Napa Valley

• Atlas Peak
• Best of Napa
• Calistoga
• Conn Valley
• Diamond Mountain
• Howell Mountain
• Mt. Veeder
• Oak Knoll
• Oakville
• Pope Valley
• Rutherford
• Spring Mountain
• St. Helena
• Stags Leap
• Yountville

A new winery for me.  Wowza!  Of course, this is also a great vintage.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, blueberries, baking spices, and slight chocolate.  Full bodied with a lovely lush texture.  On the palate, lots of lush fruit without being a fruit bomb.  Medium tannins.  Delicious.  Still young and primary, it is hard to see where it goes, but I suspect it ages beautifully over the next twenty years or more.  While patience will be rewarded, there will be no regrets opening one now.  Probably better on its own now, as it ages it will work great w

Great showing for this wine.  Young, but tasty.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, graphite, and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is a big wine.  It is jammy and full of fruit, so make sure you share it with people who like that style.  I did, and they loved it.  Lots of cassis, some blueberries with some spice and graphite as well.  This is still primary with a lovely texture.  Delicious.  Long finish.  This probably drinks better on its own right now but would work with a grilled steak.  Drink over the next ten years or so.  

This is part of the new lineup of Penfold's wines that are from other than Australia.  This one is from Napa.  I believe it is supposed to be a Napa version of their Bin 407 from Australia.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis and an interesting scent that I have notice rarely in other wines that can best be described as the fat off a fresh corned beef sandwich at a Jewish delicatessen.  There is also a bit of baking spices.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is ripe fruit with a lot of cassis.  Some underlying char/smoke.  Nice finish

This is a well endowed, Bordeaux blend from Napa.  It is full throttle and delicious although some may not like that style.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, plums, graphite, cedar, and anise.  Firm tannins.  Full bodied.  On the palate, the black raspberries come thru in spades with some underlying char and graphite.  Great lush texture.  15.6% abv.  Long finish.  No noticeable alcohol on the palate other than the texture.  This drinks better on its own right now, but would work with roasted meats or fowl.  Drink over the next few years to enjoy the

This is a very nice fruit forward Napa Cab.  Purple/ruby in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, chocolate, and tobacco.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, there is ripe cassis fruit, some oak showing and slight dry earthiness.  Nice finish.  This is easy going and will make nice drinking over the next ten years.  A great choice with a burger off the grill.  

This is the basic Cab from Mending Wall whose winemaker is Thomas RIvers Brown.  A delicious Cab that is drinking very well right now.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, gravel and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, solid cassis fruit over a gravelly base.  This should continue to drink well for the next decade or so.  A nice match with grilled or roasted meats or veggies.  

This is a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec and 9% Petit Verdot and  always one of the stars of the Flora Springs portfolio.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, plums, a wet, rich earthiness and a sort of tree bark note that is intriguing.  Full bodied with firm tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries, and a lush chocolate milkshake with a touch of underlying earthiness.  This is a decadent wine that while still young is delicious.  Give it a few more years until maturity and the score should rise even higher.  Drink's great on it own, this will

This is their Napa (not from a single vineyard) wine.  Again, 2018 is proving to be a great vintage and this wine is no exception.  This is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that sees 70% French oak and 30% American oak barrels.  It has a deep ruby color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, dark chocolate and cedar.  Full bodied.  On the palate, the cassis comes thru but the coffee is more espresso.  Some underlying char.  There is a lot of vibrancy and energy here.  Firm tannins.  Long finish.  This needs about three to five more years until maturity although it is drinking well right now.  Ple

This is an excellent value in Napa Chardonnay.  Light golden in color with slight green hues.  The nose is pretty with lemons and grapefruits with a slight smoky char.  Medium bodied with a lovely, slightly oily, but creamy texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Just a  whisper of oak showing.  Nice minerality with underlying chalk.  Nice lemon/lime fruit with good acidity.  Solid finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue to do so for five to seven more years.  It drinks great on its own, but will work well with lighter food, but also salmon or shark.  

This is the Robert Mondavi Winery's version of a Sauvignon Blanc.  It is actually 87% Sauvignon Blanc and 13% Semillon.  It is also a great value in California Sauvignon Blanc.  Light golden with some green hues in color, clear and bright.  The nose shows a slightly grassy note with plenty of tropical fruits.  Also a bit of citrus.  It has a very creamy texture which is nice and enough acidity to come off as crisp.  On the palate, mostly guava and papaya fruits.  Ripe and delicious.  Drink this over the next few years.  This drinks great on its own and will work well with lighter foods.  A