Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.1

Delicious #carneros Bordeaux-style blend. Big bramble fruit, leather and spice nose, drinks lighter on the palate than the 14.8% ABV and 80% new French oak would suggest; the whole package is well integrated from a difficult fire vintage, lovely spice on the finish. 84% #merlot, 13% #cabernetsauvignon, 3% #cabernetfranc — 4 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

8.9

Fairly typical Sonoma County #cabernetsauvignon impressions on the nose, brambly fruit, touch of earth. Notably more dusty fruit on the palate, decent acidity considering how hot that year was. Less of a jam bomb so this #alexandervalley Cab was pretty enjoyable to me. — 6 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.1

Excellent high-QPR SV #napa #cabernetsauvignon. It leans “Old Worldish” but still has plenty of big fruit up front, nicely balanced, some coffee and subtle earthy undertones -and velvety tannins to close out. Call this the “Anti-Caymus” 💣 #costcowines — a year ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

8.9

Moderately complex, surprisingly crushable #mendoza #cabernetsauvignon at one of my favorite wine bar and bites place. — 5 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

8.7

Just a humdrum #alexandervalley #cabernetsauvignon - the usual black/purple fruit, some chocolate notes, spice from barrel toast, nothing really exciting here, hard to get excited about the low QPR. — 6 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.0

My preferred #napavalley #cabernetsauvignon - big yet balanced, blackberry, fine tannins that build and some black pepper spice on the finish. #coombsville — 10 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

8.8

Savory earthy #cabernetsauvignon, recessed fruit on nose, earthy savory palate finishing with soft tannins. — a year ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.0

You’ll definitely want to decant this wine. Well over an hour after opening in the glass the initial dusty #bordeaux muted fruit wakes up fully, very youthful bramble fruit, purple jam on the nose. Mouthwatering acidity and generally soft tannins from the Merlot dominant blend with some more assertive tannins on the finish. 68% #merlot, 17% #cabernetsauvignon, 13% #petitverdot, 2% #cabernetfranc - clearly I got the impression this wine could easily cruise for another 5 years in the bottle. Excellent #costcowines value. — 6 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.1

Bit of a throwback style here with lots of big #cabernetsauvignon #shiraz fruit aromas. Quite elegant on the palate but new oak is noticeable towards the end of the sip, though tannins are velvety. Could use at least half a decade more to integrate - this wine is built for the long haul. — 8 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

20% #cabernetsauvignon 60% #tannat 20% #cabernetfranc . Touch of barnyard funk nose immediately followed by a deep well of cassis, bramble fruit. Higher tension on the palate, robust grippy tannins, as expected. Feels like it needs another 5 years bottle time to fully integrate. #madiran — a year ago