Greg Wright

9.1

Meursault-like notes of hazelnut, burnt matchstick, lemon confit and a hint of butter. Great balance, acidity and length. Rhys continues to impress. — 7 years ago

Brian S

9.0

Carmel, orange cream, burnt orange rind, coffee. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

The second vintage of Beau Vigne. On the nose; dark currants, burnt ambers, blend of blue fruits; blueberries, boysenberries, huckleberries & olallieberries. Dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, dry brown soil, dark minerals, anise, dark fruit liqueur notes, cinnamon, clove, tree sap, a whiff of mint, herbaceous characteristics and decayed dark flowers. The body is medium full and rich. Tannins are 65-70% resolved. The structure is not their best, but, the length, tension and balance are quite nice. The blue fruits explode onto the palate. Blueberries, boysenberries, huckleberries & Olallieberries. They set a little syrupy. Dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries/cola, raspberries come on late, dry brown top soil, palate grippy dark minerality, graphite, dark fruit liqueur notes, soft, medium, dark spice, mocha powder, cinnamon, clove, light vanilla, tree sap, a whiff of mint, herbaceous (bay leaf) characteristics, lilacs, violets and decayed dark flowers. The acidity is round and nicely managed. The long finish is velvety, ruby, rich and beautiful. Shows a little alcohol but it’s tamed from the tiger I bet it was young. Still has another 5-7 years of good drinking ahead. Photos of; their vineyard and antique truck, Yountville tasting room, Owners/Winemaker Ed Snider and wife Trish. Producer notes and history...Beau Vigne was founded by Ed Snider in 2002. They are a small, family winery with a production of about 4,000 cases annually vintage dependent. They are primarily known for their Cabernets. Their vineyard goes by the name of Stags Ridge and is the benchmark and centerpiece of Beau Vigne. Stags Ridge Vineyard & Ranch are located on the Eastern edge of Napa, situated in appellation of Atlas Peak at the very top of Soda Canyon Road overlooking Pritchard Gap, Haystack, and Stagecoach Vineyards. They began with only a few acres in 2002. Stag’s Ridge is now comprised of nine acres, eight of Cabernet Sauvignon and one of Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot. As the Beau Vigne brand has grown, they’ve sourced from some of the best vineyards on the North Coast and Napa Valley such as Bacigalupi, Dutton Ranch, and Lewelling. Beau Vigne’s philosophy to winemaking hasn’t changed since their beginning. They are a boutique winery; which is generally a good idea to maintain very high quality. The family roots run deep in the Napa Valley. Martin Garzoli, Ed’s grandfather, arrived in the Valley in 1913. He was a Swiss Italian who, learned winemaking in Italy. Martin worked the Hayfields of Napa and Sonoma during the day and made wine in an old barn at night. Nearly 100 years later, Beau Vigne Family is still carrying on in the family tradition. — 7 years ago

Lauren Jenks

9.2

Earthy, burnt orange nose. Burgundian style, tart but good acid, tart cherry. Lean. — 9 years ago

Delectable Blue

9.7

Wow, what a fabulous cabernet. Very deep in colour, with wonderful complexity and perfect balance. Perfectly ripened cassis and violets on the front palate giving way to a wonderland of complex savoury flavours on the back palate - tobacco, tar, bay leaf and burnt cedar all mingle in a seamless combination. The exceptionally fine grained tannins, barely perceptible. Faultless.

I don’t recall ever having tasted such a well composed cabernet at such a young age. Utterly spellbinding. — 9 years ago

Sarah Best

9.2

Eucalyptus, anise, burnt sugar/brûlée. Big and bold punch of flavor on the front palate. Bright red cherries, a hint of tobacco box, finishing with plum, bay leaf. — 10 years ago

with Jo, Stephanie and 2 others

Brian S

9.0

Red candied cherry, pomegranate, cranberry, green raspberry, slight butter burnt tea. — 7 years ago

Brian S

8.9

Nose: burnt tree bark, mulch/soil, black plum, cherry, cedar, mint, black pepper.
Taste: coffee, raisin, dates, prunes, black tea, bay leaf, tobacco, ripe fruit, medium plus tannins. — 7 years ago

Geoff Troup

Sales Eder Brothers, Cellar Fine Wines

9.5

This is absolutely gorgeous. Black tea, licorice root, graphite, smoke, burnt popcorn kernel, musty Bordeaux style. Tremendous structure, dusty chalk and dynamic acidity, especially for California Cabernet. Black pepper, heat and severity with tremendous nuance and quite a set of balls. Baby Monte Bello...all of the complexity with a little less of the weight. — 8 years ago

