Reviews

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Estate Family Reserve

Similar to the 2014 BT version of this wine from last year. Hints of wood to balance out the extracted fruit, but overall it was a bit forgettable. The 887 wines were much more interesting (and broad…

Del Dotto Sauvignon Blanc

Resembling a comparatively lighter, less tropical version of the domestic varietal, this wine exhibited fairly typical yellow and white stone fruit notes. An agreeable SB, but not one that…

Del Dotto The David Napa Valley

Similar to the 2014 David except that this was less overt in the sweet department. A little more blue fruit from the 2014, but the 2015 seemed to house its core a little better than the 2014. I…

Del Dotto The David Napa Valley

Same as last year. Soft, round, and somewhat inviting, but not displaying any interesting levels of complexity or concentration. This was much sweeter than the 2015 David. Extraction was a bit high,…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon American Oak Carved & Grooved Family Reserve Alain Fouquet South Oakville

It was an unfortunate pass for me on the American Oak wines. As with the U-Stave North, this Alain Fouquet suffered from the same caramel-laced flavor that distracted from the core fruit. I couldn't…

Del Dotto Giovanni's Tuscan Reserve

Similar to my notes on this wine from last year when it was a barrel sample, except that this time around (from bottle) it exhibited a heavy cedar note that distracted a bit from the red and black…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon American Oak U-Stave north

Try as I might, I just couldn't jump on the bandwagon with the American Oak wines. The wood imparted a lightly burnt caramel flavor on the attack that distracted from the fruit flavors. Lacked the…

Del Dotto Red Dessert Wine

Infused with brandy. Rich, heavy, heady, and super, super extracted. Motor oil, blackberry molasses syrup, and moonshine.

Del Dotto Cave Blend

The 36% Merlot component of this wine really jumped to the front of the line when it came to core fruit flavors. Blackberry and milk chocolate dominated, with some cedar notes. Round and fat, but…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoiseur's Series Colbert French Oak St. Helena Mountain

This was served from a massive 12 Liter bottle. A really nice showing considering it was served toward to end of a lengthy evening full of huge Cabernets over the course of four hours. By this time,…

Villa Del Lago Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill

A very good wine. Close to one of my favorites of the entire evening. This Villa Del Lago, the Orion South Reserve 887, and the 2012 St. Helena Mountain (from a 12 Liter!) were the stars of the show…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard 887 St. Helena

This was served after I had the 2013 version at the bar. I preferred this 2014 to the 2013 mainly because it displayed some nice blue and black fruit and had a touch more concentration. Not…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon The Beast

You can essentially cut/paste my notes from last year on the 2014 Beast, except this 2015 seemed even more extracted and lacked much of the finesse or frame found in the 887 wines. It showed me that…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard 887 St. Helena

Same as last year. Tasted at the bar. This had medium concentration and depth; average display of core fruit. Decent frame, but fell off a bit on the back end. The 2014 version was a little more…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoisseur's Series Mo/Fo Blend Vineyard 887 St. Helena

My least favorite of the three 2015 887 BTs. Ripe and rich, but missing some focus on the mid-palate. Came off a little heavier on the back end than the 887 Orion and Colbert.

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoiseur's Series Colbert French Oak Vineyard 887 St. Helena

This was another 887 that displayed very nicely overall. I preferred the 887 Orion South a little more, but this North/Front 887 had a similar profile, but had just a little less depth mid-palate…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Orion French Oak South Vineyard 887

My favorite of all the Cabernets we had at Barrels & Beasts, the 887 Orion South struck a nice balance between big black fruit (and hints of deep blue and red) and a nice frame of vanilla-laced oak…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoisseurs' Series Centre Sylvain Family Reserve St Helena Mountain Block 2

A bit less blown out by the heavy extracted fruit displayed by the standard 2015 St. Helena Mountain Family Reserve, but this Centre Sylvain still kicked out a bevy of predominantly black fruit…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Pow!! PnP was a smack of intense black cherry liqueur, red and black licorice, cassis, kirschwasser, vanilla bean, and alcohol. A young and sultry wine.

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon The Arsenal Greer Vineyard

Two days ago I had a bottle of this wine and it was flawed. It showed some VA funk and heavy wet mulch notes. I HAD to open another bottle to see if I was in for a string of disappointments. Not so!

Sea-Fog (The Grade Cellars) Sauvignon Blanc

Same as last month. Tastes like every other SB across Napa Valley.

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon The Arsenal Greer Vineyard

Unfortunately this had some VA funk and wet earth notes that made their way in front of the core fruit flavors almost immediately. With more air, the damp mulch and mushroom notes became more…

Tusk Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

Similar flavor profile to my notes on this wine back in April. Really rich, dark/black core fruit (a very dark side of To Kalon-esque ripeness), black licorice, dark loam, and some faint grey…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District

This poor little guy kicked out some cedar and funk on the initial attack which jumbled the flavor profile. The seemingly beautiful fruit was dark and deep, but the frame was lost and the back end…

Robert Mondavi Winery Fumé Blanc Napa Valley

"Not bad for a Fume Blanc," was the phrase that the four of us simultaneously uttered. And it isn't "bad" by any means. It displayed some of the usual SB characteristics; a little lighter bodied in…