Reviews

Scarlett Wines Cabernet Sauvignon

Previous notes from two months ago apply. Good, solid core fruit, great body and drive, and notable complexity that continues to amaze given its QPR.

Sarocka Cabernet Sauvignon

Previous notes apply. Against the competiton of other Napa Cabs, this was the middle of the pack. Likely one of the most focused of the wines at the table, but a little linear across the board. Some…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Witch's Ladder

1.5 years since I last had this wine. Very good focus and delineation of flavor. More of a straight shot in terms of delivery, with wonderful underbrush and rosemary notes drilling though the black…

Venge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Bone Ash Vineyard

This wine wiped the floor over the other wines at the table. In its class, it and a '14 Bevan Ontogeny were the WOTN. Powerful and concentrated, awesome black core fruit flavors, with black rock and…

The Grade Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Winfield Vineyard

Previous notes from last month apply. Medium bodied and middle of the pack amongst other wines at the table. Nice black and some blue core fruit. Similar profile to a '14 Buoncristiani Cab. Drink now…

Bevan Cellars Syrah Moaveni Vineyard

It's been a year since I last had this wine. It still needs some time to fully settle in, but it is certainly on a righteous road to perfection. As others have noted, this wine couldn't fully shed…

Realm Cellars The Tempest

Cassis, black cherry, black currant, bitter chocolate, and some electric purple plum. Some baby fat still present, but it eased up pretty fast and became a medium-bodied plush stuffed animal in…

Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard Anderson Valley

PnP with a slap of dried apricot, buttered popcorn, lamp oil, butterscotch, wood, and bruised lemon rind. Fairly abrasive in the front and somewhat angular though the mid-palate. Finish was flat and…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Last minute pull. Previous notes apply, though this was more flavorful and giving after a slow O2 for an hour and some swirling in the glass. I'll try to hold until after 2019+.

Argot Pinot Noir Estate

Exact same note as in April. It got a little lost, blown out, and muddled toward the end, with the ripe red candied raspberry note dominating. PnP offered the best sips. Serve this wine on the colder…

The Debate Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Much improved from my last bottle. Some old world restraint here (which is indicative of Hoefliger's style), but some nice dark berry and currant flavors that kept me coming back for another sip.…

Becklyn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

All previous notes apply. This continues to impress all who sample it. The bottle was empty before everyone knew it. Drinking fine now on PnP, but may improve even more in the "seamlessness of…

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard

Coravin pour. Similar notes as last year. Some really nice black cherry and bitter chocolate notes initially, but this teenager is still working itself out. A lot of bitter sediment came to the…

Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

I'm still not jiving on this wine. I know it's an appellation Chardonnay with a seemingly great QPR, but... there was no elegance or refinement to be had here. Pretty simple in complexity and flavor,…

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

All previous notes apply. Served alongside a '14 Carter Grand Daddy, which had a more red-fruited profile and a little less depth than the OG. The OG was more of a black/purple/crimson profile, with…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The Grand Daddy Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

It has been two years since I last had this wine. PnP with notes of black cherry, cassis, black and ripe red raspberry, red and black currant, tobacco leaf, black licorice, and a faint herbal/menthol…

Clos Solène Hommage À Nos Pairs Reserve

PnP was fairly hot and cocktail-esque initially. After an hour in the decanter, some of the booze dissipated, but never fully ceased distracting a bit from the overall core fruit. Dark red and…

Outpost Cabernet Sauvignon

Same as my notes on this wine from last month. Black and purple core fruit (with some streaks of dark red), cassis, spice, and some licorice. More frame and grip than the 2015 Outpost Immigrant…

Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard

"A beautiful wine," was the general sentiment among most of the crowd, though some (myself included) felt like it was holding back quite a bit, with the frontal push of flavoring to be reticent and…

Outpost Immigrant True Vineyard

Served next to the 2015 Outpost Cabernet Sauvignon (which I preferred ever so slightly - mainly for its elevated frame and grip). Purple and black core fruit, with black currant, black soil,…

Sine Qua Non Syrah Touché Eleven Confessions Vineyard

Served side-by-side with the '12 SQN Stein. Not surprisingly, the Touché was one of the wines of the night, and especially unfortunate for the 2012 SQN Stein, which received a serving up of a good…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Cautionary Tale

Not one ounce of doom and gloom here with this "Cautionary Tale." PnP with wonderful black cherry, saturated and sappy black raspberry, bark, cacao bean, and some incense and cinnamon stick. Most…

Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée Tench Vineyard

The only thing that kept this from being 100 points tonight was that the MACDONALD kept coming along and smacking around everything in front of it. All of my previous notes on this EE apply. This is…

Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Strikingly similar to the 2010 Carter Grand Daddy, except that the Mondavi had a lighter body overall, with a bit of an old-world, earthy quality that made it uniquely stand out when compared to the…

Revana Cabernet Sauvignon Block 6

Very similar to the 2012 Block 6 I had the week before. Dark black and some super dark red core fruit, with black currant, chocolate, black soil, and spice to round-out the flavor profile. Dark,…