Reviews

BOND St. Eden

Not sure the deal here. A strong bitterness, with blackberry seed and an acrimonious pasty finish that paws at the palate and leaves a furry texture in the mouth. A concerning showing.

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

Day One: Balled up, spun up, angry, and.angry. A double-decant for a few hours prior and a constant house arrest monitoring/revisiting over another five hours did nothing to nudge this stubborn…

Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Rock Block Series Magic Nights

From the Rock Block series, the 2018 Magic Nights is the latest iteration of this compelling succession. Black berry and mineral notes are beautifully weighted, with a mid-palate that brings on the…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

This dude was ready to go in so many ways, even with relatively limited decanting acrobatics. Double-decanted a few hours before consumption and then followed over the course of 4-5 additional hours,…

Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon SongBook

I could cut and paste most of my tasting notes for the 2019 Songbook and place them along with the beautiful 2018, with the exception of the slightly dialed-back ostentatiousness displayed with the…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

The first line on my notes reads, "Of course. Why wouldn't 2019 be epic?! It's like it's not even fair to any other wine on the table." .though, in fairness, I will admit there was a bottle with some…

Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

I love Tynan's take on To Kalon, with a serious cut instantly reminding me of a MACDONALD-esque physique and intensity that showcase some of the frame and fortitude that is sometimes missing in the…

Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon SongBook

Well, this wine is pretty much all sorts of astounding. Especially for a Tynan wine, which typically leads from the frame, this is an expressly gushing specimen. I'm not even sure where it begins and…

Christopher Tynan Wines Syrah Judge Family Vineyard

This shows as a super floral Cote Rotie type of profile, with higher-toned red fruit and only the slightest hint of meatiness currently showing. The 2017 is all about aromatics, with a gorgeous nose…

Christopher Tynan Wines Syrah Judge Family Vineyard

Get out your differential equation cheat-sheet kids because this Syrah is one PRI-MAR-Y panther. If you even know what a 'linear polynomial in the unknown function and its derivatives' means, or…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside blocks C. Corbett Family Vineyard

Juicy red raspberry, sour red and black cherry, and damp earth notes flow across the palate with an effortlessness that is instantly appealing. Bright and fresh, with a red licorice note that appears…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

If you know Tynan's Meleagris Gallopavo, then you don't need too much of me running my mouth with all the praise I have for this 2018, especially considering this will be my third tasting note on…

Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard

Blind. The Chappellet was at the back of the stack.

Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Blind. The Bryant was my fourth out of five. Normally that might create the impression it somehow had a bad showing or failed in some way. This is the problem with comparison tastings. There's always…

Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill Vineyard

Blind. The Colgin was my favorite out of the five. This was also the hands-down favorite for everyone at the table.

Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Blind. The Eisele was tied for my second/third favorite out of five. The preferential order for me was Colgin, Eisele/Harlan, Bryant, and Chappellet - with the Chappellet not even close to being in…

Harlan Estate

Blind. The Harlan was tied for my second/third favorite out of five. The preferential order for me was Colgin, Eisele/Harlan, Bryant, and Chappellet - with the Chappellet not even close to being in…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Käännös Vine Hill Ranch

A smooth and clean entry fools you into thinking this is no barrel sample, but rather a complete bottled wine that is just starting to get down to business already. This juice is from Block 4, and…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Anjea Sleeping Lady Vineyard

Big and rich and big and rich, and then at once weightless and expansive, with a latitude that provides a sashay delivery of the mega fruit pumping out of the valves of this skilled "grace under…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon La Voleuse Du Chagrin Geeslin Vineyard

Oh boy my friends, the Thief of Sorrow will likely steal your little heart and turn it into a pile of brooding and cavernous mush once you take a sip, especially knowing that this site won't be…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Anjea Sleeping Lady Vineyard

Well, well, well. It seems that Anjea in 2019 has some heft going on here. There's a polish in 2019 that is remarkable, but that glaze is varnish for a podium that is stacked, packed, racked, and…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Rhadamanthus

You know when you were in school back in the day and there was always that one real serious kid that you just couldn't figure out. I'm not talking about the one kid who always wore the same stained…

Bella Oaks Vineyard Proprietary Red

2018/2019 Bella Oaks side-by-side @ Bella Oaks Garden Party.

Bella Oaks Vineyard Proprietary Red

2018/2019 Bella Oaks side-by-side @ Bella Oaks Garden Party.

Bryant Family Vineyard Bettina

1997 Bryant Cabernet, 2012 Bryant Cabernet, 2015 Bryant Bettina.