Reviews

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Actaeon Quixote Vineyard

Same as my notes from 12/13/2016. Developed a really nice dusty, sedimentary rock tinge on the back end after about 3 hours of air. Stags Leap represented very well with this wine. A very "complete"…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon T6 Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

PnP with initially tart red and purple berry notes and alcohol on the back end. An hour in the decanter yielded ripe and fruity core flavors with plum, red and black licorice, and some vanilla. There…

Larkmead Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Solari

Dark black fruit, oak char, wood, mulch, and some stone. An earthy, brooding rendition, with the forest floor and wood notes really dominating over the fruit after some air. Seemed as though it was…

Ladera Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Medium bodied and fairly thin mid-palate. Tasted somewhat cheap for a Howell Mointain Reserve Cabernet. Performed at around the $30 level. Some decent dark fruit flavors, but not much complexity and…

Pott Wine Cabernet Franc La Carte et Le Territoire

Previous notes apply. Black cherry and black raspberry notes dominated. This was smooth and approachable right out of the gate. Some purple plum flavors emerged after a couple of hours. I didn't get…

Hourglass Cabernet Sauvignon

From Magnum. Shockingly intense and powerful for a 2002. Really nice concentration. A little rough around the edges, with a gritty, cedar-laced finish. However, the core purple and black fruit, black…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Architects & Saboteurs

From Magnum. Previous notes apply. Pretty boozy on the PnP, but fanned out nicely after some air time in the glass. A big, rich, spicy style, but with quality fruit and focus still intact. An…

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.

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.…

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…

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…

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…