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. — 2 days 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 — 6 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

8.9

Ramey’s interpretation of #claret is quite interesting. After 9 years of bottle time it’s aged more than expected. Stewed plum, quite faint dark fruit on the nose. Prominent acidity on palate, primary fruit exited stage left, some sherry notes but still noticeable tannins. 68% #cabernetsauvignon, 18% #merlot, 6% #syrah, 4% #malbec, 4% #petitverdot — 9 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. — 14 days 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. — 2 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

8.8

Savory earthy #cabernetsauvignon, recessed fruit on nose, earthy savory palate finishing with soft tannins. — 9 months ago

David Kline

9.3

Rim to rim color density. Red and black cherries poke through cedar and sweet tobacco on the nose with dark chocolate chunks, plum, prune and date, toasted sesame, cinnamon, rose petal, and cardamom. Chewy tannins that roll satin-smooth initially, then cassis, black currant and licorice flip the script. Graphite and blackberry frame dark chocolate and mocha-tobacco, oak and black bread.


#dunn #dunnvineyards #howellmountain #howell #napa #angwin #cabernet #cabernetsauvignon #cab #cabsauv #2014 #2014napa — 9 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. — 17 days 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 — 5 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 — 7 months ago