Cabernet Sauvignon

Time has been great for this bottle.  At age 14, it is a stunning bottle of Bordeaux.  Probably at or close to peak but with years left.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose is fresh with cherries, cigar box, slight earthy funk and slight spice.  On the palate, this has complex layers of cherries, black raspberries, and tobacco.  Great balance.  Long finish.  This drinks well on its own because of the complexity but really shines at the dinner table with meat and roasted dishes or stews.  This is a great example of buying affordable Bordeaux in great vintages and letting them age.  It can still

A question that comes up on occasion is whether a $125 bottle can be considered a value.  In this case, I say yes.  A Napa Cab of this quality often costs 4 times the price and rarely less.  The Bard is consistent from vintage to vintage and a truly great wine.  This is a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and the remaining grapes are Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  Inky purple in color.

Nice to get a chance to revisit this.  It has come together nicely and improved a bit since release.   50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 25% Cabernet Franc.  This is made from those barrels which did not qualify for the top wines.  Purple in color with some ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice with cherries, tobacco, sour cherries, sandalwood and anise.  On the palate, this is drinking great.  I doubt it gets any better but certainly has another five years.  Lots of red fruits and a bit darker with some earthiness.  Light tannins.  Nice finish.  This will go with a wide variety of foods

So, after an amazing wine dinner with two other couples and my wife, we did the mistake of opening this.  It was amazing but this just arrived a few weeks ago and really needs time.  That said, it really was great, it just needs at least a few more years and really five to ten.  Oh well, it was fun.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, pencil lead, tobacco, smoke and cedar.  On the palate, this has big fruit and big tannins.  Not so much a fruit bomb as the intensity.  It must be like barrel tasting Latour in a great vintage.  The finish goes for for hours.  Give this some time and

Drank this side by side with the 2012.  The 2012 was better tonight, but the 2016 is the better wine.  Hold for at least five years and patience will be rewarded.  Of course, if you can't - no worries.  It is amazing right now.  Inky purple, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, cedar, clay, graphite and sandalwood.  On the palate this has firm tannins.  Tons of cassis with tight layering of charred earth.  Great balance.  Intense and concentrated.  Long finish.  Went great with Cauliflower steaks but would work well with grilled or roasted meats.  it kind of reminds me of Mouton in a grea

Scarecrow is one of the best wines in the world.  It is always a pleasure to be able to share some with friends!  This bottle did not disappoint.  It is not a fruit bomb but there is plenty of fruit.  This bottle is still young with some upside but drinking great today.  Inky purple with a thin ruby band at the rim.  The nose is great with cassis, violets, spice and minerality.  On the palate, this has light tannins but persistent.  Intense cassis on the palate with underlying charred earth and a bit of dark chocolate.  Layers of fruit and earth.  Long finish.  Great balance.  Delicious.  W

This was my WOTN in an evening with a lot of stellar bottles.  It is everything I could ask for in a Napa Cab.  It is still young and no doubt has a couple of decades left.  Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, spice, graphite, clay and moist earthiness.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is deep and complex, it unwinds in the glass beautifully showing cassis, tobacco with underlying earthiness.  Despite the tannins, this wine has a softness that makes it approachable.  It is delicious.  It will need big foods or drink on its own.  

This took a while to open up in the glass and then it was gorgeous.  It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (57%) and Cabernet Franc (43%).  One of the Iconic California wines.  Inky purple in color, magenta at the rim.  The nose is beautiful with cassis, cedar, anise, some charcoal and slight blueberries.  With air a woodsy quality emerges as well.  On the palate, this has nice depth and complexity.  Firm tannins.  Sweet cassis fruit with some fresh tobacco notes intertwined.  Very deep.  It needs a few more years or a nice decant now.  It requires big food but will work with it or as a glass

Bryant is one of the classic Napa Cabs.  The wines generally take years to develop but this one seems to be about as good as it will get.  Of course, time will tell.  Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, some celery, and a slight floral note.  On the palate, the green/celery note is gone and there is plenty of bright cherry fruit.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  This is an excellent wine but knowing how good this wine can be in better vintages, this wine does not reach those heights.  Still, it worked well with a Roasted Eggplant dish and would work with roasted meats

I didn't remember until I got home that I had this once before.  Probably because the last bottle was good but it did not show this well.  Not quite sure why.  It might have been me, the circumstances, the food or just bottle variation.  This bottle was opened and allowed to breathe for an hour so perhaps that had something to do with it.  That's why we pop the corks though.  This bottle was outstanding.  It is a project of the famous winemaker Heidi Barrett.  In a vintage like 2011, this one managed to be clean, ripe and without any green streaks.  Very impressive.  Purple in color, ruby a