Reviews

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Martinez Vineyard

Deep black raspberry, black cherry, cassis, black currant, and subtle bitter chocolate. Some vanilla-laced alcohol at the tail end of the attack, circling inside the mouth and clipping the finish…

Tusk Estates Cabernet Franc

Tasted at the House of Tusk Celebration event.

Tusk Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

Tasted at the House of Tusk Celebration event.

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon

Black and red fruit; some spice and sweet cassis as well. Deeply pitched and kicking out much more drive when compared to the 2014. The 2015 wrapped around the palate nicely, especially on the front…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon

Round and accessible with no hard edges. Some nice red and black (and hints of blue) fruit. Black cherry and cacao nibs dominated, with some vanilla alcohol, cedar, and earth on the back end.

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper

PnP, with somewhat reticent notes of red and black fruit, cassis, and some earth and spice notes. I was missing some of the superlative intonations that would have otherwise driven me to express…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Very much in my lane in terms of the superior level of overall delivery that comes from the BTK site. Oakville fruit shown with a concentration and depth one would expect from a top tier wine, but…

AJ Pearce Cabernet Sauvignon Massoumi Vineyard

Made by the proprietor at The Wine Thief in Napa. As a sub-$100 wine ($75 retail), this showed a very approachable side to the 2013 vintage. If I understood him correctly, this wine was aged for 39…

Outpost Cabernet Sauvignon

Same as my notes from last year, except that I would project an optimum drinking window as far out as after 2020 or 2021+. The first few hours of consumption were so constricted it was difficult to…

Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Amoenus

Similar to my tasting notes in March, except that this especially showed dominant red and black cherry liqueur notes, along with red volcanic minerality and red clay earth notes. A fascinating wine…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Initial sip on PnP was a hit of heat/alcohol and high register notes of pink terra cotta, hot red brick, pomegranate, and tart plum. A bit splintery on the attack, with the heat washing around the…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Tin Box Vineyard

Similar to last year, this version of Tin Box displayed its signature red, black, and some purple fruit flavors, plum, black and red currant, black cherry, and the slightest hints of spice. This was…

Bevan Cellars Danger D Cuvée Showket Vineyards

A special treat to be able to try this wine. Tasted with "Danger D" himself - a remarkable man indeed. Beautifully integrated tannins with resolved flavors of deep black and red fruit, black and red…

Staglin Family Ineo

Round, plush, fruit-forward, and indicative of the 2014 vintage. Not extraordinarily complex in terms of its delivery of any captivating, tiered flavors, the Ineo was a bit forgettable, especially…

Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

I was quite impressed with this wine. Not my preferred style in some respects, with a more reserved, classical profile on the attack. Yet, the delineation of flavors was extremely precise and…

Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

This was an interesting addition to the lineup, providing a potential look at how the Staglin Cabernets stand to progress over time. Resolved in some respects (almost "over resolved"), with red and…

Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon Salus

Notes of red and black currant, plum, chocolate, and some spice. Hints of dust on the back end. The soft tannins crept up on the finish and gently provided grip. A softer, more round version of a…

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

Previous notes apply. 9 months since my last 2012 OG. Performed very nicely, but I felt like this was still a bit restrained. Purity of fruit was noteworthy, with a nice cedar note that crept up on…

Sine Qua Non Syrah Atlantis Fe2O3~1a, b & c

From Magnum. On the nose, a nice funky, pepper aroma with some saddle leather and stewed plum. Same on the attack, with ripe purple plum, dusty blackberries, leather, railroad tie, camphor, incense,…

Bevan Cellars Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard

Very similar to the 2015 EE, except that the Sugarloaf was a little more subdued and flat in its execution. The red and black fruit stuffing is all there, along with some interesting pebble and…

Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée Tench Vineyard

Same as my notes two months ago. The best of the 2015 Bevans. Though still young and somewhat primary in its youthful delivery, the mid-palate concentration and complex flavor profile are certainly…

Bevan Cellars Ontogeny

Coiled up and somewhat subdued notes of dark black cherry, black and red currant, cedar, and some fuzzy graphite on the back end. The black cherry note repeated itself prominently after it had some…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard

I recall liking this wine, but it didn't evoke any true sense of draw or fascination for me. I thought it was a very well crafted wine (as is true with many of Russell's wines), and the fruit…

TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 337 Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

From Magnum. Drank over the course of two nights. Black and red currant, black cherry, cedar, mulch, and some pebbles. Alcohol lingered on the finish throughout consumption. The fruit was more…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Mortal Coil Phendler

Consistent with all of my other notes. I didn't bother with a decant this time. I thought it was drinking fine with just some air in the glass (consumed over the course of three hours total). I liked…