2016 Frias Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Vangone Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

After just recently trying the 2018, it was nice to try something with at least a few more years on it. Just as delicious. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has cassis, cedar, char and baking spice. With air a slight graphite note. Full bodied. Firm tannins. On the palate, lots of cassis, some black cherries and underlying char. This is drinking well but will continue to develop ad mature over the next eight to ten years. It should drink well for another ten to fifteen after that. Great on its own, it needs big food to tame the tannins right now. It went great with assorted pizzas off the Green Egg.

Grade:

Score:

Vintage:

2016

Top Napa Cabernet Sauvignon - 2019 Tastings

The top Cabernet Sauvignon tasted and reviewed by Loren Sonkin in 2019.

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Top 50 California Cabernet Sauvignons to Try Before You Quit Drinking (a non-dump bucket list if you will!)

In putting together a list of the top California Cabernets, there is sure to be some disagreement. I tried to include those wines that have a track record, the wineries still making great wines, those that seemed to have the commitment for the future and some personal favorites. I am sure I left some out. 1. Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select – It’s always hard to name the number one wine. But this has a track record that’s very long. Even in less than stellar vintages, it is an outstanding wine. They just don’t seem to make a dud. My only complaint is the price at over $200 a bottle. But, in comparison to other Napa Cabs or elsewhere in the world, this is a fair price.

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2018 Frias Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Vangone Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage:

2018

Score:

Grade:

A+

Current Price:

$260.00USD

A new winery for me. Wowza! Of course, this is also a great vintage. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is great with cassis, blueberries, baking spices, and slight chocolate. Full bodied with a lovely lush texture. On the palate, lots of lush fruit without being a fruit bomb. Medium tannins. Delicious. Still young and primary, it is hard to see where it goes, but I suspect it ages beautifully over the next twenty years or more. While patience will be rewarded, there will be no regrets opening one now. Probably better on its own now, as it ages it will work great w

2003 Frias Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Napa, Spring Mountain, Wine Review

Vintage:

2003

Score:

Grade:

From a Magnum. Pretty etched bottle/label. Purple in color. The nose is dusty with cassis and a bit of rosemary. On the palate, there is cassis with some plums on the finish. This is deep and concentrated and seems to be drinking at about peak right now. It starts out with tight layers in the glass and then opens very quickly. Good finish. Works well with heartier foods. No hurry, but no reason to wait to open a bottle.

Heidi Peterson Barrett: Napa's Wine Diva on Winemaking, La Sirena, and the Legacy of Screaming Eagle

Heidi Peterson Barrett As arguably the most celebrated, respected, envied, and in-demand winemaker in America today, Heidi Peterson Barrett is one of only a handful of winemakers who can legitimately lay claim to "superstar" status. Her wines at both Dalle Valle and Screaming Eagle resulted in multiple 100 point scores from Robert Parker (Parker himself dubbed her the "First Lady of Wine") and helped redefine both the meaning and value of "cult" wines. She rocked the wine world at the 2000 Napa Valley Wine Auction as a 6-liter bottle of her 1992 Screaming Eagle sold for $500,000, in the process setting a world record for the highest price ever paid for a single bottle of wine (a vertical offering went for $650,000 at the 2001 Napa Valley Wine Auction). Heidi Peterson Barrett is currently winemaker for Amuse Bouche, Paradigm, Revana, Barbour, Lamborn, Fantesca, as well as her own label La Sirena . I recently had the pleasure of catching up with Heidi to talk about winemaking, her own La Sirena label, and the legacy of Screaming Eagle.

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2016 Frias Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Vangone Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

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