Reviews

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

On the nose, interesting floral aromas, with liqueur and alcohol wafting up through the back of the mouth. On the palate, dark red and black berry notes, black raspberry liqueur, and subtle violets.

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon The Magnificent Seven

A nearly flawless example of a big "cult style" Napa Cabernet. The attack is a rush of dark black currant, black cherry, black raspberry, dark chocolate, subtle char, and black mulch notes. A…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Close to being on par with the 2015 Magnificant 7, this LPV BBS is packed full of dark, chocolate-covered black berry, black currant, black licorice, black raspberry liqueur, cacao, and pulverized…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon

A Stagecoach (Pritchard Hill side)/LPV hybrid, this Cabernet showed the best of what can become of Stagecoach fruit, with some much elevated flavor assistance from LPV. I wouldn't have been able to…

Bevan Cellars Ontogeny

Same notes as 5 months ago. Drinking really well with a one hour decant. Impeccably balanced for a wine in this bracket. One of the best sub-$100 Napa reds out there. Drink now and over the next 5…

Celani Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

PnP with plum, black cherry, and red and black currant core fruit flavors. Some hints of wet cedar. A little funk on the back end. Smooth and plump, with the dark, ripe plum and black cherry notes…

Outpost Cabernet Sauvignon

Shut down and totally constricted, with practically every identifiable flavor showing nothing beyond being completely linear and narrow. As others have noted, the core fruit is especially closed. DRY…

Rudd Oakville Estate Proprietary Red

Same as all of my previous notes. Micro-filtered (had a decent amount of sediment) and decanted for an hour. A little jet fuel at the initial PnP, but it didn't take long to start showing…

Saxum Broken Stones

Specific flavor display is similar to my notes a year-and-a-half ago, except that this wine seemed open for business in every way this time around. A short decant helped roll the wave of flavors…

Favia La Magdalena

PnP started out with plum and alcohol; hot brick and purple fruit notes competing with each other. This needed about two hours to calm down. Notes of ripe plum, blueberry, boysenberry, and some…

L'Aventure Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

Same notes as last year. Some fruity, dark black cherry notes dominated more than I remember from my prior experience. It's good, but it doesn't make me want to race right out and buy more…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

I have many notes on this wine which essentially still apply to my experience this time. PnP was just fine. A little acid, a little grip, but overall an expected rush of accessible, lush black cherry…

Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard

Previous notes apply for the most part. Continue to hold another 8-12 months. Core fruit is quality, but still holding a little back. Exhibiting streaks of more red fruit than I usually associate…

Argot Pinot Noir Estate

Previous notes apply. This instantly reminded me of a flashy version of a Wren Hop Daughters of Earth, or an even more deeply pitched and concentrated version of a 2012 KB Gap's Crown I had recently.…

Bevan Cellars Syrah Moaveni Vineyard

Very similar to my notes two years ago. This time it maintained some alcohol on the back end throughout consumption, which pulled a little bit of focus away from the core fruit flavors. Still a very…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon LPV Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Similar to my notes from 3/14/2016. PnP had some hits of alcohol and bitterness on the attack initially, but that dissipated fairly quickly after decanting and filtering-off the sediment. Lively and…

Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Beautiful Generation

Same as all of my other notes. On PnP, this was tight. Notes of dark black currant, black licorice, and asphalt. It needed about two hours to open up. With air, fascinating flavors of cacao, dark…

Pahlmeyer Merlot

Notes of plum and dark black cherry were the most prominent. Some dark-ish raspberry, chocolate, and hints of earth rounded out the flavor profile. Fairly cran-grapey and fruity, with not much frame…

Vineyard 29 Cabernet Sauvignon 29 Estate

PnP with notes of blackberry, black currant, asphalt, black cherry, cedar, and some spice. Dark and somewhat primary, but delivering an initial attack of black fruit and wood. The finish lacked a…

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Gap's Crown Vineyard

Similar to my notes 5 months ago, except that I bumped it up a point this time around. Viscous, sappy, and saturated red raspberry, red and black cherry, pomegranate cocktail, and subtle earthy spice…

TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Cimarossa Vineyard

Wine is a funny thing. Four months ago I drank a bottle and it was just oozing black fruit elixir. It was a 98/99 point production the likes of which I hadn't experienced much with Tor.

Goldeneye Pinot Noir Anderson Valley

Thin and linear. Subtle, earth-tinged black cherry and cedar notes. Finish faded fast. Performed like a thoughtless, everyday, mass produced, always-for-sale-at-BevMo type of Pinot.

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Fortuna Vineyard

Coming along nicely. Still fairly juvenile, carrying a youthful pop of acid and tannins (especially on PnP and for the first hour or so in the decater). A little linear in the attack, but displaying…

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Morlet Estate

I concur with other CTers (MSU, Rob) that this is a beautifully crafted bottle of wine. PnP was a little tight and higher-toned, but after two hours in the decanter, it developed very attractive…

Patiné Cellars Pinot Noir Soberanes

A more sappy and spice driven SLH, with muddled sweet raspberry, black cherry, rich strawberry cream, cinnamon, and faint hints of earthy garrigue. Some saccharine and glycerin on the back end that…