Reviews

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

So I've had some breathtaking and otherworldly wines within the last week; and a number of them were from one of my favorite sites in the Valley. Who would've thought LPV could deliver such…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

A gorgeous bottle of wine. Proof that a few years on the Elysian can elevate it into a classy madam with personality and appeal, as well as sophistication and seamlessness. In a perfect place. PnP…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Another stunner that managed to slap even the most fatigued of palates was the 2016 barrel sample of Myriad Dr. Crane. It wasn't clear whether or not this will end up in the standard Crane or Elysian…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

An exclamation of formidable magnificence in black liquid form, the 2016 barrel sample of the Quivet LPV was absolutely rockin'! A "Holy Mary, Mother of God" moment as soon at it hit the palate.…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

One of the top wines of the night. A point up from the last time I had this wine back in November of 2017. I would've said this was the best Quivet LPV I've had to date, but that attestation only…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Previous notes apply from last year. This has certainly found its groove, with beautiful black and blue core fruit, black currant, signature site-specific black asphalt, crunchy minerality, and some…

Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

Previous notes apply. This was delivering really beautiful black and blue berry fruit flavors right away on PnP. A little softer and more plush than the 2014 Memento Mori LPV SVD served alongside it,…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Colesworthy Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

This was a bit more elevated than the standard 2015 Schrader LPV served beside it, but this too was a helpless kitten when the tiger 2015 Carter Verdad LPV stepped in and pawed the crap out of the…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Colesworthy Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Better than the 2014 Schrader LPV, but in no way a top performer among the other LPVs served throughout the evening. It was good. It was fine. It was maybe even better than fine. But considering the…

B Cellars Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Previous notes apply. An alliterative fun, flavorful, fascinating, and focused phenom. A lot going on here that could still use another year or so to elevate even further. The black cherry and cassis…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Pretty prune-ridden and over-ripe. I'm guessing a Coravin malfunction from last week? Bummer. Note to self: Just PnP in about 1.5 years and not bother with trusting "technology" to screw up an…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Coravin pour. Black core fruit, with charcoal, burnt embers, obsidian, black asphalt, scorched earth, and some clove. A little alcohol on the back end nudged its way in. Overall weight was…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Previous notes apply. Finished the bottle. Definitely in need of time in the bottle to develop a better sense of seamlessness. Swirling with ripe, chocolatey, oak-influenced flavors, this is akin to…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Coravin pour. Dark and powerful, with a grab-hold-of-ya, palate-gripping intensity that pumps waves of youthful dark fruit from its initial attack. Dark black raspberry, black cherry, blackberry,…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Same as my previous notes. A bit more reserved this time (it was a PnP with little time to get air - 20 minutes tops), so the darker fruit wasn't as ready at the helm as before. Time in bottle is…

Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

Refer to previous notes for the initial Coravin pour on this wine. Today, I consumed the remainder of the bottle after essentially giving this wine a couple of days of slow O2. This go-around it was…

Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

Coravin pour. Initially, notes of black cherry, black and red currant, unripe plum, garrigue, and Christmas fruitcake dominated. The attack was youthfully linear, with the core fruit hitting the…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Still along the same lines as my notes from 10/12/2016. PnP with black cherry and black raspberry liqueur, blackberry, unripe purple plum, red and black licorice, vanilla alcohol, spicebox, and…

Pott Wine Cabernet Franc La Carte et Le Territoire

A fascinating and cerebral wine, with notes of dark red core fruit (and some purple), red and black currant, red and black raspberry, crimson plum, black cherry, cassis, red dirt, iron, dusty…

Revana Cabernet Sauvignon Terroir Series

Boozy and sweet, with a ripe, cloying plum note overpowering most of the other flavors trying to come through. Some black cherry, currant, and cedar notes eventually emerged, but the attack of the…

Revana Cabernet Sauvignon

Interestingly enough, this experience with this wine was strikingly similar to the one I had with it nearly two years ago. Previous note from 2016 still applies. Alcohol, cedar, and a off-sweet plum…

III Rows Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling

A slight improvement from the 2014 version, this 2015 displayed notes of plum, blackberry, red and black currant, and singed eucalyptus. Fruity and plummy, with a fairly vapid attack; flat and…

III Rows Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling

Blackberry, black currant, cedar, and a hefty dose of spice. This started off seemingly full on the initial attack, but almost instantly became round and overly plush as it hit the mid-palate. A bit…

Hayfork Cabernet Sauvignon Field Select Lewelling Ranch

I actually preferred the Lewelling Ranch version to the Field Select ("Reserve"), as this wine was showing plummy and alkaline aftertastes that muddled the core fruit flavors. Bigger than the…

Hayfork Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch

A much better animal than its 2014 sibling, this 2015 Hayfork displayed much more drive and concentration than older brother (though be forewarned, this is far from a "concentrated" wine in my book).…