Reviews

Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Silver Eagle Vineyard

PnP. Same notes as a few months ago. I definitely prefer this over the Kanzler Pinot that I had the other day. This Silver Eagle had some more earth and spice notes to elevate its flavor profile. The…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Finished the bottle. Holding for a few years is still recommended. I poured this into a decanter and kept it at <52 degrees in an attempt to control the air influence (giving it air, but hoping…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Coravin pour. Same as before. It's fun. It's flavorful. It's not going to win any Nobel Peace Prizes or ever make it as an answer on Jeopardy, but this is solid juice served with a smile all day…

Bevan Cellars Ontogeny

Previous notes apply. Another fantastic showing from this "base" model Cabernet. The mid-palate and complexity are indeed notable from this sub-$100 wine. Punches above its weight class for sure.…

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Bergfeld

Previous notes apply. Showed more complexity than its 2014 Hall Howell peer that was served the day before, but didn't do a ton to really show that it belongs in the upper echelons of Napa Cabernets.…

Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Kanzler Vineyard

Fairly typical profile of the Pinots that come out of this house. Cloudy red raspberry, red cherry, orange rind, and some subtle earth. Medium all the way around, with rounded edges that seemed to…

Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

Same as last month. Last bottle. Won't miss it. Pass.

Domaine Chandon Brut

Flat on flavor and complexity. Bubbles and alkaline laced yellow-ish citrus core. No real identifiable flavors beyond "white wine with effervescence." Lame.

Switchback Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Same as previous notes. A decent amount of mid-palate concentration (though more on the elegant side of things overall), with some black mineral-laced fruit that added interest throughout…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Smaller Coravin pour, with little opportunity to thoroughly evaluate, but enough time to know that this wine is going to need a few years to fully come together. Much less seamless in its current…

Fuse Wines Cabernet Sauvignon

Medium-to-light flavors of diluted black cherry, red and black currant, and some subtle earthy spice. Mid-palate is medium in weight and somewhat decent considering the price-point here, but its…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Previous notes apply. Super smooth and agreeable. A little round and plush this time around, with a fruity finish that was certainly flavorful. An easy gulper at this stage.

Goldeneye Pinot Noir Anderson Valley

Light-to-medium bodied, with the initial attack displaying red and black cherry, strawberry, and some earth notes. The mid-palate drop is where this almost completely falls apart, with an…

Celani Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Ardore

Same notes as in April. Rich, chewy, and black. Chocolate chunk meets blackberry and dark black raspberry core fruit. A touch heavy and thick, but delivers high on the flavor scale. Drink now and…

B Cellars Chardonnay Barrel Select

Same notes as last month. A really nice balance between acid/frame/drive and core fruit flavor. Pure, balanced, and elegantly smooth, but also full and unctuous. Especially well-weighted mid-palate,…

Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon

Similar to my experience with this wine a few months ago, though after a couple of hours in the glass, it really opened up and started to show some wonderful black fruit flavors. Some nice dark earth…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Weitz Vineyard

It has been two years since I last had this wine. This go-around, PnP was strikingly similar to my last encounter with it. Balled-up, fairly acidic, and clenching the palate like Wile E. Coyote…

Aubert Chardonnay Sugar Shack

Highly expressive and currently flaunting it's sexy domestic vanillin oak and creamy buttered popcorn profile that I associate with and appreciate about Sugar Shack. Viscous and oily in the mouth,…

Patiné Cellars Pinot Noir Gap's Crown Vineyard

Sappy and ripe black and red cherry flavors gush on to the palate with a plush, fruit-forward push that washes over and completely coats the inside of the mouth. A gooey, viscous mouthfeel, with an…

Sine Qua Non Grenache Five Shooter

Dark, fairly round and rich, and displaying a ripe and ready attack of brooding black and crimson core fruit. Less of the funk than its Syrah counterpart, but equally as opaque. No high-toned red…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Turf War Bisagno Vineyard

Raspberry coulis, red cherry preserve/compote, purple plum, cassis, and some subtle minerality. Drinking surprisingly well on a PnP, with just a little swirling in the glass needed to coax out…

Hartford / Hartford Court Chardonnay Seascape Vineyard

Severely oxidized. Lamp oil and burnt butterscotch. Astringent, bone dry, and lacking any and all freshness. Two of two bottles performed similarly. Not a happy camper...

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Teucer Vineyard

Finished the bottle after a Coravin a few days prior. I didn't bother with a decant. PnP and a few minutes of swirling in the glass was perfect. Very much fan of this wine. Previous notes from…

Fait-Main Chardonnay Penhoet Toyon Farm

With some vigorous decanting, this showed signs of real promise. If you've had this wine before, y'all know Benoit has his Burgundian flair kicking off with this particular white. This is indeed a…

Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon

Incredibly viscous and powerful on entry, and still managing to carry out a notable balance across the palate; all the while, its delivery (though intense and driven) was still fairly seamless. Super…