Reviews

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Pow!! PnP was a smack of intense black cherry liqueur, red and black licorice, cassis, kirschwasser, vanilla bean, and alcohol. A young and sultry wine.

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon The Arsenal Greer Vineyard

Two days ago I had a bottle of this wine and it was flawed. It showed some VA funk and heavy wet mulch notes. I HAD to open another bottle to see if I was in for a string of disappointments. Not so!

Sea-Fog (The Grade Cellars) Sauvignon Blanc

Same as last month. Tastes like every other SB across Napa Valley.

Tusk Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

Similar flavor profile to my notes on this wine back in April. Really rich, dark/black core fruit (a very dark side of To Kalon-esque ripeness), black licorice, dark loam, and some faint grey…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon The Arsenal Greer Vineyard

Unfortunately this had some VA funk and wet earth notes that made their way in front of the core fruit flavors almost immediately. With more air, the damp mulch and mushroom notes became more…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District

This poor little guy kicked out some cedar and funk on the initial attack which jumbled the flavor profile. The seemingly beautiful fruit was dark and deep, but the frame was lost and the back end…

Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos de La Bussière

Core red raspberry and strawberry cream notes, with light black cherry and fleeting, faint hints of mulch and spice. Feminine on the attack, but a mid-palate that was still fairly solid.

Thienot Champagne Cuvée Alain Thiénot

Very mature and rich notes of creme brûlée, lemon curd, fried ripe plantain, olive oil, and roasted hazelnut.

Robert Mondavi Winery Pinot Noir Reserve

Some simple and thin flavors of black cherry and faint earth and spice. Mid-palate was hollow, with the "attack" (of what there even was) fleetingly whipping over the palate and rushing straight into…

Robert Mondavi Winery Pinot Noir Reserve

An instant blast of heavy cedar and mulch. A stinging and bitter attack with an alcohol-drenched 2x4 aftertaste.

Robert Mondavi Winery Rosé

Rose is a rose is a rose. Watermelon, light orange citrus, and some faint strawberry. Came off a little watery and light for my preference. I preferred the Fume Blanc served alongside it.

Robert Mondavi Winery Fumé Blanc Napa Valley

"Not bad for a Fume Blanc," was the phrase that the four of us simultaneously uttered. And it isn't "bad" by any means. It displayed some of the usual SB characteristics; a little lighter bodied in…

Shafer Relentless

Same as all of my previous notes on this wine. PnP was the way to go. Performed optimally at 54 degrees throughout service. Solid 95 points during this time period. (1-1.5 hours).

Bevan Cellars Pinot Noir Petaluma Gap

Same as all of my other notes. Best served cooler to corral all of that ripe fruit. PnP is recommended. Don't bother with a decant. Drink now and over the next few years.

Bevan Cellars Ontogeny

Same as my previous notes from 01/23/2017. Scrap the decant and stick with PnP. This doesn't need extra air or any kind of extended decant in my opinion. The air it gets in the glass is just fine.…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

PnP with red and purple berry notes. A black cherry liqueur flavor was prominent, surrounded by river rock and alcohol on the back end. Concentration and depth were notable, as was the sweet tannic…

TOR Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard

An improvement from last summer. Time in bottle appears to have smoothed out this wine significantly and allowed the yellow fruit to deepen nicely. Some subtle vanilla, lemon curd, olive oil, and…

William Hill Winery Chardonnay North Coast

Alcohol and lemon juice. Even your drain will be mad at you for trying to feed this wine to it.

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Last minute pull. Still needs some time in my opinion. Similar to my previous notes, but a little more rambunctious than I remember. Kicking out a lot of black cherry liqueur, red and black licorice,…

Eric Kent Wine Cellars Chardonnay Sangiacomo Green Acres Hill

Similar to last year. Buttery at first, but then settled into a nice glide of yellow citrus and popcorn flavors. Fairly unctuous, but also maintained its focus pretty well over the course of a couple…

Weingut Dreissigacker Bechtheimer Hasensprung Riesling

Same as three months ago. Some sediment this time, which kicked out a bit of bitterness on the back end. Otherwise a decent Riesling for $20. 88-89 points at its best this go-around.

Argot Cabernet Sauvignon Borrowed Jewels, Sugarloaf Vineyard

Gobs of blackberry pie and ripe plum notes. Just bottled last week, so it's going to need another year or two to really settle into itself. Lots of acid and some bitterness on the back end, but the…

Argot Cabernet Sauvignon StarStruck

Just bottled; a little difficult to totally assess at this juncture, with some strong acid pushing out in front of the overtly primary fruit. Some herbal notes on the back end that helped to frame…

Argot Pinot Noir Hawk Hill Vineyard

Similar to my previous notes from 05/27/2017. This was served a little cooler than last time (the cooler temperature was more preferable to me). Some nice herb and rosemary notes this time around.…

Argot Chardonnay Simpatico Ranch

Pervious notes from 05/27/2017 still apply. Just bottled. A little high in the sulfur department as a result, but the fruit still pushed through. This is going to be an extraordinary example of…