Reviews

Sine Qua Non Syrah Ziehharmonika

Too early. Period. PnP was a total joke: hot and brash. It wasn't a hot 'mess' necessarily, but it teetered on being completely chaotic and vulgar. It was mad at me and I was mad at it. "Stop…

Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Having this 1961 next to its great, great grandson the 2018 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande was like watching Twins with hieroglyphic subtitles, or more accurately, looking at…

Tusk Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

Opened at the end of the evening, which is almost always a mistake in terms of service, the Tusk wasn't the total blowout like the SQN mighty Z cocktail, but it was clearly in need of about 3-5++…

Château Montrose

This was one of those wines that seemed somewhat reluctant to express itself wholly and was perpetually stuck in the land of unreciprocating interest. No romanticism here..yet? I sensed dark fruit…

Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium

Bringing this to a BDX tasting is like having Marilyn Manson as an opening act at a Celine Dion concert. Heavy metal devil horns brings the ripe fruit, the heat, and. well, the ripe fruit. Yet, this…

Château Belair-Monange

This seemed to be in a less than affable mood for most of the evening. On one hand, I think there were not only other better showing wines, but also, simply better wines that the Belair-Monange just…

Château Léoville Poyferré

I just could not get a feel for this wine at all. I wouldn't even know how to score it. It really just offered next to nothing in the fruit department and was overly linear and strict. It wasn't…

Château Figeac

The 2015 Figeac was stuck in the "friend zone" during the entire tasting. Unripe blackberry, currant, and cedar notes delivered in a superficial and flat plane of flavor, without ever reaching much…

Château Angélus

Black fruit. Black rock. Black fruit. Black rock. and a bit of booze on the tail that didn't let up (ok, so a point or two off for that). But otherwise, this was totally in my wheelhouse. The profile…

Château Cos d'Estournel

Consistent. Consistent. Consistent. The slow build on this wine over time really spoke to me. I kept coming back to this bottle. It wasn't too flashy. It wasn't too classic. It was a beautiful hybrid…

Saxum G2 Vineyard

Ok, I gotta call it like I see it. This was HOT HOT HOT. A Grenache cocktail if there ever was one. No, we didn't decant (so I'll take the hit on that for less-than optimal service). But oh lordy was…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Reserve

A solid performance, though this was rightly outshined a bit by a 2006 Abreu Madrona Ranch (comparative side-by-sides can get crunchy, eh?!). Otherwise, this 2012 Tynan Reserve was true to form and a…

Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Sangiovese Toscana IGT

On my first ignorant and perhaps somewhat carelessly dismissive pass with this wine, my mind wandered to Burgundy, as the Pinot-esque profile of this wine carried an elegance and ethereal finesse…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

This sample was actually a bit subdued (comparatively to other vintages of VV LPVs at least), but certainly with enough potency and drive that there is little question of its origin and of the…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon The Magnificent Seven

I think I've already punched my ticket a couple of times in terms of adjective allowances to describe this wine in my previous notes. Just when I think I'm pretty much done with this degree of what…

Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos de La Bussière

Both ripe and tight, with an uber-linear execution that needed every bit of O2 that the decanter it was in could offer. Quality is certainly high, but this is an animal that will require some…

Abreu Madrona Ranch

A super solid showing here, with a beauty and sophistication that highlights why Abreu consistently belongs in the upper tier of Napa wines. I admittedly have been dismissive of this producer at…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Elysian Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Hey man... What can I say?! This is everything you love about the good Doctor turned up to 11. If you know Crane and you know Elysian, it'll come as no surprise that this bugger is all flavor-forward…

Crocker & Starr Cabernet Sauvignon Stone Place

Purple plum, blackberry, cedar, and hints of leather. A smooth and fulfilling entry that speaks to a nicely aged red with the seeming ability to evolve into its tertiary flavors with poise. There is…

Medlock Ames Malbec Secret Ingredient Bell Mountain

At Cyrus Restaurant, Geyserville.

Domaine Saint Préfert Châteauneuf-du-Pape Collection Charles Giraud

Checking in on this wine from a couple years ago, I found this to exhibit its best glide after a few hours in the decanter, where it had the opportunity to blow off its slightly boozy heat on the…

Château Léoville Las Cases

As soon as Napa-acclimated tasters (a category into which I likely fall) hear the word "classical" attributed to a wine's profile, they typically dismiss it as an overly lithe, red-currant and…

The Third Twin Nuestra Señora del Tercer Gemelo The Third Twin Vineyard

Deeply pitched purple and black-red fruits ooze on to the palate, with an entry that is intense but controlled. With a few hours in the decanter, the flow is enhanced and the saturation pulsates with…

Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée

Ok, so this bottle screams two words to me very distinctly and without equivocation: "Drink Now." It's a Charleston chewy prune purple drank and all, but it's pushing past its window (at least, this…

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

With a silky-milkshakey entry, like a liquified raspberry nougat 3 Musketeers bar wrapped in a vanilla bean and caramel robe, this iteration of OG is a mix of oak and fruit that seemingly still need…