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Tag Archives: cabernet sauvignon

Firefly Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Stephanie 2012, Coombsville, California

11 Monday May 2026

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$65, 4 stars, 91 points, cabernet sauvignon, california, coombsville, Napa


Deep ruby, inky, opaque… with slight staining, and a high viscosity (14.9% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of ripe blackberry, cassis, black plum, mint, oak, smoke, licorice, acai berry, and alcohol.  It’s quite potent.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium (+) body, and medium (+) tannins that are melding into a powdery texture.  Medium (+) intensity flavors of dark berries, blackcurrant jam, mint, oak nuance and licorice.  The heat is noticeable on the back end.  The finish, whilst a bit hot, is medium in length and laced with dark fruit and silky tannins.  I like this wine’s flavor but the alcohol is out of balance, it takes over the nose and the palate and costs the score a point or two.  It retails for around $65.  I give it 91 points, which makes it a 4 star effort in my books.  Drink till 2035 with a hearty steak or braised beef dish.  Salut….

Firefly Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Stephanie

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Havens Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Mendocino County, California

01 Friday May 2026

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$52, 4 stars, 91 points, cabernet sauvignon, california, mendocino


Deep ruby colored, with slight staining, and a high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of ripe blackberry, charred cedar plank, eucalyptus, mint, powdery dirt/dust, acai berry, blueberry, black plum, and baking spice.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium (+) body, and medium tannins that are melding nicely.  Medium (+) intensity flavors of black fruit, with some charred wood notes, and a herbal twist.  No sign of eucalyptus or mint, but there is a green note.  The finish is medium (+) in length and very pleasing.  A nice Cabernet from Mendocino County that gets 91 points from me and for the $52 price point, 4 stars.  Drink till 2030 with Beef and Lamb dishes.  Salut….

Havens Cabernet Sauvignon Mendocino

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St. Giorgio Super Tuscan 2020, Toscana IGT, Italy

30 Thursday Apr 2026

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$16, 4 stars, 89 points, cabernet sauvignon, Italy, sangiovese, super tuscan, tuscany


Medium purple colored, with high viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of cherry, pomegranate, candied red licorice, oak, and a green vegetal hint.  The palate is dry, with medium (-) acidity, a medium body, and medium (+) tannins that are pretty grippy.  Medium intensity flavors of black cherry, ripe pomegranate, rhubarb, and a touch of oak.  The finish is medium (-) in length and the tannins hang on past the fruit- they are rather aggressive, indicating youth and possibly more cellaring capacity.  I picked this Tuscan blend (Sangiovese, perhaps Cabernet Sauvignon, and maybe Merlot) up for $16.  It gets 89 points from me making it a 4 star effort.  Think pasta with Ragu, or a hunk of beef to pair with.  Salut…..

St. Giorgio Toscana

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Precision Wine Co. Method Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Napa Valley, California

07 Tuesday Apr 2026

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Napa, california, cabernet sauvignon, 90 points, 5 stars, $20


Deep ruby colored, with slight staining, and a high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of blackberry, bramble berry, cassis, smoke, coffee, blueberry, vanilla bean, baking spices, and cocoa powder.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium tannins that are ripe and pleasing.  Medium (+) intensity flavors enforce the aromas that I got and the wine finishes medium in length.  I’m not sure if I am sensing a touch of residual sugar or if the grapes are super ripe.  Either way, it’s delicious and smooth.  I don’t think it has much cellaring capacity, but when a bottle is this ready to be drunk, no need killing time.  Regularly priced at $20 at my local Costco, I got it for half that on sale, which is a steal since I think this is a 90 point wine, making it a 5 star effort.  Salut….

Precision Wine Co. Method Cabernet Sauvignon

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Glenelly Estate Reserve Red 2017, Stellenbosch, South Africa

05 Sunday Apr 2026

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$22, 5 stars, 91 points, Cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot, South Africa, stellenbosch, syrah, VWTC


The closer at our 43rd virtual wine tasting was this banger from Stellenbosch.  A lovely wine that I have drunk older vintages of and it did not disappoint.  The tasting group noted how opaque it was with a deep garnet color, slight staining, and medium viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose had medium (+) intensity aromas of floral perfume, thrift shop, mangrove, ocean spray, leather, licorice, coffee, and vanilla.  That’s quite an interesting set of descriptors, but then again, there was a decent sized crowd at this tasting.  The palate was dry, with medium (-) acidity, a full body, and high tannins.  Medium (+) intensity flavors echoed the nose but we also got some blackberry, black cherry, and green pepper- consistent with the blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.  Delicious but young- this wine will cellar nicely till 2037 if it’s at all like it’s older siblings.  91 points from me and 17/20 on our tasting sheet.  We paid $22 last August, making this an amazing deal and worthy of 5 stars.  Salut….

