“The inky-hued 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is surprisingly structured and powerful, with a big nose of cassis, chocolaty oak, scorched earth, and graphite. Where many 2019s are plush and opulent, this has a solid core of tannins that keeps it focused and elegant, with wonderful purity of fruit. I like it. It certainly offers pleasure today, yet smart money will give these 4-5 years in the cellar, and I suspect it will see its 20th birthday in fine form.”

“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon shows a touch more purity and vibrancy, yet it’s certainly cut from the same cloth with its classic, age-worthy style. Cassis, crushed stone, lead pencil, and hints of violets define the bouquet, and it’s full-bodied, with beautiful tannins and the focused, pure, seamless style of the vintage. It’s well worth following over the coming 20-25 years.”

“Lots of cassis, tobacco, chocolate, and savory spice notes emerge from the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon, a full-bodied, rich, incredibly impressive 2017 that I’d put up with the top wines in the vintage. It’s beautiful today yet has the balance and structure to evolve for another 20 years.”

“Blackberry jam, chocolate, new leather, licorice, dark chocolate and espresso all infuse Buccella’s 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon with notable complexity to play off the super-ripe, plush fruit. Readers should expect a full-throttle, extroverted style. Even with all of its opulence, the 2016 is very nicely balanced. It is another compelling wine in a streak of strong recent releases from Buccella.”

“Buccella’s 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is an outrageously beautiful wine. It is also going to need a least a few years to shed some of its considerable baby fat. Inky, flamboyant and super-concentrated, the 2015 almost tastes like a barrel sample, so primary is its fruit! Silky tannins and plush textures only add to the wine’s considerable appeal. I am very intrigued to see how the 2015 ages, although I doubt most readers will have the patience to find out. This sumptuous, racy Cabernet has so much to offer.”

“A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is a very deep inky purple color and offers an intense cassis, crushed blueberries and blackberries nose with hints of menthol, fragrant earth and tilled soil plus cinnamon stick and lavender. The mouth is full, rich and concentrated with a solid backbone of firm, grainy tannins. The long finish still carries a lot of oak, but given the slowly evolving fruit and firm frame here, I anticipate this oak should marry within 2-3 years and drink beautifully over the next 15+.”

“Buccella’s 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is a total knock-out. In fact, the 2014 is one of the best – possibly the best – wine I have ever tasted from Buccella. Deep, ripe and intense, with striking persistence, the 2014 is delineated, precise and complete. There is plenty of the textural richness that is such a Buccella signature, but the 2014 has an extra degree of energy that balances things out. Hints of bittersweet chocolate, lavender, red cherry jam and exotic spice infuse the vibrant, sculpted finish.”

“This is a brilliantly packaged wine, but more importantly, what’s inside the bottle clearly matches the stylish design. A great vintage, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon from Buccella, which is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Malbec and Petit Verdot, is a stunner. Inky purple, the wine has a glorious nose of graphite and blueberry liqueur, blacker fruits and a touch of oak. Once it hits the palate this is a full-bodied wine with terrific purity, texture, a multidimensional mouthfeel and a long, long finish. Everything is in sync and perfectly aligned in this profound and spectacular 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon. Approachable now, it should continue to drink well for another 20-25+ years”

“A big red with lots of blackberry, licorice and black currant character. Full body, round texture tannins that are chewy and rich. Dry and attractive finish. Give this time. Better in 2020.”

“The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautifully lush, modern Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Crème de cassis, raspberry jam, spice, menthol and kirsch give the wine its bold, flamboyant personality. Sumptuous, with no hard edges and tons of concentration, the 2013 is one of the most up-front and accessible wines of the year.”

“What a glorious statement for Cabernet Sauvignon, Buccella’s 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine has an opaque purple color, a beautiful nose of forest floor, white flowers, blueberry and black raspberry, along with a telltale cassis and subtle background oak. Full-bodied, rich and multi-dimensional, this is fabulous 2012 that’s just coming into its own. Look for this wine to drink well young, as it already is, and evolve for 20-25 years.”

“High-toned aromas of ripe berries, plums and flowers suggests a fruit-forward style, but this shows design and finesse. Full body, firm and silky tannins and a long and intense finish. Flamboyant and sexy with form.”

“I only tasted one vintage of Buccella as these wines tend to be released relatively late.A blend of 90-95% Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance tiny quantities of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec, the dense purple-colored 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon possesses sweet blackberry and cassis fruit, a deep, full-bodied, opulent, precocious, showy style, and 10 years of evolution ahead of it.”

