Reviews

Three Sticks Chardonnay Origin

A revisit of this wine since 5/9/2021. (On CT this shows up in a couple of places with various notes in each place, but this seems to have the most holdings, so I'll post here).

Bevan Cellars Syrah Moaveni Vineyard

Still best to hold for another 4-5 years. This thing is just a monster of a Syrah that slaps the sass right out of your palate before you even have a chance to take a second sip. It's straight Viking…

Arrow & Branch Sauvignon Blanc Heritage Reserve

Lime, lychee, grapefruit rind, honeydew, vanilla, and pisco sour flavors saunter from the glass with suave and pep. There's a flash of runway model here, but also a cunning and curious smirk behind…

Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Poetry

This is pretty solid stuff right here kiddos, with all the black cavernous fruit one would want, but it's gotta lot o' working out to do in the meantime. Structure, stuffing, and sophistication all…

Bevan Cellars Ontogeny

Blueberry pie, plum, and black cherry notes make for a ripe and ultra-modern showing. Though it's certainly a big mouthful, its overall intensity of flavor is fairly medium. It's a lush buster for…

Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

It's big. It's rich. It's ripe. It's To Kalon. It's Realm.

Andremily Mourvèdre

Super meaty, rich, and perfectly balanced. Silky smooth and a gushing mouthful of a wine, with plush cassis, blackberry pie, sanguine, salami, and ripe raspberry notes, this vintage of Mourvèdre is a…

Andremily Mourvèdre

Blackberry cobbler, cassis, black raspberry, and licorice notes are front and center on the flaunting push of gushing ripe and viscous fruit. A round and enveloping mid-palate makes for a saturated…

L'Aventure Côte-à-Côte Estate

A big-boned GSM (34%, 32%, 34%) that comes in hard and fast with purple and black berries that are all octaned-up and smoking with a core that is chockfull with gushing midnight ripe fruit and meaty…

Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard

A front-end push of wet wood and bruised lemon rind notes makes for an initial entry that is clasped in a scabbard of brusque bark and pungently developed citrus flavors. Coalescing into a…

D.R. Stephens Cabernet Sauvignon Moose Valley Vineyard

Notable hits of grip and energy set off plum and fig notes that are wrapped in a surprising amount of acidity, which work exceptionally well to catapult the additional black cherry, earth, faint…

Allbaer Sangiovese Le Retour

A penetrating and pungent candied red cherry fruit flavor dominates the profile in a frank delivery that pushes pronounced ripeness and alcohol to the forefront of the attack. It's a cocktail-driven…

Fulldraw Vineyard M.E.M.

Blackberries and cracked black peppercorns kick off a spicy profile that is laced with dark cassis and violet notes. Muscular but focused, and less of a bruiser than the initial unabashed hit of…

Fulldraw Vineyard Syrah Honey Bunny Fulldraw Vineyard

Big boned and beefy, with a bit of a grapey mid-palate that is luckily saved by some extra intensity and frame, the Honey Bunny is a predictable but pretty tasty Paso purple bumpkin. It's a bit…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch

A singular detonation of primary berry fruit and alcohol arrives hastily and without any sense of timidity, signaling a fledgling Cabernet Sauvignon that is all flexed-up and quite brawny on its…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Much improved since my last sampling of this wine back in 2018, this vintage of RBS certainly has shown its willingness to develop in terms of breaking past the prickly barriers it was struggling to…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Heritage Clone To-Kalon Vineyard

A stellar performance and unquestionably the best wine in the lineup, the 2018 Heritage Clone To Kalon forces you to stop in your tracks before you even try to take a sip, with a nose that blossoms…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon CCS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

A slight funk on the nose gives way to more pronounced fruit aromas of wild berries and plum. On the palate, dark berry compote is intermixed with leather, cedar, and currant notes, signaling the…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon "Old Sparky" Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Oh this is a shag-a-licious mojo-kickin' beast that's all about velour robes, cigars, and a crackling fireplace at midnight. Plush, silky, velvety, and a textural kitten purr of a wine, the 2012…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

This is listed as either the Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon (no TK designation) or with the To Kalon reference. It seems to have been a one-bottle part of the "Super Pack" back when it was released, but…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Killing Moon

It's been three years, and a revisit of this wine since 2018 reminds me of why there is so much appeal to be had here, what with the powerfully modern style doing its best to meet halfway with a…

Opus One

No one likes to be told what to do or how to experience something as personal as wine, so I'll couch this by way of some soft metaphors and in a way that is hopefully a bit more palatable…

Promontory

One would think that following the super strict and serious 2016 Lokoya Mount Veeder would mean that comparatively anything would come off as less rage ridden. Well, the Promontory apparently wants…

Abreu Cappella

Purity, balance, and grace are matched with gushing power and an unreal expansion of dark and brooding fruit and earth flavors, the Cappella is a captivating wine that shows just how special this…

Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

If there ever was a 2018 vintage domestic contender that could go toe-to-toe with the French equivalent that is the 2018 Chateau Lafleur, it would likely be the Bryant. These were the two wines of…