Reviews

Château Boswell Pinot Noir Absolutely Eloise Sun Chase Vineyard Sonoma Coast

CRISTAL's assessment is spot-on. Notes of black cherry, tobacco leaf, earthy cedar, and subtle woody spice. A decent amount of fruit here, with more focus than the overtly bombastic Rita's Pinot…

Château Boswell Estate Reserve

60/40 CS/CF. Spicy black cherry, wild black raspberry, currant, black soil, rainbow peppercorn, Christmas spice, and hints of leather. The front end was heavy with spice, leading ahead of the fruit.…

Château Boswell Red Wine

I believe this is the "Tapestry" label, but CT has some name cross-pollination with calling it Tapestry and/or the Proprietary blend. It is labeled Tapestry in some vintages (through 2013) and…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon La Verdad Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Love this wine! Previous notes apply. So focused and deliberate in its delivery of flavors, and also so texturally seductive on the palate. The front end is incredibly giving with its silky fruit…

Château Boswell Chardonnay True Course

A beautiful Chardonnay, with a complexity of silky and sexy flavors that is hard to come by in most domestic Chards. Much richer and viscous than the Ritchie Chard served before it, this True Course…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon La Bam Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Boy did this kick out a s***-ton of fruit this time around. Gobs of black and purple berry flavors injected with healthy doses of black rock, cassis, and some sweet spice.

Château Boswell Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard

Yellow citrus, white peach, yellow apple skin, lemon zest, and some white stone. Fairly acidic, but providing nice energy and lift, especially on the back end where the grip clenches the jaw and…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Carter

Carter Carter... The wine so nice, they named it twice (Oh, that never gets old! - I don't get out much apparently)... Anyway...

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Weitz Vineyard

Previous notes apply. Wonderfully vivacious fruit flavors, with a youthful tension that begs for a little more time in bottle to settle in. Acid and structure are at the forefront. It is certainly…

Château Boswell Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

The most complete of the Boswell reds in the lineup presented, this BTK showed a notable distribution of weight (especially mid-palate) and a medium-bodied flavor profile overall. Holding a bit firm…

Château Boswell Pinot Noir Absolutely Eloise Rita's Crown Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills

Once again, I concur with CRISTAL's on-point description of this wine. Much more modern indeed, especially in comparison to the Sun Chase served before it. Dark, dark black cherry, muddled ripe…

Château Boswell Cabernet Sauvignon At Anchor

Black cherry dominated, with somewhat invasive menthol and evergreen notes swirling around additional flavors of forest floor and spice. Medium bodied and somewhat restrained overall, with the core…

JCB Cabernet Sauvignon Nº 10

Red and black currant, cedar, black licorice, and some spice. World's apart from the wah-waahh 2011 version served before it. That said, this 2012 was an average performer. Medium bodied and a little…

JCB Cabernet Sauvignon Nº 10

Oh 2011, once again you have failed me. It's not a "style;" it's not "palate preference." It's just "not good." Sometimes I feel as though I shouldn't even comment on wines like this. That if I don't…

JCB Passion

90% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Petite Sirah. Black raspberry meets bitter blackberry seed. I can only imagine that the healthy dollop of PS is the culprit that threw this thing into a goofy tail spin.…

JCB Pinot Noir No. 6

Black cherry, dried cranberry, earth, and orange peel. Medium-shmedium all the way around - body, weight, complexity.

VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch

Coiled-up red currant, red cherry liqueur, black cherry, spice, and peppercorn. Bound up pretty tight, with a spicy/peppery element to compliment the red (and black-ish) core fruit. The purity of…

Vice Versa Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard

Even more intense than when I last had it in February, the VV Platt Pinot explodes with ripe black cherry, currant, juniper, evergreen, and earthy spicebox notes.

Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

PnP. An absolutely incredible showing. The best I've experienced with this wine, and probably one of the best 2012 Napa Cabs I've had in recent memory. I almost wanted to hit it with a 100 point…

Vice Versa Chardonnay Platt Vineyard

Having the opportunity to follow these VV Platt wines is really something special. My previous notes apply, with some additional comments about "quality"...

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

A fun addition to the lineup, this VV BTK (labeled as "Napa Valley") is a beautiful example of how these wines can show their maturity while still displaying youthful verve and energy. Black cherry,…

Dana Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Hershey Vineyard

My first experience with this wine. It unfolded really nicely throughout the evening. A ton of verve here, with a tension that provides a hyper-focused delivery of flavors. As others have noted, it…

JCB Chardonnay No. 33

65% new oak/14 months. A Burgundian rendition with pure lemon citrus and white peach notes. Fairly full on the front end, but clean, crisp, and pure overall. Mid-palate was a tad hollow, with the…

Sine Qua Non Grenache Jusqu'à l'os Eleven Confessions Vineyard

An absolute monster of a Grenache-dominated blend, with viscous and deeply pitched black raspberry, red/black licorice, Amarema black cherry syrup, black and blue river rock, and subtle incense…

Fait-Main Chardonnay Penhoet Toyon Farm

An decent showing, but missing that next-level oomph. Refreshing and crisp, but a bit singular in its delivery of would-be complex flavors. Paired well with the seafood dishes. As a stand-alone, it…