Reviews

Stella Fiore Brachetto

Of the five Brachettos tasted side-by-side in the lineup, this was the best. More full bodied with a nice balance between frothiness and sweetness. Black cherry, semi-sweet cranberry, and black…

Soria Piemonte Brachetto

Overly frothy and carbonated to the point that it masked most of the fruit. The least favorite of five Brachettos tasted side by side.

Rivata Brachetto

Like a couple of others in the lineup of five other Brachettos tasted, this had so much carbonation that it was difficult to taste much fruit. More high toned than the Rinaldi or Stella Fiore. A…

Azienda Agricola Rinaldi Brachetto d'Acqui Bricco Rioglio

Of the five Brachettos tasted side-by-side in the lineup, this was a close second, inched out by the Stella Fiore. This Rinaldi was also fairly full bodied with a good frothy to sweetness ratio.…

Il Conte D'Alba Brachetto d'Asti Stella Rosa Imperiale

Of five Brachettos tasted side by side, this was in the middle. Similar to the Rivata, but with a little more black cherry flavors peeking through. Otherwise, this had overt frothy and acidic notes…

Forman Cabernet Sauvignon

Same as all of my previous notes, except that I felt this go-around had a decent hit of more fruit and overall depth than before. This might be the most encouraging experience I've had with this…

Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection

Same as my previous notes. Drink sooner than later in my opinion. 93 tops. A bit overdone and sweet for me.

Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium

I am actually reluctant to rate this as 100 points just because that tends to set different expectations for different people. Tonight, for me, this was a perfect wine for my palate. Somewhat…

Aubert Pinot Noir UV Vineyard

I'm not sure how some folks are getting all of these tiered flavor profiles out of this wine at the moment. For me, it stayed fairly linear and static over the course of a three hour decant. PnP…

Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Panek Vineyard

After a couple of hours in the decanter, this wine exhibited notes of red and black currant, black cherry, purple plum, cedar, alcohol, and a bit of chalky limestone. Had a lot of verve and energy on…

Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot Napa Valley

Tight, reserved, and not extremely giving in terms of core fruit flavors. Some red and black currant, alcohol, and cedar. Mid-palate was weak and flat. Not something I would ever revisit if I didn't…

Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon Cask

PnP with notes of black fruit, dark plum, black licorice, and some dark chocolate. Agreeable and an easy crowd pleaser, but fairly flat and predictable on the attack. What I would consider a "basic"…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Twins Vineyard

I'm really liking this wine right now. It is in a very good place with barely a splash decant. Red and black currant, licorice, black cherry liqueur, purple plum, blue and grey pebbles, and hints of…

Bevan Cellars Ontogeny

NOW we are back in business with this wine! On 5/8/2016 I had the 2012 Ontogeny and it was extremely tight and fairly unforgiving. I was a bit worried this was going into a prolonged transitional…

Pott Wine Viognier 20m3

Same as my notes six months ago. This was not served at the pickup, but instead at my house after having all of his wonderful Caberenet-blends. I wanted to close out the day with a final Pott wine of…

Pott Wine Grenache Original Gangster

Notes of kirsch, strawberry, cranberry, subtle earth, and alcohol. Somewhat linear and one-note at the moment. In need of some further time in bottle to help it fatten up (hopefully). Not astringent…

Como No Petite Syrah Stag's Leap Ranch

A wine that needs at least another 10-15+ years to even start to come into form. As Aaron Pott noted, this is a wine for your grandkids' grandkids to enjoy. A 30+ year wine for sure. This came across…

Seven Stones Cabernet Sauvignon

I'd love to pretend that I found this wine to be merely agreeable and well crafted, but straight from a PnP, I found this wine to be utterly amazing. From the first sip, I was sold. This had a…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Incubo

I couldn't agree more with Cristal2000's notes on this wine. From the first sip, you know this is a special wine. Still just a bit tight and wrapped up, but displaying that signature Mount Veeder…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Kaliholmanok Kicu'me

Similar to my notes over a year ago. One of the best bottles of wine I've had recently, and certainly up there with a couple other amazing specimens among all of the ten other Pott wines served. For…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Her Majesty's Secret Service Stagecoach Vineyard

A decent example of a 2012 Cabernet, but fell a little behind when served next to the otherwise phenomenal 2012 Arsenal and Actaeon. Red and black currant, purple plum, raspberry liqueur, and some…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Actaeon Quixote Vineyard

Nearly identical to my notes from 10/4/2016. Served after a 2011 Actaeon and side-by-side with a 2012 Her Majesty's Secret Service. Though I preferred the 2011 HMSS to the 2011 Actaeon, I favored the…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Actaeon Quixote Vineyard

Similar to my notes from over a year ago. This was served side-by-side with a 2011 Her Majesty's Secret Service. I preferred the HMSS over this Actaeon in that the HMSS had more depth and…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Her Majesty's Secret Service Stagecoach Vineyard

This followed a 2012 Pott Arsenal, so it was a tough act to follow. However, it was served side-by-side with a 2011 Actaeon; I preferred this HMSS with its more full mouthfeel and concentration. The…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon The Arsenal Greer Vineyard

This was the first of ten wines poured, and it sure caught the attention of all who were at the Pott residence. It was essentially a PnP, with just a little swirling in the glass to allow it to…