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JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset Reviews

Score: 90 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

A blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, JCB's 2021 The Charmer Red Blend features a base of ripe cherries garnished by leafy, herbal nuances. It's full-bodied and silky textured across the mid-palate, then more obviously tannic (but ripe) on the lingering finish.

Score: 91 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

A blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot, the 2021 Enrapture offers up a bit of green, pyrazine character, plus more assertive notes of cassis, mint and cedar. It's taut in feel, medium to full-bodied in the mouth, firm and moderately concentrated, with ample length.

Score: 92 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

An intriguing blend of roughly two-thirds Oak Knoll Syrah and one-third St. Helena Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Leopard boasts an impressively complex nose of piney herbs, menthol and tobacco leaf set against a base of cherries and blueberries. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is silky and soft, tender almost, favoring the "Aww—it's so cute" side over the lithe, muscular, predatory aspect of its namesake.

Score: 92 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

This taster gravitated toward the more inventive blends from JCB, like his 2021 The Knockout Red Wine, an assemblage of Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Nicely pure blueberry and blackberry fruit are accented by a healthy dose of vanilla, but this full-bodied effort offers ample concentration, silky tannins and a long, supple finish.

Score: 92 | January 31, 2024 | Wine

Sourced largely from St. Helena, with a bit of Stags Leap District fruit in the blend, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon No. 1 delivers classic cassis—almost Ribena-like—fruit. Full-bodied, it comes across as almost sweet and slightly jammy, with supple, silky tannins and hints of dark chocolate on the finish.

Score: 92+ | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

From a St. Helena vineyard, the 2021 Cabernet Franc No. 17 comes out of the chute with floral, leafy nuances floating above a bed of black cherries. It's full-bodied, creamy and lush, maybe even a touch warm on the palate, then reasonably tannic on the finish.

Score: 93 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

Essentially a blend of the base wines for No. 1 and No. 10, aged in special barrels, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Phi features hints of menthol against a backdrop of mixed red and black cherries. Is it really that different from those other wines? It's full-bodied, silky and concentrated, with a long finish.

Score: 93 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

JCB's 2021 The Surrealist Red Wine is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon from St. Helena and 20% Petit Verdot from Rutherford. Scents of violets mark the nose, joining plums and black cherries, plus some redder berries, while the palate is full-bodied and velvety—not overly plush—structured but not overly firm. It's a solid capstone bottling and an excellent wine, but it's priced like something more.

Score: 93 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

Mainly St. Helena fruit, with a bit from Oakville blended in, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon No. 10 is based on clone 7, one of the valley's top performers. It's a bit more concentrated and muscular than many of the other JCB wines, its cassis and vanilla notes picking up appealing hints of licorice. Full-bodied with a creamy texture, the tannins become more perceptible on the long finish.

Score: 91 | December 20, 2023 | James Suckling

A full-bodied red with dark berries, dark plums, herbs, cedar and baking spices. Firm tannins with a serious character. Blackberries and dark cherries towards the chewy finish. Try after 2025.

Score: Gold | October 15, 2023 | San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo International Wine Competition
Score: GOLD Medal | September 14, 2023 | The Fifty Best Sparkling Wine

Aroma: Strawberry, raspberry, red berries, plum, green apple, melon, tangy lime, rose, rose petal, rose flower, floral, minerality, nice bubbles.
Palate: Strawberry, strawberry jam, raspberry, red plum, pear, Golden apple, lemon, squeeze of lemon, elderflower, mineral, crushed granite, clean throughout, tart, tangy, birthday party sweetness, very approachable.
Finish: Strawberry, red berries, tart cherry, newly mowed field, crisp, fresh, a porch sipper, nice, soft, elegant.

Score: 93 | February 1, 2023 | Wine & Spirits

Jean-Charles Boisset uses his JCB label as an emotional outlet, working with his team to present lots that trigger a response—like 22, which he selects for “intensity and charm.” In fact, No. 22 pushes more buttons than most. We’ve tasted seven vintages of the wine, and five have earned exceptional ratings. This is one of the best: tight and complex, with notes of tarragon and smoke at the edges and clean fruit at its core. It’s a gentle, elegant, savory pinot, expanding from herbal and crunchy hints of rose-hip greenness to fragrant, fresh cherry flavors that last. 

Score: 92 | October 31, 2022 | Wine Spectator

This sports a toasty edge, but there's a good gush of warmed cassis and steeped plum behind that, while the finish offers a lush, flattering feel as it picks up licorice and fruitcake hints. Drink now through 2032. 1,580 cases made.

