Reviews

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Warning Will Robinson! Warning! We are shut down for business here. LPV has done it again. Caution. Crime Scene. Do Not Cross. Back away. Nothing to see here.

Kongsgaard Chardonnay

A trace of pineapple and succulent lemon curd are overlaid with vanilla and marshmallow notes, making for a familiar California profile but thankfully with minimally reserved levels of perceived…

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…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch

Dark ripe berry and black soil notes duel with iron, red and black raspberry, and burnt ember elements to form a full frontal push of luscious and intense fruit and earth flavors. A statuesque wine…

Arkenstone Sauvignon Blanc

Serve it cold and serve it with a decent amount of air - preferably decanted for an hour. The first few sips on PnP are a bit too muscular and angular. After some air, it starts to fan out nicely.…

Joseph Phelps Insignia

Given that there are already 471 tasting notes on this particular wine, I'll compartmentalize this, now #472, tasting note:

B Cellars Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Coming off a bit heavy handed and blown out for the first hour or so, this bottle needed significant air to start coming into form. Ripe red and purple berry and plum are washed with spice and…

Heritage School Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Select Blend

Always a three-barrel selection from among a combination of any of the three sites (Hillside, Lakeview, Creekside), this Select immediately shows an added layer of concentration and depth when…

Heritage School Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Missiaen's Hillside Vineyard

With a mountain fruit kind of vibe, reminding me instantly of a Pritchard Hill lookalike, the Hillside impresses with its iron-inflected and redder pitched fruit running through its otherwise dark…

Heritage School Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Lakeview

A dark and ripe fruit-filled entry is provided requisite frame and grip by way of a firm chalkiness that quickly whips-up the lush berry core and gives keen direction to the lifted finish. Though the…

Heritage School Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Julie's Creekside Vineyard

Round and ripe berry notes are intermixed with plum and chocolate to make for a front-loaded, fruit forward wine that provides immediate pleasure with a richness that equates to direct accessibility…

Vangone Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

Over two and a half years since my last sample, the 2015 Vangone is now in quite the agreeable state at this stage in the game. A downshift from its original roaring intensity has made way for a more…

Heritage School Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Missiaen's Hillside Vineyard

Similar to the 2018 Hillside served directly beside it in terms of profile and specific flavor-components, this iteration is more of a hallmark of the affable and smooth-operator 2014 vintage. A bit…

Realm Cellars The Falstaff

Right out of the gate, this puppy was off and rolling with fruit, spice, fruit, spice, and fruit. Decanting a few hours helped to fan and fill out its form, but this barely needed to stretch its legs…

Addax Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard

Rich blackberry, bitter chocolate, red and black cherry, and embers, this wine showed upfront modernity and couldn't be anything other than a VERY recent version of Napa Cabernet. So, the 2018 Addax…

Kapcsándy Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (Grand Vin) State Lane Vineyard

Spicy black cherry and fig notes present in a simple fashion initially, with a finish that falls a little flat and superficial. The purity of fruit is evident, as is the sophistication and…

Double Diamond (Schrader) Cabernet Sauvignon

Black cherry, eucalyptus, plum, and blackberry skin dominate the profile. There is decent tension, with a broad grip housing the flavor carriage wanting to bust out of the frame. The fruit power is…

Ghost Block Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

Dark plum, round and rich black cherry, sweet blackberry, and hints of soil, this was immediately identified as New World Napa (or an Aussie Shiraz posing as a Cabernet Sauvignon) crafted for the…

Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan

Holy bajankers. This thing has a bigger nose than a Proboscis monkey munching on mound of blackberry pies. An instant expansion of ripe and ready mixed berries on the palate, with a powerful push of…

Ovid Hexameter

Following a 2019 Bevan Crane, which has the potency of a barrel sample aged for 21 years in the Atacama Desert, this wine was a harder read. The mid-palate was a bit hollow and the fruit somewhat…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon La Verdad Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Baby fat popcorn, vanilla, red cherry syrup, mixed berries, and a slathering of sweet cassis, this wine is such a youngster that I am surprised it didn't come from a shiner or a barrel sample, and…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Holy shirtless Vladimir Putin on a Clydesdale! What sort of wicked concoction from the entrails of Hades hath been presented before me here? If Chris Hemsworth was a Starbucks barista in charge of…

Scarlett Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Ah ha! My gorgeous gothic beauty! Where have you been? I have missed you so. It's been a hot minute since I last had this wine and yet again, I just can't help but fall in love with it. Black fruit.…

Realm Cellars The Bard

Unripe blackberry and a decent force of tannin and frame present good persistence if but a bit angular in its present form. There is a lot to like here, with a modern hit of fruit flavor served on a…

Unwritten Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch

Sweet and ripe black cherry, raspberry, and blackberry notes finish with a slight green funk note. Pyrazine? Something else? Not sure. This presented as modern but really young, and perhaps a wine…