95+ Points

Our 2008 vintage Estate Cabernet Sauvignon's intrinsic aromatic notes of dry sage, black licorice and smoky earth terroir are wrapped in a cloak of dense black cherry and raspberry cream. Layered with provocative nuances of... Read More

Milk chocolate and blackcurrants on the nose, fragrant ripe black cherries and some floral notes. Sleek, supple, suave, really confident and shiny. This keeps the tension more than La Mission at this point with a vein of freshness... Read More

Gorgeous intensity on the nose, really fragrant and perfumed, richly scented with black fruits and bramble berries. Round, full, persistent and thrilling on the palate, a perfect balance between rich, concentrated and intense... Read More

A wonderful example of restraint and delicacy in a year where it was easy to overdo. Sharp and straight, you feel the acidity as soon as this enters the mouth, alive, pulsing, bright and shining. Aromatically so expressive after... Read More

The 2022 Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was one of Realm’s first harvests that year, coming in just before the early September heat hit. The blend is 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple... Read More

Adi Badenhorst is a central figure in the rise of Swartland, and this bottling demonstrates why the district has become so revered. The wine is named after the yellow-coloured granite rocks found in this vineyard, planted in 1966.... Read More

95pts Tim Atkin, Master of Wine: The Palomino grapes from this coastal Swartland vineyard are always delivered with a little sand, but it’s the limestone bedrock that has a greater influence on the style of this incredible... Read More

Alejandro Bulgheroni Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is the flagship wine of Alejandro Bulgheroni’s Napa Valley estate, reflecting his vision of producing world class Cabernet Sauvignon from premier vineyard sites across... Read More

2021 vintage of Amuse Bouche, featuring artwork by renowned French artist Marc Clauzade. His piece entitled Casse Croute (which roughly translates to tasty snack) portrays the beautiful chaos of a kitchen scene — its vibrant... Read More

Antinori's Tignanello 2021 is a standout Super Tuscan, blending Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from the estate’s iconic vineyard in Chianti Classico. The vintage is already being hailed as one... Read More

Focusing first on the Cabernet fruit from our mineral-rich, volcanic soil sites nestled on the hillside slopes in the Alexander Valley. This vintage’s blend is uniquely crafted with a delicate inclusion of Malbec, and a... Read More

The blackberries and spices on the nose, together with currants, earth and light chocolate, are extremely appealing, while the palate delivers a full, rich core of fruit and silky tannins. Excellent length. It’s just starting... Read More

Arriving in 2006, winemaker Sam Kaplan continues to fashion rock star wines from this Howell Mountain estate. One of the best whites from Napa, as well as one of the most ageworthy, the 2017 Sauvignon Blanc Estate gives up serious... Read More

The 2010 Au Sommet seems to bring together the best of qualities of 2008 and 2009. It has the fruit and depth of the former and the silkiness of the latter. Juicy dark cherries, plums, smoke, incense and tobacco are some of the... Read More

This Gorgeous Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is imbued with tremendous freshness, poise, and energy. Focused and pure aromas and flavors of black cherries and spiced plums are laced with flinty minerals, crushed cocoa nibs, and perfumed... Read More

Winemaker Chris Peterson is on fire making world-class wine in Washington! You may know him as the celebrated winemaker at DeLille cellars, but Peterson has branched into other projects in the Yakima Valley, in particular a partnership... Read More

Saturated bright, deep ruby. Pristine aromas of black cherry, blueberry, mint and minerals, lifted by a violet topnote. Dense, rich and deep but youthfully backward, with no easy sweetness to the powerful, slightly medicinal flavors... Read More

C des Carmes Haut-Brion – Pessac-Léognan

The second wine of Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion, C des Carmes offers a beautifully approachable take on one of Bordeaux’s most compelling estates. Bright red cherry,... Read More

A very lovely and fresh, bright expression of 100% Napa Cabernet with nicely delineated dark fruit, liquorice, and tobacco notes. A wonderfully textured, medium-to-full-bodied wine with tremendous concentration on the palate and... Read More

Leafy herbs, red and blue fruits, tobacco, cedarwood, and iron notes all emerge from the 2020 Camaspelo, another up-front, charming, soft, surprisingly supple red from this team. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has fine... Read More

