Reviews

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

So.Much.Cassis.. and black cherry liqueur on the front of this wine right now. This sample was all about the frontal push of heavy gobs of cherry, cherry, cherry. It's like a bulldog with its…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Gobs of ripe fruit, sweet cassis, and red/purple licorice. A dark stallion kind of wine at its core, but encompassed by the typical Mike Smith-meets-Crane rounded ripeness and succulence. Beautifully…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Blackberry, oak char, burnt embers, asphalt, seriously dark cassis, and a fistful of enticing minerality make for another sexy-gothic bottle juice. The 2018 Quivet LPV is indeed the jet-black haired…

Melka Cabernet Sauvignon Métisse Montbleau

Rich chocolatey black raspberry, licorice, and black cherry liqueur rush up front-and-center with the initial kick of fat fruit on the attack. A highly perfumed candy shop of flavor, like a Viognier…

Melka Métisse Martinez Vineyard Pritchard Hill

From the first sip, anyone who is familiar with Pritchard Hill knows that this wine speaks loud and clear about its roots. Tension-driven and nervy; high on acid and higher-toned aromatics on the…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

If the VHR wasn't enough to slap me silly with the possession of a thousand fun-filled flavors, the Crane offered little help in the exorcism from the continuing onslaught of savor-the-flavor palate…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Reserve

As Cristal2000 mentioned, this wine was a definite surprise of the tasting. The 2012 Saint Helena Reserve punches WAY above its division; I personally thought this had all the complexity and flavor…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Dark, earthy red and black berry fruit, soft mulch and cedar, forest floor, and rained-on campfire embers. A pretty sweet kiss of red raspberry fruit on the back end provides lift to otherwise more…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Black cherry liqueur, smooth cedar, wet mulch, and some black rock. Classy, finessed, and super sophisticated, the execution here is medium and agreeable, with no hard edges to be found. A faint…

Roam Vineyards Xaga St. Helena

From Glass Mountain comes a thrilling wine that I had never heard of before. A one-off side project involving a handful of kinda-celebrity-ish type Napa starlets deciding to concoct yet another…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

A more red/purple fruit profile this vintage, with less of the black fruit and scorched mineral elements as is typically the case with this wine and from this site. The front end hits the palate with…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Structure and tannins lead the attack here, with some hot-off-the-presses, racy red and black fruit flavors that are pushed rapidly over the palate with significant heft and energy. Stops in time to…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

The standard Myriad Crane offers well-balanced flavors of black cherry yogurt, red and black licorice, and some gravelly earth notes. Faint dirt and soil notes can also be found running around in the…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Blackberry, black cherry, and ripe purple fruit compile the core fruit, with scorched earth, wet cedar, and obsidian framing the general profile. This is displaying a bit of a reduced and macerated…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Not surprisingly, the Crane is similar in most ways to the Elysian in terms of its enticing flavor profile. Black cherry dominates, with some red cherry and licorice; faint earth and spice…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Pumping out that Dr. Crane black cherry core that ya'll are familiar with, the Elysian falls in-line with the compelling 2015 and 2016 vintages in terms of overall profile and intensity. Earth and…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

A huge step up from when I last had this wine almost two years ago, this vintage of the VV LPV has really come into a wonderful drinking window with a little help from a couple of hours in the trusty…

B Cellars Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

A near perfect example of Cab Franc; a much more resolved and less crunchy demeanor than last year's bottle. Notes of blackberry, black cherry, black plum skin, Christmas spice, and violets. Less of…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Barrel sample. The first sip of this barrel sample immediately commands respect and careful attention. Blackberry, black cherry, plum, char, and faint violets. A very refined and focused Crane in its…

Alpha Omega Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Black currant and earthy minerality here on the front end of the attack. Deeply pitched black.very black.cherry, and some chocolate, pyrazine, and anise. Green peppercorn and black rock show up as…

Stewart Cabernet Sauvignon Nomad Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Like the Alpha Omega, this wandered around the palate with some misdirection and competing crunchy earth versus bitter currant notes. Registered a little high and alcohol-flat on the mid-palate.…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

The black cherry liqueur thing was jumping off crazy on this wine at first pull, but then it dropped into a more earthy, almost grainy animal, with some crunchy rock and soil notes encircling the…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Black cherry liqueur, initially tasting a bit like the Elysian, but with a little more swanky red cherry tones. Round and somewhat boozy; the most plush of the lineup. Finished a little chewy…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Black cherry and red cherry cassis; not as dark or as concentrated as the Memento Mori served directly beside it. Rode higher in its tonal expressions, with some booze and glycol on the back end. A…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Keenly focused and pure blackberry, black cherry, black river rock, and bitter dark chocolate notes fired-off in deliberate succession on the front end of the attack. A more serious wine when…