2008 Outpost Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Napa, Howell Mountain, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2008
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$132.00USD

Another great wine from winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown.  Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, cedar, leather, char and black olives.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, there is cassis, spice, cedar and some warmth.  Long finish.  This is about at peak but should drink well for another ten to twelve more years.  It is great on its own and will work well with roast beef.  

2017 Long Meadow Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Farmstead, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$46.00USD

This is an easy drinking Napa Cabernet.  Purple in color with some garnet swirls, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, roasted herbs and a hint of cedar.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, the black cherries move to the forefront.  Nice texture.  Some depth.  Clean.  Moderate acidity.  Solid finish.  This is drinking well right now and will work on its own or with food.  It went well with potato filled pierogis.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

2010 Hobel Wine Works Cabernet Sauvignon Engelhard Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2010
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A

Nice to revisit this with some age.  It is doing fine.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, dust and spice.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is still a bit youthful.  Plenty of cassis and oak showing.  Deep.  It probably needs another five years until fully mature.  Still drinks great today with some air.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  It drinks great on its own and will work well with a grilled steak.  

2016 Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Altagracia, USA, California, Napa, Calistoga, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$130.00USD

This is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot from the Eisele vineyard in Calistoga.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, cigar box, cloves and dust.  Firm tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has cassis, cedar with an underlying char.  Long finish.  This is young and will still get better but it is delicious today.  Maybe about five to eight more years until peak.  It will drink well for the next fifteen to twenty years.  Great on its own or with food, lamb chops would be a nice choice.  

2003 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select, USA, California, Napa, Stags Leap

Vintage: 
2003
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$265.00USD

Shafer Hillside Select is quite simply a First Growth of Napa Cabernets.  Every vintage is always one of the top releases from Napa.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, smoke, cedar, graphite and dust.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, there is cassis with layers of graphite, cedar and smoke.  Nice complexity. This is just about fully mature at this point. Long finish.  This is delicious on its own and will work well with roasted meats and veggies.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  

2006 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon The Ark Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2006
Score: 
100
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$608.00USD

Stunning wine.  This had a few hours of air prior to serving.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with Mocha.  With a bit of air cassis, red licorice and the very slightest note of prune (but not stewed or in a bad way).  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Seamless texture.  Juicy acidity.  On the palate, this is elegant.  Yes, it has 15.5% abv but there is no sign on the palate.  Smooth in every way.  Flavors of cassis, dark chocolate and char.  Velvety.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is not yet at peak but getting closer.  It should drink amazingly for the next fifte

2006 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon CCS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Oakville, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2006
Score: 
100
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$650.00USD

Wow.  This wine is stunning and yet, still on the young-ish side.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is explosive with cassis, dust, mocha, and smoke.  Full bodied.  A seamless texture.  Very firm tannins.  On the palate, cassis, anise, dark chocolate and slight char.  Long finish.  This wine had some air prior to serving but still kept improving over the few hours we enjoyed it.  This should continue to improve over the next five to eight years, but in any event, will drink well for at least another twenty.  There is plenty of fruit to meld into the tannins as they resolve

1999 Dominus Estate, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
1999
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-

Great to try a mature Dominus, one of the great Napa Cabs made in a more Bordeaux style.   A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 9% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot. Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty with cassis and slight cigar box notes.  Full bodied.  On the palate, cassis with some depth and underlying tobacco.  This seems fully mature with a nice complexity.  Very nice finish.  This will work better food than on its own.  Lamb stew would be a great choice.  Drink over the next five years or so.  

2009 Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Panek Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, St. Helena, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2009
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A

Yowza!  This is drinking wonderfully right now.  Still a tad on the young side but oh, so good.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, anise, baking spices, cherries and leather.  Full bodied.  Lush texture but lots of precision.  Depth and complexity.  On the palate, plenty of cassis, some black cherries with underlying leather and slight char/earthiness.  Great balance.  Long finish.  This is delicious on its own and will work with bigger dishes of roasted meats or fowl.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

2008 Lagier Meredith Syrah, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2008
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A

Excellent showing.  At age 14, this is just about at peak and showing nice maturity with some youth as well.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Opaque and mostly bright.  The nose has boysenberries, slight black cherry, black pepper and char.  Full bodied.  The firm tannins of it's youth are mostly resolved at this point but present.

Pages