Press Room

Reviews

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: 90 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

Raymond's 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon District Collection Stags Leap comes across as slightly candied, with a mix of red and black cherries dominating the nose. In the mouth, this medium to full-bodied wine is plump and silky, not overly concentrated and nicely textured on the finish.

Score: 91 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

A blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot and 10% Merlot, the 2021 Red Room Privé offers up minty, cedary aromas, plus notes of baked cherries and dried spices. It's full-bodied and gently silky in texture, with the suggestion of dried fruit on the finish.

Score: 91 | January 31, 2024 | Wine Advocate

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon District Collection Oakville does a fine job representing its AVA, with ripe cherries, loamy earth and dried spices all making appearances on the nose. In the mouth, the wine is medium to full-bodied, firmly built and moderately tannic but ripe, with a certain suppleness and savoriness to the finish.