Reviews

Herb Lamb Cabernet Sauvignon HL

This took about an hour in the decanter before it opened up and showed its hand nicely. Notes of red/black licorice, wet black pebbles, red/black currant, black cherry, spicebox, pulverized granite,…

DuMOL Pinot Noir Estate

PnP with notes of tart cranberry and raspberry, black cherry, cola, black tea, earth, and some menthol. Into the decanter it went for over an hour (and consumed over another hour+).

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Kings Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

PnP with notes of black and red currant, black licorice, granite, asphalt, purple berry, blackberry, and clove. I let this sit in the decanter for an hour or so, which allowed the depth to unleash…

Carlisle Petite Sirah Palisades Vineyard

Same notes as 6 months ago. Great on a PnP and no need for a decant. Drink now! Good stuff!

Bevan Cellars Pinot Noir Summit 1376'

Coming along very nicely since my CT tasting note on 11/11/2015. Allowed to decant for about two hours at 54 degrees. Rich black raspberry, black cherry, hard candy (a little like "red hots" only not…

Carlisle Syrah Rosella's Vineyard

MATT SCOTT nailed it again with many of the specific tasting notes on this wine. Flavors of elderberry, blueberry, blackberry, violets, limestone, and earth. It almost tasted to me as though there…

Carlisle Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley

Poured at the Carlisle pickup alongside the 2014 Carlisle Rosella's Syrah and 2014 Carlisle Saitone Zinfandel.

Carlisle Zinfandel Saitone Ranch

Poured at the Carlisle pickup alongside the 2014 Carlisle Rosella's Syrah and 2002 Carlisle Dry Creek Zinfandel.

Bevan Cellars The Curmudgeon

Like others have mentioned, this is a nice bottle of wine, but admittedly nothing that "wowed" me by any stretch. 97 from RP seems like a complete stretch. Maybe insofar as a 2011 Napa red is…

Carlisle Grüner Veltliner Steiner Vineyard

Tasted at the Carlisle pickup.

Sine Qua Non Syrah Five Shooter

PnP with notes of ripe (reductive) plum, saline, amarena fabbri wild black cherry, ripe cranberry, hot brick, terra cotta, worn leather, brush, and a hint of vanilla. Fanned out nicely over the…

The Grade Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Kingly Project Winfield Vineyard

A big, black, brooding Cabernet with a near-bottomless pit of dark core flavors. PnP with coiled-up blackberry, black licorice, red and black currant, asphalt, tar, bitter dark chocolate, obsidian,…

Favia Syrah Quarzo

Notes of huckleberry, purple/red plum, ollalaberry, pulverized granite, faint vanilla bean, and some residual alcohol. Nothing hollow, filling the mid-palate nicely, but just a tad shy on the back…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Twins Vineyard

PnP and my initial reaction was along the same lines of a number of folks who commented about this wine needing time. Very tight and clipped at first, but bursting at the seams with a medley of dark,…

Carlisle Syrah James Berry Vineyard

I was actually pleasantly surprised by the openness and accessibility of this wine. The 2012 Carlisle Syrahs have proven to be an improvement overall from the past few vintages Mike Officer has put…

Forman Cabernet Sauvignon

Opened this as part of a lineup of 2013 Cliff Lede, 2013 Rivers-Marie, and 2010 L'Aventure Cabernets.

Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon

Tasted this alongside a lineup of 2013 Cliff Lede, 2010 Forman, and 2010 L'Aventure Cabernets.

Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District

I opened this up as an experiment with a lineup of 2013 Rivers-Marie, 2010 Forman, and 2010 L'Aventure Cabernets. This was at the end of the pack.

L'Aventure Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

Same as my previous CT notes on 2/7/2016.

TOR Chardonnay Cuvée Torchiana

A nice and smooth bottle of wine, with notes of lightly whipped lemon curd, pear, and some minerality on the back end. Much less complexity than I had anticipated, and a lot less energy and verve as…

Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley

Lighter notes of pineapple, apple, lemongrass, and flint/chert. Not especially complex or gleaming with any sort of notable flavor depth. A fine drink for a hot spring day in Napa Valley, but nothing…

Cliff Lede High Fidelity

A little better than the 2011 Cliff Lede Stags Leap Cabernet, but just barely. A 2012 Cliff Lede Stags Leap Cabernet was much better than either of the 2011s tasted alongside it.

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Brown Label

Same as my CT notes on 2/12/2016. I bumped this up another point, as it was rocking, with all of the right parts in place. It had been open for a few hours in the bottle, which seemed like a great…

Mark Herold Wines Herold

This was a Coravin pour, tasted alongside the 2013 Brown Label and the 2013 Coombsville at Mark Herold in Napa.

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Brown Label

I tasted this wine in a side-by-side comparison with a bottle that had been open for approximately 6 hours, and one that was served via a Coravin device. These two 2013 Brown Labels were also served…