Reviews

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.

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoisseur's Series Vineyard 887 Family Reserve St. Helena

From barrel. A difficult wine to get a read on, with a plummy aftertaste that dominated the overall profile. Black cherry and unripe blackberry notes were also present. Some astringency on the back…

Revana Cabernet Sauvignon Block 6

A massively endowed wine, much akin to the 2014 Block 6 with its dark berry and rich chocolatey profile. A lot of power and sappy concentration here, with the melted dark chocolate notes singing the…

Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

Served side-by-side with 2016 Carters Bam and Verdad. The FM was more purple fruited and displayed a softer grip than the Carters. Less intensity and concentration mid-palate from the FM by…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Just as solid from bottle as it was from barrel. Previous notes apply. There is certainly some wonderful oak influence going on with this wine at the moment, with further integration to come with…

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Bergfeld

Black/red fruit dominated, with a ripe, spicy, and chocolate-driven profile. With air, this became black fruited, with scorched earth and char rounding out the back end. Healthy hits of richness, but…

Nine Suns Cabernet Sauvignon Houyi Vineyard

From barrel. A new site from which Bevan is pulling fruit, the Nine Suns/Houyi vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon launches on to the palate with black and red raspberry, cassis, and spice flavors.

Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Chabot Vineyard

Two Beringer Chabots served side-by-side: 1991 & 1994. Not too much in the flavor department from either one beyond some vanilla cherry water/kirsch and wood notes. Flat and bland on the attack.…

Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Chabot Vineyard

Two Beringer Chabots served side-by-side: 1991 & 1994. Not too much in the flavor department from either one beyond some vanilla cherry water/kirsch and wood notes. Flat and bland on the attack.…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Refer to my previous novellas I've written regarding this wine, as they still apply here for the most part.

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Previous notes apply. I had the 2014 Elysian the following day, which certainly showed additional complexity and concentration when compared to this "standard" Crane. Still, this is a wonderful…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Intense and concentrated notes of blackberry, black cherry, bitter chocolate, scorched earth, asphalt, and some spice. CRISTAL covered this thoroughly in his recent note more than I really need to…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Previous notes apply. I absolutely love this wine. So concentrated. So intense. But so balanced and a textural dream. Dark and haunting while simultaneously alive and energetic.

B Cellars Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Finished the bottle. Good purity of fruit. Really nice herbaceous black cherry and spicy cassis. Even better in a couple of years. Hold until 2020.

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Same as previous notes. Last minute pull. PnP. Still a decent amount of baby fat here. Hold until after 2020++ minimum.

B Cellars Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Coravin pour with exotic notes of wild black cherry, red and black currant, crunchy cassis, deep kirsch, dark dried cranberry, Herbes de Provence, and violets. A beguiling wine that kept me coming…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon 9 Oaks 36 Month French Select Block 2 St. Helena Mountain

Finished the bottle. Previous note from the other day still applies except that the delivery was even more gorgeous. The supposed issue earlier on the back end where it seemed potentially flat seemed…

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon 9 Oaks 36 Month French Select Block 2 St. Helena Mountain

Coravin pour. Beautiful black and dark purple core fruit. Some nice black currant, purple/black plum, black rock, and some dark soil to round it all out. Subtle spice (anise, black pepper, and clove)…

The Debate Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Much improved from my last bottle. Some old world restraint here (which is indicative of Hoefliger's style), but some nice dark berry and currant flavors that kept me coming back for another sip.…

Revana Cabernet Sauvignon Block 6

Very similar to the 2012 Block 6 I had the week before. Dark black and some super dark red core fruit, with black currant, chocolate, black soil, and spice to round-out the flavor profile. Dark,…

Revana Cabernet Sauvignon Block 6

PnP with dark black and red berry core fruit. Chocolate, black raspberry, black currant, clove, allspice, and some black soil notes beautifully glide across the palate. Mid-palate and overall…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

An extraordinary example of the LPV site, with captivatingly crunchy minerality swirling amongst the gorgeously balanced and pure black and purple core fruit. Black cherry, miniature wild purple plum…

Revana Cabernet Sauvignon Terroir Series

Black cherry, black and red currant, plum, vanilla bean, and light cedar notes. Medium weight on the front end and through the mid-palate. Fairly simple and pedestrian, with a little bit of energy…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

DAY 2: A little less than 1/4 of the previous juice was bottled in a small sample bottle, filled to the top, and sealed for the next day. Much more resolved and less overtly bombastic than Day 1.…