Reviews

Keplinger Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Ranch Vineyard

95% Cabernet Sauvignon/4%Cabernet Franc/1% Petit Verdot. More earth and darker fruit mark the Oakville relative to the RBK served beside it. Once again, the elegance and purity of fruit are on full…

Adamvs Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

Another bottle of this got thrown into the mix courtesy of Cristal2000. This bottle OWNED the table in its own right. A Howell Mountain beauty that really outshined its other Adamvs peers all the way…

Promontory

A perfect wine. And in 10 years it'll be a perfect wine. And in 15 years it'll be a perfect wine. And in 20 years it'll..well, you get the picture. So, we all know that taro card reading wine is an…

Keplinger Cabernet Sauvignon RBK

75% Cabernet Sauvignon/25% Cabernet Franc. A burst of floral, iron, and bright red berry elements rocket across the palate, but are quickly tamed by riper expressions of black cherry and red and…

Adamvs Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

After having the earth-shattering 2016 Adamvs, it is admittedly a tad more difficult to "academically" assess its 2018 sibling. Ironically, I catch a little old school profile here, with grandpa's…

Promontory

There is a simmering herbaceous energy that swarms around the black currant and unripe black cherry flavors, with menthol and forest floor rounding out the profile. The cooler vintage makes for a…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

(If you want the punchline, skip all the drivel and just go to the last sentence at the bottom of this lingual mess I've created here).

Adamvs Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

Arguably the best wine in the lineup (though the 2016 Quintvs was stylistically more in my wheelhouse), the 2016 Adamvs is a stallion of a wine. Massive dark berry and meaty flavors are interplay…

Promontory

I didn't get much of a read here. It was so linear and primary that any sort of logical assessment was lost between the pucker and the frame. Sour cherry and sour cherry and sour cherry. The finish…

Adamvs Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

The front end on the 2015 Adamvs shows quite a bit of plush and deep fruit flavor as it immediately gushes over the palate and forms a wave of mixed berry and dark earth elements. A half second…

Promontory Penultimate

I get that the idea is to drink this on the more 'now' side of things while your precious big daddy Promontory are resting peacefully in some dark corner of the world somewhere, but right out the…

Adamvs Cabernet Sauvignon Quintvs

The 2018 is a somewhat softer version of the 2016 Quintvs, which really just means it wasn't as much of a powerhouse as the 2016. The 2018 is rounder in the mouth, with more succulent blackberry and…

La Pelle Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Surely the best of the bunch in terms of concentration and depth, the Reserve Cabernet offers that extra layer of density and breadth befitting a reserve designation. Powerful blackberry, black…

Adamvs Cabernet Sauvignon Quintvs

Hands-down my favorite Quintvs of the lineup, with a depth and purity that truly delivers all the goods with one gorgeous gulp. The 2016s at this address are phenomenal, and the Quintvs showcases it…

La Pelle Cabernet Sauvignon

If you have $85 burning a hole in your corduroys and don't know what to spend it on, might I suggest the La Pelle Napa Valley. This is a total bang for your buck wine. You can drink this now and not…

Adamvs Cabernet Sauvignon Quintvs

Well, I asked for some tension and I got some tension. The 2015 is tighter and more linear than the 2014. This is indeed a long-hauler, with quite the grippy frame. More herbal and exacting on the…

Araujo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard

Man I tell ya, I last had this nearly five years ago and my note then is just as applicable as it is now. Solid stuff here that is absolutely able to (and perhaps should) age for longer. This…

Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

Over four years since my last sampling this, the '16 FM LPV has gone from a high-rider taut teaser to a lush, plush, and gurgling gush of muddled blackberries and choc-o-late silkiness. If you know…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

This started out in a zone that seemed to be on track for greatness, but it shut down hard in under an hour. Like Aqua Net at a Stevie Nicks concert, it was initially swarming with wonderful acid and…

Arrow & Branch Right Bank Blend

I say with a little air, this is good to go. Drink with a couple hours in the decanter, or hold with confidence for 5++ years. Black fruited. Polished on the front end, with an…

Tusk Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

Opened at the end of the evening, which is almost always a mistake in terms of service, the Tusk wasn't the total blowout like the SQN mighty Z cocktail, but it was clearly in need of about 3-5++…

Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium

Bringing this to a BDX tasting is like having Marilyn Manson as an opening act at a Celine Dion concert. Heavy metal devil horns brings the ripe fruit, the heat, and. well, the ripe fruit. Yet, this…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

This sample was actually a bit subdued (comparatively to other vintages of VV LPVs at least), but certainly with enough potency and drive that there is little question of its origin and of the…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Hey man... What can I say?! This is everything you love about the good Doctor turned up to 11. If you know Crane and you know Elysian, it'll come as no surprise that this bugger is all flavor-forward…

Crocker & Starr Cabernet Sauvignon Stone Place

Purple plum, blackberry, cedar, and hints of leather. A smooth and fulfilling entry that speaks to a nicely aged red with the seeming ability to evolve into its tertiary flavors with poise. There is…