Bevan Cellars Ontogeny Red 2016 Napa Valley, California

Time for a good #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a great one from Napa Valley.

Inky in color with a short purple rim.

Showing black fruits with cedar, earth, vanilla, licorice, tobacco, coke, chocolates, dark coffee, leather, spices and peppercorn.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity. Dry on the palate with nice balance and mouthfeel.

This is a delicious Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley. Complex and opulent, and might be too much for some.

Dark, rich and handsome. Very tasty now, although still young. Will be nice to revisit it in 10 years.

Robert Parker 95 points. Thank you Scott for sharing.

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

A blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc, 15% Petit Verdot and 4% Merlot.

15.2% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$120.

Château La Cabanne Pomerol 2013 Bordeaux, France

Here is a young Merlot for #MerlotThursday.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish/ brick rim.

On the nose, black plums, blackcurrants, cherries, light wood, Indian spices, licorice, chocolates, earth, black pepper and light alcohol.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with plums, raspberries, cherries, strawberries, mint, red currants, oak, smoke, spices, coffee, pencil lead, earth and herbs.

Tart finish with fine grained tannins and pomegranates.

This is a nice Merlot from Bordeaux. Showing mild complexity with a nice mouthfeel, but a little hot.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly, and show the beautiful nose. Tannins show up after an hour of airtime.

This 7 year old is still young and needs a few years in the bottle to mature properly. A little unbalanced at this point, and better with food.

Wine Enthusiasts 90 points. Thank you Wendy for sharing.

I paired it with cheeses and crackers (Brie and Camembert).

A blend of 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Aged in 65% new French oak barrels.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$40.

Omina Romana Diana Nemorensis I 2017, Italy

This week’s #MerlotThursday is from Italy.

Dark ruby in color with medium plus intensity.

Fruity nose of blueberries, cherries, currants, light oak, spices, earth, herbs, light vegetables and dark coffee.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with cherries, strawberries, plums, raspberries, wood, peppercorn, earth, tobacco leaf, spices, graphite and bitter herbs.

Medium length on the finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This Bordeaux blend from Italy is nice and easy drinking.

Tangy and spicy with a nice mouthfeel. Fruit forward with mild complexity.

Good right out of the bottle and good by itself or with food. I paired it with a gorgeous view of the lake.

I had this vintage before and this time it’s a little better. Is it the view?

A blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc. Aged in French oak barrels for 12 months.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$35.

Newton Vineyard Unfiltered Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, California

To support the wineries that are the victims of the Glass fires, here is a delicious one from Newton Vineyard.

Dark ruby in color with a short purple rim.

Great nose of blueberries, cooked cherries, cedar, leather, earth, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, coke, tobacco, light alcohol, mocha and black pepper.

Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, cooked cherries, dried figs, raisins, vanilla, cedar, licorice, mocha, coke and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This 10 year old Cabernet Sauvignon is drinking wonderfully, right out of the bottle. Very tasty and enjoyable by itself.

Very complex with a great mouthfeel. Rich and smooth. Awesome nose, that I kept smelling on for a long time.

This would have been even better if we had a couple of hours to open it up properly, but it was gone so quickly.

Robert Parker 94 points.

Delicious now and will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 years.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with beef kebabs.

A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Syrah, 7% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

95 points.

$55 (current vintage).

High Dive Cellars Red Blend 2015, Napa Valley, California

Here is my #FridayCabernetfix with a beautiful Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley.

Dark ruby in color with a short purple rim.

Strong nose of blackberries, sweet cherries, strawberry pie, dried figs, tobacco, cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, mocha, coke and light earth. Gorgeous nose.

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

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, figs, raisins, vanilla, sweet cedar, leather, chocolates, tobacco, licorice, earth, peppercorn, spices and light vegetables.

Long finish with firm tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is s very tasty Cabernet Sauvignon based blend. Showing a great mouthfeel, although still young.

Nicely balanced with nice complexity, which will get better in the next 5 to 10 years.

Fruit forward with a touch of a Left bank Bordeaux style.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly, which I didn’t have unfortunately, as it finished too quickly. Delicious wine.

A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Aged for 19 months in 65% new French Oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$95.

