Reviews

Carlisle Petite Sirah Palisades Vineyard

PnP with extraordinarily tight and tart high-toned red and purple berry notes. NUTTY08 noted a prominent pomegranate flavor, which was dead on. Not astringent or biting, but clenched so tight I could…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Previous tasting notes apply. My last bottle. PnP was slightly tight, with some alcohol lingering on the finish. Red and black fruit dominant, with black licorice, red and black currant, and some…

Greg Linn Chardonnay Grangerville

The proverbial California Chardonnay. Rich, buttery, oaky, and popcorn-laced. A bit oily (which I actually liked), but certainly lacked complexity and some delineation of flavors; overshadowed by the…

Araujo Estate Sauvignon Blanc Eisele Vineyard

Lovely and smooth. Not especially memorable as a stand-alone drink, but obviously well crafted. Classic SB flavors; not a tropical fruit bomb, but not plagued with an alkaline/wet stone astringency…

Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard

Restrained and a bit muted for a California Zinfandel. Not much going on here at the moment. As a stand-alone wine, this was fairly forgettable. Good vineyard source, but nothing compared to what…

Boich Family Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Identical to my notes from October 2015. This wine has a lot of verve and energy, packed with coiled-up red and blue fruit flavors. Very good now; will hopefully be greater in another year or two.…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Quick impromptu tasting with Mike Smith during a pick-up of my Carter/Myriad/Quivet wines. This was poured via Coravin and allowed just a little time for air with some swirling in the glass.

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Bluegoose's notes are right on the money with this wine. Not much else to add. Certainly a well crafted and enjoyable wine, but somewhat overshadowed by the 2012 and 2013 vintages. Turned a little…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Quick impromptu tasting with Mike Smith during a pick-up of my Carter/Myriad/Quivet wines. This was poured from Coravin with just a little time to breathe in the glass.

Clos Solène La Petite Solène

Same as my previous notes on this wine. Still notably tight. I would hold for another year (mid/late 2017). 91-93 point potential.

L'Aventure The Sibling

Same as my notes from 3/4/2016. Anyone with remaining bottles should hold until late 2017 at minimum. Still very tight, with a total of four hours of air in a wide-bottomed decanter still not helping…

Eric Kent Wine Cellars Pinot Noir Sascha Marie

Still needs some time to work itself out. Notes of red berry fruit, red raspberry, strawberry, cherry, a little spice, and alcohol. A little thin on the mid-palate, medium-bodied, with a bit of a…

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

PnP was somewhat accessible, with notes of red raspberry, strawberry, cherry, and some very faint earth/spice intermingling with the predominantly red fruit-flavored profile. Barely a hint of that…

Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard

WAIT on this wine! Decanted for over three hours, showing signs of those top shelf Alban flavors of black raspberry, olive, and charred/bbq. However, it's not quite there yet. This 2010 was quite…

Mail Road Wines Chardonnay Mount Carmel

Same as my December 2015 notes, except that I found this to be even more humdrum than last time. The fruit has faded even more so than I remember from 9 months ago.

Del Dotto Cabernet Sauvignon Connoisseurs Series Allier French Oak Gamba Block 2

Notes of black berry fruit, dark plum, and cedar. Smooth and drinking well now; looks to be at the apex or just on the beginning downturn of its optimum drinking window. The cedar note became more…

Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Silver Eagle Vineyard

Nine months have gone by since my last tasting note on this wine. It has certainly started to integrate nicely in comparison to my previous sour ball experience on initial PnP back in December. This…

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Brown Label

Holding steady at 95-96 points. Previous tasting notes from a few months ago still apply. Three hours of air in a decanter at 54 degrees smoothed out the overall texture of the wine very nicely.

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Architects & Saboteurs

Same as my tasting notes from almost a year ago, except that this has clearly evolved in the bottle even better since October 2015. Dark black cherry, currant, and spice notes were at the forefront.

TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Cimarossa Vineyard

Unbelievable showing this time around. Similar to my specific tasting notes six months ago in terms of specific flavors, except that the black licorice and asphalt notes circled even more superbly…

Eric Kent Wine Cellars Chardonnay Sangiacomo Green Acres Hill

PnP with notes of lemon citrus, pear, popcorn, and a bit of vanilla. Straightforward and simple, but a pleasant drink nonetheless. Air didn't change this much. In the end, a little humdrum.

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Daughters of Earth Goldrock Ridge

Same as my notes from 3/11/2016. An amazing pinot that fits my palate perfectly. One of the best domestic pinots out there. A little flashy, but in the best of ways, with a medley of beautifully ripe…

Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection

PnP with accessible and immediately gratifying notes of blackberry, black cherry, black and red current, dark chocolate, and vanilla bean. A kiss of spice on the back end framed the core flavors…

Keplinger Sumo

PnP with high-toned notes of violets, grass, stone, bitter blackberries, and some blue fruit. Three total hours in the decanter didn't help to evolve this much.

Carlisle Syrah Papa's Block

Same as my notes from February 2016. 93+. A decent drink now with a short decant or hold for another year.