Reviews

Vice Versa Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard

Previous notes apply. Every time I am able to revisit this Pinot, I come to a greater appreciation for the site and the winemaking craftsmanship behind it. Black cherry, evergreen, underbrush,…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena

"Actually quite good," was the first entry into my notes on this wine. As Cristal2000 mentioned, this was a nice surprise. As soon as our host mentioned it was Lewelling Vineyard, I instantly became…

Bacio Divino Pinot Noir Lucie Bacigalupi Vineyard

Bold, dark red and black fruit flavors bolt out of this Pinot as if it was getting chased by the cops. Black cherry and dark spice notes dominate. Ripe and a bit extracted (a bit heavy and plush…

B Cellars Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Deliberate and delineated POWER is the name of the game here with this wine...but not brutish in any way. The flavors hit you with a 'skydiving without a parachute' type of velocity that grab ahold…

Bacio Divino Chardonnay Lucie Dutton Ranch

A pleasant and agreeable Chardonnay with palate-pleasing notes of refreshing yellow citrus fruit, popcorn, vanilla, pumice, and subtle grass. A "nice" short term sipper that cuts a good line between…

B Cellars Cabernet Franc Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Barrel sample. It's not every day that you find a 100% Cab Franc that is as utterly awesome as this '16 Dr. Crane. Yes, it is a barrel sample. Yes, barrel samples can be deceiving in terms of their…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon The Magnificent Seven

The best wine I've ever had. Ever...

Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium

We killed another .375 to see if it would perform any different than the previous night. It was a bit of a futile effort, as the Vice Versa wines dominated and wouldn't let any other wine stand in…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Heritage Beckstoffer

Barrel sample. Another massive creation, pumping out layers and layers of ripe black and deep red core fruit. Blackberry, black and red raspberry, black cherry, smoked meat, beef's blood, Chinese…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

My previous notes from 10/3/2017 still apply. Wonderfull black, Oakville soil-driven core fruit; black raspberry, black and red currant, clove, espresso, black soil, and scorched earth. As noted…

B Cellars Blend 26

An easy, simple ground-pounder when you're looking for something to pair with ribs and BBQ beans. Nothing too intellectual here, and a little out of place amongst the behemoth Beckstoffer wines. Some…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Barrel sample. Blasts of dark and jammy black core fruit, spice, and earth. Chewy tannins, with a boozy, jammy attack that washes over the palate like a Mavericks crashing wave of wild, soil-driven…

Bacio Divino Cabernet Sauvignon Janzen Cloudy's Vineyard

My favorite of the 2014 Janzen wines, notably besting its BTK and MH siblings, especially on the initial attack and with its mid-palate depth. A tremendous amount of drive and concentration, pushing…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Beautiful and elegant in its display of flavors, the '15 VV "standard" Crane brought a bit of romance to the party. Sexy and seductive notes of black, dark red core fruit. Blackberry, boysenberry,…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard

Barrel sample. Gobs of Bootsy Collins funkafied fruit, interwoven with a meaty, gamey core of blackberry cobbler, blackberry and raspberry liqueur, cherry syrup, absinthe salami, smoked BBQ ribs,…

Bacio Divino

An easy-going Cab that delivers some notable dark red and black core fruit flavors. Some dark spice (clove) and cedar elements provided a little extra lift. Medium-bodied overall, but a nice…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

I remember when a 4.0 GPA actually meant a perfect "straight A" average. Now there's 4.5s, 4.8s, and even 5.0 GPAs?! A perfect of the perfect of the perfect?! Whatever a kid has to do to get into…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Ehrlich Vineyard

Definitely a tick or two more advanced than the Blend 26 tasted just before it, the Ehrlich displayed some nice black and blue/red core fruit that held up through the mid-palate and into the finish.…

Bacio Divino Pazzo

A bit too fruity and plumy for my taste. A fun red meat pasta at Olive Garden type of wine, but that's about it. A red cherry note competed with an alcohol-covered spice flavor that thinned out the…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Previous notes apply. This Elysian is a textural, silky dream, with wonderful purity of fruit and a finish that really provides a long-distance running feel on the back end. What a glide! Black, red,…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

For a wine that was just bottled a week ago, this showed a nice sophistication and beautiful, seamless delivery of flavor across the palate. Deep, but not exceptionally so just yet, this BTK had a…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

This reminded me of a more regal version of a 2014 Myriad GIII, almost what I'd imagine the Empyrean to be like if Mike Smith produced a 2014 bottling of it. Finessed, elegant, but still pumping…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Previous notes apply. This showed a little bit of a crunchier, rustic side when compared to some of the other wines at the table. Still wonderfully giving in the fruit department, and super powerful,…

Bacio Divino Cabernet Sauvignon Janzen Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Barrel Sample from a Taransaud T5 barrique. An absolute bad a** example of the BTK site. Tons of power and concentration, but with a textural superiority that seldom graces such bombastic fruit…

B Cellars Chardonnay Barrel Select

A beautiful expression of the varietal. Captivating notes of ripe yellow citrus, poached pear, lemon curd, vanilla bean, fresh olive oil, lemon oil, and faint whispers of flint and pumice. Creamy and…