Reviews

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…

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 Stones Longitude - Latitude

Red and black fruits, with the red berry and currant notes ultimately elbowing their ways ahead of the overall march of flavors, this offers slightly more depth than the Sigaro initially, but then…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

Two years since I've last sampled this juice. One of the most phenomenal wines I've had all year, the 2012 Tynan MG absolutely soars from the glass with aromas of ripe blackberries and earth. On the…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

A perfect wine in the making, the 2018 Macdonald is undoubtedly going to be one of the top wines of the vintage. For those familiar with the Macdonald lineage, the 2018 will be no surprise as a…

Arkenstone Estate

Rooti-Tooti-Fresh-And-Fruity, the 2017 Estate pops out of the fold with blossoming red and black cherry flavors that shake out plump money-maker-rump-shaker berry fruit. Veers more toward the red…

Accendo Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

Similar in profile to the 2016, this 2017 exhibited the driest of demeanors when compared to its siblings. Mid-palate was a tad hollow initially but began to fill in nicely as air penetrated the…

Promontory

At the French Laundry. Red berry fruit, unsmoked cigar, leather, and additional deeper plum notes make for a more sophisticated delivery of flavor, especially when served side-by-side with the…

Vice Versa Beatrix Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Barrel sample. Immediately recognizable as Valley Floor/Oakville fruit. Big, warm, fruity, and earthy, this specimen is a To Kalon mullet on the palate: Cab Franc on the front end, Cab Sauv on the…

Bella Oaks Vineyard Proprietary Red

This wine zips by the front end and rushes straight into mid-palate pleasure, with deep and dark plum and red and black cherry flavors complimented by earth and subtle spice notes. Stays ever-juicy…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Rhadamanthus

Well now party people, you can add me to the list of Cellar Trackers who are all about trumpeting the Kinsman label. The hype is real my friends. I know you don't need me to convince you otherwise,…

Accendo Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

Red and black cherry dominant, with a dry but concentrated flavor profile that begs for time in bottle (and food). There is power here, especially when compared next to the Laurea, with the Estate…

Vangone Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

A barrel sample. Open your arms up super wide because here comes a big slathery fruit hug that might initially suffocate the senses with its wrap-around Lennie Smalls-like power. But without worry…

Harlan Estate

Barrel sample. Fresh berries and charcoal, as if you took the best made blackberry pie and fired it up on an old school open-flame Weber BBQ. Texturally this is a complete dream, with fine grained…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Anjea Sleeping Lady Vineyard

A barrel sample to be sure, with all the succulence and flamboyance you'd want from a burst of astound-me juice rocketing to the back of your throat. But again, even with a barrel sample like this,…

Accendo Cellars Laurea Red Blend

Ripe plum, deep red and black cherry, and cedar ride the crest of the flavor wave, almost immediately skipping over the mid-palate and skirting into an exceptionally dry finish. This wine desperately…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

A barrel sample, with ripe, black fruit dominating here. A chiseled minerality is already able to shine through the periphery of the massive dark core. This LPV was somewhat similar to the initial…

Harlan Estate

Essentially a younger and more rambunctious version of the 2012, which is a great sign of things to come. Powerful and heady on entry, with blackberry liqueur, charcoal, graphite, and black raspberry…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Anjea Sleeping Lady Vineyard

The best wine I've had from the Sleeping Lady site. I've honestly never been wholly impressed with that vineyard nor convinced it had the ultimate potential to compete with some of the big boys in…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Juicy plum flavors unfold and become more complex after a slow O2 for about an hour. Black cherry, licorice, and gravel notes emerge to add interest. Became a bit stemmy on the final sips (some…

Realm Cellars The Bard

Well this was a very pleasant surprise. I've written quite a bit about the up-and-down journey of this particular wine, but I'm happy to report that this most recent bottle was fantastic. Whether it…

Outpost Cabernet Sauvignon True Vineyard

Four years ago this wine was strutting it's stuff in all sorts of interesting ways, most notably of course in the full-of-flavor department. This go-around I have to say I feel as though this is a…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

2013 and 2014 Quivet LPV side by side.