Press Room

Reviews

Score: 95 | February 7, 2024 | Wine Spectator

Fragrant and supple in texture, exuding wild strawberry, cherry, rose, sandalwood and cardamom aromas and flavors. Elegant in feel, with ample tannins for support and a vibrant, extensive aftertaste. Harmonious and charming, yet the length of the finish is what defines its pedigree. Best from 2027 through 2045.

Score: 91 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

A successful wine in a fire-marred vintage, the 2020 Aristocrat Red Wine boasts complex aromas of licorice, peppery greens and red raspberries. An unusual blend of Valdiguié, Charbono, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon made using only 24% new French oak, it's medium to full-bodied, supple and charming, with a dusting of soft tannins on the finish.

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.