Bisou St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon   Very Limited! 

This small production Cabernet is made by the talented Thomas Brown (Schrader Cellars). The `04 is a big, full-blown, and more opulent Cabernet without going over the top.  This is serious Cabernet at its best!

More info on Bisou Cabernet

Bucella Napa Valley Cabernet  ~ Reserve Room

One of Mark Herold's gems, this small production gem is dense, powerful and opulent with blackberries, currants, espresso bean and sweet tannins. Serious Cab says our Napa Girl Tanya!   

Broadside Cabernet Sauvignon Margarita Vineyard

This is UNLIKE the usual overripe, over-alcoholic Paso Cabs we see in this price range. Rich cassis and dark berry layered over fine minerality and backed by a firm structure. A very solid wine at an excellent price. 

Bryant Family Napa Valley Cabernet 96 RP

Powerful, rich, and concentrated, with sweet tannin, a thick, juicy style, and excellent delineation, this large-scaled Cabernet should hit its peak in 4-5 years, and last through 2020.

Carter Cellars Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a showstopper.  Full-bodied, powerfully constructed, this mouthcoating Cabernet shows textbook Oakville-Tokalon notes of red currant, wild cherry and red plums along with lavish baking spices, vanilla, cream and toast.  This is fleshy, structured and focused, very impressive for a youthful Cabernet.   

Continuum Proprietary Red Napa Valley    93 WS  95+RP

Full-bodied, beautifully focused, offering incredible purity of fruit and structure.  Rich, savory layers of ripe black fruit, cassis, brown spice, minerals, and wild flowers, offering nice complexity, a solid, rich midpalate, and silky fine tannins.  58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc and 19% Petit Verdot from Oakville aged in 100% new French oak, bottled unfined and unfiltered.   Limited.

95% Cabernet Sauvignon from Stags Leap District with 5% Syrah, this offers rich, luscious layers of raspberries, dark berries, espresso bean, caramel, vanilla and a long finish that resembles a chocolate covered bing cherry.  Powerful with a dense core of ripe fruit and fleshy tannins, this complex Cabernet is well-integrated with French Oak, showing outstanding balance and a long, focused finish.   For more information, click here

Coup de Foudre 37.2 Cuvee Napa Valley Red

On the palate, this shows rich, juicy red berries, chocolate, incredible balance and silk-like tannins. This is a Pomerol-styled blend of 94% Merlot and  6% Cabernet Franc from the Stag’s Leap District that is fleshy with fruit, soft in tannins and ready to drink while you are waiting for the big brother.  The 37.2 cuvee is presented in a blue version of their unique peel off label (click here).   Only 294 cases produced.

Dancing Hares 2004 Proprietary Red 

A gorgeous, rich, beautifully structured Cabernet based blend with notes of black fruit, chocolate, baking spice, and earth tones from the talented Andy Erickson.

Detert Family Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

Deliciously rich but layered, this showed a focused core of ripe black cherry and black plum fruit with hints of mineral, baking spices and tobacco.  Lush yet firm, these mouthcoating tannins resolved the following night with 90 minutes in the decanter. With a petit filet at Redd in Napa .... Outstanding. Only 141 cases,Detert was named in Wine Spectator's "Napa's Impressive Newcomers -- 10 Names You Should Know and Search Out in your Quest for the Best"

A big, dense, black currant cabernet made by Lisa Drinkward of Erna Schein (formerly Behrens & Hitchcock) and Francoise Peschon, winemaker at Araujo.  Rich, intense, powerful, yet full of style.  Very limited.For more information, click here

Egelhoff Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Fullbodied, powerful, yet smooth as can be, this shows rich, dense flavors of blackcherry, mountainberry, roasted coffee, mocha, toast, and cinnamon spice.  This is very approachable with supple tannins and a creamy, mouthcoating texture.   One of Bob’s finest efforts under this label.

Emerson Brown Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

Full-bodied, excellent richness this offers pure notes of blackberries & cherries, mocha, and graphite with complexity, balance and sheer elegance. Emerson Brown is a small production Cabernet from two talented guys behind the high scoring wines at Vineyard 29.  Keith Emerson is the Director of Winemaking & Brian Brown is the former enologist. The vineyard is in the heart of Oakville , nestled amongst Dalla Valle and Rudd, with ideal red soils and old vines bringing a unique character to the wine.  Only 225 cases produced.

