| Country: | United States |
| Regions: | California California (Napa) |
| Winery: | Balius Winery |
| Grape Type: | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Vintage: | 2014 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
The Cabernet Sauvignon Casey’s Lakeview is similarly inky bluish/purple to the rim. Tasting like blood, this wine is dense and rich with lots of chocolate, espresso, earth and spice. It is deep, full-bodied, and again, a masculine style of wine that needs at least 4-5 years of cellaring and should keep for 25 or more years.
Lakeview Vineyard is the winery’s mid-block vineyard planted to a combination of clone 6 & 337 Cabernet Sauvignon on 101-14 rootstock. Excellent drainage from the rocky and chalky soils plus plenty of sunlight throughout the day produces wines of bold character with mouth filling flavors.
Organic farming methods are used to produce this Cabernet Sauvignon Casey's Lakeview vineyard. Vines are 17 years old. Ageing in French oak barrels (85% new) for 20 months, then 12 months in bottle prior to release. Non-filtered.
Review:
"The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Casey's Lakeview Vineyard is the most overt of these wines. Superripe black cherry, plum, chocolate and licorice add to an impression of flamboyance that sits on the edge of being too much. The effects of the drought are felt in the wine's slightly roasted profile. - Antonio Galloni"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2016), 91 pts
Charles Krug Family Reserve Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.
Rising 1,650 feet above the Napa Valley floor on the southwestside of Howell Mountain, the Family Reserve Howell MountainCabernet Sauvignon sits above the fog line. The distinctiveclimate, along with volcanic and iron-rich red soils, producefruit with great balance and intensity.
Review:
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Limited Release Cold Springs is the most distinctive of the wines in this range of limited-release Cabernets from Charles Krug. Gravel, licorice, menthol and spice all develop in a Howell Mountain Cabernet endowed with tremendous class and nuance.
-Vinous 92 Points
DAOU Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Petit Verdot.
The 2021 DAOU Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is emblematic of Paso Robles as a world-class region for Bordeaux-style wines. Intense purple-red hues foreshadow deep aromas of black fruit, pomegranate, tobacco, mocha, and bay leaf. Trailing notes of clove, nutmeg, and vanilla emerge as the wine opens up in the glass. Opulent textures expand across the palate with flavors of red fruit, blueberry, and chocolate-covered raspberry. The overall experience is fresh and rich, concluding with velvety tannins and impressive length.
Review:
Dark and focused aromas of cherry, clove and caramel meet with creamy milk chocolate and mahogany on the layered nose of this bottling. Showing a deft mastery of tannins, which is the Daou hallmark, the palate is silky and yet structured, offering rich fruit and lightly bitter walnut flavors.
-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
DAOU Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Petit Verdot.
A heady nose delivers fruit-forward aromas of blackberry, raspberry and plum with traces of licorice, thyme, vanilla and cherry. The palate is beautifully balanced, showing layers of black fruit and chocolate-covered blueberry with underlying herbal, cedar and mineral complexity. Exquisitely rounded tannins imbue the finish with stature and length.
Review:
Black plum and roasted walnut aromas meet with woodspice on the nose of this bottling. The palate is tense and firm yet still brighter with blackberry, pepper and nut flavors that cling to the persistent structure. — Matt Kettmann
-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
Heritage School Missiaens Hillside Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
A steep, rocky site with red volcanic soils results in our most structured and concentrated wine. Planted in 1998 using 110R rootstock and clone 337 Cabernet Sauvignon our Hillside Vineyard produces wines as breathtaking as the views from its slopes. These tiny, dark blue berries ripen near the end of September thanks to cool afternoon temperatures allowing for increased hang time and developed flavors.
Reviews:
"The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Missiaen's Hillside Vineyard is the darkest and richest of these wines, but it also has enough structural breadth to handle all of that intensity. Superripe plum, bittersweet chocolate, tobacco and licorice all flesh out over time. This is an especially rich, seamless style, yet all the elements are in the right place. - Antonio Galloni"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2016), 92 pts
Clear and deep ruby in color, lightening at the rim, with light staining in the glassand moderately thick tears. Medium intensity on the nose with rich red plum, blackberry jam, cocoa powder, and savory tea leaf. A vein of earthy minerality brings complexity to juicy fruit and autumn spice. Oak lends warm vanilla, caramel, and allspice. Dry and full-bodied with intense, youthful red fruit on the palate. Bing cherry and blackberry notes are layered with leather, espresso, and nutmeg, and the long finish is accented with well-integrated tannin and an element of acidity that keeps the wine from being heavy.
