Le Chanceux Melenage 2015, Napa Valley, California

Dark ruby in color with a purplish rim.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Fruit forward on the nose with light cedar and lots of chocolate and tobacco notes.

Dry on the palate, and complex right out of the bottle.

Showing blackberries, cooked plums, figs, tobacco, chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, cedar, vanilla, licorice, mediterranean spices and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This 9 year old is showing beautifully now. Complex and interesting. Rich and engaging.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 45 minutes of airtime. Tannins calm down after an hour.

This 2015 was a great vintage and it is showing. Peaking now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 years.

Nicely balanced with a soft mouthfeel. Spicy and engaging. I had it 4 years ago and it is drinking better now.

A great sipping wine to have all by itself, but will also pair nicely with a big piece of steak.

A blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Cabernet Franc and 4% Syrah. Fermented in (50% new) French Oak barrels. A tiny production of only 540 bottles.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$60 (at release).

Cathiard Vineyard Hora 2020, Napa Valley, California

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Full-bodied and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate and fruit forward, with nice complexity and mouthfeel.

Showing blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, licorice, light vanilla, spices, chocolates, tobacco, light herbs, light black tea and black pepper.

Tangy finish with fine grained tannins, spices and cherries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. Elegant and restrained.

Good right out of the bottle, and much better after 90 minutes of airtime, when more structure and tannins show up. Gets earthier after two and a half hours in the decanter. Nose opens up after 2 hours.

This 2020 vintage was a tough vintage, but this wine is showing beautifully now, as a 4-year-old. I just love these Bordeaux blends from Napa.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 10 years. Would be nice to try it again in 4 years, and see how it evolves.

Loved to see a low alcohol Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.

I paired it with cheeses, crackers and prosciutto. A great sipping wine that will also pair nicely with a nice piece of steak.

A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Malbec. Aged for 12 months in (40% new) French Oak barrels.

13.6% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$125.

Ovid Vineyards Napa Valley Red Wine 2016, California

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim. Not showing much age.

Fruity nose with cedar and chocolates notes.

Full bodied and elegant, soft and smooth.

Dry on the palate with medium-plus acidity.

Showing black currants, plums, cedar, cooked cherries, spices, light vanilla, tobacco leaf, herbs, dark chocolates, peppercorn, pencil lead and dark coffee.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a delicious Napa Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend. Nicely balanced and peaking now.

Rich and fruit forward with nice complexity and a great mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.

Robert Parker 99 points. Wine Spectator 94 points.

Will continue to drink beautifully in the next 5 to 7 years.

Good by itself or with food, like a nice piece of steak.

A blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.

14.8% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$350.

William Hill Estate Winery Napa Valley Bench Blend 2014, California

This is a delicious red blend from Napa Valley.

Dry on the palate and very fruity with medium acidity.

Showing black currants, black plums, cooked cherries, figs, raisins, vanilla, cedar, licorice, light cola, coffee, earth, chocolates, mocha, peppercorn, herbs and Mediterranean spices.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This 10 year old is drinking so very nicely now. Elegant and delectable. Fruit forward and engaging.

Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Spicy and very complex.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 90 minutes in the bottle. Peaking now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next few years. 

A gorgeous wine at this point. Easy drinking and dangerously good.

Good by itself, and paired deliciously with the leg of lamb.

A blend of 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Petite Sirah, 24% Merlot, 18% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec.

15% alcohol by volume.

95 points.

$30 (at release).

Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red 1995, Napa Valley, California

Dark ruby in color with a very short reddish rim. Not showing age at all.

Strong fruity nose with cedar, vanilla, chocolates and black fruits.

Full bodied, elegant and smooth, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate and very fruity, with black currants, plums, tobacco, cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, herbs and light alcohol.

Medium plus on the finish with fine grained tannins and cherries.

This 28 year old is still drinking beautifully, but was probably better a few years ago.

Nicely balanced and elegant with nice complexity.

Needed 90 minutes of airtime to open up properly.

Robert Parker 96 points.

I Had this vintage almost 2 years ago, and it was even better then.