Erna Schein 2006 Jersey Boy Red 

 Full-bodied, opulent yet well-balanced, this shows a strong floral note with a core of black cherry and blackberry fruits, cocoa, Asian spice, sage, and soft, supple tannins. This shows a lush mouthfeel that lasts throughout the palate and a long, focused finish.   46% Syrah, 34% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot, the `06 Jersey Boy is on the spicy side while remaining polished.  You don’t have to be a Jersey Boy to enjoy this one!  Only 330 cases made.

Erna Schein Front Man

 This is a sexy, in your face, blend that is loaded with personality.  This is packed with blackcherry – plum fruit with mocha, toffee, baking spices, molasses, cedar and round, supple tannins.  Parker calls this blend of  65% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petite Verdot a “full-throttle, voluptuous, brash effort”.  We are talking serious juice here!  Only 375 cases made.

Erna Schein Cabernet Sauvignon Herrick-Moulds Napa Valley  

Rich, intense and on the spicy side.  Ripe blackcherry – currant and plum fruit with more exotic notes of cardamom, roasted nuts, cigar box and pepper.  This remains fresh and well balanced with a finish that goes on and on.  95% Cabernet Sauvignon & 5% Petit Verdot.  Only 370 cases made.  92-95 Points, Robert Parker.

Erna Schein Behrens Family Reserve Napa Valley 

Rich, big textured (I am talking “chewy”) and on the opulent-side, this full-bodied Cabernet-based blend shows saturated blackberry and cassis with vanilla, fig, floral notes, loam and toast.  This is MY favorite.  I tasted this in barrel last February and then from bottle last August.   This shows incredible depth and purity while remaining balanced and full of finesse.   31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 23% Merlot, and 21% Petit Verdot.  Only 370 cases made.  92-94 Points, Robert Parker.  Excellent!

Etude Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley                        Tanya's A-List

Intense, opulent, full-bodied, loaded with black plum, black cherry, and currants, with notes of espresso, baking spices, cigar box, and cedar, finishing long with a hint of chocolate covered dark cherries (yum!).   Powerful structure, generous rich fruit, fine tannins. 94 Points, Robert Parker; 92 Points, Wine Spectator.

Facets of Gemstone Proprietary Red                           Tanya's A-List

Stunning, rich, fullbodied, and well-structured, this Cabernet based blend is plump and rather sexy with luscious blackcherry-currant fruit, chocolate, espresso bean and baking spices.  This is seamless with the richness, elegance and silky texture that is a hallmark of the incredible talent of Philippe Melka.  50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, and 11%  Petit Verdot from the Gemstone Vineyard

Frank Family Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 

Rich with aromas of sweet blackberry, black cherry and juicy ripe plums. Supple flavors of blackberry, currant and dusty mocha.

$44.99

Robert Foley Napa Valley Claret 94 RP                       Tanya's A-List

A remarkably rich, dense and opulent Cabernet Sauvignon blended with 10% Merlot. This shows superb concentration of ripe black cherries and blackberry, chocolate, espresso and toffee with chewy young tannins. This fullbodied wine shows gorgeous extraction, incredible balance, and a long brooding finish with a dynamic voluptuous mouthfeel. This youthful bottle has long aging potential (10-15 years)  but may be enjoyed sooner if you just can’t wait. This consistently scores between 94+ - 96 points.

Four Bears Cabernet Napa Valley 
We are always on the hunt for great values and boy did we find a good one with this Napa Cabernet.  Well-structured and full-flavored, this offers plush, ripe cassis and blackcurrant liqueur, with spice, toast, and generous wood tannins.  A great value!

2005

GTS Nancy's Fancy Cabernet Sauvignon Seaver Family Vineyard 

Rich, full-bodied and full of flavor, this is loaded with ripe red cherry – red plum fruit, with subtle notes of toffee, toast, and sweet oak.  This is drinking great right now with more approachable mountain tannins, nice complexity, finishing long and smooth.  Tom’s winemaking team did not set out to make two bottles for the inaugural release, however they found the two wines to be the best expression of the vineyard for this particular vintage.  This is drinking great right now and is my FAVORITE!