The bold fruit and spice character of this 2022 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon would pair perfectly with balsamic braised beef with creamy parmesan polenta, or an earthy, complex dish such as eggplant moussaka.
Review:
Here is a big, powerful Cabernet that pushes the envelope. The 2022 vintage was another drought year, and Paso Robles experienced late season heat waves. Made from 100% Cabernet that was aged for 21 months in French oak, 50% of it new, it clocks in at 15.5 % alcohol. However, when tasted blind, it offers an aroma of ultra-ripe black berries, chocolate, and spices that by the final swirl is absolutely gorgeous. Full-bodied with very juicy black fruit flavors and spice backed up by toasty oak, it all holds together seamlessly thanks to integrated tannins. The finish ends on a light toasty oak note. The real challenge is to pair it with a comparably robust main course.
-Wine Review Online 93 Points
95% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from three single-vineyard sites in the Chiles Valley AVA in Napa Valley, 5% Merlot from the Oak Knoll AVA in Napa Valley.
On the nose, the 2012 Reserve Block Cabernet shows complex aromas of sweet blackberry coulis, currants, and black licorice. The dense palate is packed with an intense combination of dark red and blue berries, baking spices, and sweet tobacco. The oak is integrated seamlessly, and the perfectly balanced components come together in a smooth finish that lasts for nearly a minute.
Review:
"Dull garnet black color. Aromas of dried currant, geranium, and terra cotta dust with a velvety, bright, dry full body and a warming, complex, long roasted figs with chocolate glaze, hoisin sauce, and sandalwood finish with well-integrated, silky tannins and moderate oak. A lovely floral Rutherford Cab with a bountiful bouquet of fruits & spices."
- Beverage testing Institute (August 13th 2018), 92 pts
- Wine & Spirits Magazine (October 2019), 93 pts & TOP 100 BEST BUYS OF 2019
Wolfberger Alsace Grand Cru Riesling Rangen de Thann is made from 100 percent Riesling.
Mineral, spicy, minty with some eucalyptus notes, tropical fruits, grapefruit. Balanced and exotic in the finish, with long lasting flavors.
The Rangen Grand Cru is located in Thann, deep in the south of Alsace. Its particular soil is made of volcano-clastic rocks that drink up the heat of the day and send it back out again at night. The composition of the soil allows the roots of the vines to drink deeply from the mineral-rich sub-soil. Its southern exposure has the advantage of refreshing, drying winds in case of dampness. The high slopes are quite steep, reaching 68% in some places, requiring that the harvest be done by abseiling or roping down. Perfect for aging, these wines will reveal even more qualities after several years in the cellar.
Pair with Serve with fish, seafood, sushi, sashimi, goat cheese, vegetarian food.
Review:
"Aromas shimmy out of the glass. An enticing haze of petrol is lifted by lime and grapefruit zest, as well as pineapple. The texture of this wind is smooth and heavy, but the acidity and citrus notes bring freshness and light. A long finish carries just a hint of menthol. - LAYLA SCHLACK"
- Wine Enthusiast (November 2021), 93 pts
Delas Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes is made from Syrah.
Sourced from Delas' holdings on the Hermitage hill, this 2021 has a deep, brilliant red hue. The nose is powerful and complex, expressing blackberries, spices and leather. On the palate the wine is firm but silky, with the tightly-knit tannic structure that is the hallmark of wines with a long future.
Pair this wine with rare or medium-cooked game, marinated meats and spicy stews. We recommend opening this bottle between one and three hours before drinking.
Reviews:
Some weight of fruit here underneath the measured clove oak. Smooth, ripe, with well-balanced acidity, this has a good sense of balance and elegance. Fresh, with plentiful cinnamon spice and forest berry fruit that's just-ripe, neither over nor under. A fairly compact, early-drinking Hermitage, not a powerful one, but one that has some natural class.
-Decanter 93 Points
Very complex nose with notes of candied orange, cocoa powder and spice. Remarkably harmonious for the vintage with almost silky tannins, then comes an intense flinty character that gives the slightly sweet finish so much excitement. Matured entirely in oak barrels with about one quarter new, but only for 12 months.
-James Suckling 93 Points