Reviews

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Anjea Sleeping Lady Vineyard

A barrel sample to be sure, with all the succulence and flamboyance you'd want from a burst of astound-me juice rocketing to the back of your throat. But again, even with a barrel sample like this,…

Arkenstone Estate

Rooti-Tooti-Fresh-And-Fruity, the 2017 Estate pops out of the fold with blossoming red and black cherry flavors that shake out plump money-maker-rump-shaker berry fruit. Veers more toward the red…

VHR Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch

Young, driven, and really, really determined in its energy and thrust, this wine was off to the racetracks with a super thrilling acidic frame that was spinning its essences in the mouth with so much…

Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon SongBook

Though knowing Tynan is the winemaker here might have influenced my mindset, upon first sip of the Songbook, I was instantly reminded of the Tynan MGs we had sampled earlier that morning (of course,…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Anjea Sleeping Lady Vineyard

The best wine I've had from the Sleeping Lady site. I've honestly never been wholly impressed with that vineyard nor convinced it had the ultimate potential to compete with some of the big boys in…

Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon Amoenus

A TON of fruit roars on to the palate with gobs of black cherry and plum flavors. Succulent and flamboyant, suffused with black raspberry liqueur and fruity mixed berry elements that create a…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

I've written quite a bit on this wine already. Strikingly similar to the 2019 barrel sample we had two days earlier, the 2016 LPV from Memento Mori busts out of its seams with powerfully ripe black…

Tusk Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

This bottle is all about power right now. Black fruit and booze dominate the entry, finally relaxing after an hour or so of air. In fact, I revisited this bottle 24 hours later and it wasn't until…

Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Rhadamanthus

Well now party people, you can add me to the list of Cellar Trackers who are all about trumpeting the Kinsman label. The hype is real my friends. I know you don't need me to convince you otherwise,…

Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon Heimark Vineyard

Instantly yummy, with an added dark and serious streak that is certainly attention-grabbing. A textural masterpiece, with fine-grained tannins offering the perfect frame and speed by which to carry…

Morlet Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc Force de la Nature

Hot and ripe on the first pop, but then it gets right into a nice stride, inviting another sip (and another bite of food). Plump black cherry, black and red currant, red and black licorice, and…

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg

Earthy and funky black cherry flavors dolphin their way in and out of waves of furry tannins, further warming the palate with plum, allspice, and faint burnt orange rind notes. Finishes slightly…

Christopher Tynan Wines Syrah Judge Family Vineyard

I've written a few times on this wine and am always impressed with the wonderful balance between unctuous flavor expansion and cooler climate restraint and focus that ultimately make this wine so…

Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon NVD

Higher-toned and red-fruited on entry, with cranberry puckering the tip of the tongue on the first flash of the initial entry, quickly giving way to an instantly easy-going fruity mid-palate.…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

A perfect wine in the making, the 2018 Macdonald is undoubtedly going to be one of the top wines of the vintage. For those familiar with the Macdonald lineage, the 2018 will be no surprise as a…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon The Magnificent Seven

Locked and loaded is most apropos here. Packed, stacked, but not yet cracked, this 2018 M7 is fortified with tense and quivering black cherry, bitter chocolate, and rock notes that stubbornly tell…

Christopher Tynan Wines Syrah Judge Family Vineyard

Barrel sample. A Cote Rotie lookalike, the 2019 Syrah is bursting with bunches of violets mixed with unripe blackberry, blackberry seeds, Chambord, red raspberry, purple licorice, freshly washed…

Maxem Pinot Noir Silver Eagle

An intensely scented nose foreshadows a correspondingly floral entry on the palate, with penetrating notes of violets, deep cranberry, crunchy black cherry, and slight citrus and mineral notes. There…

Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 3 Tench Vineyard

Decidedly Tench, with red and purple fruit and a sack of booze to boot upfront, as a wave of cassis and freshly washed berries play catch-me-if-you-can with a bouquet of dried flowers. The power and…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon The Magnificent Seven

So this didn't suck at all. Holy Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, what is this concentrated showboater of a jammin' juice to which you have put before me good sir?! You want a standout? Here it…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

Barrel sample. Outstanding acid and beautifully defined fine-grained tannins fashion a gorgeously fresh and grippy MG. Blackberry seed and freshly popped pomegranate seeds lead the charge, with the…

Maxem Pinot Noir UV Vineyard

Deep black cherry dominates, with a broad push of full berry fruit flavors washing over the palate. Finishes with a plush feel on the back end, with a "hug me like a teddy bear" demeanor enticing for…

Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 2 Pritchard Hill

Pritchard Hill berries baby! Unripe red raspberries, cranberry, red and black cherry, cassis, and iron all culminate to push out higher register tones, finishing youthfully fuzzy and grippy. Treble…

Vice Versa Beatrix Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Barrel sample. Immediately recognizable as Valley Floor/Oakville fruit. Big, warm, fruity, and earthy, this specimen is a To Kalon mullet on the palate: Cab Franc on the front end, Cab Sauv on the…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

Electric and fresh, exhibiting matching sparkle akin to the 2019 MG barrel sample, the 2018 MG is locked-and-loaded with acidic vitality and dynamism. With notable structure and acidic speed, this is…