Reviews

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Empyrean Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Followed over two days, with day one from PnP through the first hour being my favorite window. This is coming into a great drinking window folks, so ya might wanna see what's cookin' under the hood.

Scarlett Wines Cabernet Sauvignon

In a nice spot right now. A little air with some swirling in the glass worked well. A good deal of energy and personality here, but certainly much more resolved than when I had it last year. This…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Empyrean Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

From magnum. Decanted and aerated over the course of 3+ hours. Final sips were the absolute best.

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

From 3L. My previous note from May still applies. Mounds of fruit and flavor, interwoven nicely with dark chocolate and earth flavors that provided complexity and focus. A BIG wine.

Sloan

The first bottle was corked. This second bottle delivered pretty smooth, rounded plum and black cherry notes, with some currant, vanilla, and black dirt flavors. Not incredibly complex, but still…

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…

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,…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon McGah Vineyard

All previous notes apply. Very compelling blue and black core fruit, with subtle streaks of black asphalt and river rock. A straightforward 2014 type of delivery and execution, medium complexity,…

Scarlett Wines Cabernet Sauvignon

Previous notes from two months ago apply. Good, solid core fruit, great body and drive, and notable complexity that continues to amaze given its QPR.

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Last minute pull. Previous notes apply, though this was more flavorful and giving after a slow O2 for an hour and some swirling in the glass. I'll try to hold until after 2019+.

Scarlett Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

All of my previous notes on this wine apply. I've written on and on about my adoration for the 2015 Scarlett Reserve. The best Scarlett ever. The best McGah ever. One of the best Mike Smith wines…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon 887

I always have a soft spot in my heart (or palate) for the St. Helena wines from Del Dotto. This 2013 is a medium-bodied animal (when compared to what I remember about the 2014), darker fruit profile,…

Scarlett Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

More of a black fruit profile when next to the regular 2016 Scarlett bottling, but a little more red-fruited compared to the 2015 Scarlett Reserve. Black raspberry, blackberry, bitter chocolate,…

Scarlett Wines Cabernet Sauvignon

Blackberry, black cherry, chocolate chunk, and some spice. Just bottled, and showing a little stuttering on the delivery. This will be just fine when it has time to settle in. Give it a year+ to find…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Gobs of black and uber-dark red berry fruit, black raspberry, viscous black cherry, black soil, tar, and some bitter chocolate. This is exactly what I would expect from a barrel sample of Myriad's…

Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon Booth Bella Oaks

Finished the bottle from multiple Coravin pours over the course of three months. The best showing of this wine, especially when given a couple of hours to air-out in the glass. A darker profile than…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Le Nouveau Western Star Vineyard

PnP, tasted, and then decanted for about an hour at 54 degrees; small pours from the decanter, which remained in the wine fridge throughout consumption. This seemed to be the most appropriate service…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Hey man...all I can say is that I'm a fan. PnP is right now, ready to go. A few minutes of alcohol on the initial pull, but otherwise its delivery was fun, filling, vivacious, and concentrated. It's…

Scarlett Wines Cabernet Sauvignon

Everyone loves Ms. Scarlett. This intense femme fatale delivers with wonderfully sassy concentration and sex appeal. PnP with around 15 minutes in the glass brought about her buxom flair and…

Scarlett Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Same notes as over a week ago. Finished the bottle. An enjoyable wine from beginning to end. Ok to drink now, but I'll hold another 6-12 months to see what comes next. No decant needed as far as I'm…

B Cellars Chardonnay Star Vineyard

"Not bad" is probably the best overall descriptor here - as in the way you might utter such a phrase walking out to your car after a movie that wasn't a total waste of time, but also wasn't one you'd…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Similar to my previous notes. As a PnP this was fairly tight and linear. Some air in the glass coaxed out its familiar flavor profile of red and black core fruit. Not as "spicy" as I remember from…

Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon Booth Bella Oaks

Similar to my notes in February. Another Coravin pour. Allowed for 3 hours of air, which helped a smidge, but this wine still displayed as linear and somewhat flat. The fruit was muted and shut down.…

Scarlett Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Previous notes apply. Coravin pour. I'm really loving this wine as I follow it through its evolution. Wonderful black and dark, dark purple core fruit, with black asphalt, tar, obsidian, black soil,…

Realm Cellars The Falstaff

This is a follow up from my note from last week, which was a Coravin pour. This time was a PnP with a couple of hours of air. Previous notes apply, except that the additional O2 really brought out an…