Cabernet Sauvignon

Castel is probably the consistently best top winery in Israel.  Although modern Israel wine is a very young industry, so this is always changing.  Castel has a proven track record.  The Grand Vin is the best wine that they make.  This is quite young and just not giving up much right now.  After a couple of hours of air, it had improved but its best days are at least five years in the future.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has nice baking spices along with some cherries.  On the palate, firm tannins.  Black cherries.  Monolithic at present.  It is tasty but needs time develop a complexity

This is the top bottling from this winery.  This is a gorgeous Napa Cab that should get even better with about five to seven years of cellaring.  Purple in color, deep ruby at the rim.  Opaque and bright.  The nose is classic with cassis, spice and char and slight touch of fresh cut lumber (that should fade quickly).  On the palate, this is deep and complex.  Firm tannins at the moment.  Nice juicy acidity/fruit - black raspberries over a bit of char.  Long finish.  This is delicious and really demands ones attention.  If opening before 2027, give it a good decant.  This will work with gril

Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, black cherries and an interesting iodine note.  This is of course young with firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherries over a bit of charred wood.  A very long finish with some warmth.  This wine should start opening up around 2023 and be good for around ten years after that.  If drinking before, give it a good decant.  It will drink well on its own but will need bigger food for now.  Think roasted meats.  

Hess is an excellent winery with a long track record.  This wine is one that is a consistently good value every vintage and reasonably easy to find.  Deep ruby in color with purple swirls.  The nose is tight at first, but opens to black cherries, some cassis and some baking spices.  On the palate, the black cherries carry thru.  Light tannins.  Easy drinking.  It might get a bit better with a couple of years of age but should be drunk in the next few years.  This will go great with grilled or roasted foods.  

We shared this bottle with Rob Greer over a recent lunch in Napa and then finished it up at dinner giving it a lot more time to breathe.  For those on the mailing list, this is the current release.  The vineyard is in a spectacular location across the street and down the hill a bit from Scarecrow.  A very pretty property.  The wine itself is quite young but might be the best Greer yet, and that is truly saying something.  This is one of the best wines that Napa has to offer.  It is made by Aaron Pott.  Purple in color with a ruby rim.  The nose has cassis, slight sandalwood, spice and with

This was a barrel sample.  As it happened, I drove by the Moulds vineyard the next day so that was nice to get to see.  I wouldn't call it mountain fruit but it is on the way up towards Mt.

This is another Cab tasted at the winery.  It is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon with 12% Cabernet Franc.  Inky purple in color.  The nose is tight but with air shows some cassis, a bit of pencil lead and char.  On the palate, this is concentrated and tannic.  Quite young of course.  It has a wonderful texture.  With air, the cassis fruit comes out and a bit of black cherry.  Very deep but monolithic right now.  Give it seven to ten years to develop and unwind.  In the meanwhile, it is quite delicious, but needs about eight hours of air.  This should last another fifteen to twenty years or more.  It

Tasted on a visit to the winery.  This is 5% Cabernet Franc and the rest is Cabernet Sauvignon.  It has an intense purple color, almost neon bright.  The nose is primary but quite good with cassis, slight black cherry and lumber.  On the palate, this has strong tannins.  It also has a very lively texture which I attribute to great balance, acidity and purity of fruit.  Lots of cassis with a nice underlying minerality.  This winery had been highly recommended to me but this was my first time trying the wines so it is a bit hard to evaluate growth and maturity.  Still, I would estimate that i

What a treat.  On a recent visit to Napa, we go to walk the vineyards with Alex MacDonald and learn so much about this venerated vineyard and hear about the "newer" winemaking at MacDonald.  And to top it off, we got to try the recently bottled 2017 Cabernet (not yet released).  The story is worth Googling , but the short version is that at the heart of the To Kalon Vineyard in Napa are some very old Cabernet Sauvignon vines.  They have been owned by the MacDonald family since 1954.  These have been used in the top Mondavi wines since before there was even a Mondavi Winery.  Due to some cop

Outpost Cabernet's probably don't get enough respect.  They are some of the top Cabs being made in Napa.  Plus, if you like the concentrated mountain fruit, look no further.  This is purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Shiny and bright.  The nose is dusty with black cherries, cassis and an interesting watercress note to it.  Not exactly green as much as crisp and clean.  On the palate, this is full bodied and complex.  A beautiful streak of acidity.  Cassis and tart cherries.  Long finish.  Medium tannins.  This is still young and will likely improve.  This bottle was consumed on a trip to N