Score: 96 | October 27, 2022 | The Wine Independent

Pale to medium ruby in color, the 2019 Pinot Noir No 7 wows with a fantastic perfume of violets, pomegranate, raspberry coulis, and kirsch plus hints of crushed rocks, underbrush, and spearmint. Medium to full-bodied, it is very pure in the mouth with delicate red berry and earthy layers framed by seamless freshness and a soft, fine-grained texture, finishing long and mineral-laced.

Score: 95+ | October 27, 2022 | The Wine Independent

The 2019 Pinot Noir No 11 delivers an emerging perfume that has wonderful restraint, offering up crushed rocks, iron ore, and fertile loam over a core of redcurrants, Bing cherries, and lavender plus a waft of Provence herbs. The medium-bodied palate is delicate and refreshing with a light chewiness to the tannins and loads of savory sparks, finishing with an herbal lift.

Score: 96 | October 27, 2022 | The Wine Independent

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Zebra/Snake/Crocodile, made from 64% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Petite Sirah, is a Napa Valley red wine that is dressed 3 ways, available in a zebra, snake, or crocodile skin label. Deep garnet purple in color, it charges out of the glass with a vibrant melange of warm cassis, baked plums, and mulberries with touches of cedar chest, pencil shavings, and cloves. The full-bodied palate is rich and has a lively backbone to balance, firm and grainy, long and lifted.

Score: 96 | October 27, 2022 | The Wine Independent

Bottled in mid-June, the 2020 Pinot Noir No 6 is medium ruby-purple in color. It opens with delicate, earthy/savory notes of wild sage, truffles, tree bark, and tilled soil, with a core of Bing cherries and redcurrants. The medium to full-bodied palate is firm and fine-grained, with fantastic tension leading to a long and minerally finish on this impressive wine.

Score: 96 | October 27, 2022 | The Wine Independent

The 2020 Chardonnay No 81 comes barreling out of the glass with bold notes of apricots, green guava, passion fruit, and toasted almonds with hints of cedar, fresh ginger, and honeysuckle. Medium to full-bodied, it is rich, intense, and decadent in the mouth, with a creamy texture and long, savory finish. JC first came to the USA in 1981 and decided then that he would come back to make wine.

Score: 97 | October 27, 2022 | The Wine Independent

The 2020 Chardonnay No 33 bursts with ripe juicy pears, allspice, honey-drizzled peaches, and grapefruit oil notes, plus a suggestion of honeycomb. The medium to full-bodied palate shimmers with energy and tension, supported by a satiny texture and delivering vibrant citrus and stone fruit layers, finishing long and spicy.

Score: Gold | October 12, 2022 | San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo International Wine Competition
Score: 90 | October 7, 2022 | James Suckling

Aromas of coffee, black cherry, red cherry and grilled meat. Full-bodied with velvety tannins. Powerful and rich. Decadent, with a dry finish. Only 900 bottles made. Drink now.

Score: 93 | October 7, 2022 | James Suckling

A gorgeous nose of violets, roses, fresh strawberries, crushed herbs and bark. Medium- to full-bodied with soft tannins. Gentle, but concentrated, with lots of depth and complexity. A fascinating blend of 2019 pinot noir from Burgundy (48%) and Sonoma Coast (52%). Drink or hold.

Score: 93+ | February 26, 2021 | The Wine Advocate

The 2018 Merlot No. 4 is made from 100% Merlot, from the east side of St. Helena on volcanic/obsidian-rich soils. It was aged in French oak, 21% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it comes bounding out of the glass with lively notes of crushed black plums, juicy blueberries and fresh blackberries with suggestions of candied violets, baking spices, cardamom and fruitcake. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers soft, rounded tannins and oodles of freshness, beautifully framing the ripe, fresh black and blue fruits, finishing long and spicy. Only 49 cases were made.

Score: 92 | December 1, 2018 | Wine Enthusiast

This is made from 80% Pinot Noir, the remainder Chardonnay, both coming from both the Napa and Sonoma sides of the appellation. Inviting in wild strawberry, it is dry and stony and exuberant in earthy mineral aspects of crushed rock and dried herb.

Score: Gold, 92 points | October 3, 2017 | Sommelier Challenge International Wine & Spirits Competition
Score: 90 | June 1, 2012 | Wine Enthusiast
Rich and tangy, a Chardonnay that appeals for its pure varietal flavors and noble structure. It’s powerful in pineapple and orange fruit, with a sweet overlay of caramelized oak. This richness is balanced by brisk acidity and minerality.