Reviews

Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon

PnP with red and black cherry core fruit. Some cassis, vanilla, earthy cedar, red and black currant, and incense emerged. Faint hints of bitter chocolate covered cherry oozed out on the back end…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Previous notes apply. 6+ months since my last bottle. PnP was perfect. Served at 52-54 degrees, which kept the fruit in focus and allowed for an ideal delivery over the course of two hours. Black…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Kaliholmanok Kicu'me

Previous note applies. Finished the bottle; consumed over two+ hours. Served at 52 degrees as a PnP. 93-94 points. I'll try to hold remaining bottles for at least another year or two.

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon 9 Oaks 36 Month French Select Block 2 St. Helena Mountain

Finished the bottle. Previous note from the other day still applies except that the delivery was even more gorgeous. The supposed issue earlier on the back end where it seemed potentially flat seemed…

Fait-Main Chardonnay Penhoet Toyon Farm

PnP with notes of zippy white stone and somewhat pithy yellow citrus core fruit; fresh lemon juice, lemon seed, quince, unripe pear, and pumice. The front end of the attack was full of verve, with an…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon 9 Oaks 36 Month French Select Block 2 St. Helena Mountain

Coravin pour. Beautiful black and dark purple core fruit. Some nice black currant, purple/black plum, black rock, and some dark soil to round it all out. Subtle spice (anise, black pepper, and clove)…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Kaliholmanok Kicu'me

Coravin pour, with notes of red cherry, purple plum, Dalmatia sour cherry spread, cedar, underbrush, garrigue, and some forest floor. Approachable enough, but still youthfully linear and a little…

Fait-Main Chardonnay Penhoet Toyon Farm

PnP. Nice but linear. Purity of fruit was good, but I felt this was missing some tiered flavors; weight mid-palate was just ok, with a focused but simple attack. Previous notes apply in terms of its…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

A super solid wine and even better than when I had this almost one year ago. In a perfect drinking window now. PnP was just fine, though about 30 minutes in the glass with some swirling really…

Aratas Petite Sirah

This has lost a little steam since I last had it in 2016. Still "fine," but not as attention-grabbing as in the past. I like it. I don't love it. A Tuesday night throw-down with pizza kind of wine…

Hourglass 36-24-36 Blueline

Finished the bottle. Previous note applies. This wine manages to pull off unctuous concentration and intensity while also maintaining a notable balance and texturally smooth delivery from beginning…

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder

Wanted to see if the bottle I had a few weeks ago was just an anomaly.

Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Red currant, cedar, underbrush, and some thin black cherry notes. A pedestrian front end attack, with a simple mid-palate and overly lithe finish. Not even that much acid or grip to cut the beautiful…

Darioush Viognier

Barely a Viognier, with little-to-no characteristics of the actual varietal. At best, this came across like a weak, overly lithe and watery Chardonnay, with barely any distinguishable flavors beyond…

Hourglass 36-24-36 Blueline

Coravin pour. An extraordinarily dark, concentrated wine, with black core fruit flavors of black currant, blackberry, black rock, dark bitter chocolate chunk, espresso, tar, black licorice, clove,…

Fleury Estate Winery BDX

Served alongside a 2012 Tor Cimarossa, also from Howell Mountain, which was a little more giving in the dark core fruit flavor department when compared to the Fleury. The Cimarossa was rounder and…

Realm Cellars The Falstaff

Similar to my notes on this wine from almost two years ago. This particular specimen was from Magnum. With some swirling in the glass, this delivered some nice earthy black cherry, purple plum,…

TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Cimarossa Vineyard

Served alongside a 2012 Fleury BDX, also from Howell Mountain, which was a little more structure driven and less giving in the dark core fruit flavor department when compared to the more…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Stagecoach Vineyard

This BBS was a beautifully crafted, brooding but sultry beast, strikingly indicative of the best of what can come out of the alluring 2012 vintage and the Stagecoach site. Sexy black core fruit,…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

Cocked, locked, and spitting black nails the size of broadswords right through the back of the mouth on initial entry. Decanted for a total of three+ hours, and it could've used even more air time.…

Addax Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

A year since I last had this wine. It should still be another year before I revisit it again. Previous notes apply otherwise, as this is overall a well crafted bottle of juice.

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Twins Vineyard

Starting to really come into a nice drinking window. PnP with just a little swirling in the glass to blow off a little initial heat worked just fine service-wise. Black cherry, plum, cassis, and…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Previous notes apply. Purity of fruit is evident, as is the overall flavor profile. This still has some fattening-up to do in my opinion. Frame first then fruit, at this stage at least. A wine to…

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder

The optimist would say this wine is "in a transition phase," "still integrating," "of a particular style," or "a unique representation of the terroir."

Arkenstone Estate

Blackberry, purple plum, licorice, anise, black currant, black cherry, and some spice. A floral note emerged on the tail end as well. Notable energy and drive, especially compared to the 2014. A…