Reviews

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Carter

2015 & 2016 Carter-Carter Cabernets side-by-side.

Realm Cellars Farella Vineyard

Black and red cherry syrup, ripe bruised strawberry, bitter chocolate (similar to the 2016 Bard but with a bit less confection), and Indian spices. Additional notes of rust, iron, and an upper…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon La Verdad Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Barrel samples: 2017 Carter OG, Verdad, Grand Daddy, and Weitz.

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Weitz Vineyard

Barrel samples: 2017 Carter OG, Verdad, Grand Daddy, and Weitz.

Vangone Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

Barrel sample. So the only reason I didn't just jump straight to 100 points on this phenom was because I have had no experience with this wine label and had never even heard of Vangone until this day…

Vangone Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

Barrel sample. Dark and dense, rich and concentrated, this Vangone is a stellar example of a decidedly monstrous fruit core encompassed by a formidable but amazingly flavorful robe of sweet tannins.…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

Barrel sample. Enticing and brooding blackberry and obsidian flavors lead the way on the front wave of the attack. Swiftly tannic and mineral-driven within seconds of delivery, skirting across the…

Bevan Cellars Ontogeny

Coming along very nicely since I last had it six months ago, this 2016 version of the Ontogeny is a dark and extracted example, with powerful black, purple, and deeply pitched red berry notes. The…

Melka Métisse Martinez Vineyard Pritchard Hill

Black cherry, blackberry, iron rust, Kauai red dirt, and powdered chocolate notes pop with an energetic pulse that grabs your attention and begs for another sip. Layer after layer of fruit and flavor…

Melka Métisse Jumping Goat

Kicking out just as much energy as the 2012 sampled before it, but managing to counterbalance some of its speed with notable intensity and concentration, the 2016 Jumping Goat catapults notes of…

Melka Cabernet Sauvignon Métisse Montbleau

Black and red cherry, purple plum skin, unripe wild blackberry, and wonderfully compelling dark bitter chocolate notes undulate along the length of the palate with intent and to layered effect.…

Melka Métisse Jumping Goat

A blast of grippy and floral-laced red raspberry and cranberry notes launch on to the palate with a Fast and Furious "Kapow!" that initially leaves a numbing and slightly bitter effect. With some…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Wildfoote Vineyard, Vixen Block

This latest experience with the 2012 Wildfoote was from a multi-Coravin'd bottle than clearly was a bit tired and flat. The flavors were all there, but the drive and intensity had fallen off quite a…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Wildfoote Vineyard, Vixen Block

Take one 250-pound ballerina barista roasting a vat of Death Wish coffee in a 55 gallon drum of plutonium, add 185,000 teaspoons of chocolate covered chocolate, mix with a six-mile strip of newly…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Sentinel Ridge Vineyard

Red and black berry core, with a thick bloody roast beef/black sanguine of Satan element that rides shotgun with the fruit and dark oak char flavors. A little gamey and roasted in its current state,…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard

As versions of the various Bevan wines offered up from this site go, this Tench Cabernet Sauvignon is bit more of a front-end downshift from the EE or Calixtro in terms of the initial push of…

Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée Tench Vineyard

Bigger, chewier, and more powerfully extracted than its more focused and complex 2015 sibling, the 2016 EE in its current state is a swirling whirlpool of black and dark red berry fruit. Hints of…

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Cour de Vallée

An intense pop of red and black cherry, red and black raspberry, and some red plum skin flavors launch across the palate in a flavorful and powerful front-loaded attack. Mid-palate intensity and…

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Passionnément

Black currant, plum, charcuterie, topsoil, and faint leather. The tannins grip throughout but are offset well by the meaty core fruit that takes the flavor intensity up a tick or two and makes for a…

Realm Cellars Moonracer

Plush and decidedly rich on the front end, but trailing off to a more superficial mid-palate and ultimately a round, somewhat simple finish, this inaugural rendition of Moonracer showed up to the…

Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon Cuvée Katrina Eileen

This is just now starting to embark on its consumable evolution and is coming into a worthy drinking window since I last had it two years ago. A great deal of power and fortitude pushes an array of…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Harbison Vineyard

Initially taught and a bit linear, but keenly focused and energetic, the 2013 Harbison hits the palate with a firm push of dark black and purple berry core fruit. Black rock, clove, burnt bark, and…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Previous notes apply. Still TRYING to hold off popping these, as I truly believe a year or so will bring it into a perfect focus, but it is definitely compelling now. Followed over two days. Even…

Kobalt Cabernet Sauvignon

Black berry core fruit. Heavy chocolate, espresso, scorched earth, and dark spice notes as well. Extremely flavorful and a bit rich, with the mid-palate fully weighted with ripe, mocha-infused…

Scarlett Wines Cabernet Sauvignon

Black cherry, red and black currant, dusty leather, earth, and some ginger snap cookie spices. Notable verve and energy here. The dust note is interwoven throughout the profile, adding some…