Wine & Spirits - December 2021 - 60

Year's Best Cabernet Sauvignon & Blends
scents of cherry skins, sweet strawberries and
some perfumed notes. This may be best as a
young wine, to enjoy with slow-braised short
ribs. -J.G. (264 cases) §
SIERRA FOOTHILLS
it turns vinous with a tanbark scent and firm
tannins, a ripe wine but balanced, in need of
something charry, like grilled lamb. -P.J.C.
(336 cases) §
90 | Heron Hill
$28
2017 Finger Lakes The Chosen Spot Ingle
Vineyard ^ While this leads with a hint of fruit
blossom and a green-herb scent of dill and
thyme, this estate blend of cabernet franc,
cabernet sauvignon and merlot is fresh and
well-balanced, with a clean grip of pleasing
precision and cut, a good foil for lean pork.
-P.J.C. (526 cases) §
91 | Lava Cap
88 | Ironstone Vineyards $14
2019 Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon (BEST BUY) ^
Dusty and dark, this well-structured cabernet
has a loamy cherry scent with firm, grippy
tannins that may make you hungry for skirt
steak. -P.J.C. §
$32
2019 El Dorado Cabernet Sauvignon ^ Succulent
and broad, this has a redwood savor
adorning dark red- and black-cherry flavors,
with a sun-warmed quality to the fruit that
gives the wine a kind of burnished glow.
-P.J.C. (3,000 cases) §
90 | Boeger
$28
2016 El Dorado Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
^ This 2016 doesn't disappoint for its
suave, mildly polymerized tannins, smooth,
burnished, and angular. It's got remarkable
flavor, with cedar, plum, tanbark and pepper,
all serving a sweet core of red fruit. -P.J.C. §
87 | Gen 5
87 | Three Girls
$11
2018 Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon (BEST BUY) ^
Cherry red, with a firm structure and dusty
tannins, this is a grippy cabernet to pour with
marrow bones. § -P.J.C.
$13
2019 Lodi The Influencer Cabernet Sauvignon
(BEST BUY) ^ Scents of cocoa and black
fig suggest there's no lack of extract in this
dark cabernet. Pour for roast beef. -P.J.C.
(2,400 cases) §
cALIFORNIA AVA
87 | Rickshaw
TEXAS
88 | Llano Estacado
$16
2018 Texas Meritage Red Blend (BEST BUY) ^
This blend rests on lavish oak for its flavors
and structure. It smells of fig cake and caramel,
thick and woodsy, with a long finish.
-P.J.C. §
WASHINGTON
cOLUmbIA VALLEY AVA
94 | Gramercy Cellars
$12
2020 California Cabernet Sauvignon (BEST
BUY) ^ This cabernet is bright as cherry juice,
with caramely oak to frame it. It's light and
forward, a good pairing for a burger with a
wedge of cheddar. -P.J.C. §..
NEW YORK
92 | Fox Run
90 | Keuka Spring
$25
2020 Finger Lakes Epic Reserve ^ Scents of
minted red berries and tobacco give off a
vinous savor in this blend of cabernet sauvignon
and merlot. The wine is lean with
plenty of firm, mouthwatering acidity, a good
counterpoint for duck sausages. -P.J.C. (293
cases) §
$95
$45
90 | Ironstone Vineyards $25
2019 Sierra Foothills Reserve Cabernet
Sauvignon (BEST BUY) ^ Steely and firm, this
wine's dark berry flavors have a taut mineral
frame that gives the feel of a Tuscan red in its
firm resolve. It is hunger-inducing, for barbecued
ribs. -P.J.C. (2,000 cases) §
2019 Seneca Lake Meritage ^ There's only
20 percent cabernet franc in this blend-
the rest is merlot and cabernet sauvignon-
but the smoke, clove and sanguine notes all
suggest that franc is wagging the dog. The
aromas are all about savor, while the texture
comes off elegant and silky, with midweight
tannins and nice detail. -P.J.C. (264 cases) §
90 | Fox Run
$25
2019 Seneca Lake Cabernet Sauvignon ^ " So
pleasurable, " said one taster when encountering
this wine after a run of more massive
Washington cabernets. It's mildly leafy, then
60
WINE & SPIR IT S
D E c E mb ER 2021
2018 Columbia Valley Reserve Cabernet
Sauvignon ^ Here is a showstopper. This bigshouldered
cabernet from Bacchus, with a
contribution from old blocks at Phinny Hill,
is broad and powerful even as it shows a kind
of savory restraint, mushroom, bramble and
a deep panoply of berry fruits. All of this is
driven by firm and controlled acidity, which
combines with dusty tannins for a vinous,
grippy finish. It's got a long life ahead of it;
cellar. -P.J.C. (303 cases) §
94 | Gramercy Cellars
$50
2018 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
^ This is, in a sense, the opposite of a
showstopper. Blended from Phinny Hill (75
percent) along with Octave, Bacchus and
Dionysus vineyards, this leads with plum and
tobacco scents only to have a sunny richness
creep into the wine on cat feet, elegant and a
bit elusive. Then the precise tannins on the
finish feel uplifting and fresh. -P.J.C. (1,955
cases) §
https://shop.ironstonevineyards.com/product/2018-Cabernet-Sauvignon?pageID=B6C27712-9679-8188-4EF8-695202CF17CC&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=12& http://www.lavacap.com https://shop.ironstonevineyards.com/product/2019-Reserve-Cabernet-Sauvignon
Wine & Spirits - December 2021

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