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

This is Cabernet Sauvignon from Mt. Veeder and St.

if Napa had First Growth designations, this would be on the list.  The Lafite of Napa.  Long history, Great wines, and a Reasonably large production.  Such consistency.  At age 22, this is cruising along without showing any old age.  Purple in color, garnet at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, pencil lead, cedar, smoke and just a hint of leather.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is deep and complex.  Flavors of cassis, slight earthiness, char and just a bit of leather.  Long finish.  Delicious.  Great on its own, this would be classic with

Beautiful bottle.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, blueberries, dark chocolate, slight graphite and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Great balance.  Flavors of cassis, blueberries, dark chocolate and spice.  Long finish.  This is young but drinks nicely with a bit of air.  It will get better.  Drink over the next twenty to thirty years.  Great on its own, for now, stick to rich or fatty meats, but also roasted vegies will work.

From a half bottle.  This is a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.  It is a late harvest dessert wine.  Light gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has honey along with a touch of peach.  Medium bodied.  Slightly viscous.  On the palate, this has some sweetness but that has probably faded since release.  Some honeyed notes.  Moderate finish.  These need to be drunk up at this point.  It works better with some food.  Cheese or less sweet pastries would work.

The label states they make single vineyard, single varietal wines.  First time trying one.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, slight cedar, spice and a slight earthiness.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is concentrated and deep.  Lots of cassis flavors with some earthiness and  char.  Long finish.  Very good.  More concentrated and piercing than complex but that works for this wine.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  It will work well with roasted or grilled meats and fowl.  

Wow.  It had been some years since tasting this Cuvee and I don't remember it being this good.  Purple in color, opaque and  shimmering bright.  The nose is powerful with cassis, cedar, dark chocolate, and spice.  Full bodied.  Great balance and energy.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is young but delicious.  Almost, but quite, jammy.  Flavors of cassis, chocolate with underlying char and spice.  Deep.  Long finish.  This is drinking well but will develop.  Drink over the next twenty to twenty five years.  It was great with a Portobello Napoleon dish and will work well with most meats,

This was a new wine for me.  Ghost Block has a great story.  About 8 million years ago, it was on a mountain top above Stags Leap in the Vaca Mountains.  The Mountain collapsed and fell over on its side so although the vineyard sits on the valley floor it is geologically the same as those on the tops of the  mountain.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has a bit of volatile acidity on it.  For my tastes it is just enough to raise the aromatics.

Wow.  Great showing.  This is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petite Verdot, and 8% Cabernet Franc.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is great.  Cassis, cedar, spice, tobacco and slight char.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great texture.  On the palate, this is deep.  Flavors of cassis, tobacco, slight earthiness and char.  Long finish.  This is delicious and open.  It will evolve more over the next twenty to thirty years but not sure it gets better.  This would be classic with Lamb but was great with some cheeses as well.  

This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the four best barrels in the cellar.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is deep and interesting.  Aromas of cassis, black olives, spice and slight earthiness.  Full bodied.  Wonderful concentrated plush texture.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, cassis, ash and char.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  Still young, this is drinking quite well with a bit of air.

My understanding is this is a one off bottling.  The winery had issues from the Glass Mountain fire and they really needed to source grapes for some cash flow until they could get on their feet again.  Hopefully, they will make it again as Chenin is such an under rated grape.  Medium golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with apples, slight honey note and a bit of orange peel.  Full bodied.  Enough acidity but  not pronounced.  On the palate, this is dry.  Big and deep.  Apples, green apples but also some citrus and wax.  Long finish.  This was an excellent pairing with a sa