Expert articles and wine tasting videos profiling wines from California, California wine regions, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, & more.

2013 Kapcsándy Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (Grand Vin) State Lane Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Yountville, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2013
Score: 
100
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$425.00USD

Wow.  Talk about a Bordeaux styled wine made in Napa, this is it.  Just a beauty.  87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 1% Petite Verdot.  Ruby/purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is gorgeous, if young.  Cassis, black cherries, blueberries, smoke, tobacco, earthiness, cedar and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great energy.  On the palate, this is complex and tightly layered.  Cassis and black cherries with earthiness and smoke.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is not a huge fruit bomb at all.  Not yet at peak but well on its way.  This has another twenty to thirty

2019 Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Patrimony, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$199.00USD

This wine is proof that Paso Robles can make world class Cabernets (in addition to Rhone Varietals).  The Daou brothers second vintage of this wine is very young but easily could be a 100 pointer with some bottle age and development.  As it, it is outstanding right now.  Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, chocolate, graphite, cigar tobacco, and cedar.  Great texture.  Firm tannins.  Concentrated.  Nice balance.  On the palate, concentrated cassis with graphite, and chocolate and slight tobacco.  It unwinds in the glass.  Long finish.  If drinking

2010 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2010
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-

Basic Bottling.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, leather, slight cedar.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Very concentrated.  On the palate, this is just hitting maturity.  Cassis with some leather notes.  Good energy and balance.  Nice finish.  A classic Napa Cab.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  A nice match with grilled meats or just on its own.  

2015 Realm Cellars The Tempest, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2015
Score: 
98
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$165.00USD

This is 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.  One of the truly great Merlots out there.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, baking spice, chocolate, and smoke.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is flat out delicious.  Cherries, chocolate, slight cassis and spice.  Deep and complex.  Long finish.  This is drinking great now but should have another fifteen to twenty years.  Great on its own, this will work well with Ham or Chicken.  

2018 Detert Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc Oakville, USA, California, Napa, WIne Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
97
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$140.00USD

Detert makes some of the best Cabernet Franc in California.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, cassis, fresh tobacco, spice and slight mocha note.  Full bodied.  Wonderful lush texture.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is young with firm tannins.  Loads of black cherry fruit (although certainly not a fruit bomb), along with some cassis and some underlying char.  Long finish.  Delicious.  It really unwinds over a few hours.  Drink over the next fifteen to twenty years.  Great on its own, this will work well earthy dishes s

2014 Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2014
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A

Great showing for this.  Still young but starting to show development.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, coffee, baking spices and char.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, cassis, slight blueberries with spice.  Deep.  Long finish.  No harm drinking now, but this has another twenty years in it.  Great on its own, this will work well with roasted or grilled meats.  

2013 Saxum Broken Stones, USA, California, Paso Robles, Willow Creek District, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2013
Score: 
97
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$145.00USD

This is a blend of 48% Syrah, 22% Petite Sirah, 17% Grenache, 6% Mourvedre, 4% Tempranillo, and 3% Roussanne.  Wonderful wine that is just entering its prime drinking window.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black cherries, spice, chocolate and char.  Lovely full bodied, almost seamless texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, loads of fruit but plenty of energy to keep it from being burdensome.  Layers of black raspberries, black cherries with underlying gravel and char.  Delicious.  Long finish.  This drinks great on its own and would w

2012 Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2012
Score: 
98
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$349.00USD

The label on this bottle (bought at auction) was very wrinkled which was quite worrisome.  No need to worry, the wine was stunning.  Purple in color, magenta at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is deep with cassis, coffee beans, spice and slight graphite.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, complex and deep.  Notes of cassis, chocolate and coffee.  Long finish.  This is delicious.  Great on its own, at age 11, this is starting to show a nice complexity that will work with food.  Beef stroganoff would be interesting.  

2020 Aubert Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard, USA, California, Sonoma Coast, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$135.00USD

Green/gold in color, slightly cloudy.  The nose is very nice with vanilla and lemon cream.  Full bodied.  Slight tannins.  On the palate, this is complex and delicious.  Lemon cream with a touch of limes.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This is very young but has such precision that its worth opening now.  Delicious on its own, this works with assorted cheeses and lighter foods or sea food.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  

2019 Bevan Cellars Ontogeny, USA, California, Napa, Oakville, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
97
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$100.00USD

This continues to be the best value in the Bevan catalog.  Perhaps a little behind the single vineyard wines in quality.  Perhaps not.  It is expensive but half the price of those.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, cedar, baking spices and slight dark chocolate.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  This is obviously young, so decant for a few hours if drinking now.  On the palate, it is lush with loads of cassis, some chocolate and spices.  Deep.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is probably better on its own right now, but that will change as it ages.  Drink over

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