2012 Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Sigaro, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

My first time trying this that I can recall. Very impressed. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is great with cassis, and slight graphite. This bottle had been allowed to breathe for the better part of the day and still took some time to open. It opened nicely in the glass though. Bright acidity. Cassis and slight cough drop note especially on the finish where it was joined with a bit of menthol. Firm tannins. Probably best to hold these or decant for a few hours at this point. Some upside here for sure.

Grade:

Score:

Vintage:

2012

Top Napa Cabernet Sauvignon - 2019 Tastings

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

Read full article

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.

Read full article

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.

Read full article

2016 Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 3 Tench Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage:

2016

Score:

Grade:

Interesting bottle with what looks like a pewter disk for a label. Made by Phillipe Melka. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has cassis, black cherries, tobacco, clay and spice. Firm tannins. Great balance. On the palate this is complex but still very young. Cassis, black cherries, spice and slight cedar. Long finish. This needs another five to ten years in a good cellar. It should age for fifteen to twenty after that. Great on its own, it will need big, fatty meats in its youth. Plenty of upside potential to improve.

2016 William & Mary Cabernet Sauvignon Shifflett Ranch, USA, California, Napa, Oak Knoll District, Wine Review

Vintage:

2016

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$110.00USD

My first time trying this wine. William Segui works closely with Thomas Rivers Brown at Rivers Marie, Outpost and other TRB projects but this wine is he and his wife's own project. The vineyard has been in his wife Mary's, family for 70 years. The wine itself is excellent and for their first time at bat, they hit a home run. Inky purple in color, magenta at the rim. Pop and pour, this took some time to open and was still getting better when the last drop was consumed a couple hours later. Bright and opaque. The nose is really unique. Sure, it has cassis and a bit of blueberries, but

2012 Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Sigaro, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Food and Wine Pairing Tool

Related Articles

Top Napa Cabernet Sauvignon - 2019 Tastings

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

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

2016 Fairchild Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Stones No. 3 Tench Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

2016 William & Mary Cabernet Sauvignon Shifflett Ranch, USA, California, Napa, Oak Knoll District, Wine Review