Reviews

Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon NVD

Same notes as last month. Seems to be falling fairly rapidly. Some odd sweetness on the back end. Flat finish (but not as flat as a Rivers Marie Cabernet served alongside it). This was the less…

Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon

Same notes as last week. My girl liked it more than I did; I found this go-around to be a bit plumy and flat.

Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé

Frothy strawberry and light orange peel notes. Hints of pear and apple. Went down easy, but not a lot to talk about beyond that. Thin and predictable.

Bevan Cellars Pinot Noir Summit 2114

It's been over a year and a half since I've had this wine. PnP was a little imbalanced at first, with extracted raspberry, cream, alcohol, and brush. After about an hour of air, it fanned out nicely.…

DuMOL Syrah Eddie's Patch

A very gulpable style, with rounded purple and black berry fruit flavors. Some streaks of cranberry and dark raspberry inserted in the otherwise purple and black berry notes. Some railroad tie, wood,…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Sophisticated and absurdly silky; a creamy texture that sneaks up on you before the fruit even has a chance to tell you how beautiful it is. This is a texture-first type of wine. A velvety frame…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Solid core fruit (I LOVE Crane fruit) housed in a perfectly balanced frame of darker spice and some vanilla bean-laced wood. Red and purple berry and currant fruit (a little blacker possibly than the…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Empyrean Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Unbelievable showing for such a young wine. The first sip forces you to stop what you're doing, take a breath, sit back in your chair, and smile (at least that's what I did). It commands your…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Similar to my previous notes from two weeks ago. A lot of power here. This bottle was slightly more subdued than the bottle I tried on 6/17/2017 (In fact, Mike Smith mentioned it might have even been…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Depth and concentration were most notable here. Not surprisingly, this was my favorite of the Quivet lineup and my favorite LPV that I've had from Quivet. It is certainly a fledgling, but it still…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Twins Vineyard

I completely loved this wine. Black cherry liqueur (but not too alcohol laced at all), plum, cacao, cassis, and some gray stone notes that really moved this into the next level. This wine will need a…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Pellet Vineyard

My favorite Quivet Pellet to date (Yes, I'm saying a lot of these wines are my favorite to date.2015 is really delivering some amazing versions of Mike Smith's wines). This was similar to the…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Kenefick Ranch

My favorite Quivet Kenefick to date; grabs ahold of you and gets your attention. It's not a slap in the face, but a nice forward delivery of layered flavors. It was similar to the Myriad NV, but even…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

As expected, this is a masterfully crafted version of the NV. A lot of Kenefick fruit apparently went into this wine, and it shows with its youthfully fleshy, fruit-forward attack. A quick hit of…

Aubert Pinot Noir UV Vineyard

Last minute pull. Same notes as before. Hold for a couple of years.

Altamura Cabernet Sauvignon

A very nice bottle of wine. Pretty much what one would expect from this producer. Deep, rich, and full of black fruit, dark chocolate, and quality wood. Some alcohol on the finish that never fully…

Becklyn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

PnP was an attack of extra ripe plum and super sweet vanilla bean. The blueberry and blackberry smoothie notes were a bit too extracted and cloying initially.

L'Aventure Estate Cuvée

Same notes as last year. Could do with another year in the bottle, but drinking pretty darn well now. This was bested by a 2012 Lewis Syrah. Both were good (and tasted similar on the initial PnP),…

Lewis Cellars Syrah

Same as previous notes. This was drinking very well about 30 minutes after PnP. Gained some really nice depth in the glass with some swirling. Dark blackberry, huckleberry, boysenberry, black hot…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Wildfoote Vineyard, Vixen Block

Previous notes apply from last year. It was very smooth and inviting; it was significantly better than a 2013 Rivers Marie Cabernet we had alongside it. This Wildfoote had some nice licorice, anise,…

Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon

I suppose I am admittedly less stoked on this wine than my other CT compadres. I got plum. I got some black cherry. If I tried hard enough I got a little earth. But at the end of it all, I got just…

Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

Notes of dark red raspberry, purple fruit, and some alcohol. Lacking in the complexity department, but an enjoyable Pinot overall considering its full package. I wasn't as distracted by the bigger,…

Eric Kent Wine Cellars Pinot Noir Sascha Marie

The best showing for this wine in my opinion. Some nice energy and verve housing a core of cranberry, red raspberry, orange rind, and spice. A little alcohol on the finish took away some drive from…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

It's been over a year since I last had this wine. Specific previous descriptors apply. In fact, last year I wrote, "full spectrum of purple, blue, black, and red berry fruit notes, blueberry and…

Realm Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Fidelio

Beautiful and focused notes of white peach and ripe pear rush up on the initial attack. Additional notes of yellow citrus, white pumice, and quince paste follow through to the mid-palate. Some light…