Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc.  Just a gorgeous wine that while still youthful, is showing some maturity.  We drank this pop and pour but I would recommend a lot more air or decant.  Purple in color.  The nose is great with cassis, black cherries, tobacco, slight leather, and spice.  Wonderful rich texture.  Great balance.  Medium tannins.  Plenty of fruit; cassis and black cherries layered with earth and tobacco.  Long finish.  This wine has a nice complexity that shows itself as it unwinds in the glass.  Its delicious but more than just that.  While it shows

This wine is from the late great winemaker Denis Malbec's own winery.  He made wine for some of the top wineries in Napa including Kapcsandy but was sadly killed in a car crash in 2017.  This wine is certainly a tribute to his skills.  Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, slight cherries, spice with slight tarragon note.  On the palate, this is has a nice structure.  Pinpoint fruit hanging with tannins.  The fruit has cassis and cherry and while ripe, not over done.  This drinks well now but consumed over a couple days, it was better on Day 2 suggesting its best days are still ahead.  Nic

A blend of Cabernet and Sangiovese.  Bought on release and cellared by me.  Ruby red in color with purple swirls.  This is drinking quite well right now and at peak or just past.  The nose is great with dusty cherries, some cassis, a bit of dried fruit, and crushed dry tea leaves.  On the palate, this is layered and nice complex.  Not a huge wine but still plenty of cherry fruit layered with earth and forest floor.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  

Purple/ruby in color. The nose has cherries and celery.  On the palate, there is some cherry fruit.  This is sweet and sticky.  I presume some residual sugar.  Lacking acidity.  Clipped finish.  This retails for $25 and some people will like.  Not for my tastes though.  

In a tasting, its often the bigger, flashier wine that is the best.  But, at the dinner table, over a couple hours, the opposite is often true.  That was the situation this wine had to deal with, but it came thru just fine.  Despite being 30 years younger than one of the wines, it still managed to strut itself quite impressively.  Purple in color, magenta at the rim.  Bright.  The nose has cassis, some graphite, spice and slight cedar.  Powerful but not over the top.  On the palate, this has a wonderful mouth feel.  Juicy.  Its big but seems light on its feet.  Flavors of cassis, and some p

This bottle had been stood and was decanted about an hour before serving.  We enjoyed it over the next couple of hours.  Blind, I would have guessed a not too old Bordeaux, maybe say 2000.  Bright purple in color, magenta at the rim.

Lots to say about this wine, but first, why it was opened.  My friend Chris is about to retire.  Way back in 1986 or so, Chris was convinced to spend $30 for a 375ml bottle of this wine.  Since that time, he has waited for the right special occasion to open the bottle.  Luckily for me (since I din't meet Chris until around 2010), this bottle is known to maturing at a glacial pace.  He has moved all around the world waiting for the right time and place.  My wife and I had dinner at Chris's home before he leaves town and goes to spend his retirement in Cape Cod.  Chris opened the wine.  What

Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, coffee and spice.  On the palate, there is nice dark cherry fruit, some cassis, and spice.  Medium tannins.  I wouldn't wait on this too long as I am not sure there is enough fruit to outlast the tannins in the long run.  That said, it is drinking well now with some nice fruit.  A bit of complexity as well.  

Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, dark chocolate, vanilla, sandalwood and slight blueberries.  On the palate, there is a fair amount of oak on this.  Spice and some burn from fresh cut lumber.  But, also some excellent fruit showing as cassis and blueberries.  Medium tannins.  Long finish.  Right now it is a good wine especially for those who don't mind a bit of oak.  I would hold these as there is plenty of fruit to integrate with the oak over the next five years.  

Purple in color.  The nose is great with cassis, spice, cedar, dark chocolate and a bit of cedar.  On the palate, this is intense fruit.  The wine itself gives an impression of being broad and easy, but the fruit is piercing.  This still needs some time to develop and unwind.  Give it some air.  Flavors of cassis and dark chocolate with firm tannins.  Drunk over two days, this was markedly better on day 2.  Long finish.