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Tag Archives: Napa

Maxville Lake Winery ‘Maxville’ Cabernet Franc 2015, Napa Valley, California

12 Thursday Jan 2023

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$50, 5 stars, 93 points, Cabernet franc, california, Naked Wines, Napa


Deep ruby with rim variation to garnet plus some slow moving legs (14.5% ABV).  The nose has varietally true aromas of green pepper, blackberry, black raspberry and some menthol perfume.  Very faint notes of oak alongside some coffee, crushed rock and vanilla.  It smells gorgeous.  The palate is dry with medium (+) acidity and delightfully fine grained tannins that caress.  Full bodied, I get flavors of black raspberry, blackberry, menthol, oak nuance, coffee, chocolate.  The green pepper aromas don’t show up on the palate btw.  The finish is a touch smoky and medium (+) in length with the tannins completely melded and the acidity softening.  A very balanced and somewhat complex wine that really coats my mouth with delicious, ripe fruit.  I like it a lot and give it 93 points.  I’m searing some Sous Vide Strip steaks, this is going to pair beautifully.  For $50 its a treat-night wine that gets 5 stars from me.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

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St. Supery Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Napa Valley, California

31 Saturday Dec 2022

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$45, 5 stars, 93 points, cabernet sauvignon, california, Napa, napa cab


For an eight year old wine, there is still plenty of opaque purple color, albeit with some garnet showing on the rim of this Napa Cabernet which ws served from a Double Magnum, aka a Jeroboam of wine.  Slow moving legs and a bit of staining on the walls give me clues of what to expect.  The nose has ample primary fruit aromas of black plum, blackberry, cassis, menthol, eucalyptus, black raspberry and cherry cola.  Baked black fruit hints are starting to emerge as this wine starts its evolution.  It’s still youthful with lots of cellaring ahead.  The palate is dry with medium acidity and medium tannins that are super smooth and fine grained.  Very rich black fruit flavors with some oak treatment caress my mouth, the spices and vanilla very faint.  It’s very balanced and smooth with a medium body and medium length finish.  I really like the fact that it is still rather primal yet the structure has really mellowed out and is a seamless play of acidity, balance and alcohol on a medium weight wine.  Delicious and worthy of 93 points from me.  A regular bottle will run you $45 making this a 5 star effort that has rewarded medium-term cellaring and will drink beautifully till 2028.  Salut….

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Maxville Lake Winery ‘Maxville’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Napa Valley, California

23 Sunday Oct 2022

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$56, 4 stars, 91 points, cabernet sauvignon, california, Naked Wines, Napa


Deep ruby colored with a touch of staining on the walls and slow moving legs (14.5% ABV).  The nose has pronounced aromas of cassis, menthol, blackberry, blueberry coulis, chocolate dust, açaí berry and some baking spice- very complex but primal in nature.  The palate is dry with medium (-) acidity and really grippy medium (+) tannins that are very fine-grained.  Full bodied, this wine coats my mouth with cassis, blackberry, açaí, blueberry jam and some hints of oak.  The finish is long with a slightly bitter vein.  I like this wine- it screams Cali sunshine in it’s ripeness and fullness.  91 points for this $56 effort makes it a 4 star wine.  I’m pairing it with roasted Sirloin Cap and a mushroom gravy.  Drink this relatively cellar-worthy wine till 2028.  Salut….

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Maxville Lake Winery ‘Maxville’ Petit Sirah 2016, Napa Valley, California

15 Saturday Oct 2022

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92 points, california, Napa, petite sirah


Inky purple in the glass with noticeable stains on the side walls.  Aromas of very ripe blackberry, charred oak, black cherry coulis, dark chocolate, a medicinal note (Oak?) and cracked pepper.  Th palate is dry with medium acidity and high tannins.  Full bodied and oozing with rich flavors of ripe black fruit and charred oak.  The medicinal note I got is there as is the dark chocolate.  The teeth staining tannins are very persistent throughout to a medium length finish.  I love this varietal and really enjoy this winery- a winning combination that makes this a 92 point wine imho.  You can find it for $53 online, making it a 4 star wine.  I am pairing with Rib Roast and all the trimmings.  Drink till 2030.  Salut…..