$75.00

Tanya's A-List

2005

GTS Cabernet Sauvignon Seaver Family Vineyard Napa Valley 

Fullbodied and dense, this single vineyard 100% Cabernet Sauvignon offers mighty flavors of dark cherry, plum, and cassis, with hints of  smoke and graphite.  This shows a solid midpalate, firm tannins, good complexity and a long finish reflecting its Diamond Mountain origins.  This is everything you would expect from Tom Seaver and the very talented Thomas Brown (winemaker at Schrader!, Outpost, Bisou, Tamber Bey, and more) and vineyard manager Jim Barbour (DR Stephens, Hundred Acre, Revana, Husic and more).

Sold Out

Tanya's A-List

Gain Bay Cabernet Sauvignon  LAST CALL

51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Cabernet Franc and 13% Petit Verdot is an excellent "daily drinker" with character.  Fragrant red berries a hint of Cab leaf and a touch of sweet vanilla.  Medium bodied, elegant and loaded with flavorful fruit. Killer juice at a Great Price!

Garric Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley                        Tanya's A-List

Expressive floral bouquet with layers of fruit and spice.  Full-bodied & rich, with seductive, deep flavors of black currants, cassis, blackberry, mocha, coffee bean, and vanilla oak with silky, yet supple tannins and a creamy, focused finish.  One of Pam Starr's best efforts!  Linited.

Stunning, remarkably rich and concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon (91%) – Petit Verdot blend (9%) from the incredible talents of Philippe Melka and the Gemstone Vineyard in Yountville where rocky slopes yield only a minuscule crop of intensely flavored small berries. Full-bodied, intense, and very sexy with generous blackcherry fruit, cassis, espresso bean, baking spices and judicious French oak.  

Ghost Block Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 

Tanya found this at Taste of Oakville and waited patiently to it to get down to SoCal!  This is a powerful, in-your-face 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from an organic vineyard in Oakville.  This full-bodied, full-throttled Cabernet is loaded with rich blackcherries and currant fruit with a firm structure and fully integrated tannins. This small production, first release wine is one of Tanya's under the radar Napa picks. Very limited. 

Grace Family Cabernet Sauvignon Blank Vineyard          Tanya's A-List

A rich and well-structured Cabernet with beautiful floral notes that lead into bright, ripe red and black fruit.  Red cherries, black currants, savory minerals, with a hint of tobacco, toffee, and fresh herbs.  This youthful, full-bodied Cabernet is vibrant with good acidity, a firm structure, fine grained tannins, and a long, beautiful finish. 

Honig Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 

Rich, full-flavored, good structure, classic Napa Cabernet.  This just got a well-deserved 90 points in the Wine Spectator.  Honig is still family owned and operated. 

$34.99

Hoopes Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 

100% Estate Cabernet from the southernmost part of Oakville where the soil is full of gravelly loam.  Gorgeous dark black cherry and raspberry fruit with flavors of allspice and vanilla in the background.  This concentrated Cabernet shows a deep, dense core of black fruit and a long, lingering finish.  Hoopes is a labor of love; you can taste the passion and distinctive quality in this handcrafted, ageworthy Cabernet.  Only 520 cases produced.  Limited. I hate to show favorites, but seeing Spencer Hoopes was also at the top of my list at this year's Taste of Oakville (Tanya). 

Hourglass Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 750ml         Tanya's A-List

This is Jeff Smith's project with consulting winemaker, Bob Foley. is focused, intense and concentrated with a solid core of ripe currant and blackberry fruit along with notes of toffee, graphite, toast, cedar, and rich, sweet tannins. Another winner! Limited. 93 RP

Hundred Acre Kali Morgan Vineyard Cabernet                Tanya's A-List

If The Ark is gorgeous, Kayli Morgan is amazing.  Plush, well-concentrated, with loads of plush black cherry, cassis, caramel, spice box, cedar, minerals and graphite.  This is full-bodied, offers incredible purity, with polished layers and complex notes through to a long, long finish.   This has been well received with 92-94 points, Wine Spectator and a whopping 96-99 points, Robert Parker.

Hundred Acre Ark Vineyard Cabernet                             Tanya's A-List

This is one gorgeous Cabernet that is amazingly rich, full-bodied and opulent.  Layers of black currant, black berry, and plum with mocha, espresso, graphite and cigar spice.  This is deep, structured, and finishes long.  The Ark Vineyard is a 17 acre parcel on the property of Jayson’s home and winery on Howell Mountain where yields are tiny, about one ton of fruit per acre.  Hundred Acre is a Parker darling with 94-96 points from The Wine Advocate and a well respected 95-100 points, Wine Spectator.  James Laube said, this “has all the ingredients for greatness”.  I would agree.

