Reviews

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard

Neck and neck with the 2013 Coombsville. Previous notes on this wine apply. Blackberry, blueberry, creosote, dark cacao, raspberry and blueberry liqueur, red and black currant, and vanilla bean. Not…

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Brown Label

The 2013 Coombsville and Stagecoach were a straight tie for me this time around. Exact same notes of blackberry, black currant, black raspberry, black licorice, dark cacao, freshly turned mulch,…

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Uproar

Same as my notes from 2/12/2016. Blackberry, black raspberry, black and red currant, purple berry, and red and black licorice. The best of the Uproars, but still straightforward and simple.…

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Uproar

An ok wine given its price-point, but nothing to write home about. Spend the extra dough and focus on the Mark Herold namesake Brown Label Cabernets (and more elevated Cabernets from this lineup).…

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Uproar

Same as my notes from 4/15/2016 and 12/2/2015. Forget this wine. It is barely worth talking about. It is not a true expression of Napa Cabernet in any vintage, even in 2011.

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Brown Label

Exact same notes as 3/25/2016 and 4/15/2016. Dark chocolate notes of fairly intense deep blackberry, black currant, mocha, and vanilla bean. By comparison, lacked a little complexity, but had a nice…

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Brown Label

I'll defer to all of my previous tasting notes on this. A good wine, showing continued integration each time I revisit it (compared to my previous CT notes); somewhat simplistic, but very satisfying…

Mark Herold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Brown Label

Still not my thing. This was used simply to juxtapose the 2012 and 2013 Brown Labels...and juxtapose it did. Not even in the same ballpark as the other two vintages, with its distracting vegetal…

Mark Herold Wines Herold

Same as my notes from 4/15/2016 and 3/25/2016. Powerful and youthfully dark, gravely berry fruit. Cool berry notes (but not as cool as the 2012); blackberry, black currant, black licorice, charcoal,…

Mark Herold Wines Herold by Mark Herold

Similar to my notes from 4/15/2016. A cool feel about it (more so than the 2013), with dark berries, black licorice, cold river rock, and obsidian. Came off a little more cerebral than the 2013,…

Mark Herold Wines Herold by Mark Herold

Same as my notes from 4/15/2016. The best of the Herold 2011s, which is still not my jam.

TOR Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard

PnP with tight lemon and steely, pebbly notes. After some air, a bit of an uptick with additional hints of grass and nuanced minerality.

Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Corona Vineyard

Wait; wait; wait! This needs much more time. I had this last year with a couple of hours in the decanter and it seemed to be moving along nicely. However, this go-around it was extraordinarily tight…

Switchback Ridge Petite Sirah Old Vine Block Peterson Family Vineyard

Similar to the standard 2011 SBR PS with its purple and black berry fruit, black raspberry, asphalt, and chocolate notes. However, the Old Vine ratchets up the vanilla bean and oak a tad bit, but…

Bevan Cellars Pinot Noir Summit 1376'

Same notes as 4/3/2016. Nice depth, spice box, earth, and dark red and black cherry notes. Drink now and over the next few years.

Cayuse Syrah En Chamberlin Vineyard

If this is supposed to taste like horse manure and sour cherries, then "Bravo" to Christophe Baron. Otherwise, this better have been flawed.

Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée

Not too much different from my CT notes in August 2015. This didn't start to really show its stuff until 2+ hours in the decanter. Raspberry liqueur, chocolate covered cherries (not overly sweet),…

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Gap's Crown Vineyard

PnP wih notes of wild red berry, cola, cinnamon, and some spice. A little hot initially on the back end, which subsided after about 30 minutes.

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Kings Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

I know I should wait a while, but with a case of a wine I've not yet tried staring me in the face, it was a little hard to resist anymore. In the name of science...

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Very similar to my CT notes from 11/7/2015 except I do agree with others that the intensity has shifted a bit, but not much (in my opinion). I was still very much drawn to the core fruit and depth…

Carlisle Syrah Papa's Block

Same as my specific notes from 8/19/2015. My last bottle. Ended up being a good Syrah with a very good QPR. Nothing earth-shattering, but a pleasant drink nonetheless. Papa's Block is consistently…

Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Panek Vineyard

Well I was planning on holding this last bottle for a year or so, but it didn't work out that way this time. So...

Realm Cellars The Tempest

As expected, a superb Merlot-based red. I echo previous notes from others on this wine. Still holding a little back on the PnP, but managed to push out some really nice flavors after about three…

Favia Cabernet Sauvignon

PnP with a striking hit to the palate of dark fruit, red and black licorice, pumice/stone, asphalt, and the faintest of clove. Wonderful tension and verve, with an energetic pulse of ripe muddled red…

Rivers-Marie Chardonnay B. Thieriot Vineyard

PnP with energetic notes of lemon curd, lemon zest, pear, popcorn, sourdough, river rock, and a hint of vanilla and spice. More of a crip, acidic Chardonnay than an over-oaked fruit bomb, with the…