This is a higher end wine from Chile.  It took about an hour to start firing and then kept improving.  Very "new world".  It is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 6% Merlot, and 3% Cabernet Franc.  The wine is deep ruby with a purple core.  On the nose, this is big with black cherries, tobacco, roasted herbs and slight dried cherry and dried floral notes.  Full bodied with medium tannins.  Big ripe/sweet fruit on the palate.  Cherries and black cherries.  There is a nice depth with tight layering.  An almost syrupy note.  Luckily, there is depth and good acidity to keep the

This was $20 locally but can be found for less in other parts of the world.  It took about 20 to 30 minutes to open up.  Deep ruby in color, lighter at the rim.  The nose has black cherries, bell pepper and very smoky.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  Light tannins.  Cherries turning slightly bitter on the finish.  A slight streak of Rosemary.  I don't drink a lot from Chile, but I am told that 2016 was a difficult vintage.  After the initial 20 minutes, this didn't change much.  It is a decent value for near term drinking.  It probably won't go more than five years.  A nice enough w

One of my favorite Washington Syrahs, the 2016 is right up there.  These are big Syrahs, especially for Washington, but they will come down with age.  inky purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black pepper and a slight floral (violets?) note.  Full bodied.  Wonderful, juicy texture.  Tons of black raspberry fruit on the palate with an underlying roasted herb note.

This is an interesting take on Rielsing.  Light golden/yellow in color.  The nose has an interesting citrus quality with a bit of sea air.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  Dry.  It is mostly about the minerality/salinity on the palate.  Somewhat concentrated.  Consumed over three nights, it was at its best on night 2.  Not the most expressive Riesling but very enjoyable.  It is very food friendly and will work with almost any food.  Fired chicken would be a great pairing.  Drink now and for at least ten to twelve years.  

Just an outstanding bottle of wine from a wine that is just about always great!  Light golden in color with slight green swirls.  A gorgeous nose with honey, pineapple, great minerality, salinity and crushed shells.  On the palate, this is slightly viscous.  Slightly sweet.  Wonderfully balanced.  Peaches, honey, red apples with underlying minerality.  Long finish.  This is just delicious.  Easy to drink.  Consumed over two nights it was very different but great on both nights.  Much more seamless on the second night if a bit less exuberant.  This will work well with salads and also spicy f

This is an amazing bottle of wine.  Very young, of course.  Deep purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, slight cedar, char, slight floral notes and just a bit of background earthiness.  On the palate, this has a lush texture.  It still has firm tannins.  Lots of black raspberry fruit.  Very concentrated.  An underlying earthy/tobacco-ness.  Lots of lively energy.  Delicious, this drinks very easily.  While it drinks well today, this will continue to mature for ten years and be good for ten to fifteen more after that.  A nice match with a roasted spagh

What an amazing wine.  This is one of the more "affordable" Cabernet's from Realm.  It is still very expensive, but this is some of the best that Napa has to offer.  It is about 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot.   Purple in color, opaque and shining bright.  The nose is great with cassis, blueberries, cedar, spice and char.  Just a gorgeous texture.  Lush and velvety but with enough cut to not be cumbersome.  Plenty of cassis and blueberry fruit with underlying tobacco and chart.  Long finish.  This is still young but just delicious.  With time, this will show more complexity although

A really nice showing for this wine and above my high expectations.  It is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec, and 5% Petit Verdot.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, cedar, plums, graphite and char.  On the palate, this is full bodied with medium tannins.  Lots of cassis fruit intertwined with char and oak.  Good length on the finish.  This is still on the young side of mature but drinks like a classic Napa Cabernet.  That is great fruit with some oak and plenty of depth.  This should continue to mature for another seve to ten years and be good for ten to

2016 is such a great vintage for Chianti's so there was a lot of hope for this.  It is solid but there are a lot of better values in the market.  Ruby in color.  The nose has cherries and slight hay.  On the palate, this is light to medium bodied.  Strong acidity.  Some cherry fruit.  Simple.  It requires food and worked fine with some pasta.  It started to show some volatile acidity after a few hours.  Drink now.  

This is one of the great values in Syrah.  I drink these while waiting on the single vineyard wines to mature.  Unfortunately, that means I rarely get a chance to let this age past a couple years.  Somehow, this one lasted, so good for me!  Purple in color.  The nose is great with black raspberries, roasted meats, slight black olives and spice.  On the palate, this is medium to full bodied.  Nice black raspberry fruit with underlying char.  Some depth and complexity.  Light tannins.  Very fresh.  Nice finish.  Seems like it could easily go another seven to ten years.  A nice match for India