Vinous (95)

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Cardinale from Cardinale is totally seamless and textured on the palate, with layers of ripe, racy fruit, tons of intensity and an opulent, voluptuous finish that captures the essence of this style to the T. Dark red stone fruits, cinnamon, cedar, tobacco and new leather linger on the creamy finish. Winemaker Chris Carpenter draws across the entire range of Kendall Jackson's Napa Valley properties to craft Cardinale. In 2012, the blend is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Merlot from nine vineyards in a total of seven AVA's (Howell Mountain, Diamond Mountain, Spring Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Stags' Leap, Yountville and St. Helena).

Vinous (95)

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Cardinale from Cardinale is totally seamless and textured on the palate, with layers of ripe, racy fruit, tons of intensity and an opulent, voluptuous finish that captures the essence of this style to the T. Dark red stone fruits, cinnamon, cedar, tobacco and new leather linger on the creamy finish. Winemaker Chris Carpenter draws across the entire range of Kendall Jackson's Napa Valley properties to craft Cardinale. In 2012, the blend is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Merlot from nine vineyards in a total of seven AVA's (Howell Mountain, Diamond Mountain, Spring Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Stags' Leap, Yountville and St. Helena).

Vinous (97)

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is simply stunning. A real head-turner, the 2013 possesses superb density and tons of pure power. The flavors are deep, powerful and explosive. Mocha, new leather, and licorice wrap around a core of dark, sumptuous fruit. This dense, powerful Cabernet Sauvignon will require considerable patience, but it is super-impressive. And then some. Chris Carpenter crafted the 2013 from an assortment of parcels, most of them mountain sites on Diamond Mountain, Mt. Veeder and Howell Mountain. This is a real stand out.

Vinous (96)

A powerful, unctuous wine, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is striking. Intense, expressive aromatics make a strong first impression. Silky tannins wrap around a core of dark red cherry, plum, mocha, spice and leather. Deep, unctuous and beautifully layered throughout, the 2014 Cabernet is a fabulous wine in this vintage. All the elements simply fall into place effortlessly.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

Just about as close to perfection as a wine can get, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon from winemaker Chris Carpenter comes mostly from mountain vineyards and is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Merlot. This full-bodied, rounded, thrillingly textured beauty boasts a saturated purple color as well as a huge nose of crème de cassis, new saddle leather, barbecue smoke, and scorched earth. It has perfect integration of its fruit, tannins, acidity, and oak, carries remarkable power and intensity, yet still glides over the palate with no heaviness or sensation of weight. It’s going to be a legendary Napa Valley Cabernet and will have 3 decades or more of longevity.

Jeb Dunnuck (98+)

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is based on a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot that spent 22 months in 81% new French oak. It’s a wonderfully complete, borderline perfect wine that shows the class of this estate as well as the vintage, revealing a seamless, full-bodied style that carries lots of blackcurrant, graphite, lead pencil, and tobacco aromatics, a deep, layered mid-palate, ultra-fine tannins, and flawless balance. As with most of Chris’s 2018s, it’s a wine that builds slowly with time in the glass, offering a layered, singular character. It’s a gorgeous 2018 that can be drunk today with ample pleasure, but it will ideally be given 4-6 years of bottle age, at which point it should evolve gracefully for 30-40 years.

Wine Advocate (97+)

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Featuring a deep garnet-purple color, it sashays out of the glass with gregarious notions of baked plums, warm cassis and blueberry compote with suggestions of kirsch, dusty soil and Indian spices. The palate is full-bodied and laden with bright, lively, energetic black fruits, supported with firm, super ripe tannins and finishing on a persistent exotic spice note. 500 cases were made.

James Suckling (97)

Wonderful aromas of blackcurrants, dark plums, mint, sage, and dried wood. Some sandalwood. Full- to medium-bodied with tannins that have the texture of fine velvet and run down the length of the wine. Extremely polished and refined. Sophisticated. Firm at the end. This will age beautifully. Pure cabernet sauvignon. Best after 2026.

