Tag Archives: california

Cave Dog Albarino 2019, Napa Valley, California

17 Friday Jun 2022

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A New World Albariño, I’m excited!  Medium lemon colored, it has fast moving legs belying its modest 13% ABV.  The nose has medium intensity aromas of pineapple, lemon zest, bruised apple, geranium and baking spice.  On the palate it is dry, really dry, with high acidity and a tart opener.  Lemon, underripe pineapple, green apple and spice.  There is a piercing minerality on the mid palate that I am really enjoying.  The body is fairly light whilst the finish is medium in length and refreshing with the cut I got initially.  A nicely crafted wine that gets 90 points from me and 4 stars for it’s $37 sticker price.  I am pairing it with Thai beef salad and some Szechuan fried veggies.  Drink now.  Salut….

Cakebread Cellars Benchland Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, Napa Valley, California

04 Saturday Jun 2022

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Second tasting of this wine- it has either evolved quickly or there is some bottle variation going on.  Opaque, like nearly black in the glass.  This Napa Cab has a pronounced nose of blackberry, menthol, eucalyptus, tart blackcurrant, black plum and French oak nuance of spices and chocolate.  On the palate it is very smooth and dry with fine-grained tannins and medium acidity.  Balanced to a tee- it’s delicious stuff.  I get the dark fruit notes and oak integration, waiting for more tertiary development.  This wine is drinking beautifully now but will develop over the next 5-10 years.  94 points for this full bodied gem that runs $120 and gets 5 stars from me.  I would drink this sans food, it is so silky and delicious all by itself.  Salut….

Justin Vineyards & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Paso Robles, California

26 Thursday May 2022

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I would consider this as a deep purple colored wine that has some slow moving, thick legs in the glass.  The nose reeks of ripe, sun-drenched California Cabernet.  Blackberry, blueberry, black plum, coconut, vanilla, baking spices, eucalyptus, cassis and purple licorice.  The palate is dry with grippy tannins that I would call medium (+) in intensity.  Juicy acidity makes my jaw water and the full body on this wine coats my mouth with rich black fruit, spices and oak that is deftly worked in there.  This is a delicious wine folks.  It has an astringent yet short finish that may cost a point but this wine is very balanced overall and will pair beautifully with hearty game dishes, rich stews or a fatty cut of Ribeye on the grill.  I’m going with 92 points and would drink this $23 wine till 2030.  5 stars for this level of quality at that price.  Loving it.  Salut….

Chateau Montelena ‘The Montelena Estate’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Napa Valley, California

15 Sunday May 2022

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An iconic Napa Cabernet that we drank with monster Tomahawk steaks.  This inky colored wine is beautiful to look at and even better to drink.  Aromas and flavors of Iodine, black fruit (blackcurrant, blackberry, plum, bramble), dust, menthol, eucalyptus.  Seriously complex and intriguing.  The palate is smooth- medium acidity, fine grained tannins that are fully integrated, full bodied with great mouthfeel and a long finish.  What a stunning wine that is en pointe and will continue to develop for several more years.  93 points for this $130 effort makes it 5 star worthy.  Salut….

Frog’s Leap Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon 1990, Rutherford, California

06 Friday May 2022

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This 32 year old wine is a medium shade of garnet- to be expected.  The nose has medium intensity aromas of prunes, caramel, steeped blackberry, cola, vanilla bean, coffee, eucalyptus, baking chocolate, cassis, mint- I could go on.  This is a spectacularly complex and well-aged wine that still shows youth.  The palate is super smooth and balanced with extremely fine grained tannins balancing out the medium acidity.  Flavors of baked and steeped black fruits galore- tertiary notes are evident and oak influence is deft yet precise.  This wine is stunning.  Medium bodied it shows power yet finesse that leads to a long finish.  This is the epitome of Napa Cabernets.  Delicious in youth yet built for the long run and lasting over three decades.  I would not call this wine fragile, but it has a delicacy that requires a deft choice in pairings, if any.  I am sipping it without fare.  In its day this would have been a 94 point wine.  No idea on price, suffice to say it would be a 5 star effort.  Drink soon.  Salut….

