Reviews

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Teucer Vineyard

This is really compelling for a modern styled Napa Cab. An exquisite balance of extract and concentration with flavor and plain 'ol yum factor. Just when you think it'll be too sweet, too rich, or…

Sylvie Esmonin (Michel et Fille) Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques

From the nose, you think you're in for a petting zoo barnyard wet sheep moment, but on the palate, the animale element is nuanced, existing more as a subtlety that accompanies the profile rather than…

Ovid Red Wine

Red currant, black and red cherry, cassis, tobacco leaf, spice box, cedar, and mulch. A beautiful example of old-meets-new world Napa Cabernet. Notably balanced and classy, with a sophistication that…

Fait-Main Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras

Blackberry, blueberry, earth, river rock, and pulverized granite. This started off as many 2014s do with a giving amount of fruit and flavor on the front end. Finished plump and ripe (but balanced on…

Château Léoville Barton

It's a young pup, so best left alone for another 7-10 years. Sour cherry, red and black cherry, red currant, cranberry, wet cave, spicebox, cedar, and mulchy earth notes. More of a classical style,…

Château La Marzelle

Blackberry, black cherry, mocha, charred cedar plank, black licorice, Christmas spice, and mulch/earth. Super flavorful with notable depth and a dark, plush mouthfeel. Finishes with charred oak and…

Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts

Smooth and balanced, with an equilibrium that makes for a beautiful display of black cherry, red and black currant, earth, and cinnamon flavors. With air, alluring burnt orange peel and smokey anise…

Gilbert et Christine Felettig Gevrey-Chambertin La Justice

Black cherry and black and red raspberry notes make for core flavors that nicely saturate the palate with medium intensity and agreeable balance and weight. A 6-out-of-10 on complexity, and a little…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Mortal Coil Phendler

Drink now folks. Nearing the end of the road.

Henri Boillot Echezeaux

Similar to the Latricières-Chambertin and Clos Vougeot Grand Crus, except perhaps for the dialed-down spiciness that showed more front-and-center with its former siblings. The Echezeaux is more…

Henri Boillot Clos Vougeot

Similar to the Latricieres-Chambertin with its black cherry and subtly spicy red and black raspberry profile, but just a hair lighter-bodied and medium-weighted...until air kicks in...fanning out and…

Henri Boillot Latricières-Chambertin

Black cherry, spicy black and red raspberry, rhubarb, and subtle bark, wet limestone, and orange rind notes. Beautifully weighted and seamlessly executed, with a surprisingly accessible demeanor…

Paul Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge Vieilles Vignes

Still in that 91-92 range for me. Factoring in QPR, this is a very pleasant ride of a wine and a decent bang for your buck. Black cherry and purple berry fruit dominate here, with medium grip and…

Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul

Plump and savory dark berry flavors intertwine with secondary notes of garrigue, burnt embers, espresso powder, and a subtle floral element. A Rhône reverse mullet of sorts, with a party-ready meaty…

Domaine Henri Boillot Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets

Gravelly cranberry wrestles with red and black cherry fruit, with a linear but driven push of higher toned berry fruit from front to back. Hints of orange peel, spice, and vanilla extract add…

Domaine Henri Boillot Volnay 1er Cru Les Chevrets

A great combination of red and black cherry fruit with a perfect hit of meaty earth elements. Some wild cranberry and spice show up to the party as well. A complete wine in the making. Speaks more to…

Domaine Henri Boillot Volnay 1er Cru Les Fremiets

Quite enjoyable, even as a PnP. Air did help with some swirling in the glass. Red and black berry fruited. Faint spice and earth add interest. Could probably still use some time to flush out some of…

Walt Pinot Noir Blue Jay

Two words: Barely tolerable. Watery black and red cherry with that scraggy cedary oak-laced periphery that does everything it can to advertise the lack of forethought put into crafting this wine.…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Much less of the rocket propulsion drive when compared to last year. Instead, this LPV impresses for its chewy black core and namesake minerality that make for a go-go gothic profile that can't help…

Scarlett Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Eeeeeeesh... What happened to my precious prefect Scarlett?!?!?!

Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon

Red and black raspberry, vanilla, red currant, and hints of scorched earth and espresso powder. A floral note briefly appears but then quickly dissipates. Smooth and fairly balanced on entry, but…

Outpost Immigrant True Vineyard

Still a huge monster that spits grit and sediment just as much as it thrusts out a concentrated core of blackberry, black cherry, and purple plum flavors. A push-pull delivery in its current state,…

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

Gorgeous depth of flavor, with succulent dark berry fruit coating the palate as it drops into a deep mid-glide and opens up even further and more opulent on the finish. Maintains focus throughout,…

Château Marquis d'Alesme

Punchy and lip-smacking on entry, with a vibrant sour cherry acidity encompassing a dark berry and graphite-injected core. Delivers with decent flavor expansion considering its youth, but its pulsing…

Domaine Saint Préfert Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Auguste Favier

The initial nose only spits dusty cedar and some of grandma's dresser drawer at you, making you wish you could put the cork back in and pretend you didn't make this mistake for another 3-5+ years. On…