Wine Spectator (97)

Wow. This '95 Special Selection is a classic. Amazingly complex, it displays a wide range of flavors--including currant, wild berry, herb, sage, coffee and tobacco--gains in nuance, delicacy, elegance and finesse, and unveils pretty oak shadings on the finish. Drink now through 2009. 2,000 cases made.

Jeb Dunnuck (98+)

A wine that's held back three months in barrel and then held a year in bottle (as is the GOK), the 2016 Syrah Armada Vineyard saw 70-80% stems and 15% new oak (both demi-muids and foudre). Slightly deeper ruby in color, it has a mix of both red and blue fruits, salt, violets, damp earth, and smoked earth. Deep, tight, backward, but just loaded with potential, it needs 3-5 years of bottle age and will be very long lived.

Jeb Dunnuck (97+)

The Armada Vineyard Syrah always reminds me of the Horsepower releases, as it’s a more masculine, earthy style of Syrah. Deep plum/purple-colored with an incredible bouquet of smoked plum, blackcurrants, tobacco, peppered meat, and violets, the 2017 hits the palate with full-bodied richness and depth, building structure and tannins, moderate acidity, and a great finish. It’s another wine from Baron that packs incredible richness and depth yet still just glides across the palate with no sensation of weight or heaviness. It shows the more rounded, approachable style of the vintage and will keep for 20 years or more.

Wine Advocate (100)

Incorporating a touch more Viognier than normal, the 2014 Syrah Cailloux Vineyard is 93% Syrah and 7% Viognier from the first vineyard planted in the stones region of Walla Walla. Sporting a surprisingly deep, inky color, it offers a heavenly bouquet of black olives, tobacco leaf, smoked meats, pepper, blackcurrant and black cherry notes. Deep, rich and ever changing in the glass, with incredible complexity and layers, this full-bodied masterpiece has building tannin, a stacked mid-palate and a great, great finish. It's pure perfection in Syrah, and the finest vintage of this cuvee ever made. As a bonus, it’s also the largest production Syrah they produce. Bravo!

Jeb Dunnuck (98)

Leading off the Syrahs and showing gorgeously, the 2019 Syrah Cailloux Vineyard offers a seamless, layered, multi-dimensional style in its sweet black raspberry, currant, leafy herb, charcoal, spring flower, and violet-laced aromas and flavors. More medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has flawless balance, ultra-fine tannins, a thrilling core of sweet fruit, and one hell of an impressive finish. Rocks Syrah doesn't get much better.

Vinous (95+)

(13.4% alcohol): Explosive aromas and flavors of raspberry, smoked meat, woodsmoke, bacon fat, truffle and black olive, along with notes of minerals and bloody steak. Densely packed but juicy and almost magically light on its feet, with strong smoky minerality contributing to the impression of inner-mouth tension. Like a great Cote-Rotie in its sappiness and spicy lift. Finishes with a whiplash of flavor and subtle building length. Christophe Baron used just 10% new to age this wine as well as the En Cerise and Cailloux, letting his extraordinary sites speak for themselves.

Vinous (97)

The 2018 Tempranillo Impulsivo En Chamberlin Vineyard may be the best Tempranillo botting I have tasted from Cayuse Vineyards. The wine broods in the glass. Aromatically, you’re greeted by a brilliant core of dark fruits with tobacco leaf, black tea and tar tones. The palate is soft and generous with a sensuous mouthfeel. Even with 50% new large-format French oak, this doesn’t get close to being overly oaked. Silky and elegant to savor now, it has a really long life ahead of it. This is in a league all its own for North American Tempranillo.

