The Vice Wines Stag’s Leap District Super Tuscan 2020, Napa Valley, California

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Deep purple in color, almost Inky, with a short reddish/ purplish rim.

Strong nose of dark fruits.

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

Dry and fruity on the palate with nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel.

Showing blackberries, cooked cherries, figs, cedar, licorice, vanilla, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, light earth and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and cherries.

This is a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Stag’s Leap District. Easy drinking, bold and beautiful.

Fruit forward, rich and extracted. Tangy and interesting, with lots of coffee and chocolates notes.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 45 minutes of airtime.

This 3 year old is still very young, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

A good wine to have with good friends all by itself, but good with food too.

A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec and 25% Sangiovese. Aged for 22 months in new French Oak barrels. Unfiltered and unfined. A small production of only 1,700 bottles made.

14.3% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$130.

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Kukeri Wines Limited Edition Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Napa Valley, California

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Beautiful nose with lots of fruits, earth notes and chocolates.

Full bodied with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing blackberries, black currants, cooked plums, cedar, tobacco leaf, light earth, bitter herbs, coffee, dark chocolates, light vegetables and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This 4 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from Yountville in Napa Valley, is starting to drink very nicely now.

Still very young, but already approachable. Fruit forward, spicy and good by itself. Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle, and much better after 2 hours in the decanter.

Not “in your face” kind of wine. Feels like a blend of Napa Cabernet and Left Bank Bordeaux.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 7 to 10 years.

A blend of 98 % Cabernet Sauvignon with some Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot. Aged in (40% new) French and American oak barrels for 26 months. A small production of only 175 cases.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$79.

Notre Vue Estate Balverne Forever Wild Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Sonoma County, California

Ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked strawberries, spices, cedar, cloves, vanilla, leather, chocolates, tobacco, licorice, herbs, light alcohol, peppercorn and dark coffee.

Medium finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County. Fruit forward, rich and elegant.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after an hour in the decanter, when tannins show up. Really worth the wait.

Loved the chocolaty nose.

Still young and will age nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.

Good by itself or with food, and will pair nicely with a big piece of steak.

A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 9% Malbec and 3% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 18 months in oak barrels. A small production of only 504 cases.

14.3% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$48.

Titus Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, California

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Dark purple in color with a short purple rim.

Fruity nose, spicy and elegant, with nice complexity.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with medium acidity.

Showing blackberries, black currants, cooked plums, cedar, licorice, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, spices, earth, vanilla, coffee, cola and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This young Napa Cabernet needs three to five years in the bottle to mature properly.

Drinking nicely now, and needs 2 hours in the decanter to calm down a bit, and bring out the tannins and more structure.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. Has good potential to become a 94+ point wine.

Spicy, rich and extracted.

A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Petit Verdot, 7% Merlot and 4.5% Malbec.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$55.

Dearden Wines One Iron Sonoma County Meritage 2016, California

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let’s bring Merlot back!

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Dry on the palate with medium acidity.

Medium plus in body with nice complexity.

Showing red and black fruits with tobacco, cedar, chocolates, earth, vanilla, licorice, cola and peppercorn.

Tangy finish with medium tannins and raspberries.

This is a very interesting Merlot blend from Sonoma county. Fruity and rich. Smooth and elegant. Feels like a Napa Merlot based Bordeaux blend.

This 7 year old is peaking now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next few years. Better after an hour in the bottle.

Wine Enthusiasts 90 points.

Thanks Max for sharing this with me.

A blend of 56% Merlot and 44% Malbec.

14.4% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$50.

The Vice Wines The Millennial Batch #96 Multi Vintage, Napa Valley, California

Dark purple in color with a wide purplish rim.

Sweet nose of blackberries, cooked plums, cedar, tobacco, vanilla, cola, licorice, chocolates, coffee, herbs and peppercorn.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.

Very fruity on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, dried figs, vanilla, cola, cedar, chocolates, tobacco, spices, peppercorn and mocha.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a delicious Petite Sirah blend from Napa Valley. Showing nice complexity with a smooth mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after an hour of airtime, when tannins and structure come in.

Easy drinking and good for parties. Might be too fruity for some.

An interesting blend of 63% Petite Sirah (from Mount Veeder), 21% Malbec, 8% Primitivo, 7% Tempranillo and 1% Charbono. Aged in French oak barrels (29% new) for over a year. Only 720 cases made.

14.3% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$29.

Shafer Vineyards Napa Valley Merlot 2014, California

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let’s bring Merlot back!

This is a delicious Merlot from Napa Valley. Soft and elegant. Smooth and fruit forward.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with medium acidity.

Showing black plums, black currants, coffee, oak, cloves, cedar, licorice, light vanilla, tobacco leaf, earth, dark coffee, chocolates and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This 2014 vintage is drinking wonderfully now, and this wine is a good example of it. Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly, but good right out of the bottle too.

I had this vintage 6 years ago, but it was not ready at all. Was unbalanced and a little austere. Right now, it is a wonderful wine that’s at its peak, and will continue to drink nicely in the next few years.

Easy drinking, spicy and entertaining.

Robert Parker 92 points. Wine Enthusiasts 93 points.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it Meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

A blend of 78% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Malbec. Aged for 20 months in mostly new French oak barrels.

15.3% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$60.

Bella Union Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, California

A delicious Napa Cabernet Sauvignon from the house of Far Niente. Fruit forward and spicy.

Full bodied with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, spices, espresso, cola, light herbs, chocolates, tobacco and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

Still young, but already enjoyable even by itself, and will continue to age nicely in the 10 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and better with airtime.

Wine Enthusiasts 93 points.

Rich and extracted. Tangy and interesting. A delicious sipping wine.

A blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, with Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petite Verdot.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$60.

Kukeri Wines Stags Leap District Proprietary Blend 2018, Napa Valley, California

This is a great time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

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

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cherries, light cedar, tobacco leaf, light vanilla, earth, dark coffee, herbs and peppercorn.

Tangy finish with fine grained tannins and raspberries.

This is a delicious Bordeaux blend from Stags Leap District in Napa Valley.

Showing nice complexity with a soft mouthfeel.

A good quality wine. Rich yet restrained. Fruit forward and spicy.

Good right out of the bottle, and better with some air time.

Still young, and would continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 10 years. Will be nice to revisit it in 3 years.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a steak sandwich.

A blend of 52% Cabernet Franc, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, 3% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. Aged in French and American oak barrels for 18 months. A tiny production of only 9 barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$65.

Halter Ranch Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, California

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with nice complexity.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Showing black fruits with tobacco, vanilla, licorice, chocolates, oak, spices and peppercorn.

Nice finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon is tasty now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 5 years.

Easy drinking and good by itself or with food. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel.

Will pair nicely with BBQ Meats.

A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot. Aged for 16 months in (30% new) French Oak barrels.

14.6% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$55.