Cabernet Sauvignon

It was great to try this bottle at age 10.  The grapes are grown in the heart of the historic To Kalon vineyard although for legal reasons, they can't put that on the label.  Just gorgeous!  The bottle was opened and allowed to breather for 13 hours prior to serving but not decanted.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is deep and complex with cassis, cigar box, dust, spice and warm earth.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great energy and balance.  On the palate, this is young but open (the advantage of old vines on the valley floor).  Complex and layered.  Cassis, spice, ear

This is a blend of the three single vineyard wines that Vida Valiente releases.  The winery was formed with a charitable arm and its Foundation supports lower income students going to Stanford who lack the financial resources.  One hundred dollars from every bottle sold goes to support this Foundation.  The winemaker, Sam Kaplan, identifies particular barrels to achieve his goal for this wine.  This is the first vintage and like all of their wines, it lists 14.8% abv on the label.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is tight but opens to cassis, dark chocolate, s

This is from the  home vineyard of Vita Valiente.  The vineyard was planted in 2018 at the base of  Glass Mountain in St. Helena.  Beautifully packaged with an etched in paper label.  Decanted for about four hours.  14.8% abv.

Decanted for about four hours prior to serving.  Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is quite tight.  Over the evening it opened a bit, but the bottle got drained, so nothing left on Day 2.  It happens.  Some cassis, slight graphite, baking spice and char.  Full bodied.  Very, very firm tannins.  That said, what a wonderful plush but silky texture.  Great energy and acidity.  Balanced.  The palate is a bit more opened.  Cassis, slight graphite, a bit earthy and char.  Deep.  Long finish.  If drinking now, give it an eight hour decant but this really needs five year

This is grown at a high elevation.  This is the first vintage as the vines are only three years old (planted in 2018).  14.8% abv.Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is very nice.  Cassis, saddle leather, and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Plush texture.  On the palate, this is very accessible.  I suspect subsequent vintages will be tighter on release.  Lots of concentrated cassis notes with some earthiness and char.  A bit of a saline note on the finish.  This is not an opulent wine (which I was expecting) but still has power.  Cellaring for a few years should be rewar

This is a lovely Washington Cabernet (from an Oregon producer).  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, dust and a slight minty note.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has cassis, bell pepper and slight tobacco notes.  Some depth.  Still young but showing some evolution.  Nice finish.  This is a more traditional (not extracted) Cabernet that seems to speak of place.   It will improve with a bit of cellaring.  Drink over the next ten years.  

Most wineries, like Acumen, love fruit grown on hilly terrain. The grapes have proper drainage, the addition of breezes keeps the leafy vines healthier and soils are richer in nutrients. Therefore, this Mountainside Cabernet has everything going for it. This wine requires a little bit of patience however, and decanting this for a few hours will be well worth your time. This shows the obvious black cherry, blueberry, boysenberry, and huckleberry notes that Cabernet typically has.

Another wine made by Thomas Rivers Brown.  Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose has cassis, cedar, baking spice and slight char.  Great texture and balance.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is very concentrated and tight.  It needs air/time.  With about an hour of air it opens with cassis, slight blueberries, spice and char.  Long finish.  Probably best to hold for a few years and drink for ten to fifteen after that.  Great on its own or with a thick slab of meat.  

This is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec from Paso Robles coming in at 13.8% abv according to the label.  Purple with ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, green bell peppers and a slight celery seed note.  Light to medium bodied with medium tannins.  On the palate, nice black cherry fruit.  This is an easy going red wine that is a nice value.  It drinks well on its own and would be a nice wine with burgers off the grill.  Drink over the next few years.  

This winery still exists but they were sold and utilize a completely different model for grapes these days.  But, back in the day, this was the best winery in Ohio.  It is located in the southern part of the state along the Ohio River.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, slight herbal notes and a bit of spice.  Medium to firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherries, green bell pepper, and some spice.  Good finish.  Overall, a pleasant, quality Cabernet that at age 19  is drinking just fine.  still, I would drink these sooner than later.  Probably b