Reviews

Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Bella Oaks

This must have been a perfectly stored bottle, because it was completely singing with beautifully balanced fruit, flowing with macerated black cherry, plum, and orange rind flavors. Not tired by a…

Bella Oaks Vineyard Proprietary Red

This is as solid as it ever has been compared to the last sample I was lucky enough to try the year prior. At first, it was a gushing glow of fruit awesomeness all at once, but with some air to…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Hierothesion

The Hiero is a slighter higher riding monkey when compared to the Kaannos, Kodo, and Aphex. Yummy right now and not shying away from letting you know it likes to party, the Hiero is smooth, inviting,…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Aphex Ecotone Vineyard

If you have twenty minutes of your life you feel like burning, go ahead and check out my tasting notes for the 2021 Kaannos and Kodo. You'll get the sense of where my head was at during this recent…

Kinsman Eades Aisana

I LOVE fresh Sauv Blanc right out of the tap. I've found my interest in SB waning a bit, to be honest; however, when you have the right one, it really hits the spot. I know there are some smoking…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Kodo M-Bar Ranch

Punchline first: And 'the Ks' have it!! Kaannos and Kodo! I know I'm supposed to find beauty in all creatures great and small, and that love is discovered in all forms of doe-eyed unicorns and…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Käännös Vine Hill Ranch

Punchline first: And 'the Ks' have it!! Kaannos and Kodo! I know I'm supposed to find beauty in all creatures great and small, and that love is discovered in all forms of doe-eyed unicorns and…

Bella Oaks Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Le Génie

The fruit-friendly Genie is a good warm up to the over-the-moon performance of the 2021 Bella Oaks. The Genie is young and gliding on the lighter side of achieving substantial depth at this juvenile…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon GIII Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Vanilla slathered banana chips and dried coconut shavings. All oak and no joke. There is also a spearmint tinge on the finish that, along with the lumber, washes over what would be the expression of…

Sodhani Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

This is an incredibly compelling wine. The spine and pulsating energy unite to make for a perfect juxtaposition to the dark, ripe fruit. There is the slightest touch of pyrazine (which I love) to…

Kinsman Eades Aisana

I'm too dumb for this wine. I mean, I suppose that's not exactly narrowing it down, as most things can seemingly outsmart me these days. However, this particular upper-cruster makes me feel like I'm…

Futo Oakville

Ya, so, I don't want to like this wine at all, but there is no denying this is top shelf stuff right here, so much so that the only reason I'm not jumping to 100 is because I am in one of those moods…

Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium

Ok, so for those who desire a bit more detail, this is a follow up to my last extremely brief note a few days ago.

La Pelle Cabernet Sauvignon Red Hen Vineyard

This really opens up after a couple hours of air, with a more deeply pitched profile quickly coming into form once a healthy dose of aeration allows the flavors to expand. Earthy black fruits,…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

It's been a few years since I last visited this wine. It drinks smooth and plush for the most part, with little bits of air helping it stretch its legs. The profile hasn't changed much, with black…

Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium

Ripe. Sweet. .And ripe.

La Pelle Cabernet Sauvignon Red Hen Vineyard

Red and black cherry flavors, with powdery tannins that provide requisite frame and speed without becoming too constraining or superficial, the 2018 Red Hen is a beautiful wine. I personally am drawn…

La Pelle Sauvignon Blanc

Acid driven and lively. Lemon juice and grapefruit dominate. Too bad it's not August right now. Previous notes from April 2023 apply otherwise. A solid, refreshing sipper!

La Pelle Cabernet Sauvignon

Offering even more profundity than when I last sampled this in April, the 2019 "standard" Cabernet from La Pelle is comprised of deeply pitched black/red raspberry fruit, chocolate, and plum notes;…

La Pelle Cabernet Sauvignon Alluvium

Blackberry, black raspberry, black cherry, soil, and graphite dominate, with more power and darker fruit than the Red Hen served beside it, the 2018 Alluvium is a bit of a monster. Still, there is…

La Pelle Cabernet Sauvignon Alluvium

This 2021 is a powerful and driven specimen, with sweet, ripe, and dark fruit interweaving with a pronounced propulsion of candied raspberry and cassis notes. The finish is incredibly loooong.…

Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

This was great, but it has a decent tannic spine that really keeps everything on the straight and narrow throughout most of consumption. Blackberry seed, unripe purple plum and black cherry,…

Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

From magnum. I hate to say it, but this was too young. And this is coming from someone who isn't necessarily a dirt worshiper or lover of cobwebby red wines. This was tight and tannic at first, with…

Greer Cabernet Sauvignon Greer Vineyard

2018 and 2019 side by side. Okay and tannic, but less so than the stern and bitter 2018, this 2019 has broader shoulders but has little fruit expansion to offer. Check back in ten years in hopes the…

La Pelle Cabernet Sauvignon Ceniza

A beautiful wine that seems to need a bit more time to unravel. Black cherry and earth dominate at the moment, with lurking complexity that beckons for a few more years in bottle before it comes to…