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 wine is just starting to come into its own.  A gorgeous showing for this Sauvignon Blanc from France.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is pretty with melon, peaches and minerality.  Medium bodied.  Crisp yet welcoming at the same time.  Great balance.  Depth and complexity.  The peach notes are stronger on the palate along with a chalkiness.  Long finish.  Just delicious.  This sill work great with seafood or lighter pasta dishes and of course, on its own.  No hurry, this seems like it is in middle age and will easily got another ten to twelve years.  

From a 375ml bottle.   At age 20, even from a half bottle, this is drinking great.  No hurry though, especially from a full sized bottle.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with chocolate covered cherries and raisins.  On the palate, this is sweet but not cloying.  Slightly viscous.  Lots of cherries cordial candy flavors.  Some warmth if not heat.  Deep and complex, it slowly unwinds in the glass.  Long finish.  Delicious on its own, this worked with blue cheese but chocolate is another fine choice.  It will easily last another fifteen to twenty years if well stored.  

Another excellent wine at a fair price from this established Napa winery.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has pineapple, slight lemons, vanilla, baking spice and toasted oak.  Full bodied with a creamy texture.  On the palate, this is big and bold and delicious.  Pineapple, vanilla, cinnamon, and burnt wood.  Good finish.  This drinks well on its own and will stand up to a burger or ribs nicely.  Also, roasted vegetables.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

This is the basic Cab from this winery.  It is still expensive ($70 on release) but it is an outstanding wine.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, cedar, graphite and slight chocolate.  Full bodied with medium tannins.  On the palate, cassis, licorice with underlying char/graphite.  Lovely texture.  Long finish.  This is still young but drinks great on its own.  It should continue to develop for another five years and be good for another ten after that.  A nice drink on its own and will work great with a steak or burger off the grill.

For fans of the Viognier grapes, no appellation is better in my opinion than Condrieu.  When allowed to express itself and not over burdened with oak, this is a gorgeous yet delicate wine.  Light golden in color.  The nose is so pretty with white flowers, quince and peach.  On the palate, this dances across the tongue.  It is delicious with the quince and peach coming thru along with underlying minerality.  While this should drink well for another five years, this is a wine that rewards drinking young.  The freshness and energy fade in the bottle and while still good, it loses a bit.  Great

A tremendous Chateauneuf year in and year out.  This is drinking great right now.  80% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 5% Vaccarese and miscellaneous grapes.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black cherries, plums, spice/garrique, slight bacon fat and dried flowers.  On the palate, this is just approaching prime.  Lush black cherry fruit with plums and underlying spices and earthiness.  Great texture.  Complex.  Vibrant.  Long finish.  This drinks great on its own and works well with a diverse set of roasted foods.  It should drink well for the next ten to twelve years.  

This was the wine that put New Zealand wines on the worldwide map.  That was twenty or thirty years ago (the winery was actually founded in 1985), and it had been a while since I have tried this wine.  And, it is still excellent.  Light green/gold in color.  The nose has tropical fruits and limes.  Very nice.  Clean.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  Just a hint of sweetness.  Tropical fruits with slight citrus.  Enough acidity.  Nice finish.  This drinks easily on its own.  It will work well with lighter foods, maybe a fruit salad?  Drink over the next three to five years.  

This is a desert wine from one of the world's great winemakers.  At age 19, this is fresh and drinking great.  Tasted from a 375ml bottle.  Purple in color with ruby hues.  The nose is pretty with black cherries, dried red currants, slight mint and milk chocolate.  Full bodied and viscous.  Sweet but nowhere near cloying.  On the palate, this is rich with cherries, black cherries, slight simple syrup, dried herbs and slight alcohol.  Long finish.  This is complex, contemplative and also delicious.  It should easily go another decade or more.  This is one to sip a small glass with on its own

This is a blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Grenache.  The name comes from the period of non-compete after Orin Swift sold the Prisoner Wine label before he could create his own wines.  The wines are, in fact, very similar.  That is to say, they are big, bold and fruity wines that people will mostly love or not.  For me, they are delicious and serve an important reason to drink wines.  Purple in color.  The nose is nice with black cherries, black raspberries, blueberries, slight baking spices and slight chocolate.  Full bodied.  Moderate tannins.  The palate has the same black fru