This was Magnum 94/200.  A friend's daughter was awarded this bottle from her employer, and she presented it to him for his 60th birthday which was generously shared with his friends.  Amazing wine.  Silvery gold in color, a steady stream of tiny bubbles, clear and bright.  The nose is big with toast, Meyer Lemons, chalk and a hint of ginger.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is so smooth, yet so crisp.  Flavors of green apples, orange peel, minerals and some toast.  So complex and deep.  Incredibly long finish.  This is the best DP since at least 1996.  Quite a treat.  In Magnum format, i

Opened and decanted for sediment.  This is drinking well.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, slight bricking.  The nose is nice with cassis, cherries, leather and cedar.  Full bodied.  Tannins seem resolved.  On the palate, cherries and black cherries with underlying leather.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  This seems fully mature but not over the hill.  Complex and also delicious.  It would work well with braised lamb.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

This is drinking great right now.  Mature, but absolutely no hurry.  Decanted for sediment and served.  Purple/ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  No browning.  The nose is classic with cherries, cassis, tobacco, leather, slight funk and cigar box.  Full bodied.  Light but present tannins.  On the palate, lots of cherries, black cherries and cassis with earthiness and spice underneath.  Layers of complexity.  Great balance.  Long finish.  Contemplative.  Great on its own, this would work great with slow braised beef.  Based on this bottle, at least a decade left.  

Mending Wall is yet another winery utilizing Thomas Rivers Brown and his team and the wines are outstanding.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, some cassis, and baking spice.  Full bodied.  Voluptuous texture.  Firm but silky tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Black cherries and cassis with some spice and slight black pepper.  Good energy.  Long finish.  This is drinking well but will undoubtedly improve over the next seven to ten years.  Drink over the next fifteen to twenty.  It drinks great on its own and will work well with meat (or veggies

This is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is expressive with cassis, black cherries, dark chocolate and slight coffee.  Full bodied.  Rich texture with great balance.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is complex and layered.  Flavors of cassis, black cherries and chocolate with underlying char.  Long finish.  This is drinking fantastic right now but should still improve over the next five to ten years.  It should drink well for twenty more years after that.  Great on its own, this will nee

Not a great vintage for Oregon Pinot Noir, Thomas handled the vintage deftly.  This one is in a nice spot right now.  Getting close to peak but still some youthfulness.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, slight sour cherries, slight nutmeg, and a hint of earthiness.  Medium to full bodied.  Lovely sinewy texture.  On the palate, nice cherry and sour cherry fruit with underlying spice.  Good backbone of acidity.  Plenty of depth and complexity.  Long finish.  No hurry on this, it should go another ten years based on this bottle.  It doesn't seem like it wil

This is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot, and 13% Petite Verdot.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is very nice with cassis, black cherries, cigar box, vanilla and slight smoke.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has a nice texture.  Deep, it unwinds in the glass.  Light tannins.  Nots of cassis, cherries with some vanilla and a hint of char.  This wine comes off as much more elegant than their Cabernet and more seamless.  Some of that is the vintage as the 2017's are generally drinking earlier.  That said, this wine should drin

This is a serious Napa Cab that should be on your radar if you love Napa Cabs.  It is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon with the rest Cabernet Franc.  Eighteen percent of the Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from vineyards in Oakville and Yountville with the remaining coming from Ehlers Estate grown fruit.  It is middle of the road in style, not a bruiser but not shy either.  14.5 abv.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, chocolate, baking spices and cedar.  Full bodied.  Velvety texture that is lovely.  Medium to firm tannins.  On the palate, cassis, black cherries,

This is an inexpensive Malbec that delivers way above its price point.  Grown at 3,000 feet in elevation, the concentration shows.  13.5% abv.  It was tight upon opening but with about thirty minutes of air, it showed very nicely.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  Mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is tight at tfirst but opens to show black cherry fruit and baking spices.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is concentrated with black cherry fruit, baking spice and slight smoke.  A long finish.  This will benefit from a year or two in the cellar but if drinking now, open and let breathe f

This is a very nice entry level (maybe a step up) Malbec from Argentina.  Purple with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, plums, char and baking spices.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, black cherries and plum with underlying char.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  Nice concentration and some complexity.  This should improve a bit with a year or two of cellaring, but it is drinking well now.  Drink over the next three to five years.  A nice wine with a burger off the grill or maybe ribs.