Reviews

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Black cherry, blackberry, black rock, deep/dark cassis, and some bitter dark chocolate present a POW-erful unloading on the palate. Back in June when I last sampled this beast, it was behaving more…

Sine Qua Non Syrah "M" Eleven Confessions Vineyard

Stunning purple and black fruit lead a formidable but sophisticatedly succulent push on the front-end delivery of the SQN "M" Syrah. Flanked by notes of blackberry, black olives, creosote, melted…

12c Cabernet Sauvignon G3 Reserve Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Red fruit driven with deeply pitched red raspberry and cassis notes. Finishes sweet and savory, with red currant and cedar flavors adding nuance. 91-92 points.

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Showing even more ripeness than when I last sampled it in August, the 2018 GIII shows the familiar ripeness of the Myriad GIII fruit vintage after vintage; round, ready, and fairly sweet. An…

Morlet Family Vineyards Chardonnay Ma Princesse

From the Ritchie site, the Ma Princesse delivers a serious push of mineral-inflected yellow citrus flavors. Outstanding energy, even after having been open for 2 days! More pure and vibrant than the…

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Mon Chevalier

A Bordeaux lookalike from Knights Valley that offers up some old school flavors of red and black currant, black and red cherry, tobacco, underbrush, and some leather. Finishes with an herbaceous…

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Morlet Estate

Red-fruit driven, with red cherry, spice, and earth skipping across the palate in a primary and somewhat washed-over delivery. Some heavy cassis notes (which I'm finding have really been a hallmark…

Ancillary Cellars Chardonnay El Diablo Vineyard

Super clean lemon yellow citrus, acacia, and lemon zest, with more of a focus on purity and delineation of flavor than the creamier and somewhat heavier Sangiacomo offering. The El Diablo achieves…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Not completely unlike the 2018 in that it showed some nice black mineral elements to counterbalance the fruit core, but it certainly is a bit of a tricky comparison when having the vintages…

Morlet Family Vineyards Pinot Noir En Famille

Red cherry, earth, spice, and a floral emlement that adds lift. Pure and clean on entry, with rhubarb and red raspberry picking up the rear and adding to an even more complete execution of complex…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

So.Much.Cassis.. and black cherry liqueur on the front of this wine right now. This sample was all about the frontal push of heavy gobs of cherry, cherry, cherry. It's like a bulldog with its…

Morlet Family Vineyards Chardonnay Ma Douce

From Fort Ross comes this super silky and creamy specimen that manages to reach such textural excellence that it glides effortlessly on to the palate without any sense of heaviness or sluggishness.…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Gobs of ripe fruit, sweet cassis, and red/purple licorice. A dark stallion kind of wine at its core, but encompassed by the typical Mike Smith-meets-Crane rounded ripeness and succulence. Beautifully…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Blackberry, oak char, burnt embers, asphalt, seriously dark cassis, and a fistful of enticing minerality make for another sexy-gothic bottle juice. The 2018 Quivet LPV is indeed the jet-black haired…

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc Force de la Nature

From Oakville, this sample was opened yesterday (which seemed to show a little bit of its evolution in terms of frame over flavor at this point). Nevertheless, red and black cherry fruit show good…

Morlet Family Vineyards La Proportion Dorée

Tropical up front without being too Hawaiian pool boy in your face about it, aided primarily by an exquisite smoothness that completely encompasses the core and judiciously corrals any would-be…

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Cour de Vallée

Fuller and richer than the Mon Chevalier and Passionnment, this suave debutante impresses for its plush black cherry liqueur core that gratifies the palate from stem to stern. Notably balanced with…

Ancillary Cellars Chardonnay Sangiacomo Vineyard

lemon and yellow apple skin are followed by richer and creamier notes of buttered popcorn, glycol, and vanilla bean. Fresh and expressive with notable tension and energy to counterbalance some of the…

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Passionnément

The spice trade is alive and well in the 2012 Passionnement, with all sorts of Indian spices and black pepper swarming around the black raspberry and black cherry core. Finishes dry (not as dry as…

Becklyn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper

Massive chocolatey and meaty fruit on the attack, with sweet gobs of black and red raspberry, cassis, licorice, and charcuterie on the front end. Quite the bitter bite on the tail at the moment.

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Peterson Family

As chewy and fruit-driven as the 2018 Myriad Crane, the Peterson rides a little higher than the Crane in terms of overall depth, but notably fills the palate with a gorgeous saturation of sweet…

Morlet Family Vineyards Billet Doux

A late harvest that does what it can to avoid becoming too clumsy or cloying. It's rich and viscous, but never heavy. Ripe, sweet peach, nectarine, and dried apricot make up the lion-share of flavors…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

This is certainly up there with the top 2017s to come out of Napa by far. Immediately it shows itself as a "complete" wine, with all the necessary moving parts hitting the right chords at the right…

Aubert Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

Lemon curd, coconut, vanilla bean, and lemon olive oil, the base bottling of Sonoma Coast comes off pure, fresh, and slightly viscous. Hints of ripe mango add to the profile but as they taper off,…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

The most inviting and "palate-compelling" right now, the 2014 Macdonald showed wonderfully expressive dark, black fruit, with some violets and asphalt adding to the profile. Surprisingly silky,…