“Buccella’s 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon has turned out beautifully. Dark red cherry, plum, spice, new leather and licorice meld together in a surprisingly plump, juicy wine for the year. Naturally, the 2011 is a bit lighter than most recent vintages, but the overall balance here is terrific. Winemaker Rebekah Weinburg and consultant winemaker Celia Welch have done a terrific job with their 2011.”

“Even more impressive is the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, a richer, fuller wine with the same structural profile as the 2009, but with deeper, more concentrated black currant, licorice, incense and floral characteristics. Deep, pure, textured and multidimensional, this opaque purple-colored 2010 is sensational. Drink it over the next 20 years.”

“Good bright medium ruby. High-pitched aromas of blackberry, cassis, violet and tobacco. Concentrated, savory and flavorful but youthfully primary today, showing a slightly syrupy ripeness to its lush black fruit and licorice flavors. Bright acidity (6.6 grams per liter) and a firm tannic spine suggest that this big guy will need at least six or seven years of cellaring.”

“Buccella’s 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon is drop-dead gorgeous. Violets, mint, crushed rocks, licorice and smoke jump from the glass in a vibrant, focused Cabernet loaded with class. The trademark Buccella richness is there, but the 2010 has a level of pure energy I have never seen here before. Blackberry jam, graphite, smoke and pencil shavings linger on the finish. This is an exceptional Caberent Sauvignon made in a rich, opulent style with fabulous balance and tons of personality. The 2010 is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon with dollops of Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, aged 22 months in French oak, 80% new.”

“Both of these wines showed well, with the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon (94% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc) revealing slightly more structure as well as a more reserved style. This impressive endowed 2009 exhibits lots of creme de cassis, licorice, violets and new oak. A big, full-bodied wine with tannin to shed, so it may require some additional bottle age. It should last two decades.”

“Saturated ruby. Medicinal black cherry, blackberry liqueur and licorice on the very ripe nose. Fat and thick but not heavy, with a strong acid spine supporting the flavors of dark berries and dusty spices. Finishes with big, chewy, slightly tough tannins that will require a minimum of five or six years of aging. Shows a surprising light touch for such a big boy. Rebekah Wineburg makes this wine, with Celia Welch consulting.”

“I loved Buccella’s 2006 and 2007 Cabernet Sauvignons and 2008 continues their success.”

“The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, which comes from multiple fruit sources in Rutherford, Oakville, Yountville, Coombsville, Oak Knoll and Carneros, was aged in 100% new French oak. A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it exhibits and opaque purple color, great intensity and a sweet nose of blue and black fruits intermixed with toasty oak, lead pencil shavings and forest floor. Rich, layered and full-bodied with silky tannins, this broad, savory 2008 should drink well for 15 or more years.”

“Remarkable for its complex aromas of roasted coffee, dried herb, dark berry, mocha and sage, yet for all its size this is quite graceful and elegant, even delicate, with a long tapered finish where the flavors glide along smoothly. Drink now through 2021. 1,185 cases made.”

“Fascinating nose melds dark berries, licorice pastille, violet, coriander, cumin and mint Fat and sweet for the year, with palate-saturating flavors of crushed black fruits and minerals. The broad, dusty tannins arrive late and build, but there’s more than enough mid-palate sweetness to support them. This is riper and deeper in the bottle than a barrel sample I tried a year ago. Rebekah Wineburg makes this wine with Celia Welch serving in a consulting role.”

“The blockbuster 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is more primary, but it does display enormous fruit concentration, massive body, and wonderful purity, balance, and elegance. It is an extraordinarily promising 2007 with awesome fruit, depth and richness as well as a long finish. This offering will be even better with 5-7 years of bottle age, and should keep for 20+ years. Buccella, under the guidance of well-known winemaking consultant Celia Masyczek has fashioned brilliant Cabernet Sauvignons in both 2006 and 2007.”

“A dark, rich, exotic style, this Cabernet is bold and intense, with kirsch, black currant, wild berry and black cherry flavors that are ripe. Full-bodied and well-structured, ending with a long, persistent finish, where red and black licorice commingle. Drink now through 2019. 1,110 cases made.”

“Good full, saturated ruby. An essence of Napa Cabernet on the nose, with dominant notes of cassis, dark chocolate, minerals and violet. Juicy but youthfully brooding, with a slightly medicinal quality to the intense flavors of cassis, bitter chocolate, graphite and menthol. Not a particularly fleshy style but vibrant and penetrating. This wine’s firm acids and tongue-dusting tannins call for at least five or six years of patience.”