Ripe black raspberries, iodine, spring flowers, gamey meats, and pepper all emerge from the 2020 Syrah En Chamberlin Vineyard, a deeper, broader, medium to full-bodied Syrah with ripe, rounded tannins, a great mid-palate, and... Read More

Moving away from the Rhônes-styled efforts and the most up-front and perfumed of the Bordeaux blends (just ahead of the Widowmaker), the 2010 Flying Pig is a Cabernet Franc-dominated blend that incorporates 37% Merlot and... Read More

This is meaty, with ripe dark berries, plum skins, smoked bacon, cocoa and ground spiced and pepper. Medium- to full-bodied with firm, chalky tannins and a polished texture, with crushed-stone minerality and dried orange peel.... Read More

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from clone 337 and a site on the western valley floor in Oakville. Whoever gets fruit from this vineyard always seems to get a mixture of aromatic... Read More

Rich and vibrant on the nose, smells concentrated and alcoholic. Crisp and clean on the palate however with bite to the cherry, plum and blackcurrant fruit alongside a hint of sweet strawberry and herbal raspberry on the mid palate... Read More

Juicy and lively, cool and crisp with concentrated but cool tannins that give the structure and density. It's massy, full, upfront, but retains a charm in that nothing is harsh or austere or too spiced. It's full but there's... Read More

Mild and dry weather set in from the very start of 2022. Abundant sunshine prevailed throughout the vine growth cycle, accompanied by several heatwaves. There was little precipitation from spring until the end of harvest, though... Read More

Intensely perfumed and ripe on the nose, potent and smells a bit alcoholic. Ripe and fruit forward, smooth and supple, this has nice energy and motion despite the clear concentration of the fruit. Acidity is high and has a soft... Read More

The intensity of raspberries, stones, chalk and sea salt is impressive. White pepper. Medium-bodied with really crunchy fruit yet the firm and creamy tannins are really well curated with a polished texture and superb finish. Long... Read More

Rich, bold and muscular, supple and generous. Sleek with well defined edges to the ripe blackcurrant and cherry fruit - lively and bright, balanced acidity with some salty minerality. You can feel the concentration in the depth... Read More

Gorgeously fragranced on the nose with perfumed black fruits and pink flowers - smells very Margaux. Clean and crisp, a beautiful precision from the start with ripe and rich fruit but cool fresh acidity and sleek, fine tannins.... Read More

A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, 2% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc, sourced from the Rhythm Vineyard on the slopes of the winery’s Stags Leap District estate. Jason Lede envisioned this wine as a pure... Read More

Sweet plums and raspberries. Forest floor character. Full body, with firm and silky tannins and a bright finish of dark fruits and citrus. Racy and refined. Dense and balanced. Closed still. Excellent potential from Tim Mondavi.... Read More

Continuum Estate sits atop the renowned Pritchard Hill overlooking Oakville and reflects more than a century of winemaking heritage. The 2022 vintage is a blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot, and... Read More

Even better, and seriously underrated by me last year, is the 2008 Dancing Hares. A blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, production is 525 cases of this exceptionally opulent,... Read More

Dark red berries, tobacco, flowers, mint and licorice all jump from the glass in the 2010 Dancing Hares Red Wine. There is a sense of energy and pure cut to the 2010 that is highly appealing. Brighter and more focused than the... Read More

Perfumed and floral, still concentrated and full ripe black fruits too. Smells heady and powerful. Supple and clean, this has a juicy blackcurrant core with well-textured, powdery, chewy tannins that give liquorice, sweet cedar... Read More

Spice- and earth-driven with a lovely restrained edge, giving aromas of cherries, bark, blood oranges, charcuterie, dried rose petals and graphite. The palate is chewy and tactile, with firmly framed tannins and focused acidity,... Read More

Production Notes
Varietal Composition: 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 1% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc
Winemaker Notes
The exceptional 2019 growing season yielded a profoundly elegant and complex expression of The Discussion,... Read More

The 2002 Syrah Eddie’s Patch is an amazingly impressive effort from a steeply terraced vineyard. Inky/black (squid ink comes to mind) to the rim, this full-bodied Syrah boasts notes of charcoal-infused blackberries intermixed... Read More

El Lugar is the passion project of Coby Parker-Garcia & his family. Parker-Garcia made a name for himself at Clairborne & Churchill in Santa Barabara County for Alsatian white varieties, but Pinot Noir and Syrah were always a... Read More