A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 4% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot. Aged in French oak barrels for 22 months.

14.1% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$200.

Edge Hill Vineyard Mixed Blacks Field Blend 2013, Napa Valley, California

Deep purple in color with a short purplish rim. Not showing age at all.

Full bodied with medium acidity.

Showing red and black fruits with tobacco, cedar, chocolates, earth, vanilla, spices, alcohol, herbs, peppercorn, pencil lead and dark coffee.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 10 year old is drinking beautifully now, and at its peak. Powerful, yet elegant. Extracted and fruit forward.

This Napa red blend feels like a Napa Petite Sirah/ Petit Verdot blend.

Good right out of the bottle, but way better after 2 hours of air time.

Showing nice complexity, especially once it opens up. Delicious, tangy and spicy.

Will continue to drink nicely in the next few years.

A blend of Zinfandel, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Mourvedre, Carignan and Alicante Bouschet.

15.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$70 (current vintage).

Opus One 2012, Napa Valley, California

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

This is a delicious Bordeaux blend from Napa valley. Rich, extracted and opulent.

Dry on the palate and fruit forward.

Showing black fruits with tobacco, cedar, coffee, vanilla, licorice, chocolates, light earth, herbs and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and cherries.

Easy drinking, smooth and elegant. A great sipping wine to have with good friends and talk about.

This great 2012 vintage will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years. Showing great complexity already.

Wine Spectator 93 points. Robert Parker 96 points.

I’ve had many vintages of this wine, but this is one of my favorites.

Good by itself or with food. Will pair nicely with barbecue meats.

A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot, 6% Merlot and 2% Malbec. Aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

96 points.

$450.

Lewis Cellars Alec’s Blend 2005, Napa Valley, California

Deep inky in color with a very short rim. Not showing age at all.

Showing a great nose of black fruits with chocolate notes.

Dry and fruit forward on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing blackberries, blueberries, cooked black plums, raisins, eucalyptus, earth, tobacco, cedar, leather, alcohol, dark chocolates, coffee and mint.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and cherries.

This 18 year old Syrah blend from Napa Valley is drinking so nicely now. Well balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Rich and elegant.

Probably at its peak, but will continue to drink nicely in the next five to seven years.

Extracted and fruit forward. In your face kind of wine. Tangy and interesting.

Needed 3 hours of airtime to open up properly.

Wine Spectator 92 points.

A great sipping wine. Just gorgeous.

A blend of 70% Syrah and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.

14.7% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$60 (current vintage).

Checkerboard Vineyards Impetuous 2018, Napa Valley, California

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Full bodied and elegant with medium acidity.

Beautiful fruity nose of cedar, black fruits, vanilla, chocolates, coffee and peppercorn.

Full bodied and elegant with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, cooked cherries, cedar, spices, vanilla, leather, earth, alcohol, chocolates, tobacco, coffee and cola.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This young Napa Bordeaux blend is already drinking beautifully now.

Rich, yet elegant. Fruit forward with nice balance and mouthfeel.

This 5 year old is a wonderful wine, but still young. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and so much better after 90 minutes of airtime.

Thank you Barry for sharing this with me.

A blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with some Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

93 points.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

$90.

Continuum Estate Sage Mountain Vineyard Proprietary Red Blend 2014, Napa Valley, California

It’s time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.

Deep deep purple in color with a very short purple rim.

Very fruity on the palate and nicely balanced.

Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Showing black fruits with cedar, vanilla, leather, earth, chocolates, tobacco, spices, peppercorn, coffee, mocha, herbs, eucalyptus and pencil lead.

Long spicy finish with round tannins and cherries.

This 9 year old Bordeaux blend is fabulous right now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next 20 years.

Showing great complexity with a nice mouthfeel. Rich, opulent and extracted. Big, yet elegant and fruit forward.

Really enjoyed the nose, and kept smelling on it for a while. The 2014s from Napa are drinking beautifully now.

A great sipping wine that will also pair nicely with a nice piece of steak.

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Petit Verdot and 5% Merlot.

14.8% alcohol by volume.

95 points.

$250.