(£24.50) 13.5% alcohol. Ripe and juicy in a fruit-forward style with nice density. Has sweet cherry fruit with spicy overtones. Stylish stuff. 90/100
Buena Vista Winery Reviews
The 2018 Chateau Buena Vista Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it gives up blackcurrant cordial, stewed plums, and cigar box scents with hints of wild sage and forest floor. Full-bodied, the palate delivers savory-sparked black fruits, supported by chewy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing earthy.
The 2018 Pinot Noir Chateau Buena Vista has a medium ruby color and a nose of cranberry sauce, rhubarb and pomegranate with touches of tree bark, tangerine peel, violets, laurel and earth. The medium-bodied palate features amaro-driven fruits, a soft frame and great freshness with a spicy finish. 7,776 cases produced.
Strikes a wonderful balance between juicy, fresh fruit flavors and chewy, ripe tannins. Offering red licorice, maraschino cherry, dried herb and black tea notes, with spicy tobacco details lingering on the finish. Valdiguié, Charbono, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2030. 95 cases made. — MW
Made from 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Petit Verdot and 11% Cabernet Franc, this blend comes in a heavy bottle with a giant gold alligator on it. Rich red fruit is sinewy and leathery in texture, with a ripe plushness that leans hot. Virginie Boone
Rich in salty caramel crème brulee, this is a fleshy and lushly made white wine, full bodied and concentrated in style. The oak provides a foundation of toasty baking spice and vanilla. -Virginie Boone
Opening in divine aromatics of orange peel and raspberry, this cool-climate wine shows a length of brightness and fres acidity amidst a full-bodied style and approach. Ample tannin and oak accentuate its earthier heartier side. -Virginie Boone
This full-bodied, robust wine sports toasted oak and browned butter aromas followed by ripe Bosc pear and toasted almonds flavors on a rich, mouthfilling texture. It is big and well balanced, offering lots of flavor along with appetizing structure. -Jim Gordon
An oak-laden nose leads to an earthy and concentrated core of tropical pineapple, mango and pear flavors, the richness underscored by a lingering taste of vanilla. Virginie Boone
Thick and richly robust in baked red fruit and cola, this hearty, full-bodied wine shows generous tannin and oak around a core of ripeness and fruit. Virginie Boone
This is the first vintage of this new label by Buena Vista, commemorating the year it was founded. The 2018 Red Wine 1857 is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. The Cabernet Sauvignon is from the Morris vineyard on Diamond Mountain, the Petit Verdot was harvested from the Larkmead vineyard in Calistoga, and the Cabernet Franc is from the Casa Nuestra vineyard in St. Helena. It was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 45% new. Very deep purple-black colored, it slowly unfurls to reveal fantastically fragrant notes of candied violets, star anise, clove oil and chocolate mints, over a core of crème de cassis, Black Forest cake and blueberry pie with hints of pencil shavings and fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is jam-packed with rich, seductive black and blue fruit layers, framed by oh-so-plush tannins and a seamless line of freshness, finishing very long and perfumed. Only 50 cases were made.
Scents of brandied cherries lend this wine its warm power, in the mode of Port without the sweetness. The firm tannins have a pleasant greenness, like raspberry leaves, keeping the finish clean. Serve with roast game. -J.G.
This wine explores the earthy intensity, providing volumes of flavor without weight. Delicate in fact, with the scent of coastal forests, tree bark and roots to ground its untamed beauty. Brian Maloney blends this wine with fruit from four vineyards in western Sonoma County, a selection that captures a clear impression of the coastal hills. -J.G.
This wine gains its concentration from 100-year-old vines at the Baldacci Vineyard. Its dark fruit has a comforting satin texture and feels cool - even at 15 percent alcohol - with forest floor notes of roots and earth against the warmer notes of nutmeg and allspice. Its umami complexities will work well with Middle Eastern dishes, particularly roast eggplant and lamb. -J.G.
This is the first vintage of this new label by Buena Vista, commemorating the year it was founded. The 2018 Red Wine 1857 is a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc. The Cabernet Sauvignon is from the Morris vineyard on Diamond Mountain, the Petit Verdot was harvested from the Larkmead vineyard in Calistoga, and the Cabernet Franc is from the Casa Nuestra vineyard in St. Helena. It was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 45% new. Very deep purple-black colored, it slowly unfurls to reveal fantastically fragrant notes of candied violets, star anise, clove oil and chocolate mints, over a core of crème de cassis, Black Forest cake and blueberry pie with hints of pencil shavings and fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is jam-packed with rich, seductive black and blue fruit layers, framed by oh-so-plush tannins and a seamless line of freshness, finishing very long and perfumed. Only 50 cases were made. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown