Reviews

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

PnP with notes of deep red and black currant, black amber plum, cacao, red and black licorice, "dark sweet and sour cherries" (which was Yackman's reference - spot on!), slate, and a hint of anise…

L'Aventure Côte-à-Côte Estate

Notes of purple berry, raspberry, blueberry, kirsch, limestone, and chalk. On the back end, a bitter spring flower element emerged.

Mending Wall Cabernet Sauvignon

Similar to previous notes. Fruity and a bit sweet. Fairly one-dimensional. A good, easy-going drink, but nothing to get too excited about. Seems to be on the decline for me; not enough structure to…

Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard

PnP with high-toned red berry fruit notes of bitter cranberry, pomegranate, chalk, and brush. Extremely Grenache driven, with the bitterness of the Mourvèdre clipping the finish almost immediately.

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Cour de Vallée

It has been almost a year since I last had this wine and it still seems like it needs another year or so to start really fattening up and fanning out its true flavor profile. PnP was fairly…

Herb Lamb Cabernet Sauvignon HL

This took about an hour in the decanter before it opened up and showed its hand nicely. Notes of red/black licorice, wet black pebbles, red/black currant, black cherry, spicebox, pulverized granite,…

DuMOL Pinot Noir Estate

PnP with notes of tart cranberry and raspberry, black cherry, cola, black tea, earth, and some menthol. Into the decanter it went for over an hour (and consumed over another hour+).

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Kings Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

PnP with notes of black and red currant, black licorice, granite, asphalt, purple berry, blackberry, and clove. I let this sit in the decanter for an hour or so, which allowed the depth to unleash…

Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas

This was clearly not ready on the initial PnP, with tight, palate-puckering notes of chalky purple and red berry fruit, asphalt, wet hay, and earth.

Carlisle Petite Sirah Palisades Vineyard

Same notes as 6 months ago. Great on a PnP and no need for a decant. Drink now! Good stuff!

Bevan Cellars Pinot Noir Summit 1376'

Coming along very nicely since my CT tasting note on 11/11/2015. Allowed to decant for about two hours at 54 degrees. Rich black raspberry, black cherry, hard candy (a little like "red hots" only not…

Carlisle Syrah Rosella's Vineyard

MATT SCOTT nailed it again with many of the specific tasting notes on this wine. Flavors of elderberry, blueberry, blackberry, violets, limestone, and earth. It almost tasted to me as though there…

Carlisle Zinfandel Saitone Ranch

Poured at the Carlisle pickup alongside the 2014 Carlisle Rosella's Syrah and 2002 Carlisle Dry Creek Zinfandel.

Carlisle Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley

Poured at the Carlisle pickup alongside the 2014 Carlisle Rosella's Syrah and 2014 Carlisle Saitone Zinfandel.

Bevan Cellars The Curmudgeon

Like others have mentioned, this is a nice bottle of wine, but admittedly nothing that "wowed" me by any stretch. 97 from RP seems like a complete stretch. Maybe insofar as a 2011 Napa red is…

Sine Qua Non Syrah Five Shooter

PnP with notes of ripe (reductive) plum, saline, amarena fabbri wild black cherry, ripe cranberry, hot brick, terra cotta, worn leather, brush, and a hint of vanilla. Fanned out nicely over the…

The Grade Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Kingly Project Winfield Vineyard

A big, black, brooding Cabernet with a near-bottomless pit of dark core flavors. PnP with coiled-up blackberry, black licorice, red and black currant, asphalt, tar, bitter dark chocolate, obsidian,…

Favia Syrah Quarzo

Notes of huckleberry, purple/red plum, ollalaberry, pulverized granite, faint vanilla bean, and some residual alcohol. Nothing hollow, filling the mid-palate nicely, but just a tad shy on the back…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Twins Vineyard

PnP and my initial reaction was along the same lines of a number of folks who commented about this wine needing time. Very tight and clipped at first, but bursting at the seams with a medley of dark,…

Carlisle Syrah James Berry Vineyard

I was actually pleasantly surprised by the openness and accessibility of this wine. The 2012 Carlisle Syrahs have proven to be an improvement overall from the past few vintages Mike Officer has put…

Forman Cabernet Sauvignon

Opened this as part of a lineup of 2013 Cliff Lede, 2013 Rivers-Marie, and 2010 L'Aventure Cabernets.

Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon

Tasted this alongside a lineup of 2013 Cliff Lede, 2010 Forman, and 2010 L'Aventure Cabernets.

Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District

I opened this up as an experiment with a lineup of 2013 Rivers-Marie, 2010 Forman, and 2010 L'Aventure Cabernets. This was at the end of the pack.

L'Aventure Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

Same as my previous CT notes on 2/7/2016.

Domaine Galévan Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Thin, flavorless, and forgettable. A medicinal quality that was off-putting. Some watery cranberry, brush, and alkaline.