…

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,…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoisseurs' Series Centre French Oak Sylvain St. Helena Mountain Block 2

A beautiful showing, with deep, dark black fruit, tar, black charred vanillin oak, dark chocolate, and a syrupy black raspberry note on the back end. Utterly compelling and unctuous, without ever…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoissuer's Series Jupille Sylvain French Oak NO

PnP with notes of ripe black and red currant, subtle black raspberry, cedar, wet earth/mulch, and some black tanbark. Medium-bodied and a fairly smooth delivery for the 2013 vintage. A good wine and…

Del Dotto Cabernet Franc Seven Rows

I just couldn't get into this wine. Thin, lacking character, and throwing out some odd high-toned fruit flavors.

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoisseur's Series Mo/Fo Blend Vineyard 887 St. Helena

My least favorite of the three 2015 887 BTs. Ripe and rich, but missing some focus on the mid-palate. Came off a little heavier on the back end than the 887 Orion and Colbert.

Del Dotto The David Napa Valley

Similar to the 2014 David except that this was less overt in the sweet department. A little more blue fruit from the 2014, but the 2015 seemed to house its core a little better than the 2014. I…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoiseur's Series Colbert French Oak Vineyard 887 St. Helena

This was another 887 that displayed very nicely overall. I preferred the 887 Orion South a little more, but this North/Front 887 had a similar profile, but had just a little less depth mid-palate…

Del Dotto The David Napa Valley

Same as last year. Soft, round, and somewhat inviting, but not displaying any interesting levels of complexity or concentration. This was much sweeter than the 2015 David. Extraction was a bit high,…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Orion French Oak South Vineyard 887

My favorite of all the Cabernets we had at Barrels & Beasts, the 887 Orion South struck a nice balance between big black fruit (and hints of deep blue and red) and a nice frame of vanilla-laced oak…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard 887 St. Helena

This was served after I had the 2013 version at the bar. I preferred this 2014 to the 2013 mainly because it displayed some nice blue and black fruit and had a touch more concentration. Not…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoisseurs' Series Centre Sylvain Family Reserve St Helena Mountain Block 2

A bit less blown out by the heavy extracted fruit displayed by the standard 2015 St. Helena Mountain Family Reserve, but this Centre Sylvain still kicked out a bevy of predominantly black fruit…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard 887 St. Helena

Same as last year. Tasted at the bar. This had medium concentration and depth; average display of core fruit. Decent frame, but fell off a bit on the back end. The 2014 version was a little more…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Mountain

We started off the barrel tastings jumping right into the back of the caves with this big boy Cabernet. Huge, ripe, blue and black fruits. Mid-palate was immediately rushed with heavy fruit flavors…

Del Dotto Giovanni's Tuscan Reserve

Similar to my notes on this wine from last year when it was a barrel sample, except that this time around (from bottle) it exhibited a heavy cedar note that distracted a bit from the red and black…

Del Dotto Pinot Noir Rosé

Much like the Sauvignon Blanc, the Rose (which was also offered upon entry to the winery) would have been at least a decent sipper. But again, it was served at near-room temperature. No bueno when…

Del Dotto Pinot Noir Cinghiale Vineyard

A decent Pinot that exhibited some nice dark red cranberry, raspberry, bramble, cedar, and sassafras notes. Not terribly interesting, but had a notable frame and acidic structure that was a welcome…

Del Dotto Sauvignon Blanc

Resembling a comparatively lighter, less tropical version of the domestic varietal, this wine exhibited fairly typical yellow and white stone fruit notes. An agreeable SB, but not one that…

Del Dotto Chardonnay Family Reserve Cinghiale Vineyard

Similar to the standard 2015 Chardonnay except that the Reserve showed more focus and direction. A little less giving than the standard Chardonnay, with more restrained fruit flavors; some white…

Del Dotto Chardonnay Cinghiale Vineyard

A very well done domestic Chardonnay. I much preferred this to the 2014 version I had last year. This 2015 was ripe and voluptuous, with signature yellow fruit, popcorn, vanilla, and lemon curd…

Del Dotto Pinot Noir Cinghiale Vineyard

This seemed a ways away from coming into any sort of optimum consumption window at this point. Once in bottle with a year of sleep, this may come into better form. The 2014 (served later in the…

Del Dotto Red Dessert Wine

Infused with brandy. Rich, heavy, heady, and super, super extracted. Motor oil, blackberry molasses syrup, and moonshine.