A maybe “ok” Cabernet, with red and black fruit, wood, and some earth. The fruit fades toward the back end and dilutes on the tail, with lingering tannins and a bit of heat on the finish. Lacks…
Berry liqueur, red and black raspberry and cherry, licorice, and hints of earth, this vintage of Crane has hallmark Vice Versa power, but is downshifted a bit compared to other vintages. There is a…
It’s been five years since I’ve last cracked open one of these bottles. Holy bazoonga; this is a lightening strike of a wine right now! In its current state, the 2019 TK is in SpaceX mode, with a…
Though the 2016 and 2019 have consistently outperformed other recent vintages of Spottswoode, this 2018 offers a pretty display of red and black currant, red cherry, cedar spice, and dry mulch. Faint…
Distinctive and full of layer upon layer of lemon bar, lemon curd, vanillin oak, peach, yellow pear flesh, and marshmallow. Ripe and a bit sweet, but maintains an airy and ethereal composure…
Sweet and ripe notes on lemon curd, powdered sugar, coconut shavings, corn milk, pineapple, and unripe mango. There is certainly a topical element here, but it's not so exotic that it loses traction…
Heady and rich, but with a beautiful freshness that catapults the gorgeous dark fruit across the palate and then pauses in the perfect place, saturating and gushing with black and red berry flavors.…
Red fruited, with some bricking evident, this shows a softer, more rustic side of California Cabernet. Compared to other wines in the blind (both Napa and BDX), this was surely older school in…
The immediacy of flavor here is compelling, with the 2022 vintage marking a Scarecrow that will be offering up the goods sooner than later. It may not be the most profound when compared to more…
A gobstopper of lush fruit, plush fruit, gushing fruit, and ripe fruit, the Memento Mori VHR is a lot of. fruit. Luckily there are soil elements that provide focus and direction here, but there is no…
A great showing, and one that shows off the focus and finesse of this wine. Last year, the 2019 Promontory was kicking out some pyrazine and wood notes that are less apparent in this bottle. A bit…
A compelling VHR, and one that carries a perfect combination of structure, intensity, and flavor. It's a serious presentation at first pass, but it relaxes enough to allow lovely dark fruit and earth…
Less oaky than the previous bottle a few months ago, this 2018 has a nice glide after being open for a few hours (in bottle). That said, it was next to the mega bomb 2022 OG, which was blasting out…
Red and black cherry, cassis, vanilla, and some spice. An interplay of red and black fruit, with some mineral elements to add interest. Fruity and rounded on the finish. A good effort considering the…
This is much more amalgamated than the 2022 OG (which is pretty brash and loud at the moment). Without question, the F.RED is a biggin' that busts out with black and deep red liqueur driven fruit.…
Loud and proud, with the booze element front and center at the moment. Blackberry liqueur, Chambord, black and dark red cherry, and bitter chocolate. A super flavor bomb that needs time to settle…
A solid performance with this particular bottle. Decanted for a few hours, which really allowed the firm tannins to soften and the black fruit and obsidian notes to emerge. No green peppercorn or…
Distinctly Tench in style, with black and red cherry, black and red licorice, dust, crushed roses, red rock, and spice, the Calixtro is a young pup for sure, but it is swirling with fun flavors.…
Pleasant and tasty, with Pott's restraint and less bodacious style making for a bit of a drying profile in this vintage. I appreciate the balance here, with dusty red and purple plum flavors offering…
Another stab at this wine, and it delivers better than the previous bottle a couple months back. Cool black flavors, with a profile based on restraint and poise, but still offering lovely black…
This is a super beast of a wine, with walls of intensity and structure. Napa power users will be stoked to have these in their cellars, but best to don your trusty riot gear and remain 100 yards from…
This doesn't even need a decant. Silky smooth with a perfect equilibrium, especially for such a potent wine. Dark blackberry and black cherry fruit dominate, with a wonderfully pure but voluminous…
A one-note dollop of red/black fruit, with a static delivery that moves across the palate with predictable flavor expansion. Lacks personality and a distinct focus. Finishes flaccid and without…
Big and unctuous, but with a silky finesse that made a 2018 Arkenstone Heimark served beside it look like a blackberry whiskey sour. the Anjea has that Nigel smooth edges thing going on that always…
