Wine Reviews for Aftermath Cabernet Sauvignon

May 2018 Wine Enthusiast

92/100 Aftermath 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley). This small-production wine offers a classic nose of cedar and clove before introducing itself on the palate as soft, pleasing and plumply ripe. The full-bodied weight offers integrated, fleshy flavors of mocha and plum that linger with ease on a lengthy finish. —V.B.

October 2018 Vivino

100/100 by Julie Tesar, Certified Sommelier

"We Couldn't Ask For a More Perfect Phinney Wine - This is His "Special Selection"!"

We decided to pop the bottle right there in the vineyard. Luckily we always travel with glasses and a corkscrew - professional style, baby. Immediate impressions: Holy S***. This is an extremely rich wine, even by Phinney standards, with a fleshy, spicy array of blueberry, black currant, anise, mocha and an almost Rutherford-dusty character in a fruit-forward and seamless style with low acidity and tannin. Immediately impressive and exotic. Reminiscent of Caymus Special Selection in its opulent profile...in other words, a no-doubter. We asked if we could buy it all. That's when things got awkward. "I could probably get you up to.. .ten cases." You know what - let's do it. Those who move fast will reap all the rewards! As the proverb goes, "Fortune favors the bold!"

About the wine:

The Kaplan vineyard is a special spot just east of the Silverado Trail at the base of Atlas Peak. It's off a small road that runs right behind Darioush's palace. The growing season is long and the world-class vineyard team is here practically every day, fine tuning and selecting. Steve Matthiasson and John Truchard manage the vineyard, and it's hard to imagine a more respected duo of grape-whisperers who specialize in sustainable agriculture. Their clients include Araujo, Spottswoode, Chappellet and David Arthur. Matthiasson was named the SF Chronicle's Winemaker of the Year (and that's his side job). When the grapes come in, Phinney has been given the latitude to exclude everything that’s not absolutely perfect, and then even more shockingly, he's allowed to exclude any barrels that don't perform at the highest levels. The selection that remains is Aftermath.

Great value for money. Similar wines usually cost 3 times as much.

July 2019 Vivino

I wanted you to see how far Dave Phinney has come as he reaches the crowning moment of his professional career. For such a hard-working and innovative winemaker to get a perfect score when he's accomplished everything else is a fitting reward for his contributions to the world of wine.

The 2015 Aftermath Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is nothing short of a masterpiece - boldly fruited, rich in glycerin, abundant with tannin and irresistible already. For those who can cellar some - be ambitious! This wine has a golden road ahead of it. Aftermath is the smallest production wine we've ever had from Dave, so this will go in a heartbeat. I've got my case, now it's your turn!

 "The epitome of Phinney’s unrivaled intensity. Ripe and succulent aromatics of finger-staining blackberry, black cherry, cassis, blueberry jam and a refreshing note of ripe peach coalesce with a generous dash of baking spices, dark chocolate shavings and black olive. On the palate, the wine displays a lavish silkiness for being such a broad wine and the plethora of fruit flavors, unmuted from a sensible elevage in oak, keeps you coming back to the glass. A very unique wine with much to enjoy and ponder." 100/100, Julie Tesar