Reviews

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Comparative side-by-side tasting of the Memento Mori 2016 Crane SVD, the 2016 LPV SVD, and the 2016 blend. There were two samples of each wine: One of each that had been opened since yesterday, and…

Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 1 Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Side-by-side of a 2015 Vice Versa Las Piedras and a 2015 Fairchild Stones 1.

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Side-by-side of a 2015 Vice Versa Las Piedras and a 2015 Fairchild Stones 1.

Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

Black and red cherry liqueur, purple plum skin, electric blackberry, scorched earth, and some cardamom and cinnamon spices. An alluring interplay of fruit and earth notes, with the gravelly elements…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Barrel samples of the BTK, Crane, and LPV.

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Barrel samples of the BTK, Crane, and LPV.

B Cellars Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Black cherry, cassis, red and black raspberry, vanilla bean, baking spices, and a huge bouquet of violets thrown in your face with the force of an ex-wife with a restraining order.

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Up there with the B Cellars BTK and Crane Cabernet Sauvignon, the Las Piedras delivers with gorgeous black fruit, signature black asphalt, charcoal, and black rock notes, as well as supplementary…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

The best showing from this wine to date. Previous notes apply; but with this go-around, it was displaying even more power and intensity than the sample I had last month. Yet, even with all of that…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Selection Beckstoffer Bourn Vineyard

A tad darker and more plush than the 2015, the B Cellars 2016 Bourn shows a bit of reticence at the moment, sauntering up on its attack with a more medium-bodied delivery overall. Mid-palate was…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Day 1: Great Gotham Gobs of Candied Cassis Boy Wonder! The first sips from this harlot worked the palate the same way Kim Basinger worked a bottle of honey bear honey in 9 1/2 Weeks. Good God man!…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Finished the bottle. Holding for a few years is still recommended. I poured this into a decanter and kept it at <52 degrees in an attempt to control the air influence (giving it air, but hoping…

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Bergfeld

Previous notes apply. Showed more complexity than its 2014 Hall Howell peer that was served the day before, but didn't do a ton to really show that it belongs in the upper echelons of Napa Cabernets.…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Smaller Coravin pour, with little opportunity to thoroughly evaluate, but enough time to know that this wine is going to need a few years to fully come together. Much less seamless in its current…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Turf War Bisagno Vineyard

Raspberry coulis, red cherry preserve/compote, purple plum, cassis, and some subtle minerality. Drinking surprisingly well on a PnP, with just a little swirling in the glass needed to coax out…

Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

From a .375. Notes of red and black currant, red and black cherry, red plum, cranberry, unsmoked cigar, dust, and faint spice box. Most notable in its delivery of hyper pure fruit; medium in body and…

Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

There's a big part of me that almost grows tired of anointing super high scores to some of these Napa Cabernets. Maybe I should stay in that agreeable 94/95 realm when something is really good, just…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Selection Beckstoffer Bourn Vineyard

Black cherry, crunchy cranberry, white pepper, spice, red and black currant, and slight hints of dust. The Bourn impresses with its notable acid and grip, though it does ride fairly high on the…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Previous notes from February still apply. Black cherry, black raspberry, black and red licorice, dark cassis/black cherry syrup, bitter chocolate, Asian spices, and some blackberry pie crust. Hyper…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoisseurs' Series Vicard French Oak St Helena Mountain Block 2

From barrel. It was very interesting to note the difference between this Vicard Energie barreled wine, and the exact same wine but from the Vicard Privilege barrel. This Energie was more abrasive and…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoisseurs' Series Vicard French Oak Vineyard 887 SO / Family

From barrel. 887 South Family Reserve. Much like the St. Helena Mountain Vicard Privilege I had the other day, this 887 Vicard Distinction's fruit worked quite well with the barrel influence. More…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon American Oak Alain Fouquet St Helena Mountain Block 2

From barrel. Similar in its flavor profile and grippy frame as the St. Helena Mountain Darnajou, except that the American oak (carved and grooved no less) imparted strong maple and brown sugar notes…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Family Reserve Darnajou French Oak Connossieurs' St. Helena Mountain

From barrel. Block 2. Similar to the Vicard version of this wine I had the previous day, the St. Helena Mountain Darnajou provides both focused structure and exacting concentration, with a layered…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Family Reserve St. Helena Mountain

Tannic and youthful, but the grip isn't as abrasive as some of the other 2013s sampled. The fruit concentration manages to push through (barely) and provide for some decent pleasure. This wine begs…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon American Oak Carved & Grooved Alain Fouquet Vineyard 887 SO/FR St. Helena

Plum, black cherry, wood, torched brown sugar, chocolate, and some spice. A decent depth here, with a ripe fruit-giving style; luckily it's not overly ripe or mushy in its overall profile.