Reviews

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Of the three 2015 Vice Versas consumed this night for the dinner portion of the event, the Crane was.wait for it. the most fruit-forward of the three. It starts out a little hollow and plummy, but…

Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon

Dusty red berry, purple plum, currant, earth, and some embers. I much appreciated this wine more since my last having it back in January 2020. This bottle takes a short bit of time to open up, but…

Pott Wine Space & Time

It's been over two years since my last bottle. As others have mentioned, this still needs to sleep. However, it was still quite drinkable, delivering fairly lush and round black cherry and purple…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Empyrean Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Three 2016 Myriads: GIII, Empyrean, Crane.

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Three 2016 Myriads: GIII, Empyrean, Crane.

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Three 2016 Myriads: GIII, Empyrean, Crane.

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

Another stellar performance from the 2018 MACDONALD. This is my second time sampling this vintage of what I believe to be an absolutely perfect wine. For me it's kinda simple: This is one of the best…

TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Black Magic

Black Magic and Pure Magic side by side.

TOR Pure Magic Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard B F D

Black Magic and Pure Magic side by side.

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Reserve

12/2019 since my last bottle. This is performing like a champ, but it needs a decent amount of air to truly unlock the complexities it is otherwise coveting. In fact, I imagine this wine will be…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Actaeon Quixote Vineyard

It's been about 3.5 years since my last bottle of this. Well, when Pott strikes the perfect chord, he nails the notes right on cue without a doubt. This was a beautiful bottle of wine, needing just…

Memento Mori Sauvignon Blanc

More tropical and round than previous bottles, this Sauvignon Blanc has quickly progressed and is on the downslope now. This was a bottle I shoulda killed last summer. Drain 'em if ya got 'em.

Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

This took a while to get to where it needed to be, but once it found its sense of place, it fell into a wonderfully balanced expansion of flavor. Small Coravin pours over the course of a week barely…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

Normally I wouldn't even think of messing with this wine inside of the 7+ year mark, but I wanted to get a feel for how it might hold over the course of the next decade and if it stands to be as…

Kenzo Estate Muku

Maintains a much desired dryness and freshness to balance-out the semi-sweet undertones pushing the airy tropical and white peach flavors forward. Notable balance, lift, and purity for a dessert wine.

Del Dotto The David Napa Valley

Four years ago was my last spin with this wine. This bottle is improved from my previous experiences, though I still find this to be more of a plush and simple representation. Agreeable and all,…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

If you know Bevan and you know Crane, then this inaugural interpretation of the lauded site won't come as any surprise. Big, deep, concentrated, intense, and all those other Schwarzenegger-type…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

I've written quite a bit here already, so I won't go too in-depth specifically on this wine. This was full of depth and flavor expansion from the very beginning. Ripe and rich, but not too sweet…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Not as stubborn as the last time I had this wine 2.5 years ago, but still somewhat disinclined to fan out and show its full flavor potential, the 2015 VV LPV is going to be a slow burn of a wine…

B Cellars Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Still a hotbox of massive fruit and booze. The berry fruit is unctuous, powerful, and unfurled. The flex on this is all iron fist right now, laying a beat down to the palate; after a few sips it was…

Tusk Estates L'Orange

A beautiful wine that is performing somewhat surprisingly well given its familial linkage to its brawny Tusk Estate brethren. At home following this now-bottled L'Orange (since my last trying it in…

Arkenstone Sauvignon Blanc

FRESH GRAPEFRUIT! ...with lemon-lime, guava, clementine, white flowers, and dry grass notes all making for a compelling Sauvignon Blanc. Year in and year out, Sam Kaplan crafts an exceptional…

Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 1 Perrarus Block 1

Dark berry fruit with a gravelly Las Piedras-type of demeanor. In fact, I would have guessed this Stones 1 was still carrying the LPV site in its profile. Blackberry, black currant, river rock,…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

My second time trying this wine (since 12/07/2019), the 2017 MG carries interesting plum and muddled blackberry flavors complimented by red/purple licorice, vanillin black cherry, and some dark spice…

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc Force de la Nature

Hot and ripe on the first pop, but then it gets right into a nice stride, inviting another sip (and another bite of food). Plump black cherry, black and red currant, red and black licorice, and…