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a touch of cedar. Full bodied, it’s a ripe, bold and
brawny wine. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $55
88
Galvan 2013 Sun on the Mountain (Howell
Mountain). This blends 62% Cabernet Sauvignon,
20% Cabernet Franc and 18% Petit Verdot.
Spicy and lean, it was aged in all-new French oak
that provides a nice background of structure and
strength. —V.B.
abv: 14.4% Price: $95
88
Kuleto Estate 2013 India Ink (Napa Valley).
Ripe, dark and leathery, this full-bodied,
rounded wine blends 45% Syrah with 28% Cabernet
Sauvignon, 22% Merlot plus handfuls of Malbec
and Petit Verdot. Aged in French and Hungarian
oak barrels and puncheons, it shows its heritage in a
perfume of woody chewiness and meaty dried herb.
—V.B.
abv: 14.8% Price: $35
88
Lost Blues 2012 Good Fences Grenache-
Syrah (California). At first whiff, there’s a
slightly odd funkiness to this co-fermented blend
of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, but that blows
off with time. Aromas of dill, green peppercorns,
wet cedar and forest underbrush lead into flavors of
freshly sliced rare beef, dried mulberry, fresh elderberry
and slightly sour tar. —M.K.
abv: 15.6% Price: $42
88
Marietta Cellars NV Arme Lot Number 3
(North Coast). Dark in color, intense in
fruit flavor and firmly packed with tannins, this
blockbuster Bordeaux-style blend feels massive and
grippy. It tastes like cranberry and blackberry, leaving
astringency on the palate that will match up to
the richest foods. Age a few bottles through 2019 to
see how it matures. —J.G.
abv: 14.6% Price: $25
88
Parker 2014 Daily Red Blend Alisos Vineyard
(Santa Barbara County). Crushed black currant
meets with turned earth and black pepper on
this interesting blend of 50% Syrah, 25% Cabernet
Franc and 25% Merlot. The palate is well integrated
with flavors of sour cherry and black plum, proving
quite tangy and tart, although wrapped up in silky
tannins. —M.K.
abv: 13.7% Price: $36
88
Priest Ranch 2013 Coach Gun Estate Grown
Proprietary Red (Napa Valley). This bigboy
red combines 30% Cabernet Franc with 20%
each of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, adding
15% each of Malbec and Petit Verdot for an all-five
red-Bordeaux-varietal blend. Coconut flakes and
vanilla-hugged oak ride sticky tannins to a quick
finish, offering huge ripeness along the way. —V.B.
abv: 15.6% Price: $80
88
Sequum 2013 MIXT (Napa Valley). This is a
hearty coming-together of Cabernet Sauvignon,
Zinfandel, Syrah and Petite Sirah. It dances
in baked plum and raisin as a tartness of cherry and
savory dried herb counterbalances the rich ripeness
and sizable tannin. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $50
88
Soquel Vineyards 2013 Intreccio Library
Selection (Napa Valley). This blends 20%
each of all five red-Bordeaux varieties, showing
grapy, plummy flavor that’s juicy and soft on the
palate. With a core of tobacco, tar and graphite,
it complements the fruity with the savory, ending
simply and elegantly. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $75
87
Bota Box 2014 Nighthawk Black (California).
There is something compelling and delicious
about the pure, grapy jamminess of this exuberant
wine. It has deep color, aromas like blackberry and
Concord-grape jelly, a dry balance and ripe flavors.
A light touch of tannin boosts the texture, and it’s
difficult to beat the value. Best Buy. —J.G.
abv: 13.5%
Price: $23/3 L
87
Buena Vista 2014 The Count Founder’s Red
(Sonoma County). A mix of unidentified red
varieties, this wine opens slowly, without much in
the way of aromatics. Weedy sage, tobacco and a
grip of tannin give it weight and richness alongside
its full body, as a bramble of blackberry and currant
weave within. —V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $20
87
Cameron Hughes 2014 Lot 530 Syrah-
Grenache (Santa Ynez Valley). Black cherry,
roasted meats, turned loam and a little bit of gingerbread
make for a very inviting nose to this bottling.
