Lydian Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Avennia Sestina Red Blend is made from  77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc.

The Sestina is a poetic form from Medieval France. Just as a contemporary poet can use an old form like the Sestina to express modern ideas, we use the traditional Bordeaux blend to make modern wines that express Washington fruit. Sestina is our vision for an old vine blend where the focus is on structure, balance, and complexity. This wine is designed for the cellar, but is enjoyable now.

Sestina: This wine is a blockbuster, with black currant, black raspberry, saddle leather, freshly tilled earth, vanilla, and violet on the nose. Exceedingly rich and balanced on the palate, with great poise and structure for long aging. The finish echoes with fresh black fruits, minerally touches, and floral notes.

Review:

The 2020 Sestina showed beautifully, with lots of ripe black fruits, tobacco, and spring flower notes in a medium to full-bodied, fresh, focused, elegant style. It has fine tannins and a great finish and should drink nicely right out of the gate. The tannins here are terrific.

Jeb Dunnuck  94-96 Points

DAOU Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is made from  76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc.

Hailing from the exemplary 2020 vintage, this DAOU Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon showcases Paso Robles as a world-class region for Bordeaux-style wines. Classic aromas of Oregon blackberry, Zante currant and cherry pipe tobacco anticipate subtle notes of cranberry, baking spice, licorice, slate and dark chocolate. The palate is voluptuous and velvety with a firm underlying structure. Lavish flavors of blueberry, black raspberry, wild cherry and cassis are beautifully integrated with hints of truffle, dried herbs and forest floor. A smooth, persistent finish lingers with impressions of of sweet cherry, black plum and mushroom. While polished and approachable now, this is a Cabernet Sauvignon that will continue to evolve with grace and nuance.

 Review:

The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, made entirely with free-run juice, is blended with 23% Petit Verdot, 1% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc and was matured for 16 months in 50% new French oak. Deep ruby-purple, it offers savory aromas of black cherries, charcuterie, cedar, mushroom, tobacco, dried herbs and pencil shavings. The medium-bodied palate is chalky and fresh with savory fruits and a mineral-driven finish.

-Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 93 Points

"Aromas of fresh herbs, pungent cedar, and forest swirl in the glass with more delicate floral notes, black pepper, bittersweet chocolate, and crushed rock. On the palate, a little brambly-vine quality clings to blackberry flavors, and warmly spiced dark plum is layered with fresh herbs for a lively, sweet-savory balance. Fine tannins yield satisfyingly rich, velvety textures, while vibrant acidity keeps you coming back for another sip." - David Jelinek, Winemaker

Faust Cabernet Sauvignon is our statement about what a cutting-edge Napa Valley Cabernet can-and should-be. In 2020, we achieved the Holy Grail of balance between richness and freshness with a blend of fruit from our cool Coombsville vineyard (always the core of the Faust blend) with carefully selected, complementary lots from other cool sub-regions in the valley. The result is a Cabernet Sauvignon with broad varietal character, including appealing herbal notes with its generous ripe fruit, and depth and texture not often found in this price 

Review:

Aromas of tobacco, currants and iodine. Crushed oyster. Medium- to full-bodied with chewy tannins with spice, bark, and wet earth character. Fresh.

-James Suckling 93 Points

My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petite Sirah, 8% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Syrah .

A homage to Stephan Asseo of L’Aventure Winery became an obsession. Sourced from exceptional vineyard sites around Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo and south to Edna Valley, this wine is cultivated meticulously by the farmers who have become My Favorite Neighbors. With their dedication to the land, we are able to craft a world class wine without any shortcuts or compromises. Welcome to our Neighborhood. 2020 abundant winter rain and a long, moderate growing season allowed for extended hang times and exceptional fruit quality.

The 2020 My Favorite Neighbor features a complex nose of red cherry, current and raspberry along with wild herbs, violets, and just a hint of toasted marshmallow. On the palate, generous flavors of black cherry, ripe plum, and fig compote is joined by notes of medium roast coffee and creme brulee. The extremely long and mineral finish is characterized by a hefty structure and luxurious, silky tannins.

This is the 42nd vintage of our Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and one of the finest Cabernets our estate has ever produced.

-Paul Golitzin 

Review:

The 2020 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is truly sensational. This Cabernet emerges from the Champoux (90%) and Mach One (10%) vineyards and is a selection of clones 4, 8, 337, 191, 685 that spent 22 months in new French oak. It begins with striking aromas of fresh blackberries, blueberries and dark plums that are laced with fresh spring florals, mocha, sweet exotic spices, graphite and gravel nuances all taking shape. The palate is full-bodied and displays a remarkable combination of power and elegance throughout. This is beautifully structured and extremely expressive, as it possesses outstanding depth and concentration all they way through the long, finessed finish. Year after year, the Columbia Valley Cabernet is one of the most impressive wines, and there is no exception here, as it combines all the wonderful qualities of the 2020 vintage from Quilceda Creek into one expression. This is fantastic already and readers will be in for a real treat, as this simply marvelous wine will continue to deliver the goods for years to come.

-International Wine Review 100 Points

4 Gatos Locos Cabernet Sauvignon Gualtallary is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

4 Gatos Locos is a project created by Gabriel Bloise, Facundo Bonamaizon, Mariana and Juan Pelizzatti - winemaker, viticulturist and founders of Chakana Winery (respectively). The project centers on a 20-hectare vineyard in Alto Gualtallary, the most prominent growing region in Argentina. The vineyard is situated 1,360 meters above sea level, on a 10% slope on the Sierra del Jaboncillo - a relatively old geological formation near the alluvial fan of the Las Tunas river, in the Tupungato area. The long exposure to arid conditions of calcium rich gravel has created one of the most calcium carbonate-rich areas in Mendoza. This combination of altitude, slope, gravel and the calcium carbonate create uniquely deep, textured wines, with intense color and mineral freshness. Moderate high temperatures controlled by high altitude in sunny conditions produce perfectly ripe grapes of unusually intense color and great vitality, balanced by the mineral freshness of calcium carbonate. Local aromatic plants, naturally occurring in native vegetation areas interspersed in the vineyard, give the wine a unique herbal touch that underline the character of the place.

Deep purple red colored with intense complex notes of red berries and spice, well integrated aromatic oak and very fine tannins structuring a powerful and elegant palate.