13 ‘Perfect’ 100-Point Cabernets You Can Buy Right Now

13 ‘Perfect’ 100-Point Cabernets You Can Buy Right Now

If you want to get to know the Santa Rita Hills style of Pinot, this wine makes a good starting point. Bright and fruit-driven with a faint salinity, it is a pretty Pinot with plenty of character and a punch of exotic spice–maybe cardamom?–on the finish.

10 Great Wine Gifts That Speak To This Challenging and Eventful YearHere are some ideas based on our work this year and on current events (and, yes, we saw face masks with wine themes). In most cases, these will require some early work, which is why we’re running this column now. In addition, many are pricey. It has been a tough year and maybe we’re in the mood to spend more than usual on someone special.An amazing Cabernet Sauvignon from the USA to celebrate one of the many things this country can do at its best. And, given some predictions that climate change will make Napa less of a Cabernet paradise in the future, this could be an opportunity to savor something that could be lost. Don’t scoff at that possibility: UC-Davis just had a webinar during which that was discussed. Among our favorite high-end Napa Cabernets this year: Cardinale Winery 2016...

The 18 Best Wines and Bubbly to Gift This HolidayFrom bottles of red to bottles of white, we've selected the most palate-pleasing wines to gift this season.

Chocolate and Cheese Is the Perfect Salty-Sweet IndulgenceVegan Cheese + Vegan ChocolateAll chocolate is inherently plant-based, as cacao grows on trees, but this pairing keeps it pure without any additional milk or milk products (i.e., whey, casein, milk fat, etc.). Try the vegan Dark Chocolate Bar from GoodSam ($4, Thrive Market) or Divine Treasures’ vegan Chocolate Disks with a light spread of a soft vegan cheese such as Treeline’s Sea Salt & Pepper or Cavendish Woodland from The Mansion’s Pantry. Make it a pairing trifecta by pouring La Crema Russian River Chardonnay (also vegan!) to accompany the chocolate and cheese pairing.

2020 Costco Wine Thanksgiving PicksWe tasted a lot of good Pinot Noir from Costco this year, and there are many of them that I think would pair great with Thanksgiving, this being one of them for $18, and a bottle that I know is popular with our readers.

The Very Best Red Wines For Christmas 2020 – The LLM Expert GuideThis truly special wine hails from Sonoma County in California and is one of only three wines produced from Vérité, all based on the traditional varieties of Bordeaux. Though yields were low on the harvest, the quality of grapes in this vintage was outstanding and this offering comes highly rated across the board.Aged 17 months in 100% French oak, this blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot boasts aromas of mint, sage and lavender. Black currant, cherries, damson plum fulfil the promise of new world wines, while a brooding finish and grippy, well-integrated tannins pay homage to the old world.The Vérité signature, the message of the soil, is here captured in undertones of granite, iron and limestone. If you want to save this for another Christmas then rest assured that this wine will mature gracefully for many years to come.

The Very Best Red Wines For Christmas 2020 – The LLM Expert GuideThe 40-50-year-old vines of this Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux-based vineyard are blessed with extraordinary soils and sun exposure., while soils of clay and limestone add exquisite minerality to their fruit.Aged for 12 months in French oak, this wine comprises 70% merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and boasts a deep colour with a beautiful floral bouquet of violets lilac and rose alongside leather and pencil lead. On the palate, expect red and black fruits such as red cherry, black currants and the like alongside oak flavours and rich notes of vanilla, toast and cedar.

31 Wines and Spirits to Get You Through the Holiday SeasonTenuta di Arceno considers this Bordeaux-inspired wine—a blend of 73 percent cabernet franc, 17 percent merlot and 10 percent cabernet sauvignon—its finest, and you can taste why. The Arcanum is a robust but not overpowering wine, with notes of flowers, fig, chocolate and fruit, suitable for drinking now or waiting a few more years.

6 Of The Best Wines For The Holiday SeasonAn ode to merlot, Verite La Muse is inspired by the rich and powerful, yet beautifully refined wines of Pomerol. Offering a bold blend of 85% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec, it promises to be a solid favourite at any Christmas dinner party. Allow 4-5 minutes for it to open up.

Wine of the Day: Mt. Brave Cabernet SauvignonFrom steep, high elevation slopes of Napa’s Mount Veeder, Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon showcases the complexity of the variety, with the rocky, volcanic soils of the mountain giving the wine enhanced structure, texture, and personality. With power and intensity, the bold wine with gorgeous tannin structure leaps from the glass, but within all this power lies precision, finesse, and refinement, a trait that expert winemaker, Chris Carpenter, warrants for each of his superbly tailored wines. Blackberry, black cherry, and blueberry meld with crushed stone, dark chocolate, black licorice, and spice, with a nice bit of acidity to help the wine age easily over the next decade, and a rugged, untammed earthiness that makes mountain fruit Cabernet Sauvignon so delicious.

