Reviews

Accendo Cellars Sauvignon Blanc

Kiwi and lime notes lead the charge, with a secondary rush of lemon and quince flavors rounding-out the profile. A very suave rendition of Sauvignon Blanc, with notable texture and a silky mouthfeel.…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon

A barrel sample, showing some heavy reduction on the nose, but quickly giving way to gobs of powerful fruit. A massive mouthful. Dark berries and oak char dominate at the moment, with the sense that…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Barrel sample. Anyone who knows me knows that LPV is directly in my wheelhouse, and based on the performance of this LPV, it should be in your wheelhouse, too. Aside from the 2019 M7 (which was just…

Christopher Tynan Wines Syrah Judge Family Vineyard

I've written a few times on this wine and am always impressed with the wonderful balance between unctuous flavor expansion and cooler climate restraint and focus that ultimately make this wine so…

Realm Cellars The Absurd

A chocolate cream and vanilla bean dream that saturates the entire mouth with creamy oak, massively luscious dark fruit, chocolate syrup, and alcohol. This behaved very much like the Realm Crane we…

Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon Amoenus

A TON of fruit roars on to the palate with gobs of black cherry and plum flavors. Succulent and flamboyant, suffused with black raspberry liqueur and fruity mixed berry elements that create a…

Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

At the French Laundry. A mouthful of ripe fruit illustrative of what one might expect from this house and this site. A whopping wine from a big vintage from a vineyard that often produces succulent…

Christopher Tynan Wines Syrah Judge Family Vineyard

Barrel sample. A Cote Rotie lookalike, the 2019 Syrah is bursting with bunches of violets mixed with unripe blackberry, blackberry seeds, Chambord, red raspberry, purple licorice, freshly washed…

Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Proprietor Grown 25th Anniversary

Blackberry skin, bitter chocolate, black rock, and anise notes leap from the glass with nervy tension and a firm acidic clamp that instantly grips the palate and the jaw with skillful might. Finishes…

Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon Heimark Vineyard

Instantly yummy, with an added dark and serious streak that is certainly attention-grabbing. A textural masterpiece, with fine-grained tannins offering the perfect frame and speed by which to carry…

Morlet Family Vineyards La Proportion Dorée

A much more poised and refreshing bottle than the last visit I had with this wine. Depth and bass tone penetration is achieved successfully in part because it has the upper elevation citrus zest and…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

A barrel sample, and one that is all about yummy Crane goodness. If you're a fan of this site, then this will not disappoint. Flamboyant and chewy-sweet fruit wash over the palate with notes of…

Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon SongBook

Though knowing Tynan is the winemaker here might have influenced my mindset, upon first sip of the Songbook, I was instantly reminded of the Tynan MGs we had sampled earlier that morning (of course,…

Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon NVD

Higher-toned and red-fruited on entry, with cranberry puckering the tip of the tongue on the first flash of the initial entry, quickly giving way to an instantly easy-going fruity mid-palate.…

Ultramarine Sparkling Rosé Heintz Vineyard

A taut and refreshing Rose, with higher and lighter expressions of cranberry water, lemon pith, citrus spray, chalk, and Himalayan salt rock notes popping from the glass and nipping at the palate.…

VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch

Young, driven, and really, really determined in its energy and thrust, this wine was off to the racetracks with a super thrilling acidic frame that was spinning its essences in the mouth with so much…

Tusk Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

This bottle is all about power right now. Black fruit and booze dominate the entry, finally relaxing after an hour or so of air. In fact, I revisited this bottle 24 hours later and it wasn't until…

Maxem Pinot Noir Silver Eagle

An intensely scented nose foreshadows a correspondingly floral entry on the palate, with penetrating notes of violets, deep cranberry, crunchy black cherry, and slight citrus and mineral notes. There…

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc Force de la Nature

Hot and ripe on the first pop, but then it gets right into a nice stride, inviting another sip (and another bite of food). Plump black cherry, black and red currant, red and black licorice, and…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon The Magnificent Seven

Locked and loaded is most apropos here. Packed, stacked, but not yet cracked, this 2018 M7 is fortified with tense and quivering black cherry, bitter chocolate, and rock notes that stubbornly tell…

Maxem Pinot Noir UV Vineyard

Deep black cherry dominates, with a broad push of full berry fruit flavors washing over the palate. Finishes with a plush feel on the back end, with a "hug me like a teddy bear" demeanor enticing for…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

A perfect wine in the making, the 2018 Macdonald is undoubtedly going to be one of the top wines of the vintage. For those familiar with the Macdonald lineage, the 2018 will be no surprise as a…

Arkenstone Estate

A barrel sample, carrying firm and fine tannins that showcase blackberry, black licorice, and violet notes with cleverness and class. The floral component becomes more intense with air, racing…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon The Magnificent Seven

So this didn't suck at all. Holy Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, what is this concentrated showboater of a jammin' juice to which you have put before me good sir?! You want a standout? Here it…

Maxem Chardonnay UV Vineyard

Juicy yellow citrus flavors are complimented by a nice touch of oak that offer measured succulence and an excellent mouthfeel. This stays in a very nice lane, with focus and the delineation of its…