Reviews

L'Aventure Estate Cuvée

Similar to my notes from a year ago except that this only took about 30 minutes in the decanter to really fan out. The Syrah component was dominant (which wasn't a bad thing). Full of blackberry…

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands

Probably one of the best KB appellation Pinots I've had in a while. After a string of disappointments (enough to make me walk from the allocation list after many years), this wine at least made me…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Well, this was likely one of the best Myriad Cabernets I've ever tasted. I'd even venture to say this was one of the top wines I've ever had in the 2012 vintage. The only thing keeping this from a…

Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard

Not exactly ready for prime time just yet, but surely showing promise of good things to come. I wouldn't recommend touching another one of these bottles for at least a year. Let it fatten up and fan…

Sarocka Cabernet Sauvignon

Same as 5 months ago. Good stuff. The only thing that keeps this from elevating further is that it seems to level out after an hour or so and never really kick into any exhibiting any full-throttle…

Switchback Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Same as my notes 9 months ago, except this took only about an hour in the decanter before it was singing nicely. Two hours and it was really kicking out some nice black cherry liqueur and dark…

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard

Same as previous notes. Developing a nice overall finesse, while still maintaining a profile driven by awesome depth and power. Decanted at 54 degrees for a total of two hours, which broadened the…

Lewis Cellars Sauvignon Blanc

Crisp and lively, while also exhibiting a voluptuous roundness that is seldom seen in SBs. In the past, Lewis has been known for severely over-oaking their SBs; thankfully, this was not the case…

Cirq Pinot Noir TreeHouse

So a little bit of a different experience with this wine from 5 months ago. PnP started out with vibrant high-toned red berry fruit. Good flavors and a lot of energy. An hour decant at 54 degrees was…

Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley

Same as a few weeks ago. Not bad. Not great. A good intro sipper. Had a little bit of a distracting alkaline tinge on the back end, which clipped the finish.

Salinia Syrah Heintz Ranch

Saline-driven syrah, with muted purple berry notes and a little wood. Nothing complex at this stage. A bit of a dud. I'm probably the only one on the planet who actually had a bottle of this left…

Topel 6Y

Overtly fruity and almost reminding me of a kid's juicebox. Not totally undrinkable, with some "red wine" characteristics, but just barely tolerable. Simplistic and a bit dead, like cran-grapejuice.…

Hall Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc

I almost bought some additional bottles of this, but held off just because it fell a little short on the finish for me. Honeysuckle, peach cobbler, lemon oil, lemon curd (like the kind in lemon…

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Kathryn Hall Napa Valley

A downright beautiful bottle of wine. Balanced beyond belief. This followed the Bergfeld (which was my favorite in the lineup), so the Kathryn Hall had some real catching-up to do in terms of…

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Jack's Masterpiece

Essentially identical to the 2013 Eighteen-Seventy-Three except that the Jack's Masterpiece had a bit more depth. The Jack's carried the same higher register red berry fruit and spice as the…

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Eighteen Seventy-Three Napa Valley

A little tight, with some high-toned red berry and currant flavors punching through the darker berry fruit notes. Some alcohol and vanilla, with a spicebox note that was fairly prominent on the back…

Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon Cuvée Katrina Eileen

As expected, this was the star of the lineup. The quality oak influence showed through in spades, but the near-perfect core of dark berry fruit could handle the 100% new French oak without any…

Hall Sauvignon Blanc T-Bar-T Ranch

A nice start to an otherwise Cabernet Sauvignon-heavy lineup from Hall. Crisp and refreshing the way a SB should be, but not overly complex in any way. Nothing necessarily out of place, but nothing…

Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon

This definitely needs a little bit of time to unwind and sort itself out; but what presented itself after about an hour decant was a very well delineated and focused core of deep, dark fruit. Notes…

Buccella Merlot

One of the best domestic Merlots out there, especially for a full-on Merlot (as opposed to some of the high end Merlot/Cab. or local BDX blends out there). This has more spine than the 2012 (not…

Buccella Sauvignon Blanc

An extremely inviting SB, with a good delineation of flavors and no hard edges to speak of. More on the tropical fruit side, but not overtly sweet or overbearing. No alkaline or steely metallic…

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Bergfeld

This was my favorite in the lineup, as it kicked out wonderful blue and black berry fruit notes, along with some signature Saint Helena minerality. This wine had so much of what I love about Napa…

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Simple and straightforward notes of plum, black cherry, some black raspberry, and a bit of cedar. Fairly plump and round, almost carrying some Merlot-like nuances. Some purple berry and talc notes…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Royalty in Exile

Again, wonderfully saturated red raspberry, red and black cherry, cola, rhubarb, earth, and baking spice flavors. Mid-palate is beautiful and full, completely enveloping; a textural dream.

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Previous notes from 08/22/2016 still apply, however I took some time to follow this over the course of a few hours.