Matt Trader

9.4

What a whopper of a wine this guy was! First off, they ship in boxes with the bottle upside down and Mark Herold loves a good ol' fashioned unfiltered wine, so you will find about an inch of sediment solid in the neck, which is a little annoying, so you'll need to filter it. Once that is out of the way, it needs a good decant due to the young vintage. It's very dark and powerful, and almost had an air about it similar to Diamond Mountain styles, showing earthy gravely notes, black olive, green bell pepper and loads of dark casis fruits and ripe black plum. The pallet is very rich and dark as well with brown baking spices, burnt espresso bean notes, vanilla, and a lingering dark chocolate finish. It's massive wine, for people who want in your face kinda Napa. Will definitely benefit from some age! #markherold — 9 years ago

Matt Trader

9.0

Great Shiraz from Barossa with great ageing potential. Big core and good tannins, with a floral, spicy, and botanical nose. The pallet exhibits dark vibrant raspberries, black pepper, bay leaf, burnt espresso bean, and silver dollar eucalyptus toward the lingering finish. I still find the RWT to be more my style, in comparison to this beimg more lean in structure and spicy in character. It was a bit less extracted which for some is preferable, but every so often I enjoy more of a rich extracted style of wine. Overall, great effort and I would like to see this one in a few more years.

Cheers!

$51.99 — 9 years ago

David Kline

9.2

Muddy old girl, rusty brown with a shock of bone white wisps, shoreline lacing with mangrove roots. Whiskey soaked raisins and grilled peaches leap from the glass. Firecracker flavors of gun powder and rum barrels of American oak. Match-singed paper, ginger and root beer. Soy-carmelized eel, dark, unsweetened chocolate. Licorice extract, toasted coconut, burnt bay leaf, espresso. Brooding beauty that has no quit in her. — 9 years ago

with Courtney

Molly

9.1

Nose - warm, wood oven, red cherry, juicy, earthy, jammy, bright, compost. Taste - jammy red fruit, cooked cherries, burnt. — 10 years ago

Laren Lamb

10

Full bodied, small berry, oily leather, decay, burnt chocolate, big wine, tannic. — 11 years ago

David Kline

9.4

Big, frothy, malt ball-shag carpet that hangs around like brocade. Impenetrable by light. Milk and dark chocolates vie with coffee rye, cedar and a bit of black pepper esters. Oak and tar suggest ship seams, and there is an oceanic depth, a coffee reduction, fantastically creamy with a deep caramel core. Bakers chocolate with espresso beans, coffee liqueur and burnt black currant. #oskarblues #tenfidy #imperialstout #stout #barrelaged #abv #dankbeer #darkbeer #imperial — 7 years ago

with Courtney

Frank Chen

9.4

Awesome clearity different Chardonnay...almost burnt popcorn on nose ...more about secondary flavors used so subtlety almost undetected oak ..great crisp fruit — 7 years ago

David Kline

9.1

Beef-a-Roni with bay leaf and poblano in a tomato sauce, dried oregano, and a crystalline, smoky incense, and a hint of turtle soup. Black cherry, something between a plum and a prune, black river pebbles, burnt strawberry jam, and beer skin. Creative depth and some winemaker influence in the cedar and tobacco that follow. But not enough to derail a beauty. #Petra #Sangiovese #Tuscany #tuscanred #italianwines #italianwinelovers #redwine #bigredwine — 8 years ago

with Courtney

Geoff Troup

Sales Eder Brothers, Cellar Fine Wines

9.6

This was so incredible. Burnt popcorn and tobacco. Rubber tire like Alsace. Such an interesting and unmistakably distinct flavor profile. Can't wait to check this out in a few years. — 9 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.0

Who said SA Pinot couldn't age? Bright garnet red with bricking on the edges. Lovely and complex nose with mesquite smoke, burnt wood ends, sweet smoke, smoked cherries and completely rounded. Nothing was too sharp and overbearing. Moderate acidity (6.5/10) with a light to medium body. Light spiciness and savory/gamey elements. Completely coats your mouth. Long and lingering finish. Some wood/twigs in the finish and red cherries. Well rounded and balanced. Drink till 2020. — 9 years ago

Austin Hohnke

9.3

Rich, creamy, slightly burnt toast. Butterscotch and caramel with a fluffy, nutty, orange peel finish. Amazingly youthful acidity. Drinking very well. — 9 years ago

Jo Florradikal

9.3

baked dark fruits, smoke, bay leaves, cigar, black pepper, burnt sugar #cabernetsauvignon #napavalley complex yummy — 10 years ago

David Kline

9.1

Blackberry, root beer, smoke, nutmeg, light cedar, mint, black cherry, Black olive, soot and brown sugar. Burnt toast, blackberry cobbler with black walnuts, bay, peppercorn, plum jelly, and more black olive with rosemary echoes. — 10 years ago

with Courtney