Reviews

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

The nose hits you pretty quickly with ripe blackberry and poblano chili, letting you know almost immediately that this is definitely hailing from the cooler, wetter 2011 vintage. First sips confirm…

Arkenstone Syrah

I loved this sample. Super meaty and viscous, like chewing on a bacon-wrapped date that was dipped in the most flavorful tar you could lap up from dragging your tongue across I-5 on a late August…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

This is certainly up there with the top 2017s to come out of Napa by far. Immediately it shows itself as a "complete" wine, with all the necessary moving parts hitting the right chords at the right…

Vangone Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Block B

From B Block. A higher register animal than the 2015 and 2016 dark earthy beasts, this 2017 hits the palate with red and purple plum skin and red and black raspberry notes. Offers a youthfully…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

Obviously a barrel sample that has only had just a wee bit of time to even start thinking about what it wants to be when it goes up, the 2019 MG juice clearly has high aspirations from becoming an…

Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon Amoenus

From the site that has been known as "Not the Materium, but the other wine that Maybach makes," the Amoenus makes an appearance on the Arkenstone label in 2018. The first sip tells you this thing is…

Christopher Tynan Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines Meleagris Gallopavo

Red and black cherry liqueur and purple plum skin beautifully explode in a cascade of pure and fresh fruit flavors. Primary and vigilant, but focused and lively, the core delivers a mouthful of…

Maxem Pinot Noir UV Vineyard

Deep black cherry dominates here. A super tasty sample, with the makings of a compelling wine certainly poised to crest on the horizon for this wine as the years go on. A broader spectrum of…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch

An initial horizontal attack of primary black cherry and cassis flavors made for a youthfully primary delivery on the front end. With air, blackberry and black raspberry liqueur, blackberry seed,…

Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon Coliseum Block

A big wine with fantastic grip. Black and red raspberry dominate. The acid rushes in and swiftly grips the front end. A zippy mid-palate, finishing with a much-needed downshift that allows for some…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

Rich, chewy, perfumed, and about as exciting as they come, the 2016 Macdonald is a shake your money maker kind of experience, grabbing a hold the palate and unloading gobs of dark, black fruit;…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon

An initial horizontal attack lends its way to a broader flavor expansion with a good hit of air, jumping into gear and kicking out read and black cherry notes on the front end. Much more red-fruited…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2015 was similar to the 2013 in many ways, except that the 2015 took a bit longer to shed some of its frame and allow the fruit to come forward. It was highly mineral-driven and the least…

Arkenstone Estate

Blackberry seed, obsidian, burnt embers, and chewy licorice, with mineral and scorched earth notes zipping around the concentrated core. More than a fair amount of power here, finishing youthfully…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

The most inviting and "palate-compelling" right now, the 2014 Macdonald showed wonderfully expressive dark, black fruit, with some violets and asphalt adding to the profile. Surprisingly silky,…

Arkenstone Cabernet Sauvignon NVD

Saturated black raspberry, leather, blackberry, muddled strawberry, charcoal, and red and black cherry. Considering this is the more "base" model Cabernet from Arkenstone, it performs quite well and…

MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon

100 points ALL DAY LONG. You want a To Kalon that can stand the test of time, this dude right here is the one to put your money on. The most gorgeous monster ever, wrapped up in a tight, super grippy…

Quivet Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Continuing to operate in a nice drinking window it seems, as this was the best showing of this wine to date. Balanced out and not too heavy on the fruit (Quivet-speaking at least). A notable black…

Château Beau-Séjour Bécot

Blackberry, spicebox, wet limestone, black cherry, black currant, black licorice stick, cedar, and the slightest hint of violets. Exquisitely balanced and smooth for such a young wine. Silky…

Clos de Boüard

Fairly abrasive and angular, with an alcohol hit on the front end that all but kills a lot of the fruit trying to come forward. A bitter bite on the back end doesn't help matters. AIR!...helped a…

Château Cap de Faugères La Mouleyre

Black fruit core, with plum, ripe black raspberry, bitter chocolate, and hints of leather. A compelling mouthfeel and notable depth for such a base Bordeaux. Could use 3+ years to balance-out and…

Château Prieuré-Lichine

Black fruit and spice with medium delivery and length overall. An interesting combination of fresh and brooding; the tail fell off fairly quickly, with a faint cedar note clipping the finish. A…

Château Cantenac Brown

Red and black currant, cedar, cinnamon, earth, saturated black cherry, warm leather, and some higher-toned floral and bitter blackberry seed. An old world profile with a somewhat deeper pitched…

Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Rouge

Though it took a little time to unfurl its flavors, this came along quite nicely in terms of delivery and expansion, especially with its overall mouthfeel and texture. It comes across initially with…

Château Pontet-Canet

I gotta be honest...this iteration of Pontet-Canet does what every other 2014 Bordeaux I've had does...underwhelms. It's fine and all I guess with its smokey blackberry, black currant, cedar, and wet…