Bevan Cellars, Wildfoote Vineyard Vixen Block Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District

Complex, full-bodied, long-lasting and evolving. This wine is much more complex than a typical Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Initially taste of vanilla and mixed berries. Then after 1hr into drinking, tobacco and chocolate began to surface. Toward the end, a bit of pepper and herb. This wine is high on alcohol and tannins, but well-balanced and not overly obstrusive.

2014 vintage

Pop and pour. Big nose of cassis, blackberry, spice, floral notes immediately on opening. Full body, tons of sweef ripe fuit but maintains good balance, integrated tannins, long finish. Drinking great now and likely to do so for years to come. Excellent.

2014 vintage

Dense, cassis, blackberries,"dusty". Plenty of power with a long finish. Decant it if you have it! Has plenty of time left to continue maturing in the bottle.

2014 vintage

Wow. Just wow. Sadly just the One and done.

2015 vintage

3 years and the wine is evolving nicely, this is full and rich with dark lush sexy fruit, Christmas cake spices, black cherry, crushed violets and dark chocolate. The palate is powerful, lush and rich with a decadent mid palate bold tannins and a slight spice on the finish. This is your fully loaded flamboyant Russel Bevan wine.

2015 vintage

Wonderful big wine with lots of Cabernet flavors of cassis, dark red fruits, and subtle spice. The nose endured all evening with notes of red fruits and flowers. The aftertaste was perfect and really endured from sip to sip. Great mouthfeel and purity. Decanted and filtered to remove the plentiful lees.

2014 vintage

What a treat - wow! Big big Cabernet Sauvignon without being too much (two hours decant). Better with every glass - the best is at the bottom of the bottle. Blackberry, blueberry, licorice, lavender, hint of black pepper and spice (Asian?). Absolutely delicious, but it unfortunately comes at a at fairly high price. I have one more bottle cruising in the wine fridge and I‘m already looking forward that one. Cheers!

2015 vintage

Decanted 2 hours, drank over next 3. Got better with every glass. Drink with a good bit of air, easy 3-5 years before this starts to get iffy. Creamy, mouth coating deliciousness.

2015 vintage

Pop n poured. High octane grape juice. Bit of sweetness. Typical Bevan limited nuance. Opened it to drink with lamb but seemed to overpower it. Not sure u can drink this with food and appreciate it. I guess take it for what it is grapes extracted to maximum.

2015 vintage

In a perfect place. Integrated fruit with long finish and balanced acidity. Wow.

2014 vintage

Had the last bottle... a real disappointment :( Looks like I let it go too long. The first two drunk back in 2021 and 2019 were killers at 98 and 97, but this one has faded. I gave it the usual 3-hour double decant. Oh well, I can look forward to the 2018, 19, and 20 :) It suggests I am right that most CA wines are best 5-7 years from the label date.

2015 vintage

Decanted briefly. This is showing beautifully with a touch of mature fruit on the nose showing its age. On the palate, thick and silky cassis with good acid lift. Fantastic example of cult Cab style that so many enjoy. No reason to hold longer.

2014 vintage

Pop and pour. Best after an hour with viscous, full, intense body and gorgeous nose of purple fruit and wildflowers.

2015 vintage

The 2014 McGah is in a perfect drinking window. The tannins were dusty and balanced perfectly with the fruit. I wish I had more.

2014 vintage

Similar to prior note after double decanting for 2 hrs, outstanding, but likely future improvement still, drink or preferably hold

2014 vintage

The alcohol comes across a little hot on opening, but recedes after an hour or so. Tasty Bevan cab - dark, dark fruit, nice acidity, a powerhouse.

2014 vintage

A little thinner and more acidic than i prefer. But a good wine. Chewy tannins. Gave it an hour+ in the decanter.

