Reviews

Bevan Cellars Merlot Alexis' Cuvée Showket Vineyards

PnP with just some swirling in the glass. Performed as described in my previous notes. Despite a touch of booze on the initial pull, the flavors of plum, black cherry, currant, and some faint…

Duckhorn Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley

High-toned lemon citrus, grapefruit, grass, and alkaline. Acidic, bitter, and astringent hits on the tail-end, as well as some alcohol; a bit of a hollow mid-palate that skips some depth and…

Whitehall Lane Tre Leoni Napa Valley

Red and black cherry and some spice. Medium mid-palate with a round, light finish.

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

So after an uber-goofy restaurant experience with a previous bottle of this wine, I had to conduct the at-home test to see if I just blew a cool grand on a pile of wine that was going to amount to…

Arkenstone Sauvignon Blanc

Still loving this wine. All previous notes apply. Good drive and weight on this SB. Lime zest, creamy yellow citrus oil, and dry grass elements really playing well off of each other. Drink now.

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Well slap me silly with a stack of 80's skin flicks on videocassette... This wine didn't suck in any way, shape, or form, with B Cellars proving again that LPV can be both unctuously sexy as well as…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon La Verdad Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Six month checkup on this wine. Performs as awesomely as expected, especially with a little bit of air in the glass. Traces of booze on the back end with a few higher-toned red fruit and cassis notes…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Red and black cherry liqueur and a fistful of spices dominate the profile of the Purlieu GIII in its current state. A rounder, fruitier expression, especially when compared to the monster Teucer or…

Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

Black and red cherry liqueur, purple plum skin, electric blackberry, scorched earth, and some cardamom and cinnamon spices. An alluring interplay of fruit and earth notes, with the gravelly elements…

Alpha Omega Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard

Indicative of the terroir, the Stagecoach shows a dark baritone core of chocolatey and earthy black fruit. A touch heavy mid-palate at first with the chocolate and spice pushing out before the fruit…

Alpha Omega Era

Leading the charge with black soil and earthy black and dark red/purple fruit, the Era delivers a healthy amount of flavor on the initial attack. More concentration and depth than the Crane in its…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Making almost as much of a lasting impression as the titanic Tasmanian Teucer, this To Kalon impresses for its deep black and dark crimson red fruit flavors of chocolatey black raspberry, rich…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard

A new wine from Purlieu. This little bugger seemed to be doing pretty well initially... A nice dark crimson hue, interesting earthy wild raspberry and strawberry fruit compote aromas on the nose, and…

Alpha Omega Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Black currant, earthy blackberry, black soil, dark mulch, cedar, and anise. Less overtly flamboyant in its current state, with a restrained but highly focused delivery of flavor. Not surprisingly,…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

Comparative side-by-side tasting of the Memento Mori 2016 Crane SVD, the 2016 LPV SVD, and the 2016 blend. There were two samples of each wine: One of each that had been opened since yesterday, and…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon

Comparative side-by-side tasting of the Memento Mori 2016 Crane SVD, the 2016 LPV SVD, and the 2016 blend. There were two samples of each wine: One of each that had been opened since yesterday, and…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Comparative side-by-side tasting of the Memento Mori 2016 Crane SVD, the 2016 LPV SVD, and the 2016 blend. There were two samples of each wine: One of each that had been opened since yesterday, and…

Buoncristiani Cabernet Sauvignon

Red and black cherry, red currant, and some spice are delivered on a fairly acidic platter in this version of Buoncristiani's Cabernet. PnP was a bit bracing at first, but it relaxed its grip a bit…

Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 1 Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Side-by-side of a 2015 Vice Versa Las Piedras and a 2015 Fairchild Stones 1.

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Side-by-side of a 2015 Vice Versa Las Piedras and a 2015 Fairchild Stones 1.

Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Bettinelli Sleeping Lady Vineyard

Black cherry, currant, and cigar box dominate the profile of the 2016 Sleeping Lady. Medium-bodied, with a clean and pure execution, this particular sample showed a touch shy on its overall delivery.…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Teucer Vineyard

So you watch a lot of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies? You thought Terminator was a classic cinematic production? You actually know who Michael Ironside is and can rattle off movies he has been in while…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Barrel samples of the BTK, Crane, and LPV.

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Barrel samples of the BTK, Crane, and LPV.

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Star Vineyard

Served side-by-side with the 2016 B Cellars Oakville. Previous notes apply, with a near-identical experience to my last. Redder fruit and "fruitier" than the nicely structured Oakville. The Star has…