Clay and wet earth flavors kick off the palate,
followed by touches of forest floor and dried red
cherry. —M.K.
abv: 14.4% Price: $14
87
HandCraft 2015 Artisan Collection Dark Red
Wine (California). For full review see page
22. Best Buy.
abv: 13.5% Price: $9
87
Pull 2012 BDX (Paso Robles). Tar, dried meat,
olallieberry and sharp cedar aromas show
on this blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49%
Merlot. Dried strawberries and plums mix with
thyme and dried rose petals on the palate. —M.K.
abv: 13.6% Price: $18
87
R2 2013 Rhapsody En Blu (Santa Ynez Valley).
The most interesting thing about this
wine is the use of 62% Carignane (the rest being
Grenache), which gives it a peppery, crushed-clove
quality on the nose, alongside red cherry and redplum
fruit. Rose petals, cinnamon and red fruits
play on the zesty if slightly thin palate. —M.K.
abv: 14.3% Price: $26
86
Great American Wine Company 2013 Red
(California). Lots of grapy, raisiny flavors
drench this wine with fruitiness, while a smooth,
soft texture and touch of sweetness keep the texture
mild. It’s medium bodied, not at all tannic, and easy
to sip. —J.G.
abv: 13.5% Price: $16
86
Mount Veeder 2013 Reserve (Mount Veeder).
Four out of five red-Bordeaux varieties are
represented here, with Cabernet Sauvignon the
overwhelming majority. Dried herb, tar and a bitter
note of tobacco leaf meet persistent oak and a
wealth of tannin, the wine still youthful in its grip.
—V.B.
abv: 14.5% Price: $100
86
Neyers 2015 Sage Canyon (California).
Medium bodied and lean in profile, this
wine starts with floral aromas, then brings in fairly
tart cherry and pomegranate flavors and firmly tannic
texture. —J.G.
abv: 13.6% Price: $26
86
Rhiannon 2014 Red (California). Aromas
like maple syrup and fresh-cut oak sawdust
set the stage for a powerfully oaky, smoky, spicy
flavor and finish for this full-bodied, firm-textured
wine. It’s very dramatic and extreme in style, so
some drinkers will love it and others will find it over
the top. —J.G.
abv: 13.5% Price: $12
86
Stolen Identity 2014 Red (California). This
deeply colored, full-bodied wine adds
chocolaty richness to ripe plum and blackberry flavors,
backed with light tannins that counter a bit of
sweetness. —J.G.
abv: 15.2% Price: $17
86
Wolff 2014 Red Wolff (Central Coast). Red
cherry, brick, dust and dried-earth aromas
arise from this blend of 30% Merlot, 24% Cabernet
Sauvignon, 20% Syrah, 15% Grenache and 11%
Nebbiolo from San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara
counties. Forest-floor flavors of pine needle and
turned earth show on the palate, along with light
cranberry and cherry fruit. —M.K.
abv: 14.5% Price: $26
85
Four Sisters Ranch 2014 Tilden (Paso
Robles). This interesting blend holds 67%
Grenache and 33% Tempranillo, although the
results are a tad thin and reedy, with dried berries,
hay, smoke and allspice aromas. The palate is relatively
light, with oregano and cherry flavors. —M.K.
abv: 14.3% Price: $30
85
Pull 2012 CdR (Paso Robles). This blend of
53% Grenache, 23% Petite Sirah, 20%
Syrah and 4% Viognier offers cinnamon spice, red
cherry and slight pomegranate on the nose. The palate
shows tangy cranberry fruit, a bit of baking spice
and a very clay-like minerality and texture. —M.K.
abv: 14.2% Price: $18
85
Q & A NV Red (California). Smooth, medium
bodied and agreeable, this wine is plummy
40 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | MARCH 2017