Reviews

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

The best showing from this wine to date. Previous notes apply; but with this go-around, it was displaying even more power and intensity than the sample I had last month. Yet, even with all of that…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Selection Beckstoffer Bourn Vineyard

A tad darker and more plush than the 2015, the B Cellars 2016 Bourn shows a bit of reticence at the moment, sauntering up on its attack with a more medium-bodied delivery overall. Mid-palate was…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Intense and concentrated without a doubt, but with a sophistication and focus that really showed extraordinarily well this time around. Even more elevated and complex in its showing since my previous…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard

A mighty tasty representation of the site, and completely elevated in every respect since I last sampled this in barrel back in February. 10 months ago, this was all about sanguine and bloody butcher…

Aratas Petite Sirah

Previous notes apply. Resolved and likely as integrated as it will get before it starts to move into the later stages of its evolution. Black and purple fruits dominate. PnP was good service. Drink…

Morlet Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Joli Coeur

Ripe black cherry, black and red raspberry, smoke, earth, incense, forest floor, and lichen. A fairly dark and rich attack on the front end, with the lush black cherry core leading the way. Some…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon The Arsenal Greer Vineyard

First bottle was a wet dog flawed mess.

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon The Arsenal Greer Vineyard

Another flawed bottle of the Arsenal. Wet newspaper and dog-left-out-in-the-rain mustiness. Fruit was blown and flat, with a bitter, astringent delivery overall.

A. Rafanelli Zinfandel

Certainly young and in the sunrise of just starting to work itself into a more tame animal, this Zinfandel offers up notes of blackberry jam, bitter cherry preserve, white pepper, imitation vanilla,…

Skipstone Oliver's Blend

Currant, plum, black cherry, black soil, forest floor, mulch, and some pencil shavings. A darker, earthier profile, with medium speed across the palate; finishes a little bitter and gritty. A…

Grieve Family Winery Double Eagle

Flavors of black and red currrant, cedar, tree bark, dust, and grandma's couch. Bony dry and bitter on the back end.

Occidental Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

Red and black cherry, red raspberry, earth, and some spice. Medium all the way around, with notable mid-palate and a nice, fruit/earth driven finish. The earthy red fruit notes repeat themselves on…

DuMOL Pinot Noir Ryan Widdoes Vineyard

Earthy black cherry, wild strawberry, mulch, evergreen, tree bark, stems, forest floor, and some wet rock. Clearly an earth-driven type of Pinot, with a nice dose of fruit flavor to hold interest and…

Fisher Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Lamb Vineyard

Black currant, plum, and some black raspberry core fruit. Earth, wet cedar, and Nesquik chocolate powder. notes also emerge. Medium bodied, with a back end that finishes on a slightly bitter,…

Black Kite Pinot Noir River Turn

Earthy and little more cool climate in its profile than the Gap's Crown served beside it. Anderson Valley vs. Sonoma Coast. The River Turn showed off restrained but focused notes of black cherry,…

Black Kite Pinot Noir Gap's Crown Vineyard

A medium bodied-delivery of black cherry, earth, and some subtle spice. Medium-to-light on the back end. Soft a gentle on the finish, with black cherry and alcohol repeating at the tail end. A little…

Accendo Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

Black and red currant, blackberry jam, black and red cherry, sandalwood, chocolate chunk, and some spice. A slight floral note appeared on the tail end briefly, but got washed over with a tiny tannic…

Joseph Phelps Insignia

Black cherry, currant, unripe plum, and some faint leather on the back end. Notes of vanilla, incense, and cedar struggled to make a showing as well, but were somewhat overpowered by an alcoholic…

Villa Del Lago Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine is going to be a wonderful expression of Pritchard Hill........but only after we set up a space station on Saturn's rings and Ex Machina ballerinas rule the world.

Gandona Cabernet Sauvignon

Powerful but fairly tight on initial PnP. Day 1 was much less giving than 24 hours later. Initially, this Gandona spit out some black cherry, cranberry, bitter chocolate, vanilla alcohol, and some…

Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Martinez Vineyard

The most accessible and giving of the other three Pritchard Hill wines tasted beside it. More black cherry fruit, with hints of bitter chocolate. Strongest in the mid-palate depth. Still a bit…

TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Melanson Vineyard

Previous notes apply. This was only pulled for purposes of a Pritchard Hill taste-off. Like all of the wines tasted, the Tor needs time. 3+ years minimum. I felt it was a little flat on its delivery…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir War & Peace

I fully concur with fellow CT'er Air Guitar in that this wine really seems to be coming along nicely since I last had it over a year-and-a-half ago. It carries a more cool climate profile overall,…

Bevan Cellars Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard

In a beautiful drinking window currently, with ripe black cherry, plum, chocolate, and some faint spice notes. Decanted for a couple of hours and served <54 degrees. Though PnP was just fine, the…

Realm Cellars The Falstaff

Exquisitely framed flavors of perfectly ripened black cherry, dark cassis, plum skin, black raspberry, dark chocolate, dehydrated blueberries, and some subtle sweet oak char. There is a floral note…