Reviews

Mark Herold Wines Herold

Same as my notes from 4/15/2016 and 3/25/2016. Powerful and youthfully dark, gravely berry fruit. Cool berry notes (but not as cool as the 2012); blackberry, black currant, black licorice, charcoal,…

Mark Herold Wines Herold by Mark Herold

Similar to my notes from 4/15/2016. A cool feel about it (more so than the 2013), with dark berries, black licorice, cold river rock, and obsidian. Came off a little more cerebral than the 2013,…

Mark Herold Wines Herold by Mark Herold

Same as my notes from 4/15/2016. The best of the Herold 2011s, which is still not my jam.

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

The absolute best of the bunch for me. I had absolutely no problem picking the OG as my favorite in the lineup as soon as I took a sip of this bad boy. That clone 337 just reaches out and slaps you…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The Grand Daddy Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Of the BTKs, this was the most reserved at the moment. Sweet and concentrated, with notes of red and purple berry fruits, vanilla, and alcohol. The quality of fruit is again evident, as is the tannin…

Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Corona Vineyard

Wait; wait; wait! This needs much more time. I had this last year with a couple of hours in the decanter and it seemed to be moving along nicely. However, this go-around it was extraordinarily tight…

Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée

Not too much different from my CT notes in August 2015. This didn't start to really show its stuff until 2+ hours in the decanter. Raspberry liqueur, chocolate covered cherries (not overly sweet),…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Kings Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

I know I should wait a while, but with a case of a wine I've not yet tried staring me in the face, it was a little hard to resist anymore. In the name of science...

Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Similar to my previous notes on this wine 6+ months ago. Hasn't changed too much except that it appears to have softened a bit, which is a little unusual given the BTK pedigree. On PnP it was a…

TOR Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

It has been a year since I last had this wine. The punchline here is HOLD for another year or two at least. Upon PnP, this wine felt both restrained and clumsy, with tight red and purple berry,…

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

I've been following this wine starting in late 2014, again in the summer of 2015, and now. The 2012 OG has certainly developed a sense of elegance and poise over the course the last year-and-a-half.…

Mark Herold Wines Herold by Mark Herold

Same as my notes on 10/30/2015. A decent bottle of wine for 2011, but nothing I would admittedly pay $200 for. This drank so much better than the 2011 Uproar and 2011 Herold Brown Label served next…

Mark Herold Wines Herold by Mark Herold

Similar to my previous notes on this wine. I bumped it up a point to 95, as it was drinking really well today. This was served side-by-side with the 2013 Herold White Label. Both were very well put…

Mark Herold Wines Herold

Same as my notes from 3/25/2016. Tasted side-by-side with the 2012 Herold White Label. The 2013 was much tighter by comparison, but still showed excellent potential for the coming years. 96+ points.

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Cour de Vallée

It has been almost a year since I last had this wine and it still seems like it needs another year or so to start really fattening up and fanning out its true flavor profile. PnP was fairly…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Kings Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

PnP with notes of black and red currant, black licorice, granite, asphalt, purple berry, blackberry, and clove. I let this sit in the decanter for an hour or so, which allowed the depth to unleash…

Bevan Cellars The Curmudgeon

Like others have mentioned, this is a nice bottle of wine, but admittedly nothing that "wowed" me by any stretch. 97 from RP seems like a complete stretch. Maybe insofar as a 2011 Napa red is…

Mark Herold Wines Herold

This was a Coravin pour, tasted alongside the 2013 Brown Label and the 2013 Coombsville at Mark Herold in Napa.

Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Tasted at Realm with Juan and Scott, alongside the 2013 Bard, 2013 Farella, and a 2013 Bevan Wildfoote Cabernet (just to mix it up a bit)!

Venge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Family Reserve

Tasted at Venge, side by side with the 2013 Bone Ash, which was a different wine stylistically from the Reserve. While the Bone Ash was awash with powerful and opulent blackberry and black licorice…

Venge Vineyards Merlot

Same as my previous tasting notes a few months ago. A cedar note was especially prominent this time around. Air helped open it up in terms of the fruit, but also elevated the wood component (not in a…

Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Corona Vineyard

PnP with initial notes of red currant, red and black cherry, tart raspberry, anise, clove, and some granite dust. Tight, with a bit of a chalky finish that muted the fruit on the back end. 91 points…

Detert Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc

Tasting event at 750 Wines in St. Helena with winemakers Russell Bevan, Aaron Pott, Benoit Touquette, Roy Piper, Helen Keplinger, Dan Petroski (Larkmead), Sam Kaplan (Memento Mori, Arkenstone, Nine…

Detert Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

Tasting event at 750 Wines in St. Helena with winemakers Russell Bevan, Aaron Pott, Benoit Touquette, Roy Piper, Helen Keplinger, Dan Petroski (Larkmead), Sam Kaplan (Memento Mori, Arkenstone, Nine…

Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée

PnP with initial notes of dark black raspberry, black cherry liqueur, amarena fabbri wild cherry, and strawberry cream, undercut by additional brush and evergreen flavors rounding out the back end. A…