Oakville

We had two bottles of this.  The first was just amazing while the second was merely quite good.  At age 16, bottle variation happens.  The first bottle actually appeared and tasted older, so perhaps we just caught the second one in a dumb phase.  Purple in color, a bit of bricking at the rim.  The nose has cassis, camphor, slight cigar box and a sweet perfume.  Full bodied.  Tannins resolved.  This is mature and at peak.  Notes of cassis with underlying tobacco and slight char.  Nice finish.  This won't get better and should be consumed over the next five years.  It will work great with gri

A gorgeous wine.  Nice to be able to re-visit this wine.  Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose has cassis, dark chocolate and blueberries, with spice and slight cedar.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has lots of depth, layers of complexity that unwind in the glass and medium tannins.  Lots of up front cassis fruit with chocolate in the background over a graphite base.  Long finish.  This still has three to five more years to go until peak and should be good for ten to fifteen more after that.  Drinks great on its own and will work great with roasts or grilled foods.  

This is in a great drinking right now.  From Aaron Pott's eponymous winery, it is always fun to say you are having some Pot(t) tonight.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, minerals/rocks, slight floral notes, and a bit of mint.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is opulent yet not over blown.  Concentrated cassis flavors with underlying gravel and slight herbal notes.  Nice finish.  Tannins are almost all resolved.  This seems to be closed to peak but certainly has five to maybe ten more years left.  Drinks well on its own and maybe a bit better with food.  Rosted meats, fowl or ve

A classic Napa Chardonnay.  This drank a lot better for my tastes on night 2.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with vanilla and lemons.  On the palate, this is drinking young but nice.  It seems like the oak has been scaled back over the least decade.  Lots of vanilla cream with some peach and some lemon.  Enough acidity to keep things lively.  Full bodied.  Goof finish.  The drinks great on its own but works great with soft cheeses.  A nice match for roasted fowl.  Drink now or over the next seven to ten years.  

Flora Springs make a variety of wines.  This is 100% Sauvignon Blanc from the Crossroads Vineyard in Oakville in Napa.  It is silvery/green/gold in color.  The nose is very nice with lemon-lime, sweetgrass and minerals.  It has a very nice, slightly oily texture.  Just a hint of residual sugar offset by tart limes.There is a slight chalky quality as well.  Overall, this is very clean and refreshing.  It has a long finish with some warmth.  It would actually work well with grilled asparagus, always a tough food pairing, and lots ot lighter foods or on its own.  Drink this over the next year.

It seemed a bit odd opening this with the Corona Virus spreading across the globe, but why not?  This is one of Rivers-Marie top Cabs and it is delicious.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, dark chocolate, slight plums, spice and cedar.  On the palate, this is full bodied.  Quite concentrated.  It still has firm tannins.  Lots of cassis fruit over spice and dry earth.  Good energy.  Long finish.  This still needs about five to seven years to approach peak.  It should be good for fifteen years after that.  It drinks well on its own right now and will work well with he

Detert is one of the owners of a section of the To Kalon vineyard.  Way back in the day they used to sell to Robert Mondavi.  For my money, they make the best Cabernet Franc in Napa and some of the best in the world.  While it is not inexpensive, for the quality, it is well priced (in Napa terms).  Definitely a mailing list to be on.  Purple in color, a thin ruby line at the rim.  The nose is great with black cherries, cigar tobacco, slight char and a bit of earthiness.  On the palate, this is open and drinking well if still young.  Medium tannins.  Lots of black cherry fruit with some with

A really great wine.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, chocolate, char, slight camphor note and coffee.  This is a rich, big wine.  Delicious.  Flavors of cassis, blueberries with slight chocolate over spice and char.  Juicy acidity.  Medium tannins.  Long finish. This needs about 5 to seven more years until peak and then should be great for ten to twenty more years.  It will work with big foods like steak or roasts.  

Wow.  This wine was decanted  for 10 hours in a Magnum size decanter prior to serving.  It needed every bit of that.  Inky purple in color.   What an awesome nose.  Cassis, moist earth, baking spice and slight cigar box.  On the palate, this has firm tannins.  Loads of cassis, some black cherries over a rich earthiness with some cedar.  Great balance.  This is a powerful wine but not a monster in that sense.  Lots of fruit but with pin point attack.  Long finish.  This needs at least ten years to get close to peak but if you can't resist, a decant of at least 12 and even 24 hours is needed.

This is the home vineyard of winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown.  His single vineyard wines Cabs are (for now) some of the most attractively priced top wines from Napa.  This wine has really improved since release and it was excellent back then.  Deep purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, blueberries, cloves and a slight menthol note.  On the palate, this has light to medium tannins.  Layers of cassis and blueberries with slight tobacco and cigar box.  A slight menthol note on the long finish.  This is drinking great but will continue to mature.  Maybe another 7 to ten years un