Glenelly Estate Reserve Red

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Chateau Carbonnieux 2020, Pessac-Leognan, France

13 Friday Mar 2026

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$55, 4 stars, 90 points, bordeaux, bordeaux blend, cabernet sauvignon, france, pessac leognan


Deep ruby colored, with slight staining, and a high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of black plum, blackberry, cassis, tobacco, bramble berry, ink, cedar plank, a touch of vanilla and chocolate.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium tannins that are quite chalky.  Medium (+) intensity flavors are noted and the finish is medium (-) in length.  The tannins are really plush, the wine offering a great mouthfeel.  I like this Bordeaux blend of 60% Cab Sav, 30% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.  It gets 90 points, and at $55- 4 stars.  It would have scored higher if the finish had more to offer.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Chateau Carbonnieux

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Chateau Musar 2004, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

01 Sunday Mar 2026

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$140, 5 stars, 95 points, bekaa valley, cabernet sauvignon, carignan, Cinsault, lebanon


Deep garnet colored with a copper hue, and high viscosity (14% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of dried cranberry, desiccated black raspberry, dried spices, telltale funk, leather, Rooibos tea, and perfumed vanilla.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium body, and medium (-) tannins that are fully melded.  Intense flavors of dried red fruit, garigue, funky Brett-driven notes, leather, Rooibos tea and vanilla.  Stunning.  The finish is super smooth, a touch tart, yet I get a sweetness from the ripe fruit.  It lasts a good long while.   This is my daughter’s birth year wine so we are having a big Sunday Roast in her honor.  An amazing bottle that runs $140 currently and gets 95 points from me.  It will last forever, like most Musars and gets 5 stars.  Such a treat to drink this amazing wine.  It scored poorly on release but has stood the test of time.  A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, and Carignan.  Salut….

Chateau Musar

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Beaulieu Vineyard BV Reserve Tapestry 2016, Napa Valley, California

12 Monday Jan 2026

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$65, 2 stars, 86 points, cabernet sauvignon, california, Napa, napa cabernet


If you read my blog posts regularly you will notice that my wine reviews follow a formula.  I look at the wine, I smell the wine and then I dissect the structural components before naming the flavors.  I end the review with the length of the finish, perhaps a pairing suggestion, and a cellaring window.  It’s a way for me to remain consistent, albeit boring, while still covering all the parts that make a tasting as complete as possible.  I have been to blind tastings with fellow somms and they do talk some shite, mentioning 15 or more descriptors in rapid fire succession.  Either they are far better or they are full of it.  My taste buds and nose only catch 5-10 aromas and flavors at best, but I like to concentrate on the structure of the wine more so.  It’s the one thing that everyone can agree on, versus “I get yada, yada, don’t you?”.

When I decided on this bottle of wine, I was cooking Sunday Roast, actually it had been in the slow cooker all day, so I was hovering every so often to taste the jus and make sure the veggies were not overly cooked.  I decided that watching the football and not sitting at a computer was probably a treat I should allow myself, so I opened the bottle and just enjoyed it without much thought about tannins, body, acid and flavors.

I enjoyed it, but was a little disappointed in its overall structure and concentration.  I have cellared this bottle for a few years in hopes of a gentle evolution, but it was not meant to be.  Barely an 86 point wine, it’s certainly not worth the $60+ I paid for it.  Back in the day it got 91 points and a beautiful writeup.  I can only think that time was not kind.

Anyway- thanks for reading my notes!  Salut….


Beaulieu Vineyard BV Reserve Tapestry

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Cigar Box Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Central Valley, Chile

06 Tuesday Jan 2026

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$13, 4 stars, 88 points, cabernet sauvignon, central valley, chile


Deep ruby colored, with slight staining, and a high viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of – you guessed it- cigar box, along with blackberry, black plum, cassis, chocolate, coffee, and an initial green vegetal note which thankfully blew off.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium (+) tannins that are quite chalky and somewhat green.  Medium intensity flavors of black fruit and oak nuance with a focus on the tobacco note alongside black tea.  The tannins are really starting to hit under my tongue, but seem to have lost the green streak, they are just grippy and young.  The ripeness of the fruit is somewhat concerning, even though the label promotes ripeness- I feel otherwise.  The finish is driven by the tannins, it’s hard to get away from them.  The length of the fruit is quite short.  I picked up this bottle for around $13.  It gets 88 points from me making it a 4 star effort to drink till 2030, perhaps with a hunk of steak.  Salut….

Cigar Box Old Vine Hand Harvested Cabernet Sauvignon

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Chateau Saint-Roch 2016, Saint-Estephe, France

13 Saturday Dec 2025

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87 points, bordeaux, cabernet sauvignon, france, merlot, saint estephe


Medium ruby colored, with a medium viscosity (13% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of tobacco, cassis, blackberry, green herbs, honey, a touch of earth, and petrichor.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium (-) body, and medium tannins that are slightly overwhelmed by the acidity.  Medium intensity flavors of cassis, black raspberry, rhubarb, green herbs, and sour red cherries.  It’s an interesting wine that smells one way, and tastes another.  The shortish finish is quite tart, and lacking much fruit.  I want to give this bottle a chance to soften up, but for now it’s an 87 point wine at best.  I bought it at a wine shop in Paris and forgot to write down the price.  Drink till 2028.  Salut….

Chateau Saint-Roch

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