Hundred Acre Kali Vineyard Cabernet   94 RP ~ Reserve Room

Off-the-chart 100% Cabernet with more forward fruit and a touch more elegance than the `03. Pure notes of cherry, cassis, chocolate and a hint of cedar, this youthful Cabernet remains seamless and detailed through to the end.  

John Anthony Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Lush, full and concentrated packed with ripe blackberries, red stone fruits, allspice and mocha with moderate tannins which lead to a long, complex finish.  This is wonderfully balanced and sensuous on the palate. This is from an “under the radar”, small production, young and very talented winemaker, John Anthony Truchard.

Kapcsandy State Lane Vineyard Red Napa Valley  95 RP

NEW 2005 Releases from Kapcsandy 

Lou Kapcsandy was a pleasure to meet at Taste Yountville First (2/07).  Rich, saturated, and impeccably balanced, this Cabernet based red was one of the best wines of the event (Tanya).  Sold out BUT GRAB THE NEW 2005 RELEASES with the BIG PRESS!

Lateral by Kathryn Kennedy Red Blend 

Darker and richer than the `03. Still a crowd pleasing bottle.

Lava Rock Red Napa Valley
Plush, smooth with red currant fruit along with notes of mint, tobacco, and toast.  This is one heck of a bottle of wine for the price.

Levy & Mc Clellan Cabernet Sauvignon  Napa Valley 96 RP

Full-bodied, rich and profoundly layered, with blackberry and cassis fruit, mocha, espresso, spicebox and well-integrated French oak. 

This is the debut vintage for Bob Levy, longtime winemaker at Harlan, and wife, Martha McClellan-Levy, the winemaker for Blankiet and Sloan.  This is one heck of a fabulous effort and everything you would expect from these two. 

Lewis Cellars Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon  Napa Valley  

Fullbodied, deeply concentrated and intense with a rich core of black fruit, toffee, chocolate, espresso and sweet oak spice.    93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc from top hillside vineyards in Pritchard Hill, Rutherford, Calistoga, and Oak Knoll.   This offers a solid mid-palate, fine-grained tannins, and a long, focused finish.  

Le Petit Vice Red Napa Valley                                  Tanya's A-List

Le Petit is the little brother to Vice Versa (one of my favorite A-List Cabernets $100; sold out).  Full-bodied, with a savory mouthfeel, showing rich layers of ripe black currants, black plum, wild berry fruit, with mocha, caramel, toast and just a hint of roasted meat and tar.  This shows good purity of fruit, is well balanced with integrated French oak -- Another star.  Winemaker, Paul Hobbs blended a dollop of Syrah to this Cabernet Sauvignon from Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard in Oakville aiding to the core of juicy black fruit.  This is a steal!

Maple Lane Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Rich and full-bodied, this offers bright notes of cassis, black cherry, and red plum with hints of vanilla, mocha, baking spices and toast.  This offers great extraction and fruit intensity with good oak integration and firm, ripe tannins.  This opens beautifully within 45-60 minutes and is delicious with food or simply by itself.  This has good acidity and will be sure to age well for 7-10 years.  Less than 300 cases made.

Merus 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon 96 RP

Full-bodied, super-rich, and powerful boasting mighty, dense flavors.  This shows sensational purity with blackberries, fully-ripened currants, espresso roast, graphite and sweet French oak.  This blockbuster delivers a big, mouthcoating texture with a finish that goes on and on and on and on.  This is a cuvee of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, and 3% Malbec, aged in 100% Taransaud French barrels, and bottled without fining or filtration.   This will benefit from 3-5 years bottle-age, and will go the mile in the cellar for two or three decades.  This is a gem that consistently receives big scores from both Wine Spectator and Robert Parker.  This already has a solid 96 points, Robert Parker.

Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red 93 WS

79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec.  Full bodied, rich and on the flamboyant side, this shows a vibrant core of ripe blackberry and plum fruit with notes of espresso roast, vanilla, exotic spices and a hint of graphite.  Concentrated, lush and deep, well-structured and remains balanced from start to finish.   Excellent!

Pink Ribbon Cabernet Sauvignon

Rich fruit, smooth tannins.  Best of all, a wonderful cause.  $.50 of every bottle goes to the breast cancer research foundation.