2015 vintage

Two Bevan 2015s side by side. I enjoy the Bevan wines as they tend to be a rather elegant, not pushed version of modern Napa Valley wines. These wines showed that again with a minerality, smoke and fresh spice component balancing the not too ripe red berry and floral notes. The EE Tench (94pts) was slightly ahead of the Wildfoote Vyd (93pts). Stylistically, both wines are quite similar (light and airy - in Napa terms), with the EE being a …

2015 vintage

Part of a small Napa 2015 vintage horizontal, focusing on Realm and Bevan. My main observations were that 2015 is more extracted and ripe than 2014 or 2016, less elegant but with more weight. The wines were generally open and in a good spot, but still all primary. Tannin structures are soft Tasting note: Intense notes of coffee and espresso as most distinguishing feature. Extracted dark berry fruits of plum and fig along with sweeter elements of cassis. Also leather …

2015 vintage

Wow, my first Bevan wine and it did not disappoint.

2014 vintage

Incredible! Opened at 4pm and drank over 5 hours after letting it sit for an hour. This was everything I would want from a Bevan. The textures were soft, tannins integrated with the fruit and it was not over extracted or over the top. The last glass was the best but feel it's in a perfect drinking window now. I wish I had more.

2014 vintage

This bottle might be every bit as great as the last one I rated 98, but I consumed this after a dramatically different wine (Ridge Monte Bello) that paired better with the filet mignon we were eating. Although I enjoy both Old World and New World cab styles, when confronted with good examples of each side by side, I find the New World less to my liking. At our table, the other collector agreed, and the third drinker greatly preferred …

2014 vintage

Opened for social event, only brief notes: Red and black currant, herbs and milk chocolate. High octane palate, does show a bit of heat but with such intensity and balance that worked well nonetheless. The short note doesn’t do this justice.

2015 vintage

Fantastic now (96) and probably still improving. Deep dark fruit, cigar, licorice. For better or worse, smoked a terrific Cuban cigar while drinking it, and this has the depth to hold up. Gorgeous wine.

2014 vintage

No notes, just a recollection of a great wine we had last week, Enjoy it now if you have any..

2014 vintage

Wow! Decanted 30 minutes and let it go! Perfect or nearly so (for the style and intent.)

2014 vintage

Still showing more oak than I'd truly prefer, but there's good body and acidity there too.

2015 vintage

Not as good as my previous bottle as the body was a touch lighter and the depth and breadth of flavor was lacking vs. the previous bottle. Still very enjoyable but fell short of a wow wine.

2015 vintage

My favorite Bevan Cab Sauvignon from Stags leap area. Gorgeous concentration, fruit forward, blackberry, fruitcake, licorice, sweet cedar wood, long rich finish!

2014 vintage

The showdown: Bevan v. Bevan, 2015 v. 2015, Ontogeny v. Wildfoote. The analysis: both are rich, forward, and balanced wines that are drinking well right now. The verdict: the Ontogeny is slightly better (and way cheaper) - so, you don’t always get what you pay for, and the Ontogeny - even six years after vintage - is an incredible wine for the money. The play-by-play: - Ontogeny. Cherry red in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of …

2015 vintage

PNP. Opaque hazy purple magenta color, with modest rim fade. Mushroom, prune, and plum on the dusty nose. Smooth, dry, chalky palate. Full tannins on the longish finish. This is past its prime for my palate.

2014 vintage

SO'd for 2 hrs then double decanted for 2 more, deep ruby/purple, dark fruit with still some baby fat, med/firm tannins, long finish; outstanding, but still young even after all the air & likely will be even better in another couple of yrs.

