Reviews

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Kings Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

This may be the best Three Kings I've had to date. A step up from 2015, and a worthy competitor to my usual favorite, the OG. This Kings was all about a perfect combination of sexy flavor and…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The Grand Daddy Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

An almost exact replica of the 2015, this 2016 delivers all of the expected wonderful fruit that GD has successfully provided over the years. As usual, this is the most fruit-driven of the BTKs, with…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Fortuna Vineyard

Red and black core fruit, with a medium-bodied push of flavors across the mid-palate; notable fruit flavors that coat the mouth and glide on through the finish.

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard

Displaying a wonderful amount of energy and intensity, the 2015 Tench has a captivating pop of black cherry, red and black currant, black raspberry, cassis, bitter chocolate, and some spice. A little…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The G.T.O Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Did you really think this would be anything other than a perfect representation of the BTK site?! In 2015, I thought the GTO was indeed an example of perfection...and I still think that. I will say…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Tin Box Vineyard

Similar to last year. Great dark core fruit flavors and purity. More medium bodied and even-keeled than some of Bevan's more intense creations. Tapered off a little on the back end after some air.…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Fortuna Vineyard

Same as last year. Still needs some time. Purple and red berry fruit. Furry tannins that still require unraveling a bit more. I'd say after 2020+ is best for a revisit. Decanting for a couple of…

Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée Tench Vineyard

A last minute pull and a bit of a rushed service this time around. Still fantastic. All previous notes apply.

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The O.G. Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

All previous notes apply. Served alongside a '14 Carter Grand Daddy, which had a more red-fruited profile and a little less depth than the OG. The OG was more of a black/purple/crimson profile, with…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The Grand Daddy Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

It has been two years since I last had this wine. PnP with notes of black cherry, cassis, black and ripe red raspberry, red and black currant, tobacco leaf, black licorice, and a faint herbal/menthol…

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Cour de Vallée

Compared/served directly next to a 2012 Morlet Coeur de Vallee and a 2012 Morlet Force de la Nature. This was up there as one of my top wines of the night. I loved the way the Cabernet Franc…

Rudd Oakville Estate Proprietary Red

Previous notes apply, though I experienced this as much less angular this time around. With the proper decanting (approximately 5+ hours total), this really started to show nicely. Somewhat…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

Double-decanted and re-corked in-bottle for approximately 8 hours; then consumed out of a decanter over the course of over four more hours. By hour two, this had presented itself in a way that was…

Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée Tench Vineyard

The only thing that kept this from being 100 points tonight was that the MACDONALD kept coming along and smacking around everything in front of it. All of my previous notes on this EE apply. This is…

Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Strikingly similar to the 2010 Carter Grand Daddy, except that the Mondavi had a lighter body overall, with a bit of an old-world, earthy quality that made it uniquely stand out when compared to the…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The Grand Daddy Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Somewhat similar to the 2012 Revana Block 6 (served beside it) in terms of its dark, black core fruit. Less chocolate-driven than the Revana, but displaying a nice streak of black soil and earthy…

Venge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Family Reserve

A step up from the 2015 Bone Ash, but still leading its attack with a lot of fruit in the mouth all at once. A darker flavor profile than the Bone Ash, with sappy black raspberry, wild blackberry,…

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc Force de la Nature

Compared/served directly next to a 2008 and a 2012 Morlet Coeur de Vallee. This Force de la Nature had some notable precision (especially when distinguished from the Morlet Coeur de Vallee wines,…

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Cour de Vallée

Compared/served directly next to a 2008 Morlet Coeur de Vallee and a 2012 Morlet Force de la Nature. My previous notes apply on this wine. This was 3rd of the 3 Morlets we had, mostly due to its…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

A year since I had this wine. Man, I did everything I could think of to spoon-feed this wine into being anything beyond a stern-ass liquid Liam Neeson. No dice. This RBS carried a Klingon furrowed…

Venge Vineyards Merlot Oakville Estate Vineyard

This actually performed a couple of steps higher when compared to the last time I had it back in December. Still a little coiled up, but showing some really nice structure and energy throughout…

Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée

Previous notes from December 2017 still apply. This is continuing on it path nicely, with seemingly even more room to grow over the next year, as it really started to pick up its pace after a couple…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon CCS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Black and red core fruit, with notes of black and red raspberry, black and red cherry, vanilla liqueur, black rock, and some cedar. The mineral note shows up again on the back end (thankfully),…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper

The 2015 Purlieu had a notable concentration and depth of flavor. Dark berry fruit, black cherry, cassis, dark mulch, fresh soil, and hints of scorched earth. A great push and grip as well. A far…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper

The front-loaded attack of dark blue and blackberry and scorched, mulch-driven fruit washed over the palate with a plush rush of intensity. What initially seemed like a wondrous attack of broodingly…