15 Interesting Wine-Related Discoveries For Fall 2020Capture’s flagship wine, the Tradition Sauvignon Blanc, elevates the purity of the variety through stainless steel fermentation and ten months of sur lie aging. The result, Capture 2018 Tradition Sauvignon Blanc — suggested real price of $25 — is an expression of bright citrus such as lime peel, white stonefruit, and green apple fragrances. Capture’s vineyards highlight the ideal characteristics for Sauvignon Blanc with mineral texture, brilliant acidity and a fresh finish. You can pair this sauvignon blanc with hearty winter veggies or a simple cheese board.

Wine Pairings To Make Stuffing the Star of Your ThanksgivingLa Crema Nine Barrel Pinot Noir 2017, with aromas of black cherry, plum and tobacco followed by raspberry and forest floor earthiness, along with fine tannins and balanced integrated acidity.

Wine Pairings To Make Stuffing the Star of Your ThanksgivingAn Oregon wine with aromas of pear, apricot, baking spice and flavors of tangerine, Meyer lemon and burnt sugar.

Holiday Gift Guide 2020: The Best Sparkling Wines From Around The WorldOregon’s Willamette Valley is well-known for producing lovely pinot noirs, and this wine shows the classic Champagne blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to great effect, with warm citrus notes mixed with the scent of roses and just a touch of toastiness.

These Are The Wines You Should Drink At Thanksgiving This YearThis special Pinot Noir from La Crema brings together black cherry aromas with nice acidity to pair well with your holiday meal.

Holiday Wines You Can Ship (Almost) AnywhereThese domestic wines support local vineyards and are perfect for your holiday meal.This complex, balanced and delightfully light pinot noir is the red wine that is guaranteed to please the crowd. The gently tannic and pleasantly acidic red is perfect for pairing with food or sipping on its own. Though this wine hails from the Sonoma Coast, La Crema has been making wine in California and Oregon’s finest winegrowing regions for the past 40 years.

The 13 Best Cabernet Sauvignons to Drink in 2020The grape varietal to rule all reds.Best Splurge: 2016 Lokoya Mount Veeder Cabernet SauvignonNot to knock Champagne, but if you have an occasion worth celebrating, try skipping the bubbly and diving into this exquisite bottle of cabernet. The Lokoya Mount Veeder is an indulgence, and you'll know why as soon as the first drops fall on your tongue. It combines the best of Napa Valley’s mountain climate, rich soils, and expert winemaking from Lokoya’s artisan of the grape, Christopher Carpenter. This is an example of peak cabernet. It is intensely aromatic with blueberry, violet, and blackberry notes bolstered by truffle and wild herbs. It's also full-bodied with tannins that grip and refuse to let go. Enjoy with reckless abandon.

Wine Finds: Last-minute wines for ThanksgivingThis delicious and elegant chardonnay, which won scores in the 90s from a number of wine critics, is a true find. It comes from Cambria Estate Winery, which is owned by the widow and two daughters of the late wine icon Jess Jackson. A lush and creamy white, it tastes of apple, stone and tropical fruits and ends with a long, refreshing citrusy finish. It’s a bright and beautifully balanced wine that has just a touch of subtle oak. In addition to turkey, it would go well with salmon and cream sauces.

Reds are Multidimensional Friends to Invite Over for ThanksgivingCopain “P2” 2019, Anderson Valley. 50-50 blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, lots of energy and snap, broad and crunchy, young berries screaming out of the glass.

Holiday Gift Guide 2020: The Best Luxury Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon WinesDazzling aromas of black fruit, Asian spice, crème de cassis, cedar, worn leather, dried herbs, dusty cocoa, and cured meat. The layered aromas playout across the palate in an expressively focused wine. Chewy, fresh, broad, and long for days.

14 Superb California Zinfandels to Pair With Your Thanksgiving FeastNothing comes as close to being an American wine than this red.Only about 10 acres of gnarly, dry-farmed vines remain of this vineyard planted more than 100 years ago by Italian immigrants (with the original 8-by-8 spacing to allow horses to plow in both directions through the rows). Lovely high-toned violet and spice aromas wrap around a nose of dark berries, white pepper and cocoa. The flavors are concentrated, intense and lush, yet bright at the same time, with juicy black raspberry and cherry layered with exotic spices, a little red licorice and a firm backbone of tannins (think of aging this one, for a Thanksgiving down the road).