Reviews

Domaine Henri Boillot Volnay 1er Cru Les Chevrets

This took about an hour before it opened up and needed to be at a very cool cellar temperature to be enjoyed optimally. At first, it was served at more room temperature (65+ degrees) and the fruit…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon CCS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

A slight funk on the nose gives way to more pronounced fruit aromas of wild berries and plum. On the palate, dark berry compote is intermixed with leather, cedar, and currant notes, signaling the…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon "Old Sparky" Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Oh this is a shag-a-licious mojo-kickin' beast that's all about velour robes, cigars, and a crackling fireplace at midnight. Plush, silky, velvety, and a textural kitten purr of a wine, the 2012…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

This is listed as either the Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon (no TK designation) or with the To Kalon reference. It seems to have been a one-bottle part of the "Super Pack" back when it was released, but…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Much improved since my last sampling of this wine back in 2018, this vintage of RBS certainly has shown its willingness to develop in terms of breaking past the prickly barriers it was struggling to…

Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Heritage Clone To-Kalon Vineyard

A stellar performance and unquestionably the best wine in the lineup, the 2018 Heritage Clone To Kalon forces you to stop in your tracks before you even try to take a sip, with a nose that blossoms…

Opus One

No one likes to be told what to do or how to experience something as personal as wine, so I'll couch this by way of some soft metaphors and in a way that is hopefully a bit more palatable…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Killing Moon

It's been three years, and a revisit of this wine since 2018 reminds me of why there is so much appeal to be had here, what with the powerfully modern style doing its best to meet halfway with a…

Harlan Estate The Maiden

A somewhat polarizing wine among a number of us in the group, with the majority (myself included) not convinced this is on a path worthy of especially high accolade. The black cherry and plum notes…

Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

A push-pull showing this time around. At once vanilla-chocolatey, ripe, and rich, while also liqueur-heavy and a bit angular, the 2013 Realm To Kalon comes off both blocky and lush in the same sip.…

Greer Cabernet Sauvignon Greer Vineyard

It's been 2.5 years since my last bottle. Having the chance to try this again is a lesson in service and delivery. This, like many other wines at this event, was a straight pop of the cork and a…

Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Wildfoote Vineyard, Vixen Block

A surprisingly melodious and softly contoured Wildfoote, maturing gorgeously through its typical brawny mega-power and flexy-Mcflex-a-flex posture and transmuting into a very beautiful, almost pretty…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

Let this dude sit for a while in the corner. If this bottle is any indication as to how much time this 2015 is going to need to fully unveil its greatness, it'll be a hot minute or three before it's…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

Another perfect showing, and one of the top (of many) reds of the night (especially along with the 2018 Lafleur and 2018 Bryant), the 2016 MACDONALD does what any lineage of awesomeness in an awesome…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

If you dig LPV, then it's hard to do better than the Vice Versa BBS in 2016. It's got the gravel and rock you've come to love; it's got the fittingly Halloween-ish haunting black fruit; it's got a…

Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 2 Pritchard Hill

Somewhat lost in a sea of amazing juice, the Fairchild only suffered from its competition rather than its standalone qualitative virtues. This Pritchard Hill brew begrudgingly gives up crunchy…

Promontory

One would think that following the super strict and serious 2016 Lokoya Mount Veeder would mean that comparatively anything would come off as less rage ridden. Well, the Promontory apparently wants…

Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder

Locked (and hopefully loaded), the Lokoya Mount Veeder ain't havin' any of your monkey business right now. This is a wig-donning, goggle glasses-wearing, dusty couch and moth balls-smelling…

Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny

At first pass, this is taut and linear, with a bead of cedar-infused red cherry providing medium intensity and leading into a clipped and primary finish. With some coaxing in the glass, it unfolds…

Abreu Cappella

Purity, balance, and grace are matched with gushing power and an unreal expansion of dark and brooding fruit and earth flavors, the Cappella is a captivating wine that shows just how special this…

Penfolds Grange

Port-like and stewed, the 1999 Grange is a much-advanced specimen. Prune, three-day-old coffee, tar, tobacco, Grandma's vest-sweater, vanilla suntan lotion, and balsamic notes show immediately how…

Abreu Las Posadas

A kickboxing production of red and black fruits, tangling with earthy spice and darker, meatier elements that start to fan out mid-palate, but are stopped short at the finish line by a dusty grip. A…

Famille Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape Colombis

Suuuuuuper tannic and powerful, with crunchy blackberry and plum skin notes skipping off rock and stems, finishing grippy and slappy. A fairly loud showing, the Colombis is best fitted for the exact…

Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

If there ever was a 2018 vintage domestic contender that could go toe-to-toe with the French equivalent that is the 2018 Chateau Lafleur, it would likely be the Bryant. These were the two wines of…

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

This is my second shot at the NUESTRA SENORA DEL TERCER GEMELO (refer to my recent and lengthier tasting note from 09/20/2021). This bottle is a bit spun up at first, but its concentration and drive…