Orange/gold in color, clear and bright. The nose is nice. Nutty, slight vanilla and a "Bourbon" note. Full texture. Warmth on the palate with a smooth nuttiness. Also some warmth on the finish. A little goes a long way, but this was a nice way to end a meal.
Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has raising, black raspberries, milk chocolate and char. Full bodied. Viscous texture. On the palate, black raspberries, black cherries, kirsch, milk chocolate and raisins. Deep and complex. At or near peak but probably another ten to fifteen years left. Great with Blue Cheese, this would also work with a chocolate dessert.
Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has milk chocolate covered raisins. Full bodied. Viscous. On the palate, slightly sweet with milk chocolate covered raisins. Tasty. Some depth. Some heat on the finish. This is at or just past peak. Drink up. Nice on its own and worked well with Blue Cheese.
One of my favorite Rhone varietal producers in California. It is a blend of 61% Syrah, 24% Mourvedre, 13% Grenache and 2% Viognier. This wine gets extended barrel ageing. In my experience, the extended barrel ageing requires more patience and cellaring and this wine is very young. That said, for those who like big, ripe in your face wines, there is plenty to like now. For others, a bit of patience will be amply rewarded. Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright. The nose has black raspberries, char, black pepper, violets and slight roasted meats. Full bodied. Firm tannins
This is one of the better "values" in Napa high end wines. It is a proprietary blend of 70% Cab with the rest Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has cassis, blueberries, slight black cherries, spices, and leather. Full bodied. Firm tannins. On the palate, juicy cassis and black cherries with underlying char and spice. Some leather notes. Long finish. Delicious. This is young but drinking well. Drink over the next ten to twenty years. Great on its own, it would be perfect with a roast or steak.
This is a blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot from one of the premier vineyards in Napa, the State Lane Vineyard. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is great with black cherries, blueberries, slight cigar box and spice. Full bodied. Medium tannins. Juicy acidity. On the palate, this is delicious. Black cherries, some black raspberries and blue berries with a bit of leather and earthiness. Long finish. This is drinking well and may still improve. It should drink well for another twenty years. Great on its own, this would work well with roasted duck or even roast r
A First Growth in a top vintage? Yes, please. This is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Purple in color with some ruby at the rim, opaque and bright. The nose is great with cassis, leather, perfume, slight cigar box and spice. Full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, this is tight and young but delicious. Cassis, black cherries, spice and slight chocolate. Great balance. Long finish. This is drinking well but will get better with further cellaring (or air). Drink over the next twenty to thirty years. For now, it will be a t
In just a few short years of production the Canvasback Cabernet Sauvignon has become one of the de facto wines from the Red Mountain AVA in Washington state. Having reviewed this wine from multiple vintages, there is a clear consistency to its quality. Like most Cabernet you will find the requisite black cherry, blueberry, blackberry notes, but this adds huckleberry, boysenberry into the mix along with dusty tannins and a light mocha quality. But Red Mountain fruit also offers an earthiness and minerality with richer fruit.
Very nice showing for this second label of a First Growth Chateau Lafite. It has about 40% Merlot in it (according to an early Robert Parker review). The nose is earthy, with tobacco, cigar box, dust but also vibrant dark cherries and some cassis. Full bodied. Light tannins. On the palate, black cherries, earthiness and some spice. Good finish. Well stored bottles should have a few more years out of this. Nice on its own, but better with food. Roasted duck or chicken would work well.
This is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Merlot. On release, this seemed to be a bit of a disappointment for a First Growth form a great vintage. At this stage, 33 years later, it has closed the gap somewhat and while perhaps not as good as a 1989 tasted side by side, it was till good. Ruby/brown in color. A very earthy nose but also some cassis and dried cherries. Also some cigar box/tobacco. Medium to full bodied. Tannins all resolved. Nice texture. On the palate, much livelier. Cassis, cherries, dried cherries and spice. Moderate finish. These nee