2014 vintage

This has to be one of my favourites from the Bevan line up, rivalling Tench. The nose is one of beauty, with rich cassis, dark cherry pastry and blueberry compote, violets, smoke, dark cacao and black pepper. The palate is full bodied, rich, lush with big yet velvety tannins, dark fruit, cool mint? an energetic and fresh mid-palate with a long rich finish. This is way too young, and even after a full 6 hour decant I am not touching …

2015 vintage

Halloween in the Vice Versa Cave : A surprisingly melodious and softly contoured Wildfoote, maturing gorgeously through its typical brawny mega-power and flexy-Mcflex-a-flex posture and transmuting into a very beautiful, almost pretty and subtle wine. It still carries all the juiciness and chewiness you’d want from this house and this site, but it does so in a way that is certainly more accessible and genial. The booze that sometimes spits from this beast is less pervasive. Seamlessness lives here now, …

2015 vintage

Wow, two 98-point wines for a lunch of deli sandwiches: this Cab and a Martinelli Jackass Hill Zin. The Bevan was fully mature and simply spectacular, huge and full of Cabernet flavor with just a hint of sweetness. A classic example of what Napa can do... what a treat! Expensive at $195, but I would put it up against $350 Cabs like Shafer Hillside with confidence.

2015 vintage

Pop and pour. This is still showing spectacularly with bright Stag's Leap black fruit, palate-filling balance, and Bevan's usual ripeness. Stunning and one of the best Bevans.

2015 vintage

Decanted two hours. Robust, fruit-forward Bevan Cab guaranteed to please and showing well now.

2014 vintage

Decant for an hour and enjoy! This baby is singing like a church in Alabama right now! Beautiful.

2015 vintage

Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Dark purple to rim. A massive wall of raspberry and savory aromas blast forth from the glass right from the get-go. Dense mouthful of palate-coating ripe raspberries, enough acidity to hold flabbiness at bay, resolved tannins, long finish. A wild ride, excellent if this is your jam.

2014 vintage

2021 Napa - June 9-12 : PnP this red fruited beauty has developed nicely since my last bottle. Bright red cherry, red licorice, still enough tannin and acid to carry this on a long finish, but still has years left, but no reason to wait. Open and into the window.

2014 vintage

Just phenomenal. Decanted through a coffee filter for 15 minutes with moderate fine sediment removed. Will cellar well but drinks beautifully today.

2015 vintage

A friendly reminder to myself to not touch these at least 10 years after release...

2015 vintage

It’s a Bevan, whata expect, a subtle, “quiet wine”? Nope this is that big in your face Napa fruit bomb.

2015 vintage

If you like big, juicy, structured wines, this one is for you - that being said it still has a good dose of acidity to balance everything. I loved it. First experience with the Wildfoote Vineyard and I was impressed. This is bigger, richer and more tannic than Bevan Tench 2016 that I tasted over Christmas - but both are delicious:) The huge and dense tannic structure is wrapped in a blanket of dark fruits (more blackberries/raspberries than blueberries) that …

2015 vintage

My favorite Bevan Cab Sauvignon from Stags leap area. Gorgeous concentration, fruit forward, blackberry and blue fruits, licorice, candied violets, and a 1+ minute finish!

2014 vintage

Wow! Totally benefitted from an hour plus of decant. Now it is singing! Enjoyed with a great meal of grilled filet, sautéed mushrooms, spinach with garlic and Parmesan mashed red potatoes. Very unique and interesting nose; spicy, pot pouri.... palate of spice, sweet tannins, blueberry/ dark berries, star anise, leather; nice integration, balance and finish. Seems quite unique. It's possible this is a 98!

2015 vintage

This is that single girl at the bar: loud, overdressed, overweight, obviously on the hunt. Opaque black color but blue-magenta at the rim, rather unusual for a 7 year old wine. Extracted and dense, with open flavors of blackberry cordial, blueberry pie and dark chocolate on slick tannins. Decanted two hours, consumed over many more and though she got prettier as the night wore on, alas at closing time she's still there.

2014 vintage

Good savory and herbal notes balance the fruit Bevan is justifiably known for - also, the oak is receding some. Amazing to say, but it’s reasonably balanced - like a bear on a tightrope, it’s kind of an impressive feat just for the size of the fruit, but it’s sure tasty.

2014 vintage

Another wow. Beautiful.

2015 vintage

A nice big bevan style wine

2014 vintage

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Bevan Cellars, Wildfoote Vineyard Vixen Block Cabernet Sauvignon, Stags Leap District

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