Cakebread Cellars Apple Barn Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019, Anderson Valley, California

05 Thursday May 2022

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From one of the coolest California AVA’s comes this Pinot Noir that is medium ruby in the glass with thick watery legs.  The nose is medium intensity with aromas of steeped strawberry, red plum, orange peel, baking spices, black raspberry and rosewater.  The palate is dry with high acidity, medium, well ingrained tannins, a medium body and lovely flavors of dark red fruit, oak influence by way of orange peel and baking spices and some freshness from the rose component.  The wine is very silky, balanced and slippery with a medium length finish.  I like this wine, even though it’s not my style of Pinot.  91 points for this $60 beauty makes it a 5 star effort that I am pairing with beer-can Chicken and sautéed spinach.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Saxon Brown Fighting Brothers Zinfandel 2015, Sonoma Valley, California

27 Wednesday Apr 2022

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Medium ruby colored- this 14.7% ABV Zin has got thick, globby legs in the glass.  The nose has pronounced aromas of stewed blackberry, prunes, blueberry compote, walnuts, vanilla, cedar and spice box.  I like the tertiary notes of this developing wine. The palate is dry and fully bodied with well integrated tannins and juicy acidity.  The flavors are delicious and pronounced as I swirl the nectar around my mouth, sucking air in to boost the flavors.  The finish has a touch of heat on it but still shows lovely fruit flavors for a medium length finish.  The alcohol is a bit of an unbalanced distraction that will cost a point or two.  This $40 wine gets 91 points and 4 stars from me.  It is really good all by itself but may pair well with grilled Picanha steaks or roasted duck with a cherry reduction.  Drink till 2025.  Salut….

Rodney Strong Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, Sonoma County, California

15 Friday Apr 2022

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This one stumped me in a WSET blind tasting.  We were going to be discussing Spain and Portugal so I was convinced that the red wine had to be from the region but when I put this deep ruby colored wine up to my nose I was greeted by a very familiar set of smells.  Medium (+) intensity aromas of black plum, red plum, cinnamon, blackberry, cedar and vanilla made me think this complex wine was a Tempranillo.  The palate was dry with medium (+) tannins, medium (+) acidity, high alcohol, medium (+) body and medium intensity flavors of the aforementioned, albeit slightly less intense on the palate.  This gave way to a medium length finish that had me grade this wine as very good, suitable to be drunk now or aged some more.  In reality, I had just predisposed myself to thinking I was drinking one varietal when in fact it was a Sonoma Cab I was sipping!  Looking back- this wine gets 91 points and for $55 it is a 4 star effort.  Salut….

Folk and Fable Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, California

08 Friday Apr 2022

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This medium purple colored wine has got a fruity, medium intensity nose.  I get aromas of black plum, blackberry, vanilla, blueberry jam and charcoal.  The palate has a sweetness from the Bourbon barrel- that delicious caramel, smoke, vanilla combo that melds nicely with the jammy black and blue fruit.  Medium tannins and medium acidity create a nice mouthfeel in this medium (+) bodied wine.  The finish has got loads of rich fruit and oak nuance and is short to medium in length.  This is not an overly complex wine, yet it adds a new dimension with the oak usage that makes it easy to enjoy and pair with many meat dishes, pasta, pizza and even burgers on the grill.  For $30 it is an elegant offering that gets 90 point from me and 4 stars.  Drink till 2026.  Salut….

Cactus Park Red Blend 2016, Paso Robles, California

07 Thursday Apr 2022

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This blend from Paso Robles is medium ruby colored.  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black fruit, cedar, blueberry and vanilla.  The palate is enticing with flavors of blackberry, black plums, rich blueberry, oak nuance from cedar and vanilla with medium (+) acidity, medium tannins, medium body and a shortish finish.  It’s easy to drink and quite versatile- roast chicken, veal parmesan or shish kebabs would pair nicely.  I think it deserves 88 points and for the $24 price point- 3 stars.  Drink till 2026.  Salut….