The 2022 Syrah Estate Vineyard is a total knockout. Dark, brooding and imposing, the 2022 captures all the savory/mineral intensity of this site on the West Sonoma Coast. Blackberry, charcoal, lavender, menthol and black pepper... Read More

Perrarus Block 3 from the Oakville Tench Vineyard may be the most significant and extreme vineyard of the Stones portfolio of vineyards. Sharing the fence line of Screaming Eagle, the vineyard soil resembles an ancient cobblestone... Read More

The 2019 Grenache Two Become One is flat-out gorgeous and shows how Grenache can be both powerful and elegant at the same time. Kirsch, darker berries, sandalwood, and spice notes define the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied,... Read More

The 2012 5500 brings together the raciness of the vintage along with the precision and nuance that are such signatures of Stags Leap. Dark red cherry, mocha, plum, mint, pine and licorice flesh out as this sumptuous, deeply expressive... Read More

An explosive, captivating wine, the 2009 Futo bursts from the glass with an exotic melange of incense, tobacco, wild flowers, licorice and plums. Full-bodied and racy, the 2009 covers every inch of the palate with stunning depth... Read More

This is a wine with wonderful tannin outline that gives it precision and refinement. Full body, very polished and brilliant. Fine grain texture. Very pretty and classic in every sense of the word. Needs at least three or four... Read More

Leading off with the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon OV|SL, which is a blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, this wine offers an incredibly pure, precise profile that carries loads of crème... Read More

This is extremely perfumed with black cherries, purple fruit and cedar. Some lavender, too. Medium-to full-bodied with firm, polished tannins and a beautiful finish. Needs time to soften, but already very beautiful. Drink after... Read More

Garnet red color with a lively core. The nose opens with fresh and crushed flowers, bright Nebbiolo aromatics and light balsamic notes. The mouth is vibrant and energetic, enriched by tones of rose petal, fresh red fruits, spices,... Read More

100% Syrah. The 2018 vintage in the Northern Rhône delivered wines of ripeness, concentration, and generous aromatics. Ample sunshine and favorable harvest conditions resulted in Syrah of depth and richness, while careful... Read More

Softened by 6% Merlot, this is a classically elegant wine, juicy in cranberry, cassis and teases of coffee bean, the tannins broadly etched and brawny in their youth. Integrated oak provides a spiciness of toffee and black licorice,... Read More

As it often is, Hall's 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap is one of the most distinctive wines in the range. Blueberries, blackberries, cassis, mint and violets literally jump from the glass in this beguiling, exotic beauty.... Read More

Although Hall is in St. Helena, they have produced a 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap. A Châteaux Margaux-ish style of wine, with floral notes intermixed with blueberry, black raspberry, and blackcurrant, the wine has... Read More

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Stag's Leap is a charming, sexy and silky wine that shows the forward, polished style of the vintage (and of Stags Leap) beautifully. Blueberries, blackberries, spring flowers and liquid violets... Read More

Fashionably fragrant, it leads with macerated bing cherry, bay laurel, sage, and a subtle minty note. Medium-bodied, soft and long, with plush tannins and a beautiful vein of ironstone minerality. Finishes with fragrant brown... Read More

A beautiful nose of olive oil, baked lemon, crushed thyme and wet stone. Medium bodied with lovely nuance and delicacy. Cream and fresh herbs color the fresh citrus and white pepper notes. Elegant. Subtle and long. Drink or hold.... Read More

Dark cherries, plums, spices, smoke, licorice and menthol all flesh out in the Cabernet Sauvignon Kathryn Hall. Inviting, rich and seductive, the 2012 is beautiful and totally expressive today. Sweet floral, spice and raspberry... Read More

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Kathryn Hall from Napa is another blockbuster, exhibiting an opaque bluish purple color, notes of charcoal, graphite, blackberry, chocolate and exotic spices, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and a long, long... Read More

Beautifully refined aromatics on the nose - clean and clear blackcurrant, cherry, floral notes and some soft dried herb accents. Succulent and really juicy, this burst with liveliness as well as giving a real bite to the palate... Read More