“The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, a candidate for Cabernet of the vintage, reveals a gorgeous perfume of chocolate, black raspberries, flowers, ink, and graphite, followed by a full-bodied, textured, superbly concentrated wine with terrific purity as well as density. Drink this outstanding 2006 over the next 15-20 years. Buccella, under the guidance of well-known winemaking consultant Celia Masyczek has fashioned brilliant Cabernet Sauvignons in both 2006 and 2007. They have enough structure as well as sensational concentration and depth to support the tannins.”

“Tight, dense and concentrated, with a tight mix of wild and blackberry fruit that’s both powerful and restrained, slowly unfolding to offer spice, mineral, sage and iodine. The long, persistent finish is framed by trim tannins. Best from 2010 through 2017.”

“The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon struts its stuff in an elegant but powerful style, with notes of black fruits, burning embers, roasted meats, and a hint of subtle bay leaf. The wine has terrific fruit concentration, full-bodied power, substantial but ripe tannins, and a long, long finish. This wine should drink nicely for at least two decades. I first tasted these wines when they were made by Mark Herold, but he has been replaced by the well-known winemaker Celia Masyczek.”

“Bold, ripe and expressive, with juicy plum, black cherry, wild berry and spicy, cedary hazelnut notes that are both intense and elegant, rich and refined, ending with a long, smooth, lingering finish. Best from 2009 through 2014.”

“Saturated deep ruby. Deep, enticing aromas of black fruits, bitter chocolate and black cardamom. Lush and creamy-sweet, but with ripe, integrated acidity giving shape to the highly concentrated flavors of blueberry, blackberry and dark chocolate. This outsized, dramatic cabernet is fat with fruit, but its seamless, velvety texture and sappy quality make it extremely easy to drink. Finishes lush and strong, with sweet tannins and palate-coating fruit.”

“Increasingly fashionable winemaking consultant Mark Herold oversees the production of approximately 500-700 cases of Buccella Cabernet. The dense purple-colored 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon’s hefty 15.1% alcohol is well-disguised by classic aromas of white chocolate, black currants, blackberries, licorice, and coffee beans. This dense, medium to full-bodied, opulent, fleshy, powerful effort boasts sweet tannin and low acidity.”

“Smooth, plush and concentrated. A multidimensional expression of Cabernet with layers of currant, blackberry, plum and spice. Supple-textured, this keeps focus on the fruit and is well supported by firm ripe tannins. Yet fruit glides through on the finish. Best from 2008 through 2014. 737 cases made.”

“This is one of the most exciting projects of winemaking consultant Mark Herold. Unfortunately, only 325 cases of the 2003 were produced…The 2003 Cabernet Savignon, which was superb from cask, is even more spectacular from bottle. Its dense, opaque black/purple color is accompanied by scents of graphite interwoven with creme de cassis, charcoal, espresso roast, and spice box. This layered, full-bodied, elegant effort possesses wonderful purity as well as definition. Bottled unfined and unfiltered after 20 months in 100% French oak, it should drink beautifully for 15 plus years.”

“Impressive 2003. Supple and harmonious, with rich, polished currant, herb, mocha and wild berry flavors that are intense and concentrated, offering power with finesse. Shows a dash of heat on the finish, but fans of full-throttle Cabernet won’t be disappointed.”

“Saturated ruby. Very primary aromas of blackberry, cassis, licorice and minerals. Sweet, fat and layered; conveys a very soft, rich palate impression reminiscent of high-grade merlot. Very round wine with exotic brown spice and chocolate flavors. Finishes broad and quite lush, with very fine tannins.”

“The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon is a 403-case blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Merlot that was bottled unfined and unfiltered after spending time in French oak. It is a sexy, Pomerol-styled red… A deep ruby/purple color is followed by gorgeous aromas of flowers, black fruits, and kirsch. A silky-textured, medium to full-bodied, hedonistically as well as intellectually satisfying wine, it can be enjoyed now and over the next 10-12 years. Kudos to proprietors Bill and Alicia Deem for such an impressive beginning.”

“Dense, with a rich array of lively black cherry, plum and wild berry fruit that shows off hints of cedar and spice, turning supple and graceful on the finish, with big but ripe integrated tannins. An awesome debut. Winemaker is Mark Herold of Merus. Best from 2007 through 2012.”

“Deep, saturated ruby. Very ripe, youthfully medicinal aromas of black fruits, bitter chocolate and licorice. Large-scaled, fat and full in the mouth, with terrific depth of black raspberry, licorice and chocolate flavor. This has a wonderfully seamless texture with enough supporting acidity to give it lift and shape. Finishes very long, with suave, building tannins and a flavor of Valrhona chocolate.”