Orin Swift Papillon Red Wine Napa Valley

Full-flavored, well-structured and opens beautifully within minutes of being in the glass.  Lush with generous blackberry-plum fruit, blueberry compote, along with notes of vanilla, roasted coffee bean, smoke and spice.  63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec, 2% Petite Verdot made by the talented Dave Phinney, known best for his Mercury Head Cabernet (sold out) and The Prisoner Zinfandel blend ($31.99; 2006 is delicious and available).

Relativity Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Relativity Vineyards is a new project.  They won't divulge who their winemaker is, or where the fruit is sourced from, but it only takes a taste to see this is serious juice without the serious price.  Rich blackberry compote, black currant, cassis and a rich, plush finish.  Drinks way better than its price!

Revana Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley  

Rich and plush with think blackberry and black currant fruit, chocolate,  French oak.  Fullbodied and powerful from start to a long, focused finish, this `05 is just a baby. Heidi Barrett did it again with this one.  Great fruit character, balance, depth and structure. 

Robert Foley Vineyards Claret 94 RP

Remarkably rich, dense and opulent Cabernet Sauvignon blended with 10% Merlot.  This shows superb concentration of ripe black cherries and blackberry, chocolate, espresso and toffee with chewy young tannins.  This fullbodied wine shows gorgeous extraction, incredible balance, and a long brooding finish.  This youthful bottle has long aging potential but may be enjoyed sooner if you just can’t wait.  Recent vintages of the Claret have consistently scored between 94+ - 96 points.

Roy Estate Proprietary Red                                         Tanya's A-List

Full-bodied, full-flavored and intriguing, this showed loads of blackcurrant and black plum fruit with notes of chocolate, nutmeg, clove, and hints of loam and minerals true to Soda Canyon.  Winemaker Philippe Melka blended this Bordeaux-style red with 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Merlot.  I worked with the first release from Roy Estate and I have to say I like the `05 better.  This shows a ripe core of black fruit and shows better balance.  Robert Parker seems to like it better too, with a well-respected 95 points.

Salerno Reserve Cabernet

Salerno Winery is small family owned winery, one of the newest in the Ramona area. This great value wine is smooth with flavors of cherry, and blackberry, as well as elegant floral notes. 

Sausal Cabernet Alexander Valley

Old-Vine Cabernet, smooth and layered.  These grapes used to go into the Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet.

Schrader Beckstoffer ToKalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

One immensely bodied wine offering superb richness, power, texture and elegance.  Rich notes of blackberry, cassis, espresso, charcoal and toast.  This will be ready to drink in 2-3 years and will drink well for 15-20 years.  Parker gave this 91-93 points (Parker gave the `04 barrel 91-94 points and subsequently gave it 96 points); Expect to see a solid 95 points here!

Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon "CCS"

This is a dense, massive Cabernet defined by serious intensity, complexity and definition.  Abundant, lavish black fruit, voluminous and polished texture with good acidity and chewy tannins.  This can be enjoyed in the next year or two and be aged for another 15 or more years.  95 points, Robert Parker.

Schrader 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon "T6"

100% Clone 6, this was my other favorite.  Powerful, showing tremendous concentration, depth, and purity with abundant ripe Cabernet fruit, layers of flavor and a sexy mouth-coating texture.  This cabernet is on the spicy side yet the finish goes on and on and on.  93-95 points, Robert Parker. 97 Wine Spectator.  Very limited.

Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon CCS Beckstoffer ToKalon Vineyard 

This is a dense, massive Cabernet defined by serious intensity, complexity and definition.  This is a mighty strung Cabernet with abundant black fruit, voluminous and polished texture with good acidity and big chewy tannins.  This can be enjoyed in the next 3-5 years and be aged for another 15 or more years. 95-97 points, Robert Parker.    

Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon GIII Beckstoffer ToKalon Vineyard 

The Beckstoffer George III Vineyard is a full-bodied, powerful Cabernet with a string of feminine beauty.  This offers a layered, polished texture with an opulent core of cassis and blackberry fruit along with hints of smoke, tar, and earth.  Like all of these wines, the finish is long and focused. 94-96 points, Robert Parker. 

