Quilceda Creek Palengat 2016 Horse Heaven Hills, Washington State

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

This is a gorgeous Bordeaux blend from Washington State.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity and mouthfeel.

Showing black fruits with cedar, vanilla, leather, spices, tobacco, chocolates, coffee, cola, black pepper, light vegetables, earth and licorice.

Feels like a Napa Cabernet with light age. Showing great complexity already.

Robert Parker 94 points.

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

Very yummy now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

This is a fabulous Cabernet.

A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. Aged in new French oak barrels for 20 months.

94 points.

$120.

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Domaine de Gachet Lalande de Pomerol 2012, Bordeaux, France

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

Ruby in color with a wide brick rim.

Full bodied and elegant with medium acidity.

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

Showing black and red fruits with tobacco, chocolates, coffee, oak, light vanilla, spices and black pepper.

Tangy finish with fine grained tannins and cranberries.

This is a very enjoyable Merlot blend from Bordeaux. I’ve had different vintages of this wine, and it is very consistent.

This 11 year old needs 2 hours to open up properly, so be patient.

A good food wine that will pair nicely with grilled meats.

A blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc.

13% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$40.

Selene Wines Chester Napa Valley Cabernet Franc 2016, California

This is a delicious Cabernet Franc from Napa Valley.

Fruit forward with nice complexity and a strong nose.

Showing black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, licorice, light vanilla, tobacco, peppercorn, espresso, chocolates, earth, light vegetables, pencil lead and leather.

Dry and fruity on the palate with medium acidity and long legs.

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

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

Feels like a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon right out of the bottle. Only after a couple of hours, it brings out more earth and vegetable notes.

Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Spicy and entertaining.

I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$40.

Blackbird Vineyards Blackmail Napa Valley Merlot 2016, California

It’s time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

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

Strong fruity nose with blackberries, black plums, black currants, light cedar, figs, stewed cherries, licorice, spices, light earth, tobacco leaf, herbs, chocolates and black pepper.

Full bodied and elegant with medium acidity.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, light vanilla, tobacco, chocolates, peppercorn, earth, herbs, spices, pencil lead, licorice and diet cola.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a great Napa Merlot with a touch of right bank Bordeaux. Nicely balanced with a soft mouthfeel.

Elegant and fruity. Spicy and interesting. Rich and tangy.

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

Good by itself as a sipping wine. Delicious stuff.

14.1% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$100.

Perus Wine Company Alessio 2019, Napa Valley, California

Dark Inky in color with a short reddish rim.

Strong nose of blackberries, blueberries, light cedar, licorice, light vanilla, tobacco, eucalyptus, Mediterranean spices, chocolates, mocha, cola and black pepper.

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

Dry and very fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, cola, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, light earth, coffee, peppercorn and light mint.

Long long finish with fine grained tannins and chocolates.

This is a fabulous Bordeaux blend from Napa valley. Rich and extracted yet graceful.

Nicely balanced with lots of black fruits and chocolate notes.

Drinking beautifully now as a 4-year-old, but still so very young, and will continue to age nicely in the next 20 years and beyond.

Showing a soft and opulent mouthfeel. Spicy and buttery.

Good right out of the bottle, but much better once it opens up. Started opening up after 2 hours in the decanter, but kept on changing from there.

Another gorgeous wine from Russell Bevan. A great wine to have all by itself. No food needed.

A blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc. A small production of only 8 barrels made.

14.9% alcohol by volume.

96 points.

$300.

Chateau Haut Cardinal Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2014, Bordeaux, France

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

Dark ruby in color.

Dry on the palate and bold.

Full bodied with medium plus acidity.

Showing red fruits with earth, tobacco leaf, herbs and green vegetables.

Big tannins on the finish with raspberries.

This 9 year old is a little unbalanced. I expected more complexity at this point, but I didn’t get much.

Might need a few years in the bottle to mature properly.

Very drinkable and better with food. Paired nicely with fresh pizza with prosciutto and arugula.

13% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$35.

Castello di Amorosa Napa Valley Sangiovese 2019, California

Dark ruby in color with light intensity and a wide reddish rim.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with a nice mouthfeel.

Showing blueberries, cherries, raspberries, spices, light oak, licorice, dark chocolates, light tobacco and peppercorn.

Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a tasty and interesting Sangiovese from Napa valley.

Nicely balanced and tangy. Feels like a California Merlot.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after an hour in the decanter. Good by itself and with food.

In had the 2018 not too long ago, and liked it better. Would be nice to revisit it in a couple of years.

A blend of 92% Sangiovese and 8% Merlot. Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels.

14.9% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$39.

Perus Wine Company Janeen Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Napa Valley, California

Dark ruby/ Inky in color with a short reddish rim.

Beautiful Fruity nose with blackberries, black currants, black plums, cherries, cedar, dark chocolates, vanilla, cola, spices, coffee and peppercorn.

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

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black plums, cooked black cherries, spices, chocolates, cedar, coffee, light vanilla, tobacco and peppercorn.

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

This 5 year old Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend is drinking so beautifully now, yet so young. Very approachable at this young age.

Fruit forward and nicely balanced with a nice soft mouthfeel. Elegant and rich. Bold and extracted with nice complexity.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, and will pair nicely with a nice piece of steak.

Good right out of the bottle, but definitely better after 3 hours of airtime.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 15 years.

Robert Parker 96 points.

Soft and smooth. Elegant and robust at the same time. Just gorgeous.

A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot. A small production of less than 4,000 bottles.

14.9% alcohol by volume.

94 points.

$240.

Chateau Tertre Daugay Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé 2000, Bordeaux, France

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

This 23-year-old Merlot based Bordeaux is still drinking very nicely.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.

Very dry on the palate with a nice mouthfeel.

Showing black plums, cooked cherries, oak, herbs, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco leaf, peppercorn, pencil lead, dark coffee, dark chocolates, earth and wet leaves.

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

This is a very tasty wine from the great 2000 vintage in Bordeaux. Will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 to 10 years.

Showing nice complexity, soft and smooth.

Lost some of the fruits by now, but still very enjoyable by itself, and even better with food.

13% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$200.

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.