Heir Apparent Cellars Proprietary Red Wine 2017 Napa Valley, California

Here is a great wine for #MerlotThursday.

Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Fruity nose with black currants, black plums, cooked cherries, light cedar, spices, peppercorn, tobacco, pencil lead, earth and herbs.

Full-bodied, elegant and smooth, with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with plums, black currants, oak, light vanilla, vegetables, tobacco, peppercorn, espresso, earth, bitter herbs, dark chocolates, spices and pencil lead.

Medium plus on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very tasty Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley. Showing nice complexity with a great, smooth mouthfeel.

Still young and needs 3 to 7 years to mature and become so much better. Showing great potential.

Good right out of the bottle, but way better after a few hours of airtime. I decided to drink it after 4 hours in a decanter. That’s when the complexity really shows.

Spicy and elegant, yet powerful.

Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food. I paired it with cheeses and light appetizers. Was very nice with the stinky Camembert cheese.

A blend of 30% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Cabernet Franc.

14.6% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$110.

Assaf Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2011, Golan Heights, Israel

Ruby in color with a hint of brick.

Spicy nose of peppercorn, blueberries, cherries, sweet raspberries, tobacco, earth, Indian spices, wood, cardamom, light vegetables, cinnamon, vinaigrette, and dark chocolates.

Medium plus in body and elegant with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black currants, sweet cherries, raspberries, spices, tobacco leaf, graphite, herbs, black pepper, chocolates, black olives, earth and black tea.

Nice length on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This 9 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from Israel is delicious now. Easy drinking and elegant with nice complexity.

Still drinking very nicely, although this was probably better a couple of years ago.

Needs 3 hours to open up, but after 4 hours, nice tannins come in with nice structure, so be patient.

A good quality wine. Spicy, tangy, elegant and interesting.

A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 20 months in French and American oak barrels. Grapes are grown in the Golan Heights region.

Thank you Sean for sharing this with me.

I paired it with cheeses, olives and nuts.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$45.

Mt. Brave Winery Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Napa Valley, California

Time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a delicious one.

Deep inky in color with a short purple rim.

Fruity nose of black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, light vegetables, herbs, tobacco leaf, spices, graphite, peppercorn, pencil lead, dark coffee and earth.

Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, light vegetables and pencil lead.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Napa Cabernet. Showing great complexity and mouthfeel. Big and bold, rich and opulent.

Balanced and enjoyable by itself or with food. A great wine from a great vintage, with great potential.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (2 hours).

Robert Parker 92 points.

Drinking very nicely now and will be even better in the next 5 years.

I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats, cheeses and light appetizers.

A blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec. Aged in (81% new) French oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$100.

Château Peynaud-Bagnac Bordeaux 2012, France

This is a nice surprise for #MerlotThursday.

Pretty color of dark ruby with a wide brick rim.

On the nose, red currants, plums, blueberries, cherries, vanilla, black tea, tobacco leaf, light vegetables, cedar, licorice, mint, spices, vinaigrette, earth and black pepper. Really lovely nose.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, dark chocolates, espresso, black tea and peppercorn.

Medium finish with medium plus tannins and pomegranates.

This 8 year old is still drinking nicely, although past its peak. Showing nice complexity, especially on the nose. Tangy and very easy to drink, with a nice mouthfeel.

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

Wine Enthusiasts 89 points.
Thank you David and Elvira for sharing.

I paired it with a big piece of steak and grilled asparagus.

A blend of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc.

13% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$15.

Silverado Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, California

It’s Cabernet Day today. Let’s celebrate with a nice one from Napa Valley.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Fruity nose with blackberries, blueberries, black cherries, vanilla, licorice, spices, earth, peppercorn, cedar, chocolates, mocha, coffee and leather.

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

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, blueberries, cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, coke, graphite, earth, coffee and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This four-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is showing nice complexity with a great mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle, and better as it opens up and shows the tannins and complexity. An hour in a decanter does the trick.

Wine Enthusiasts 92 points.

Nicely balanced, fruit forward, rich and elegant. Tasty and delicious.

A good sipping wine, that will age nicely in the next 5 to 15 years. I’ve had a few vintages with much more age before, and it is always delicious.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with cheeses and crackers.

A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 16 months in mostly French oak barrels (44% new).

14.6% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$46.