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Maldonado Proprietary Red Wine 2017, Napa Valley, California

25 Sunday Sep 2022

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$35, 5 stars, 93 points, cabernet sauvignon, california, merlot, Napa, syrah


Deep ruby colored with really thick, slow moving legs.  The nose has a whiff of alcohol that needs to dissipate- I now get pronounced aromas of blackberry, cassis, licorice, smoke, coffee, vanilla and menthol.  The cassis is en pointe.  On the palate this wine is  dry with medium acidity and high tannins (I forgot to mention the it stained the walls of the glass when I swirled).  A full body was to be expected and I get rich flavors of ripe blackberry, black plum, cassis and the associated oak derived notes and menthol. The richness of this wine continues on to a medium (+) length finish.  It’s a delicious blend of Cab Saver, Syrah and Merlot that gets 93 points from me and for $35- 5 stars.  Drink with hearty meat (steak) till 2029.  Salut….

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

09 Friday Sep 2022

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$140, 4 stars, 93 points, cabernet sauvignon, california, Napa


Deep garnet colored with fast moving legs- 13.9% ABV.  The nose started off with a medicinal note followed by horse saddle leather, dust, barnyard, blackcurrant, black cherry, bandaid and briar.  It is earthy with loads of tertiary aromas.  The palate is dry with medium acidity, well integrated tannins, medium (+) body and rich flavors of black fruits, dusty earth, bramble, briar and açaí berry that lead to a long finish of black tea and leather. 93 points is what I imagined this wine garnering yet the pros went lower back in the day.  It’s amazing how some wines will age so gracefully and deliver those lovely tertiary flavors after 16 years yet still show some primary fruit and  structure to age a few more years.  I would drink this $140 offering till 2026 or so with lighter beef dishes.  4 stars from me.  Salut….

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Cliff Lede Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Stags Leap District, California

15 Monday Aug 2022

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$75, 5 stars, 93 points, california, Napa, stags leap


After a delightful dinner at a Thai restaurant we went back to my friend’s house where he unleashed this beauty.  I sniffed and tasted the wine blind- there was no mistaking its origin.  I did not take notes but needless to say the initial whiff of aromas gave this Napa Cabernet Sauvignon away.  Rich, ripe black berries, Stags Leap earthy dust, menthol, vanilla and spice.  The palate was dry and full bodied. Bright California sunshine was evident in the fruit- as were the dusty notes I got on the nose.  Tannins were super smooth and well integrated.  The acidity was medium and well balanced.  The finish on this $75 bottle was long and delicious.  A 93 point wine that gets 5 stars from me.  You could pair it with a variety of meat dishes but then again you could just sip it and enjoy its purity.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….


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Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estates Selection 2017, Napa Valley, California

15 Friday Jul 2022

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$70, 5 stars, 94 points, cabernet sauvignon, california, Napa


Very deep purple colored, like ink.  The nose has pronounced aromas of blackberry, cassis, vanilla, coconut, bilberry, cedar, sassafras, dust, baking spice, green peppers and a yeasty component.  The palate is dry with beautiful fine-grained tannins that caress the gums.  Acidity is medium (-) and the wine has a full body.  Flavors of black fruit, sassafras, baking spice and green pepper carry on to a long finish.  This is delicious-  pure Napa sunshine and ripe fruit with enough oak treatment without overdoing it.  Fantastic stuff to pair with steaks till 2032.  The structure is great and it’s open for business now.  94 points from me for this $70 stunner makes it a 5 star treat.  Salut….

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

04 Saturday Jun 2022

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$120, 5 stars, 94 points, cabernet sauvignon, california, Napa


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….

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

15 Sunday May 2022

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$130, 5 stars, 93 points, cabernet sauvignon, california, Napa


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….

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