Vinous (94)

Bright medium red. Knockout nose combines red cherry, pomegranate, mocha, white pepper and a sexy high-toned floral element. At once salty and juicy on the palate, savory but not particularly meaty, with a dominant flavor of crushed red cherry complicated by notes of garrigue and truffle. Finishes very long and subtly palate-staining, with terrific floral complexity. This wine struck me as a little darker in character than the No Girls Grenache made by Elizabeth Bourcier at Cayuse. And it's still tightly wound. (13.6% alcohol; vinified with 75% whole clusters; from a crop level of just 1.5 tons per acre)

Jeb Dunnuck (97)

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Colima, a blend from five different vineyards, pours a deep ruby hue and offers pure, layered, red-fruited aromas of fruit punch and framboise along with pine and pencil shaving. The palate reveals fine tannins, with outstanding refinement of structure, notes of ripe redcurrant, gravelly earth, and forest herbs, and fresh acidity throughout. This vibrant and high-toned, energetic wine captures what Cab from Sonoma can be all about.

Jeb Dunnuck (96)

The 2020 Pinot Noir Cuvee Chloe is highly aromatic and moves into a more classical perfume of cherry cola and forest floor. The palate is generous with its fruit of cranberry cocktail, rose petal, and fine tannins that emerge on the finish. Drink over the next 15 or more years.

The Ceritas Cuvee Chloe Pinot Noir 2021 is an enlightened expression of complexity and class. Cultivated in Sonoma County, California, Ceritas focuses on delivering wines of character rooted in the region's unique climates and soils. The 2021 release of their Cuvee Chloe Pinot Noir is testament to their artisanal practices. Each grape is handpicked and fermented naturally, showcasing great dedication to traditional techniques whilst employing modern understanding.

The minimalist intervention approach employed by Ceritas allows for the Pinot Noir's true character to shine. Deeply aromatic with notes of wild berries and ground spice, this wine cascades across the palate with exceptional balance and textured depth. Its lingering finish delivers an unforgettable impression.

Made by the widely respected winemaker, John Raytek, Ceritas Cuvee Chloe Pinot Noir 2021 offers an absorbing insight into the expressive beauty of California Pinot Noir. A captivating ensemble of craftsmanship and terroir - this is a wine of unmistakable pedigree and charm.

Vinous (94)

The 2018 Pinot Noir Elliott Vineyard is one of the more nervous, edgy wines in this lineup. Readers will want to give it a few years to soften, as it is reticent and tightly wound in the early going. Bright mineral and savory notes drive a core of sweet red berry fruit. When I taste the 2018 I think of a lyric tenor voice that, while maybe not big in size, has the resonance to be heard all the way in the cheap seats. The Elliot is a cool, introspective Pinot that will reward those who can spend some time with it.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

The 2021 Pinot Noir Elliott is packed with layered aromas of gravelly mineral earth, framboise, and wild herbs. Profound and balanced, with outstanding structure and gripping ripe tannins, it reveals notes of crunchy cherry, fresh earth, and a refined, elegant perfume on the finish. It continuously evolves in the glass and is an absolutely stunning and singular wine.

Jeb Dunnuck (96)

The 2020 Pinot Noir Occidental Vineyard is savory with fresh mint and more masculine aromatics, including cherry fruit and dark minerality. The palate is structured and long, with a more iron-rich quality, pomegranate seed, red cherry, and spice. Hold 2-3 years and drink over the following 15 years.

Introducing the Ceritas Occidental Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021, valuable addition to the cellar of any discerning oenophile. This radiant Pinot Noir is produced by Ceritas, maestros of viniculture with a predilection for crafting small batch wines reflective of their unique terroir. Nestled within the-aesthetic cool-climate of Sonoma Coast, California, the Occidental vineyard's maritime influence enhances the grape qualities, cultivating distinctive flavours.

The Ceritas Occidental Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 is an homage to artisan winemaking traditions - hand harvesting and indigenous fermentations lead to minimal intervention. This expression is marked by eloquent layers of red cherry, clove, wild herbs and orange peel, juxtaposed against a robust structure. The wine's finish is noted for its gripping minerality and liveliness, making it age-worthy and versatile.

Its precise balance between rustic charm and sophisticated depth presents the Ceritas Occidental Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 as a pure expression of its prestigious origin, ready to tantalise the palette of the patient connoisseur.

