Oakville

This was an outstanding Napa Cabernet.  It might be hard to find, but this bottle was purchased recently for $53 and it's a shame we didn't buy more.  Deep purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is classic with cassis, slight blueberries, dust and cedar.  On the palate, this has silky tannins.  It is young but delicious.  Cassis fruit mostly but some blueberries.  Nice ripeness without being over the top.  Good balance.  This should continue to get better over the next five to seven years and be good for at least a decade after that.  It will need bigger and heavier foods or drink on

Always a pleasure to try on of the older stalwarts of Napa Valley.  While this might not have the cache it had 30 years ago, it still is one of the best wineries in Napa.  And this is one of the better values for Napa Cabernet.  Purple in color.  The nose is lovely with cassis, dust, slight tobacco and spice.  On the palate, this is full bodied with nice lush fruit.  Firm tannins still, this probably could have used a decant.  Nice cassis fruit over spice and slight charred earth on the palate.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  Will work with bigger or bolder foods.  Perhaps some upside to cell

My third time trying this bottle and it is incredible.  I have scored it 99 and 100 and this again gets the top score.  This bottle was opened 12 hours in advance, checked for quality, and then allowed to breathe.  Served with stuffed roasted peppers with feta, it was an excellent match.  Deep purple in color.  The nose is great with cassis, cedar, dark chocolate and spice.  On the palate, this is not overblown.  There is some obvious oak showing but it integrates nicely.  More than enough fruit to age this out beautifully.  Deep and complex but tight.  Drinking great now but will continue

Any time you get to try a Schrader wine it is a great night.  But, when you go to a friends house and see this open, well, it doesn't get much luckier than that.  Inky purple in color.  The nose is great with cassis, blueberries, charcoal, spice and slight graphite.  On the palate, this is precise and tight.  It opens slowly in the glass with firm tannins.  Cassis and blueberries carry thru but it seems bottomless.  This needs a long decant or better yet a decade in the cellar.  It is delicious now but so much upside.  Long finish.  It makes a wonderful cocktail but with some patience, this

So, Nils Venge has been making great wine in Napa for decades.  This is a family project and his son Kurt makes the wine.  IIRC, this is my first time trying this wine and it was amazing.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, cedar, smoke and the slightest graphite note.  On the palate, this is one of those wine with so much energy it seems every sip is a bit different than the last.  Of course, it is young and that will probably change as it settles down.  Firm tannins at the moments.  Juicy cassis fruit with some underlying char.  Clean with great balance.  Long finish.  This would

This was a Six Liter Methuselah bottle of wine.  The cork came out in one piece with the use of a Durand.  It was soaked up the sides but did not leak.  The bottle was sampled right away and then over the next few hours.  Purple/ruby in color.  It looked to be about ten or fifteen years old (not 41).  The nose was initially muted, but with air this had some cassis and black cherries, some dried fruit, dust, cedar and a slight funk.  With air, it got younger for the first hour and then plateaued.  On the palate, this still has a nice freshness to it.  There is some age showing but not a whol

Purple in color.  The nose has nice cassis, a bit of blueberries, spice and cocoa dust.  On the palate, this is very good but lacks intensity.  Lots of cassis fruit along with some chocolate.  Good finish.  This won't get any better but should be good for another ten years.  Will work with medium and heavier foods.  

Pop and pour, like many 2012's this seems a bit shut down right now.  Luckily, there was time to wait.  After about an hour it opened nicely.  inky purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, cassis, spice, dried cherries and a slight tobacco note.  On the palate, this is drinking quite well.  Black cherries and spice.  Nice texture.  Sill young, it unwinds in the glass.  Deep and tightly complex.  Good finish.  This is a robust wine that needs about five years of good cellaring.  It has a couple of decades left.  Will work with bigger foods but works great on its own right now.  

Wow.  This wine should make old bones, but it is so good now, it is not likely to.  Stunning wine that seemingly gets better and better.  This bottle was consumed over 4 hours and the last glass was the best.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, graphite, cedar, blueberries and spice.  On the palate, this has a seamless texture.  Delicious.  Deep and tightly layered; it explodes in the glass.  Tons of cassis and blue berries layered with minerality and spice.  Medium tannins.  Long finish.  It does need bigger or spicier food, but it is oh so good.  

Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, tobacco, it is slightly dusty and cedar.  On the palate, this still has some tannins left and plenty of fruit but is fully mature.  Cassis with some black olives.  This seems like a good bottle.  There is a nice complexity to it.  Very smooth.  Very food friendly.  Blind, i think most people would guess mature Bordeaux.  Of course, with a wine of this pedigree, there is always a lot of anticipation, but I think this is probably the wine producers were trying to  make back in 1997.  It succeeds at that if a very different wine from most 1997's.