Cabernet Sauvignon

From the eponymous winery of Thomas Rivers Brown.  They make some stunning Cabs and this one is always one of my favorites.  The 2017 version is no exception.  The only real question is just how good it will get.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, blueberries, slight floral notes, sandalwood and a roasted wood quality.  This is one wine where the descriptor of sexy will work.  The palate is tight but in the glass opens with cassis, slight blueberries over a a nice hard, dry earthiness with gravel and graphite.  Some sandalwood on the finish.  Medium to full tannins.  This should c

This is former baseball great Tom Seaver's wine project.  He may be a celebrity but this is a serious project with the wines being made by Thomas Rivers Brown.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is great with minerals, cassis, roasted herbs and a slight minty note.  On the palate, this is concentrated.  Black raspberry fruit over a dry forest floor.  The roasted herbs carry thru to the finish.  Firm tannins.  This needs five to seven more years to really open and then it should be good for another twelve to twenty.  A delicious wine on its own, with air or cellaring this will work

I believe this is a new wine for Hobel.  Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, chocolate, some earthiness.  On the palate, this was a wonderful rich texture.  Lots of cassis fruit over a dry earthiness/dust.  Firm tannins.  This is ripe but not over done and no signs of being too ripe.  Long finish.  This seems like it is close to drinking well with a bit of air.  It will still improve over the next five to seven years.  It drinks well on its own and should work well with roasts and grilled foods.  

Made with fruit from the Ciminelli Vineyard.  This is the last year that Hobel will be making wine from this vineyard.  Deep ruby in color, inky purple at the core.  The nose is very nice with cassis, baking spices and a bit of char.  On the palate, this has nice black raspberry fruit and an interesting slight dark chocolate note.  There is some dustiness underneath.  Quite concentrated and complex.  It is delicious as well.  This should need about ten more years to peak but should be outstanding even if drinking a bit young (give it some air).  It was my personal favorite of the three Hobe

This is a project by Cameron and Bahaneh Hobel with Thomas Rivers Brown as the winemaker.  They now make, I believe, three different wines.  This is deep ruby in color with a purple core.  The nose is sweet black raspberries, spices and slight oak.  On the palate, this has nice cassis fruit, a hint of cough syrup over a bit of gravel and char.  I think this wine is more sweet than residual sugar which means that it should settle down a bit as it ages.  Medium tannins.  Good finish.  It needs about seven to ten years to all come together and should be good for ten to fifteen after that.  It

Another winner for this relatively new winery.  Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, spice, and slight cinnamon.  Firm tannins on the palate.  There is cassis with underlying dry forest floor.  Tightly packed for now, it does unwind a bit in the glass.  Seems just a tad more open than the 2016 but just as delicious.  This will still need about seven to ten years to reach peak and should be good for ten to fifteen after that.  Nevertheless, it is tasty today especially with some air.  It needs bigger foods right now if serving with a meal.  There i

This is a blend of 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 29% Cabernet Franc.  Another project made by Thomas Rivers Brown.  This is a gorgeous Bordeaux blend.  I know that many critics have worried about the 2017 vintage and while the fires are a legitimate concern, I have been loving them and especially the Cab Franc and Merlot.  I loved this even more than the 2015 which I scored 97 (reviews are on this site).

This is a producer to watch.  A husband and wife team, Will is the assistant to Thomas Rivers Brown on a whole host of projects, and the vineyard is his wife Mary's home where she grew up.  This is a list I highly recommend signing up for.  While I only have had two vintages of these wines, there does seem to be a signature.  It will be interesting to see if this is the terroir or the winemaking, but the wines seem quite concentrated for valley floor wines.  The drink more like mountain fruit.  This is a 60/40 blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot .  Deep ruby in color, a bit lighter at the ri

Wow.  Gorgeous wine.  With time, this likely merits a 100 score.  Inky purple in color.  The nose is intense with cassis, blueberries, slight cedar, slight baking spices, and just a hint of Earl Gray tea.  Full bodied.  The fruit is ripe but not over the top.  Cassis, blueberries over forest floor with slight cigar tobacco.  This is already showing tight layering and lots of depth.  Firm tannins.  Long finish.  Of course, to get to peak, this will need at least a decade, but it is likely to drink very well young with a bit of air.  One of the best wines I tasted on a recent Napa trip.  It n

Always one of my favorite "value" Cabs in Napa.  It is usually a very concentrated wine that takes some time to unwind.  It probably needs to be cellared longer than i typically allow, but its just so delicious young too.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has cassis, blueberries, raspberries, pencil lead, slight floral notes and damp earth.  On the palate there is an elegant concentration to the wine.  Cassis, black cherries with an underlying graphite/earth.  Firm tannins.  Long finish.  This has plenty of concentration that will need some time to unwind.  Perhaps five to seven - minimum.  A