Reviews

Herb Lamb Cabernet Sauvignon HL

At first sip, a similar experience to my CT notes a few months ago. However, a soft plum note appeared after an hour or so of decanting, which threw off some of the initial classical Cabernet flavors…

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands

Same as previous notes. Nice sappy red raspberry, accompanied by red and black cherry notes. Not too much spice or cola flavors in this KB. Solid acid and grip throughout consumption (2+ hours).…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Same as my notes from 8 months ago. Black cherry and plum liqueur dominated for the first three hours (slowly draining the bottle between our two glasses - no decant). Showed especially beautiful and…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Teucer Vineyard

Likely one of the best representations of the Coombsville site that I've ever had. Beautifully haunting and dark blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry, black currant, charred oak, melted dark…

Realm Cellars The Tempest

PnP with notes of blackberry, black cherry, charcoal, bitter chocolate, and hints of cassis liqueur. After a 30 minute decant, the alcohol/liqueur flavor tapered off; the charcoal note became more…

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

This was the best showing of this wine that I've had so far. Nice sappy red and purple core fruit, raspberry, wild cherry, and some spice. Not much of the signature KB cola note, but a nice sassafras…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Martinez Vineyard

Deep black raspberry, black cherry, cassis, black currant, and subtle bitter chocolate. Some vanilla-laced alcohol at the tail end of the attack, circling inside the mouth and clipping the finish…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper

PnP, with somewhat reticent notes of red and black fruit, cassis, and some earth and spice notes. I was missing some of the superlative intonations that would have otherwise driven me to express…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Very much in my lane in terms of the superior level of overall delivery that comes from the BTK site. Oakville fruit shown with a concentration and depth one would expect from a top tier wine, but…

Tusk Estates Cabernet Franc

Tasted at the House of Tusk Celebration event.

Tusk Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

Tasted at the House of Tusk Celebration event.

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon

Black and red fruit; some spice and sweet cassis as well. Deeply pitched and kicking out much more drive when compared to the 2014. The 2015 wrapped around the palate nicely, especially on the front…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon

Round and accessible with no hard edges. Some nice red and black (and hints of blue) fruit. Black cherry and cacao nibs dominated, with some vanilla alcohol, cedar, and earth on the back end.

AJ Pearce Cabernet Sauvignon Massoumi Vineyard

Made by the proprietor at The Wine Thief in Napa. As a sub-$100 wine ($75 retail), this showed a very approachable side to the 2013 vintage. If I understood him correctly, this wine was aged for 39…

Outpost Cabernet Sauvignon

Same as my notes from last year, except that I would project an optimum drinking window as far out as after 2020 or 2021+. The first few hours of consumption were so constricted it was difficult to…

Donelan Chardonnay Genevieve's Block DeVoto Vineyard

Same as my notes back in June. Very Aubert Lauren in style. I loved it.

Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Amoenus

Similar to my tasting notes in March, except that this especially showed dominant red and black cherry liqueur notes, along with red volcanic minerality and red clay earth notes. A fascinating wine…

Realm Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Fidelio

Same as my specific tasting notes from June 20, 2017. I've been fortunate enough to have a couple beautiful SQN whites lately, so they were still in my mind as I was sipping this Realm. I'd love to…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Initial sip on PnP was a hit of heat/alcohol and high register notes of pink terra cotta, hot red brick, pomegranate, and tart plum. A bit splintery on the attack, with the heat washing around the…

Denner Theresa

Similar to previous notes, except that I felt this was a little lacking in the depth department this go-around. It also didn't help that I had an awesome SQN In The Abstract a couple of days ago that…

Bevan Cellars Chardonnay

Same notes as last week. Colder service was better. 89-90 points.

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The O.G. Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Previous notes apply. 9 months since my last 2012 OG. Performed very nicely, but I felt like this was still a bit restrained. Purity of fruit was noteworthy, with a nice cedar note that crept up on…

Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

I was quite impressed with this wine. Not my preferred style in some respects, with a more reserved, classical profile on the attack. Yet, the delineation of flavors was extremely precise and…

Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée Tench Vineyard

Same as my notes two months ago. The best of the 2015 Bevans. Though still young and somewhat primary in its youthful delivery, the mid-palate concentration and complex flavor profile are certainly…

Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

This was an interesting addition to the lineup, providing a potential look at how the Staglin Cabernets stand to progress over time. Resolved in some respects (almost "over resolved"), with red and…