Schrader Cabernet Sauvignon T6 Beckstoffer ToKalon 

100% Clone 6, this was my other favorite.   This full throttled, powerful Cabernet shows tremendous concentration, depth, and purity with abundant ripe Cabernet fruit, layers of chocolate, espresso, and toast flavors and a sexy mouth-coating texture. This cabernet soars at the end, with a finish that goes on and on and on. 94-96 points, Robert Parker. 

Schrader Double Diamond Amber Knolls Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Incredible single vineyard Cabernet from Red Lake County made by Schrader's talented winemaker, Thomas Brown.  This magnum is suitable for your next dinner party. ~ Reserve Room

Schrader Double Diamond Cabernet Sauvignon 1.5L 

From the top of Maycamas, this Cabernet is full-bodied, rich and concentrated with blackcurrant fruit, crème de cassis, coffee bean, & vanilla oak notes.  This shows an incredible long and focused finish!  Limited,  ~ Reserve Room

Serdonis Ink Grade Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon           Tanya's A-List 

This powerful yet charming Cabernet showed excellent density and richness with palate coating layers of juicy raspberry, black cherry fruit with hints of caramel, chocolate, toast and wood spice.  Decant this for more immediate gratification.  This showed more like an $80 bottle!  (Tanya)

Silver Oak Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

Rich, concentrated, balanced and full of finesse.  The `03 Napa Cabernet is expressive with deep notes of blackberry-black plum fruit, dark chocolate, and baking spices with hints of pencil lead, black pepper and more. Solid core of fully ripened black fruit and ripe tannins that come together in a long finish.  78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot.   Properly cellared, this will drink well for 10-15 more years.

SP Drummer 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 

Rich, lush and well-structured, this offers layers of ripe red cherries, black currants, and plum fruit with hints of vanilla, caramel, mocha, spice box and toast.  This shows good balance, marked complexity, and a long solid finish. This reminds me of a baby Tierra Roja Cabernet ($105; sold out) or a brother to the now popular 2005 Emerson Brown Cabernet ($50; sold out).  Only 196 cases produced.

Stanton Vineyards 2005 Cabernet 

Full-bodied, richly structured, and well balanced, this was loaded with luscious blackcurrants, black cherries, chocolate,  vanilla and a touch of baking spices with a long rich finish.  This is Stanton ’s best effort since his first release (`00 vintage), and many of my Napa friends from other shops and restaurants agreed.   Doug Stanton along with winemaker Dave Phinney have blended 93% Oakville Cabernet (planted back in the 1970s) with 7% Petit Sirah to make this truly fantastic Cabernet.  This needs no additional cellar time to enjoy but will definitely get even better with cellar time.  Only 625 cases made.

Stephen Vincent Cabernet Sauvignon

Rich, full flavored  with generous black currant and black plum fruit, hints of mocha, leather and toast. This is a “dead ringer” for solid Cabernet that is well priced.  

Tierra Roja Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 

Versant Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 

 This seductive Cabernet is a monster, with rich, voluptuous layers of blackberry fruit, chocolate, and tobacco with a lush, mouthcoating attack. This has a strong midpalate with a solid core of ripe hillside fruit, silky ripe tannins, and good complexity. Versant is up at the very top of Pritchard Hill among my friend David Arthur and above Chapellet and Bryant Family (all big press guys). Winemaker, Robbie Meyer, whose winemaking skills were honed at Peter Michael , Lewis & now Sage, has done an incredible job with this vintage. 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, this powerful Cabernet knocked my socks off for being plush, intense and remaining balanced through to a mighty long finish. This is one outstanding value!

Vice Versa Le Petit Vice Red

Full-bodied, rich layers of ripe black currants, red wildberries, mocha, caramel, toast and a hint of roasted meat, ash, and spice.  Winemaker, Paul Hobbs blended almost equal parts of Syrah from the Ulises Valdez Vineyard to this Cabernet Sauvignon from Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard in Oakville.  This is a marvelous marriage that shows excellent density, balance, complexity and structure.  

Vice Versa Napa Valley Cabernet  ~ Reserve Room            Tanya's A-List

Full-bodied, showings spectacular richness and complexity with abundant flavors of blackberry, cassis, mocha, espresso bean and well integrated French oak.  This is beautifully balanced, well-focused with a strong long finish.  100% Cabernet from Stagecoach and Beckstoffer ToKalon Vineyard, unfined and unfiltered, made by Paul Hobbs. Only 175 cases produced.   A solid 93 points, Robert Parker.