| Jan 17th, 2012 |
| | Bennett Lane | 2007 Maximus ($35) | B
|
| | Supposedly a critics favorite, 93 points from Wine Spectator, it is a more traditional Napa cab with lots of fruit and fairly big but not much by way of tannin that suggests this will be a good cellar wine. Time will tell. | |
| | Bennett Lane | 2008 Maximus ($35) | B
|
| | Slightly less green and herbaceous than the 2007. Not destined for greatness. | |
| Dec 31st, 2011 |
| | d Arenberg | 1998 The Coppermine Road ($50) | C-D
|
| | Big dense purple Cab. Nice bit of acidity and tannin that works with the red fruit flavors. Needs to be decanted and run through a strainer, serious amount of sediment. Will revisit after decanting properly and letting breathe to see if it gets a C in the not too distant future.
Indeed a decanter and a strainer did have a very positive effect on the wine. Drinking very nicely. | |
| Dec 21st, 2011 |
| | Seavey Vineyard | 2006 Caravina ($60) | C
|
| | Drinking the best today out of the amazing collection of wines we tried. Another great Cabernet (and second label) | |
| | Seavey Vineyard | 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon ($95) | C-D
|
| | Another monster wine from Seavey that has a lot of potential. I really would like to try this again in a few years as it will only get better. Big, big fruit and finish. Classic Howell Mountain Cabernet with 90.5% Cabernet and 9.5% Petit Verdot. 95 points from Robert Parker. A great wine!! | |
| | Seavey Vineyard | 2008 Caravina ($55) | C
|
| | Wow. I really love this wine. Having such a strong second label wine makes it difficult to justify the price difference to get the first label. You can almost get 2 of these for the price of one Seavey Cabernet; and this is a really good Cabernet. Again I would like to try this in a few years as it will get better. Beautiful!! | |
| Nov 21st, 2011 |
| | Iron Horse Vineyards | 2007 Wedding Cuvee ($38) | B-C
|
| | Very nice rose, solid effort for a domestic. Nice fruit flavors and toasted notes at the back end. There are better and cheaper French versions but here are also ones twice the price and not as decent so a reliable drinker from its prior ratings. | |
| Nov 18th, 2011 |
| | Iron Horse Vineyards | 2006 Ocean Reserve ($40) | B
|
| | Gets the B for the fact it donates $4 from every bottle to National Geographic fund to benefit the Ocean. A particular nose/taste that actually smells/tastes salty makes it resemble the Ocean a little too much. Probably better with food. | |
| Nov 5th, 2011 |
| | Jacques Puffeney | 2007 Poulsard ($30) | B-C
|
| | As usual a slight funk to these Jura wines and the style of Jacques Puffeney. Light mountain wine with good acidity, bright red fruits. Great nose but a light finish, great with food. | |
| | Silver Stag Winery | 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon ($49) | C
|
| | I bumped into the winemaker of Silver Stag at a local Costco and after a good discussion, took a bottle home with me for dinner. We really enjoyed it - good fruit up front, and an excellent finish. Plus the fact that Costco were selling the wine for $25 makes it a very good wine at a very good price!! | |
| Sep 9th, 2011 |
| | Palmaz | 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon "Gaston" ($150) | C-D
|
| | Unbelievably smooth Cabernet (100%). The tannins are very smooth and this wine is really drinking well today. I would love to see how this wine ages | |
| | Palmaz | 2007 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($100) | C-D
|
| | Another excellent Cabernet Sauvignon from the really fantastic 2007 vintage. This wine is drinking really well today. Very well balanced with super smooth tannins. I'd love to see how these wines age. 22 months in new French oak | |
| Jul 31st, 2011 |
| | Clos Du Val | 2007 Stags Leap Distrcit Cabernet Sauvignon ($75) | C
|
| | Smooth tannins and good body - a little tight and good potential. The Three Graces was the best so far. | |
| | Clos Du Val | 2007 Three Graces ($65) | B-C
|
| | Nicely balanced Bordeaux blend - good and smooth, drinkable now and potential to age. First year of this blend - great first effort | |
| | Pine Ridge Winery | 2005 Andrus Reserve ($110) | C
|
| | Lots of fruit, big tannins - will improve with time. Tasted at winery, 5 minutes out of the bottle, would be better with a couple of hours of decanting. It's a shame there be no more of this after 2006. | |
| | Pine Ridge Winery | 2007 Fortis ($112) | C-D
|
| | Beats the Andrus, very robust and lots of potential. Long finish of cherry and berry fruit, good balance and silky finish. Will improve with time - best of the day. | |
| | Pine Ridge Winery | 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($43) | B
|
| | Good solid cab, medium finish and good cherry tones. | |
| | Pine Ridge Winery | 2007 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon ($60) | B-C
|
| | Good cherry nose, nice body and medium finish | |
| | Pine Ridge Winery | 2007 Onyx ($48) | B
|
| | Malbec blend, very tight and needs more time. Nothing bad, just nothing special right now | |
| | Pine Ridge Winery | 2007 Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon ($60) | B-C
|
| | Best so far, good balance and medium long finish | |
| Jul 30th, 2011 |
| | Beringer Vineyards | 2007 Private Reserve ($115) | D
|
| | Wow. Beautiful wine. According to Robert Parker, "this is one of the finest Private Reserves made over the last 2 decades", and gets 97 points. It is a stunning wine. Dark red, long smooth tannins, big fruit. Can only get better with a few years | |
| Jul 16th, 2011 |
| | Seavey Vineyard | 2001 Seavey Cabernet ($125) | C
|
| | A bit price heavy to get a C-D and would need to be decanted to really get a consistent flavor but plenty of positive things going for it if this is your style of wine. | |
| | Seavey Vineyard | 2004 Caravina ($65) | C
|
| | Very well executed Cabernet, not too fat, nice balance of fruit/tannins, good aging potential for a second growth label. The 2005 is supposed to be even better, bought it but haven't tasted it yet. | |
| | Seavey Vineyard | 2007 Seavey Cabernet ($95) | C-D
|
| | Big wine that changed with every mouthful, big potential, needs some time to settle down but all the elements are there. | |
| Jul 15th, 2011 |
| | Arrow & Branch | 2008 Red Wine ($125) | C-D
|
| | The first release of the Arrow & Branch Red Wine; 79% Cabernet Franc, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec and 4% Petit Verdot. Aged 20 months in 100% French Oak, a total of 63 cases were produced (80% of the crop was lost due to severe April frost). Winemaker Helen Keplinger (now of Bryant) produced a very nice wine, rich in flavor and deep garnet in color. Smooth long tannins. Excellent. I would like to revisit this wine in a few years to see how it deals with some age. | |
