Reviews

La Pelle Cabernet Sauvignon Ceniza

A beautiful wine that seems to need a bit more time to unravel. Black cherry and earth dominate at the moment, with lurking complexity that beckons for a few more years in bottle before it comes to…

La Pelle Cabernet Sauvignon Ceniza

Comparatively darker and chewier than the Red Hen, The Ceniza rolls out the blackberry, ash, bitter chocolate, pulverized granite, pencil lead, and wet cave flavors with a gothic and semi-serious…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Franc Heritage Reserve Block 1 Arrow & Branch Coombsville

As with many young 2018s from Napa, there is a sultry demeanor with the Arrow & Branch Cabernet Franc Block 1 (older vines than Block 2) that immediately shows alluring finesse. Its profile is also…

Cattleya Cabernet Sauvignon Meeting With The Mentor

Commanding blackberry flavors provide immediate flavor-savor Napa Cab fun. Powerfully endearing, this wine has the ability to display authority and a bit of grace, equating to an accessible wine that…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Teucer Vineyard

A powerfully ripe showing, with chewy blackberry and super ripe black raspberry flavors sloshing and washing through the mouth, finishing with absolute authority. Some alcohol on the tail adds to the…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Teucer Vineyard

This is really compelling for a modern styled Napa Cab. An exquisite balance of extract and concentration with flavor and plain 'ol yum factor. Just when you think it'll be too sweet, too rich, or…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Franc Heritage Reserve Arrow & Branch Coombsville

More serious and firm that the 2015 CF Heritage served beside it, this 2016 has more dark power and grip than its older brother. Black fruit and some burnt embers make up the primary core, with small…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Franc Heritage Reserve Arrow & Branch Coombsville

More plush and fruity when compared to the 2016 CF Heritage served alongside it, the 2015 impresses for its opulent red berry fruit and floral flavor. Round and plush red raspberry, red and black…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Teucer Vineyard

It's been over a year since I last sampled this vintage of Teucer. As expected, this has progressed nicely, with unctuous but not overbearing flavors of dark berry fruit, dark chocolate, and black…

Realm Cellars Farella Vineyard

Black and red cherry syrup, ripe bruised strawberry, bitter chocolate (similar to the 2016 Bard but with a bit less confection), and Indian spices. Additional notes of rust, iron, and an upper…

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Brown Label

2013 Herold Coombsville and 2013 Herold Stagecoach Cabernets side-by-side.

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Teucer Vineyard

So you watch a lot of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies? You thought Terminator was a classic cinematic production? You actually know who Michael Ironside is and can rattle off movies he has been in while…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Teucer Vineyard

Finished the bottle after a Coravin a few days prior. I didn't bother with a decant. PnP and a few minutes of swirling in the glass was perfect. Very much fan of this wine. Previous notes from…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Teucer Vineyard

Crisis averted from 3 days ago with a previous bottle from 10/20/18 that must have been cooked a bit for whatever reason. This bottle tonight was what I expect from this wine. Fantastic! Previous…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Teucer Vineyard

This particular sample threw out a distinct plum note (bordering on raisin) that really heightened the sensation of ripeness in the overall flavor profile. It was good, but it was certainly not the…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Teucer Vineyard

Previous notes from six months ago apply. PnP was just fine, albeit just a bit tight on the back end. Given a couple hours of air, this wine really opened up nicely with black cherry, dark bitter…

Realm Cellars Farella Vineyard

Disappointingly mulchy and cedar-driven, with black currant, forest floor, tobacco, wood-paneling, and a bitter leather note on the back end. This felt like something more from the mid-90's than a…

AJ Pearce Cabernet Sauvignon Massoumi Vineyard

Previous notes apply. This wine is certainly higher registering on the acid and structure spectrums, but has enough flavor (though somewhat restrained and classical in its delivery) to hold interest.…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Teucer Vineyard

Much like the 2014 version of this wine, the 2015 Teucer explodes with dark, rich berry fruit and earth flavors. A full-frontal, velvet glove type of attack, with blackberry, black raspberry, red and…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Teucer Vineyard

Same as a number of months ago. Give this a few hours in the decanter and be rewarded. PnP was a little hot, but some air time smoothed it out completely and deepened its overall flavor profile.…

AJ Pearce Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. George Vineyard

Tight as a drum, with enough acid on the back end to suck all the fat out of sumo wrestler. Purity of fruit is notable indeed, as is the craftsmanship of the wine overall. However, this is a 2012…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Teucer Vineyard

Likely one of the best representations of the Coombsville site that I've ever had. Beautifully haunting and dark blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry, black currant, charred oak, melted dark…

AJ Pearce Cabernet Sauvignon Massoumi Vineyard

Made by the proprietor at The Wine Thief in Napa. As a sub-$100 wine ($75 retail), this showed a very approachable side to the 2013 vintage. If I understood him correctly, this wine was aged for 39…

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Brown Label

This was the second of two bottles. The first was flawed. This bottle was opened two days ago, corked, and allowed to sit upright for 2 days. This was the most finessed I've experienced this wine.…

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Brown Label

No pop sound or apparent release of pressure on PnP. Crystallized cork bottom. Some sediment. Immediate funk smell. Taste was overly Port-like and reduced. Stewed prune and fertilizer.