Reviews

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…

Kata Beckstoffer Bourn Vineyard

Black and red cherry, unripe purple plum, black raspberry, red licorice, and menthol. Furry tannins that left a cat tongue feeling on the palate. A bit bitter on the finish. PnP was super high-toned,…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Signature notes of dark, black core fruit: blackberry, blueberry, black raspberry, dark black plum, burnt embers, earth, coffee grounds, anise, black rock, and violets. This wine has an extremely…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

This is starting to come around nicely, especially since I had it two years ago. Not as coiled up and standoff-ish as my previous encounter. Black and blue core fruit, blueberry, blackberry, black…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Barrel sample. Explosive notes of blackberry, blueberry, dark soil/earth, black cherry syrup, baking spices, crushed flowers, and wet cedar. Some subtle chocolate notes on the back end. Much more…

B Cellars Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Deliberate and delineated POWER is the name of the game here with this wine...but not brutish in any way. The flavors hit you with a 'skydiving without a parachute' type of velocity that grab ahold…

B Cellars Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Barrel sample. It's not every day that you find a 100% Cab Franc that is as utterly awesome as this '16 Dr. Crane. Yes, it is a barrel sample. Yes, barrel samples can be deceiving in terms of their…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Beautiful and elegant in its display of flavors, the '15 VV "standard" Crane brought a bit of romance to the party. Sexy and seductive notes of black, dark red core fruit. Blackberry, boysenberry,…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

I remember when a 4.0 GPA actually meant a perfect "straight A" average. Now there's 4.5s, 4.8s, and even 5.0 GPAs?! A perfect of the perfect of the perfect?! Whatever a kid has to do to get into…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Previous notes apply. This Elysian is a textural, silky dream, with wonderful purity of fruit and a finish that really provides a long-distance running feel on the back end. What a glide! Black, red,…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Previous notes apply. This showed a little bit of a crunchier, rustic side when compared to some of the other wines at the table. Still wonderfully giving in the fruit department, and super powerful,…

Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

A generous delivery of black and blue core fruit. Blackberry, blueberry, ripe red raspberry, fresh vanilla bean, dark (rich) chocolate, baking spice, and some scorched earth. Less of the floral…

The Debate Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Well damn, this all but sucked a big bag of dirty diapers...An unfortunate disappointment among other wines at the table. To be fair, it wasn't a "bad" wine necessarily, but given its pedigree, it…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

After initially sipping on a fabulous '16 VV BTK sample, out comes this LPV BBS in all of its glory and totally captivated me with its hauntingly dark, mineral-driven core fruit flavors. Black…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Barrel sample. Of course the wine that was likely my top favorite in the whole B Cellars lineup has to be the blue-footed unicorn that is impossible to acquire...this '16 LPV was simply stunning.…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Barrel sample. A slap-yo-mama-silly kinda wine that hits the palate from every angle imaginable. A total stunner, with notes of blackberry, black raspberry liqueur, Amarena cherry syrup, deep cassis,…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena

"Actually quite good," was the first entry into my notes on this wine. As Cristal2000 mentioned, this was a nice surprise. As soon as our host mentioned it was Lewelling Vineyard, I instantly became…

Alpha Omega Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

Barrel sample. Tight and constricted, this reminded me a little of the 2013 Shafer HSS we had earlier in the day. Not surprisingly, this LPV displayed the blackest, most gravelly properties of the AO…

Alpha Omega Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Barrel sample. Complex and compelling, concentrated and driven, the '16 AO Crane was the star of the lineup. Black and red core fruit, black raspberry, blackberry, black and red licorice, anise,…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Same as my notes from last month. A great bottle of wine that stood out from all of the other wines served alongside it. I'll try to hold remaining bottles for another year.

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

This is turning out to be a very notable version of Dr. Crane. Initially on PnP, a bit of liqueur-esque black cherry and cassis notes dominated; but with a total of two hours+ of air, this really…

Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

Same as previous notes. I'm going to try to hold remaining bottles until 2019. Just a little round on the mid-palate. Great core fruit flavors and concentration. Wanting a little more complexity and…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Though I usually can't help but blather on about this topic, I don't have to write much on this particular wine because Cristal2000, #1WineLover, and BadMonkey pretty much covered all that needs to…

The Debate Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Previous notes apply. This was a very good showing for this wine, reminding me why I like the Crane site so much. This was served next to a 2012 Lewis Reserve Cabernet (which was very good); the…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Last minute pull. PnP was a little hot with fleeting beams of sweet black cherry and black raspberry. Great wild and pure red, black, and some blue-ish/purple berry fruit, but just a bit overrun by…