Reviews

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Blackberry, black cherry, and ripe purple fruit compile the core fruit, with scorched earth, wet cedar, and obsidian framing the general profile. This is displaying a bit of a reduced and macerated…

Becklyn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper

Creosote, blackberry, damp black earth, fresh turned soil, and some charcuterie notes cut in line before the frame eventually catches up with its semi-sweet, rich tannins. A bit of an onslaught on…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Star Vineyard

Uber plush and fruity, with black cherry syrup surrounded by cinnamon and nutmeg spices washing over the palate in a round, plump delivery. Finishes with the sweet spice note swirling around the…

Aubert Chardonnay CIX Estate Vineyard

Oak and vanilla-laced lemon curd dominated for the first part of consumption. After some swirling in the glass, some delineated yellow citrus flavors were permitted past the pillowy gates of the…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

A huge step up from when I last had this wine almost two years ago, this vintage of the VV LPV has really come into a wonderful drinking window with a little help from a couple of hours in the trusty…

Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée

Decant for a few hours and you will be handsomely rewarded. PnP is, as with many of Bevan's concoctions, a bit of a slutty alcohol laced liqueur experience. However, once some good old fashioned O2…

Aubert Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard

This was a bit of a dud overall, with some overly oxidized characteristics that were confusing at best. Everything seemed intact and there were no overt signs of a technical flaw, but the fruit was…

B Cellars Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

A near perfect example of Cab Franc; a much more resolved and less crunchy demeanor than last year's bottle. Notes of blackberry, black cherry, black plum skin, Christmas spice, and violets. Less of…

Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Summa Old Vines

Similar as before. Exceptionally good in terms of exhibiting a nuanced and quasi-complex flavor profile from start to finish. Orange peel, red raspberry, and some bark elements dominate. A touch thin…

Aubert Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard

Plum, red raspberry, big black cherry, vanilla-strawberry, spice, and a fistful of alcohol. Following this over two days could not fully shake it of its cocktail profile. Air did help, and day two…

Maxem Pinot Noir UV Vineyard

A Coravin pour on day one was a lot of big black cherry fruit and a significant amount of alcohol swirling around in a whirlwind of flavors and varying levels of tug-of-war power and shifting weight…

Addax Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

The booze has certainly integrated a bit better here, but the flavors have become more plush and round. Good in some senses, but missing grip when compared to the gobs of blackberry fruit. A flavor…

Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Black currant, cedar, wood dust, blackberry, and some black cherry. Grippy and youthful, with a medium-bodied profile and medium finish. Simple in terms of fruit flavor expansion, but controlled and…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

It's been nearly a year since my last bottle. Similar to Badmonkey's experience, this seemed to struggle to fully come around. After a decent amount of babying and trying to give it air (which warmed…

Sine Qua Non Entre Chien et Loup

Certainly a worthy comparison to a strong white Rhone, with a deeply pitched and viscous mouthfeel that makes for a full-throttle (at times, a bit heavy) delivery. It's a weighty white to be sure,…

Bevan Cellars Syrah Moaveni Vineyard

Previous notes apply. Black fruited, with slightly woodsy olive brine, railroad tie, and camphor notes that add interest. A ton of fruit here, but still finishing with some alcohol on the back end,…

Aubert Pinot Noir UV Vineyard

A very tasty wine, if not a little overblown with overt and saturated red raspberry and muddled over-ripe strawberries and red cherry notes that keep the delivery fairly singular and straightforward…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Fortuna Vineyard

Coravin pour. Crunchy blackberry seed, black and red currant, river rock, purple plum skin, and gravel. Great tension; a bit grippy, but straddles a nice line between balance and speed. Could still…

Realm Cellars The Bard

Very good! VASTLY improved from last year. Chocolate, blackberry, black wet soil, earth, and still hints of vanilla bean (but not overly processed). Black core fruit. Balanced nicely. Notable weight…

Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon NVD

Black cherry and black and red currant encircled by a subtle zing of strawberry give way to a medium-bodied attack that offers supple delivery of flavor. Draws thinner as it approaches the…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Weitz Vineyard

Similar to how it behaved in barrel, the Weitz is sporting a super fruity profile of uber-ripe cherry syrup, cassis, char, and candied raspberry. Unresolved in its delivery and seemingly searching…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon La Verdad Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Black cherry, saccharine, bitter chocolate, fresh red and black licorice, and black rock steamroll onto the palate and deliver whopping gobs of fruit on the frontloaded attack. A bit overwhelming,…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch

Barrel sample. Electric purple fruit, blackberry, black cherry, black licorice, garrigue/underbrush, and some earthy stems. The Vine Hill is a much more expressive and zippy sample when compared to…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon La Bam Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Much like the Fortuna, but indeed richer and more intense mid-palate, the Bam karate kicks out a "Kiai!" ("Hi-yah" for the uninitiated) of red and black cherry fruit that thrusts across the palate…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The G.T.O Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Composed and alluringly poised when mirrored to its 2017 counterparts, the GTO lets you know it is showing up to the ball with a touch of class. Less concentrated and intense than the OG, but…