Bright and vivid cherry red, medium-high intensity, garnet rim. Aromas of redcurrant, plum, and cherry, complemented by balsamic and spicy notes of black pepper, licorice, vanilla, clove, and nutmeg. Fresh and balanced on the... Read More

The 2022 Les Quatre Piliers Bel Air is a standout Sauvignon Blanc from Les Quatre Piliers, a young but highly regarded estate in the Touraine appellation of the Loire Valley. Founded and driven by winemaker Valentin Desloges,... Read More

This is a big, almost bombastic blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Malbec and 5% Carmenere, opening on the nose with black currant, graphite, black pepper and savory earth aromas. The palate is bold with cassis and coffee cream... Read More

Deeper colored, the 2017 Proprietary Red Wine is based on 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot that saw the same 60% new French oak for 21 months. It offers an incredibly classic, classy... Read More

The grapes were given a four-day cold soak before fermentation, fermented on their own natural yeast, and aged eighteen months in 100% new French Taransaud barrels. The wine was bottled with neither fining nor filtration. The... Read More

The 2023 Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir doesn’t miss a beat with the numerous Freedom Hill classic bottlings that have come before it. Freedom Hill is known for dark, elaborately pigmented wines with a wealth of fruit,... Read More

Beautiful purity of fruit here with dark strawberry, dark cherry and blood orange aromas and flavors that follow through to a medium to full body with firm tannins and a linear and long finish. Lovely now but will improve with... Read More

A ripe ruby/magenta color, the 2022 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley is effusive and floral out of the gate, with lovely notes of fresh violets, ripe black raspberries, and a hint of orange peel. It has a refined feel, with fine... Read More

The 2022 Pinot Noir West Sonoma Coast has a gorgeous perfume of wild raspberries, fresh flowers, anise, and fresh forest herbs. Medium-bodied, with a lovely structure, it’s long on the palate and has a fresh feel throughout.... Read More

A bigger, richer and more concentrated effort than the Larner Grenache, the 2013 Grenache Bien Nacido Vineyard offers lots of cassis and black raspberry fruit to go with underlying notes of wet gravel, shrimp broth, peppery herbs,... Read More

From a site on Pritchard Hill, just across from Colgin, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Melanson Vineyard is an incredible wine that flirts with perfection. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged 20 months in 80% new French oak,... Read More

Sourced exclusively from the Martinelli Charles Ranch, located three miles inland from the Pacific at 340 metres elevation, surrounded by redwoods, bay laurels, and oaks. The vineyard was planted in 1982 by George Charles (Lee... Read More

This release also welcomes the first vintages of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the William Hines Vineyard in the northern corridor of the Sta. Rita Hills. With a microclimate and soil profile disparate from the vineyards we have... Read More

The sensational 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (their 25th anniversary selection) may be the best wine Staglin has ever made. Tasting like a classic Margaux or St.-Julien, it offers up notes of new saddle leather, cedar, spice... Read More

Still showing brilliantly (and I don't expect that to change), the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate has the ripe, expansive, sexy style of the vintage front and center. Loads of crème de cassis, blueberries, crushed violets,... Read More

The 2021 Almirez, sourced from La Jara, Villabuena del Puente and Valdenjas vineyards in Toro, was aged up to 14 months in oak barrels. Garnet in hue. Its ripe aromas feature plums, dried owers, undergrowth, licorice and garrigue... Read More

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Reserve is softer and more upfront compared to the Black Label, offering a terrific perfume of cassis and black raspberry fruits supported by spicy oak and violets. It too is perfectly balanced,... Read More

The 2019 La Muse offers a luxurious and layered perfume of red apple, sweet tobacco, and fresh leather. The palate is generous, with velveteen texture, noes of cassis, violets, and fresh earth, and a weightless feel. The most... Read More

The 2013 Le Desir represents 2,500 cases. This is the softest of the three wines in 2013, and this blend of 61% Cabernet Franc, 23% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec emerges with more than half of the cuvée coming... Read More

The Graveside Vineyard (formerly known as Cemetery Vineyard) is new this year and now exclusive to Vida Valiente. The 2022 Graveside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple colored, it charges... Read More

With a more floral profile compared to the Bamare Valle De Uco, the 2022 Malbec Bramare Lujan De Cuyo is purple with electric pink highlights and initially offers notes of crushed mixed berries, but as it opens, the aromatic profile... Read More