2015 Realm Cellars The Falstaff, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review
Great showing for this wine. Pop and pour, it took a couple of hours to really get going. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is great with cassis, cedar, slight black cherries and minerality. Full bodied but not over blown. Firm tannins. On the palate, precise cassis with under lying minerality. It grows in the glass. Long finish. Delicious. This is still young and needs about seven to ten more years until peak. It should be good for another fifteen to twenty after that. It drinks well on its own and will work great with heartier fare such as pot roast.
2016 Calla Lily Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Ultimate Red, USA, Napa, Wine Review
This continues to be one of my go to wines for reasonably priced Napa reds. It is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon with the rest made up of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has cassis, baking spices, slight oak, and a bit of leather. Medium to full bodied. On the palate, there is nice cassis fruit with underlying earthiness. Medium finish. This should continue to drink well for the next eight to twelve years. It drinks well on its own and would be a nice match with roasts.
2018 Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, Napa, Wine Review
This is the "base" Cabernet from the home vineyard of Thomas Rivers Brown. It is anything but a simple wine though. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is great and surprisingly open given its young age. Cassis, cedar, spice, blueberries and slight floral notes. Full bodied with firm tannins. Concentrated cassis with underlying clean earth. Long finish. This really does need at least five years and better to give it ten more years. After that it should be good for another ten to twelve. If opening sooner, than give it a long decant. It drinks well on its own but wit
2014 Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review
Another stellar Myriad Cab. Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright. The nose is great with cassis, graphite, cedar and spice. Full bodied. On the palate, this has firm tannins. Loads of cassis fruit but it doesn't come off as cumbersome or a fruit bomb. It is a bit tight and needs some air before it opens. Shows cassis over spice and slight char. Long finish. This wine really needs seven to ten more years until peak (maybe more) and should last for another fifteen or twenty years.
2014 Beta Cabernet Sauvignon Vare Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review
My first time trying this winery and I am impressed. I kept reading things like "old school" or "medium bodied" and I think those descriptions are missing the point. First off, this is delicious! Purple in color with ruby swirls. The nose is great with a bit of air. Cassis, slight clove, black cherries, just the slightest whiff of bell pepper and spice. On the palate, this is in fact medium to full bodied. Light tannins. But, this is not Bordeaux or "Classic" Napa. It has plenty of sunshine and ripeness. Lots of energy. A wonderful mouthfeel. The fruit pops on the attack and the
2016 Brave & Maiden Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Limited, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez Valley, Wine Review
This drinks like a cooler climate Cab. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black cherries, dark chocolate, slight rosemary and spice. Medium bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, black cherry fruit with a bit of chocolate. This drinks easy. it is young and may improve a bit with time. It should drink well for ten to twelve years. A nice wine with roast beef.
2018 The Hess Collection Cabernet Sauvignon Allomi, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review
This is a nice value in Napa Cabernet. Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has cassis, black cherries, spice and dust. Full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, nice cassis fruit with underlying spice. Solid finish. This is easy to drink on its own but will b a nice wine with a burger. Drink over the next five to seven years.
2003 Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review
From Magnum. This was tasted right after some older Bordeaux's and the difference was obvious. Both styles were good, but even at age 17, this was about fruit and sunshine while still showing some tertiary development. Purple in color, opaque and bright.
2008 Kapcsándy Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (Grand Vin) State Lane Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review
This was opened and allowed to slowly oxidize for 12 hours prior to serving, but that was not enough. It needed more air/time. It took over night to really open and was better on day 2. Despite this being a Robert Parker 100 point wine, this is not what people think of when talking about "Parkerized" wines.









