Reviews

Argot Pinot Noir Estate

Same as last month. Pretty tight at first on PnP, but about an hour of air really brought it into its amazing delivery of sappy red raspberry and spice flavors. Good stuff.

Fleury Estate Winery BDX

This started out with a great rush of typical broad-shouldered Howell Mountain fruit. Fairly plush and round though, with its tight grip immediately after PnP only lasting about 20 minutes before it…

Trujillo Wines Cabernet Sauvignon

Same as last year's TN. It started out a little restrained, with a classical profile overall and some seemingly nice components of a frame to hold the red and black currant fruit in proper place.…

Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard

Same as my previous notes 8 months ago. Drinking extremely smooth but with a push that really drives the flavors forward through the mid-palate and on to a beautifully suave finish. A very balanced…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Drinking even better than a number of months before. Previous notes apply. This was served alongside a 2014 Maybach Materium and 2014 Scarecrow M. Etain. The Myriad held it own really well,…

Scarecrow Monsieur Étain

PnP was a little tight. After an hour in the decanter, prominent notes of black cherry, cassis, tobacco, incense, and hints of vanilla liqueur. Mid-palate was especially notable, with a fuller…

Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium

All of my previous notes apply. Still awesome, if you like your Cabernets on the riper side of things (which I typically do as long as the grip is fully intact - which it absolutely is in the case of…

Daniel Bouland Chiroubles Châtenay

Thin, lithe, and hyper linear. Watery cranberry, cherry, subtle wood, and some herbal flavors. Alcohol and bitter cranberry on the back end. Next-to-no finish. Pass.

Gros Ventre Pinot Noir First Born

A rich, viscous style that knows how to pull back in time to remind you it was made with attention to detail and notable craftsmanship in mind. The initial attack after PnP was a rush of dark black…

Studio Seven Fifty Pinot Noir Sun Chase Vineyard

A very interesting Pinot to be sure. Russell Bevan's "I'm not afraid of fruit" style coming forward unabashedly on the attack, but married really nicely with some of the wine's earthy qualities as…

Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Southing

From Magnum. Medium-to-light bodied flavors of black cherry, allspice, cedar, vanilla, and earth/soil. A faint herbal tinge on the back end. The delivery on this wine was fairly linear and somewhat…

Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard

Same as my previous notes. A beautiful bottle of Syrah. 95-96 points. Drink now and over the next couple of years.

Scarlett Wines Cabernet Sauvignon

Well, here I am back to awesome with the wine, experiencing some really nice black and red licorice and asphalt notes to cut through the massive core of red and black fruit. Previous notes apply, but…

Lewis Cellars Chardonnay Reserve

Previous notes apply. Big, voluptuous, and plush. Dominated by viscous lemon curd and vanilla notes. Quality fruit indeed, but nearing levels of coming across a little over-processed and devoid of…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

Notes of black currant, black earth, dark loam, and dark chocolate. In terms of flavor, the overall profile of this wine is undoubtedly in my wheelhouse, with a brooding, gothic type of quality about…

Tusk Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

As with the 2012 Schrader CCS, 2015 Carter OG, and 2015 Realm BTK, the Tusk was competing very well toward the final sips. Initial PnP was extremely tight and almost unforgiving. Super powerful and…

Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

PnP and this was one of the most giving and accessible of the wines served at the table. As noted by Cristal2000 and #1Winelover, this was indeed a young wine, but ironically delivering a medley of…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon CCS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

This Schrader started off much in the same way a 2013 Carter OG began its display of flavors on PnP the night before: overt red (and some black) fruit (bordering on "fruity") and little in its…

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

Previous notes apply, except that this was fairly tight and restrained throughout the course of consumption. It was not decanted (and definitely needed it), but over the course of a couple of hours…

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Cour de Vallée

This wine was decanted for a number of hours and still struggled to exhibit much more than some tight, compacted red, black, and purple berry notes. Some faint earth and minerality, with…

Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé

A fun and festive brut rose. Light strawberry, ripe peach, and some yeasty brioche flavors. In my opinion, best served as cold as possible. Keep on ice/refrigerated throughout consumption; don't let…

Vineyard 29 Sauvignon Blanc Estate

A perplexing wine for sure. The oak influence in this wine confused the flavor profile for me to the point that I really couldn't understand what I was drinking. A significantly bitter,…

Greer Cabernet Sauvignon Greer Vineyard

Rob Greer took the time to meet up with us at lunch and bring a bottle of this 2014 Greer. An amazingly giving gesture indeed and a wine with a lot of potential ahead of it.

Lithology Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

I had the opportunity to try this wine again. I honestly just don't get it. I have no idea what direction these guys were going in this expression of To Kalon. My previous note applies.…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Coliseum Block

Soft and surprisingly earthy notes of black fruit, mulch, and a little funk. This seemed fairly advanced in its flavor profile. In all honestly, it's not exactly a fair fight when this is having to…