Reviews

Bevan Cellars Ontogeny

Blueberry pie, plum, and black cherry notes make for a ripe and ultra-modern showing. Though it's certainly a big mouthful, its overall intensity of flavor is fairly medium. It's a lush buster for…

Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Poetry

This is pretty solid stuff right here kiddos, with all the black cavernous fruit one would want, but it's gotta lot o' working out to do in the meantime. Structure, stuffing, and sophistication all…

Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

It's big. It's rich. It's ripe. It's To Kalon. It's Realm.

D.R. Stephens Cabernet Sauvignon Moose Valley Vineyard

Notable hits of grip and energy set off plum and fig notes that are wrapped in a surprising amount of acidity, which work exceptionally well to catapult the additional black cherry, earth, faint…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch

A singular detonation of primary berry fruit and alcohol arrives hastily and without any sense of timidity, signaling a fledgling Cabernet Sauvignon that is all flexed-up and quite brawny on its…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon CCS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

A slight funk on the nose gives way to more pronounced fruit aromas of wild berries and plum. On the palate, dark berry compote is intermixed with leather, cedar, and currant notes, signaling the…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon "Old Sparky" Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Oh this is a shag-a-licious mojo-kickin' beast that's all about velour robes, cigars, and a crackling fireplace at midnight. Plush, silky, velvety, and a textural kitten purr of a wine, the 2012…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

This is listed as either the Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon (no TK designation) or with the To Kalon reference. It seems to have been a one-bottle part of the "Super Pack" back when it was released, but…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Much improved since my last sampling of this wine back in 2018, this vintage of RBS certainly has shown its willingness to develop in terms of breaking past the prickly barriers it was struggling to…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Heritage Clone To-Kalon Vineyard

A stellar performance and unquestionably the best wine in the lineup, the 2018 Heritage Clone To Kalon forces you to stop in your tracks before you even try to take a sip, with a nose that blossoms…

Opus One

No one likes to be told what to do or how to experience something as personal as wine, so I'll couch this by way of some soft metaphors and in a way that is hopefully a bit more palatable…

Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder

Locked (and hopefully loaded), the Lokoya Mount Veeder ain't havin' any of your monkey business right now. This is a wig-donning, goggle glasses-wearing, dusty couch and moth balls-smelling…

Promontory

One would think that following the super strict and serious 2016 Lokoya Mount Veeder would mean that comparatively anything would come off as less rage ridden. Well, the Promontory apparently wants…

Abreu Cappella

Purity, balance, and grace are matched with gushing power and an unreal expansion of dark and brooding fruit and earth flavors, the Cappella is a captivating wine that shows just how special this…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

If you dig LPV, then it's hard to do better than the Vice Versa BBS in 2016. It's got the gravel and rock you've come to love; it's got the fittingly Halloween-ish haunting black fruit; it's got a…

Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

If there ever was a 2018 vintage domestic contender that could go toe-to-toe with the French equivalent that is the 2018 Chateau Lafleur, it would likely be the Bryant. These were the two wines of…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Ya this is pretty darn good juice right here. There was a 2016 Vice Versa LPV BBS that was thrown into the mix too, so of course my palate preference instantly gravitated to the LPV. That said, there…

Greer Cabernet Sauvignon Greer Vineyard

It's been 2.5 years since my last bottle. Having the chance to try this again is a lesson in service and delivery. This, like many other wines at this event, was a straight pop of the cork and a…

Abreu Las Posadas

A kickboxing production of red and black fruits, tangling with earthy spice and darker, meatier elements that start to fan out mid-palate, but are stopped short at the finish line by a dusty grip. A…

Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

A push-pull showing this time around. At once vanilla-chocolatey, ripe, and rich, while also liqueur-heavy and a bit angular, the 2013 Realm To Kalon comes off both blocky and lush in the same sip.…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

Let this dude sit for a while in the corner. If this bottle is any indication as to how much time this 2015 is going to need to fully unveil its greatness, it'll be a hot minute or three before it's…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

Another perfect showing, and one of the top (of many) reds of the night (especially along with the 2018 Lafleur and 2018 Bryant), the 2016 MACDONALD does what any lineage of awesomeness in an awesome…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Wildfoote Vineyard, Vixen Block

A surprisingly melodious and softly contoured Wildfoote, maturing gorgeously through its typical brawny mega-power and flexy-Mcflex-a-flex posture and transmuting into a very beautiful, almost pretty…

Harlan Estate The Maiden

A somewhat polarizing wine among a number of us in the group, with the majority (myself included) not convinced this is on a path worthy of especially high accolade. The black cherry and plum notes…

Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 2 Pritchard Hill

Somewhat lost in a sea of amazing juice, the Fairchild only suffered from its competition rather than its standalone qualitative virtues. This Pritchard Hill brew begrudgingly gives up crunchy…