Reviews

Wren Hop Chardonnay Ritchie by Proxy

Green apple skin, vanilla glycol, and lemon seed on PnP gave way to more unctuous flavors after about 30 minutes of air, with apple pie, poached pear, honeyed lemon oil, vanilla bean, and an enticing…

Vice Versa Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard

Now that this is in bottle it's exciting to see how this is settling in and where it's ultimately headed. A treasure trove of black cherry, red and black raspberry jam, earthy mulch, ginger snap…

Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

Red and black cherry, strawberry, rhubarb, earthy cinnamon, and some cedar. Held its own fairly nicely for an appellation Pinot. The lighter side of medium bodied, with a medium finish. Not a ton of…

Vinroc Wine Caves Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak

Dark black cherry, very ripe plum, and dark chocolate notes, with a bit of earth. Like The Mascot Cabernet served next to it, this wine suffered from a monolithic hit of near-over ripe fruit. A…

The Mascot

The first bottle was almost completely blown out and prune-ridden. It had been open for 24+ hours and showing every second of its over-oxidation. Prune and over-ripe plum, with a muddled and lost…

Outpost Cabernet Sauvignon

Black and blue core fruit, with asphalt, black currant, tar, and black gravelly soil. Excellent mid-palate weight and a notable push of flavors. Coats the mouth with a mineral-driven viscosity,…

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Brown Label

2013 Herold Coombsville and 2013 Herold Stagecoach Cabernets side-by-side.

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard

2013 Herold Coombsville and 2013 Herold Stagecoach Cabernets side-by-side.

Becklyn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

Ripe black cherry, cassis, plum, blueberry, and dark black raspberry rule the roost here. Some cocoa powder, forest floor, and even a light floral note show up to assist in elevating the core fruit.…

Clos Solène Hommage À Nos Pairs Reserve

Black cherry, blackberry, deep/dark kirsch, rich cassis, and ripe purple plum round out the core fruit here. Additional notes of hoisin and clay make an appearance midway through the attack. There is…

Bevan Cellars Ontogeny

Dark black cherry, bitter dark chocolate, red and black raspberry, blackberry, black currant, pencil lead, and some clove. Mid-palate weight and complexity was elevated, with a really balanced push…

Duckhorn Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley

High-toned lemon citrus, grapefruit, grass, and alkaline. Acidic, bitter, and astringent hits on the tail-end, as well as some alcohol; a bit of a hollow mid-palate that skips some depth and…

Bevan Cellars Merlot Alexis' Cuvée Showket Vineyards

PnP with just some swirling in the glass. Performed as described in my previous notes. Despite a touch of booze on the initial pull, the flavors of plum, black cherry, currant, and some faint…

Argot Pinot Noir Estate

As with my previous notes, I mention this wine's lushness and ripeness first and above any of its other elements; it's profile is modern and rich, with plump red and black raspberry flavors gushing…

Whitehall Lane Tre Leoni Napa Valley

Red and black cherry and some spice. Medium mid-palate with a round, light finish.

Vice Versa Chardonnay Platt Vineyard

An opportunity to administer the "at home" test on this wine to follow it in a more controlled environment and without other wines to fatigue-out or pull away focus on the palate. All eyes on…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

So after an uber-goofy restaurant experience with a previous bottle of this wine, I had to conduct the at-home test to see if I just blew a cool grand on a pile of wine that was going to amount to…

Arkenstone Sauvignon Blanc

Still loving this wine. All previous notes apply. Good drive and weight on this SB. Lime zest, creamy yellow citrus oil, and dry grass elements really playing well off of each other. Drink now.

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Well slap me silly with a stack of 80's skin flicks on videocassette... This wine didn't suck in any way, shape, or form, with B Cellars proving again that LPV can be both unctuously sexy as well as…

L'Aventure Cuvée "Les Demoiselles"

Blackberry seed, purple plum, red licorice, black tea, underbrush, pencil shavings, and some blue river rock. An interesting array of flavors, if not stunted a bit by a more linear delivery and…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon La Verdad Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Six month checkup on this wine. Performs as awesomely as expected, especially with a little bit of air in the glass. Traces of booze on the back end with a few higher-toned red fruit and cassis notes…

Morlet Family Vineyards Chardonnay Coup de Coeur

The 2016 Morlet Coup de Coeur is the domestic Chardonnay of the vintage. Pure sophistication and ethereal purity in a glass, with a perfectly balanced equilibrium of fresh and focused yellow citrus…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Side-by-side of a 2015 Vice Versa Las Piedras and a 2015 Fairchild Stones 1.

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Red and black cherry liqueur and a fistful of spices dominate the profile of the Purlieu GIII in its current state. A rounder, fruitier expression, especially when compared to the monster Teucer or…

Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Bettinelli Sleeping Lady Vineyard

Black cherry, currant, and cigar box dominate the profile of the 2016 Sleeping Lady. Medium-bodied, with a clean and pure execution, this particular sample showed a touch shy on its overall delivery.…