Reviews

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Showing even more ripeness than when I last sampled it in August, the 2018 GIII shows the familiar ripeness of the Myriad GIII fruit vintage after vintage; round, ready, and fairly sweet. An…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Gobs of ripe fruit, sweet cassis, and red/purple licorice. A dark stallion kind of wine at its core, but encompassed by the typical Mike Smith-meets-Crane rounded ripeness and succulence. Beautifully…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Empyrean Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Tight and locked-up from the very first sip, but not so much that it doesn't offer the insatiable consumer some flavor gratification in the form of black currant, black pebbles, plum skin, and…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Not surprisingly, the Crane is similar in most ways to the Elysian in terms of its enticing flavor profile. Black cherry dominates, with some red cherry and licorice; faint earth and spice…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Pumping out that Dr. Crane black cherry core that ya'll are familiar with, the Elysian falls in-line with the compelling 2015 and 2016 vintages in terms of overall profile and intensity. Earth and…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Steltzner Vineyard

A tight and fuzzy frame surrounds a pulsating core of blackberry, black cherry, black rock, and bitter chocolate. Behaving almost like a Las Piedras on an Arnold Pumping Iron horse juice regimen of…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Round Pond Vineyard

Similar as I recall from barrel, but ultimately the Round Pond was somewhat of an enigma for me. There is purple fruit intermingling with tobacco leaf and earth, but I was getting a Pine-sol note…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Twins Vineyard

Lighter bodied than the Steltzner, but with a very similar fruit profile; exhibiting red and purple berry fruit and some strawberry vanilla cream to add some interest. Purple plum shows up on the…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Steltzner Vineyard

Red and purple berry fruit, pulverized granite, and some subtle spice. Much less black and intense this go-around than from when I had it out of barrel. A very satisfying and complete wine, though…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Structure and tannins lead the attack here, with some hot-off-the-presses, racy red and black fruit flavors that are pushed rapidly over the palate with significant heft and energy. Stops in time to…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

The standard Myriad Crane offers well-balanced flavors of black cherry yogurt, red and black licorice, and some gravelly earth notes. Faint dirt and soil notes can also be found running around in the…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Empyrean Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Similar to the GIII with its red and black cherry and subtle chocolate-spice, but much more linear and clamped-down in its current state. It has sophistication and the potential stuffing for a…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Big fruit upfront, with a redder profile than the more gothic-hot-tattoo-chick 2018 GIII. The 2017 shows some of its traditional black cherry and earthy notes, but to a lesser degree when compared to…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Peterson Family

A new offering from Mike Smith, the Peterson (of Switchback Ridge fame) is a very fine testament to the site's ability to pump out some quality juice. Not surprisingly, this behaved very similarly to…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Round Pond Vineyard

The most plush and round of the 2018 offerings, the Round Pond delivers well in the blackberry and plum department, flaunting its commodities without giving up the whole farm. Fun and pleasurable…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Twins Vineyard

Showing its hand the least amongst the otherwise intense and commanding 2018s, the Twins rode a little high on entry and couldn't get into full envelopment mode on the palate in its current state.…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Dear Lord in Heaven, this is a WIIIIIDE open book in its current state, splaying out all the goods right on the front end and making no excuses for it. Those familiar with GIII are no strangers to…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Black cherry and red cherry cassis; not as dark or as concentrated as the Memento Mori served directly beside it. Rode higher in its tonal expressions, with some booze and glycol on the back end. A…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

This was the richest and most concentrated of the wines sampled, with chocolate, huge blackberry and ripe black cherry, floral, and black wet soil. Like the Realm, the texture on this wine was…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Steltzner Vineyard

Still as awesome as last year. Perhaps, dare I say, gaining some refinement since my last sample in the Fall. The latter half of my previous notes apply (a la the John Stamos reference), with the…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Still sticking to 2020+ (maybe even 2021) as a marker for offering an even more improved drinking window on this wine. It performs quite decently with a healthy decant, but would do well to shed a…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Round Pond Vineyard

Red berries on the front end, black cherry and blackberry on the back, the fruit from the 2018 Round Pond really shows a fun swirling of festive red and black fruit flavors. A finish that hits the…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Even more intense and powerful than the 2017, and even seemingly more focused than the 2016, the fruit in this 2018 Elysian really shows the potential to be a perfect wine. Purity of fruit is…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Empyrean Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Darker, smoother, rounder, and seemingly deeper than the 2017 GIII, the fruit on the 2018 GIII (potentially slated for the Empyrean) thrusts on to the palate with resolve and intensity. Much like the…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Steltzner Vineyard

The blackest, densest, most mineral-driven in the lineup, the 2017 Steltzner impresses with its rocky, black minerality and deeply pitched black fruit core. A truly awesome example of the site and a…