Napa Valley

• Atlas Peak
• Best of Napa
• Calistoga
• Conn Valley
• Diamond Mountain
• Howell Mountain
• Mt. Veeder
• Oak Knoll
• Oakville
• Pope Valley
• Rutherford
• Spring Mountain
• St. Helena
• Stags Leap
• Yountville

The regular Caymus tends to be a love/hate wine, but the Special Select is a different wine completely and one that just about everyone loves.  It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, blueberries, tobacco and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Dense texture.  On the palate, this is deep with cassis and spice.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is still showing young and while drinking well now, another five years in the cellar would help it out.  Either way, drink over the next fifteen to twenty years.  

Spectacular showing for this bottle.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, spice, slightly earthy along with some leathery notes.  Full bodied.

I was skeptical about this being alive, but that is why you pull the cork.  At age 39, this has life and fruit left.  Ruby in color, lighter at the rim, mostly opaque and modestly bright.  The nose shows cassis, earthiness and slight bell pepper.  With air, a slight "twiggy" note comes out.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, black cherries.  Slightly sweet.  Some complexity.  While certainly past peak, an impressive showing nevertheless.  Still, this should be consumed sooner than later.  

This is Screaming Eagle's Merlot based wine.  This year the blend is 61% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc.  It is still young and tight and took some time to open.  That said, it was delicious. Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, cherries, dark chocolate, violets and a bit of earthiness.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this has a lush texture.  Black cherries and cherries with some chocolate and char.  Great balance.  Long finish.

Three Palms is unquestionably the most well-known and famous Merlot in the United States. That Duckhorn has made a commitment to Merlot for decades is to be applauded. This iteration beautifully spells out why they have made that commitment. The deftly handled balance of fruit, acidity, tannin and oak is simply marvelous. Black cherry, blackberry, boysenberry and huckleberry lead off, followed by back notes of black cherry, plum, anise, and cocoa powder. Aged for 18 months in predominately new French oak. ORIGIN: Napa Valley. ALCOHOL: 14.5%

There’s a belief I have that if you mess up any fruit from Howell Mountain there’s something wrong with you. Duckhorn has consistently produced an extraordinary Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2017 is no exception. Comprised of all Cabernet with 10% Merlot, this is a softer version than in years past, these tannins are a little more mild, the acidity a little brighter, and the fruit opulent and rich. Black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, and boysenberry, lead off and the fruit is a tad more expressive than in years past. It was aged 24 months, 18 of which were new French oak.

This wine has always been one of the outstanding performers in the Cuvaison portfolio and year after year is a wine that never ceases to impress. It is also one of those Chardonnays that makes you rethink Chardonnay because it is so beautifully balanced, so definitely handled, that it surpasses what most of us know about Chardonnay. Yes you’ll find light lemon-lime, green apple, kiwi, guava notes, but also viscosity and minerality. It also possesses a slight resin and stone fruit quality and maturity of fruit. That these vines are just 20 years old suggests there are great vintages ahead.

For 35 years Soliloquy has been the flagship white wine from Flora Springs in Napa. The wine bursts with grapefruit, lemon, lime kefir, lychee, and back notes of resin, white peach, Asian pear and mango. The acidity holds the wine and fruit in check while allowing it to be a companion with a diversity of food. It’s comprised of 73% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Chardonnay and 15% Malvasia and a brief seven months of aging in French oak rounds it out. This is a consistently solid wine and year after year is worth seeking out. 605 cases. ORIGIN: Napa Valley. ALCOHOL: 14.2%

Classic Napa Cab.  This is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec, and 2% Cabernet Franc.  The nose has cassis, dust, graphite, and mocha.  Full bodied.  Complex.  Velvety texture.  On the palate, cassis and black cherries with underlying spice/sandalwood.  Firm tannins.  Long finish.  This is still young but drinking well.  It should drink well over the next twenty years.  A great wine to drink on its own or serve with braised lamb.  

Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is very tight, but with air it shows cassis, blueberries, spice and slight mocha notes.  full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Very concentrated.  On the palate, black cherries, cassis, blueberries and mocha.  A bit of menthol on the finish.  Long finish.  This needs time or a few hours in a decanter but it is quite good.  Maybe another three to five years of cellaring and drink for fifteen to twenty after that.  Great on its own, it will need big, fatty foods such as prime rib.