Wine Advocate (94+)

The 2018 Pinot Noir Senna is medium ruby in the glass and offers seductive aromas of dried lilac, black tea leaves and orange peel with an earthy, black berry core. Medium-bodied and silky, it's expansive and expressive in the mouth, with a broad, ever-changing spectrum of flavors and a long, nuanced finish. This is stunning already, but it will take a bit more time to show all it's got.

Fine wine connoisseurs believe the Ceritas Sonoma Coast Cuvee Chloe Pinot Noir 2019 is a sublime testament to Californian viticulture. Famed producers at Ceritas have crafted this exquisite tipple from select Pinot Noir grapes, meticulously hand-picked from choice Sonoma Coast vineyards at the ideal maturity stage. Refined in French oak barrels, this intricately-made wine exhibits delicate, sustainable viticulture practices.

Destined to be a collector's gem, Ceritas Sonoma Coast Cuvee Chloe Pinot Noir 2019 possesses an elegant allure. Its complex bouquet marries ripe red cherry notes with subtle undertones of oriental spices and wild herbs, suggesting a depth and richness befitting of its superb lineage.

Notably, the Ceritas winery is renowned for their cold-soaking harvest technique and natural fermentation processes—enhancing the wine's layered complexity. With a silky texture and impressive finish, the Ceritas Sonoma Coast Cuvee Chloe Pinot Noir 2019 stands as a peerless example of fine winemaking tradition.

Vinous (94+)

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill is rich and explosive, with tons of concentration, depth and structure. Dark blue and black fruit, mocha, smoke, menthol, licorice and spices all burst from the glass as this huge, tannic Cabernet Sauvignon shows off its pure class. Readers will have to be patient with the 2012, a wine that will blow the roof off the house with its unbridled power.

Jeb Dunnuck (100)

Also inky colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill comes from the estate vineyard on Pritchard Hill and spent 22 months in new French oak. It has a similar level of purity, as well as incredible minerality, to go with notes of crème de cassis, scorched earth, crushed rock, and graphite. Reminiscent of liking a rock with its insane level of minerality, this full-bodied beauty is tight and closed on the palate, yet is just loaded with potential. It’s only for those with cold cellars and needs forgotten for 7-8 years, but will keep for 4-5 decades. Bravo!

Wine Advocate (98+)

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill is composed of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot. It was aged in 100% new French oak for 22 months. The alcohol weighed in at 14.5%. Deep garnet-purple in color, it charges out of the gate with bold expressions of warm cassis, wild blueberries and black raspberries, plus hints of chocolate box, menthol, tapenade, smoked meats and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is bursting with vibrant black fruits, framed by fantastically ripe, fine-grained tannins and lovely freshness, finishing long and mineral laced.

Decanter (96)

Heady and ripe, floral and open on the nose with aromas of cedar, sweet strawberries, spiced plum and herbal-edged raspberries. Crisp and juicy, tight and tense - the tannins have a firm aspect to them really giving this a coiled, concentrated, knitted texture and frame where the dark, ripe fruit drives through the centre but there's lots of liquorice, dark chocolate and clove spice giving the angles and nuance, almost overtaking the fruit. Still, it's well constructed, smooth and long with lovely integrity of juiciness. Lots of Petit Verdot character also gives the singularity and signature. A fine wine with lots to like. Stylish, sophisticated and suave. 3% Merlot completes the blend. Winemaker Phillip Corallo-Titus. 3.78pH.

Wine Advocate (94)

We finished the tasting with the two Bordeaux blends. About as sexy and voluptuous as they come in the vintage, the 2011 Merlot Northridge Vineyard gives up loads of plum, violets, cassis, graphite and hints of spring flowers to go with a full-bodied, hedonistically styled profile on the palate. Possessing no hard edges, yet solid concentration and sweet tannin, it will put a smile on anyone’s face over the coming 7-82years.