2017 Boich Family Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon NVS, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$125.00USD

First time trying this winery.  The winemaker is Jeff Ames who makes some great wines at TOR and other wineries.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, chocolate, slight lumber and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Cassis with some cedar and spice.  Tightly layered complexity, it unwinds nicely in the glass.  Long finish.  This will improve with a few years in the cellar but is drinking well now.  Drink over the next twenty years.  Great on its own, this needs big food right now.  Pot Roast would go well.  

2016 Sterling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Platinum, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$70.00USD

Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, spice, lumber, and slight cedar.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, nice cassis fruit with some char.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue for another seven to ten years.  A nice choice with a burger off the grill.  

2018 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A

Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is  nice with cassis, cedar, camphor and leather.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, plenty of cassis with some char.  Lots of depth.  Complex if still tight.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue to for another ten to twelve years.  It might improve a bit more as it ages.  Nice on its own, this would work well with grilled meats.  

2014 Bryant Family Vineyard Bettina, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2014
Score: 
98
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$300.00USD

Beautiful wine.  This is a proprietary blend from one of Napa's top producers.  Bettina is the name of the owner's wife.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, chocolate, slight coffee, dust and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Nice balance.  On the palate, this is more on the elegant/Bordeaux style of Napa.  Cassis, black cherries, leather, and coffee with some underlying char.  Lively.  Long finish.  This is drinking well and should continue for another fifteen to twenty years.  Nice on its own, this will work with bigger foods such as P

2020 Frog's Leap Chardonnay Shale and Stone, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
87
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$39.00USD

Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has gun powder and yellow grapefruit.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, grapefruits with underlying char/smoke.  Good acidity.  Slight residual sugar on the finish.  A nice wine, but it sees no oak which makes it suspect that the grapes were close to the wildfires.  Is the "smoke" just from sulfur?   Drink over the next few years.  Better on its own or with some cheeses.  

2016 Long Meadow Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$50.00USD

This is a nice solid Napa Cabernet that often shows up on restaurant lists.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, coffee, slight chocolate and a slight herbal note.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, lots of cassis, some chocolate and just a hint of spice.  Nice finish.  This drinks nicely on its own and will work great with a steak or burger.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

2019 Highlands Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

A nice, solid Napa Cabernet.  At 15.6%, this is not shy although the alcohol is not noticeable.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, cedar and spice.  Medium tannins.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this drinks smooth and easy.  Cassis notes with a touch of cedar.  Nice finish.  Drinking well now and should continue for the next five to eight years.  A nice wine with a steak or burger.  

Cuvaison 2019 Brut Rosé, Méthode Champenoise

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$60.00USD

Cuvaison is best known for their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but in 2012 they launched a sparkling program. Comprised of mainly Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay, this brut was made in the traditional Champagne method. Using Pinot Dijon clone 115 planted in 1998, winemaker Steve Rogstad says these 25-year-old vines bring a “precocious beauty” to the wine, and I have to agree. This is a delicate wine with minimal sweetness, using the grace of the Pinot and the acidity and light salinity of the Chardonnay to make a very balanced, almost shy wine.

Cuvaison 2020 Chardonnay Hedon

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$50.00USD

Small lot Chardonnay. Not many people take the time to create small batches of wine, but Cuvaison does and it opens the door into wines that are specially cared for and you can taste that. This Chardonnay is a shy, subtle Chardonnay, and even though winemaker Steve Rogstag says it’s an “iconic California style,” it’s really more a respectful nod to Burgundy. Yes, this is 100% Chardonnay, aged in both French and American oak for 18 months, with full malolactic fermentation, but the acidity and light flavors veer away from California to France.

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