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

This is a blend of 73% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Malvasia and 12% Chardonnay from Napa.  Having tasted the last few vintages, this just keeps getting better and better.  One of my favorite white wines from Napa.  Green/silvery/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with tropical fruits, slight grassy note, and a bit of spice.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, peach guava, with slight chalk.  Good balance.  Long finish.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  This great on its own and would work well with trout or tuna off the grill.

This is a wine made by the late Dennis Malbec who left way too young.  The wine is purple in color, slight ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, spice, leather, char and slight black cherries.  full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, lots of cassis with underlying spice and char.  This is drinking well now but should continue to mature and drink well over the next twelve to fifteen years.  Great on its own, this will need some big fatty food such as a steak or roast.  

Bottle #5041.  In contrast to the regular 2018, this one is drinking great.  Such is the nature of the vintage.  While perhaps not a top vintage, it was better than many people say and the wines are so much more accessible young while still being delicious and complex.  That seems to be even more true with mountain fruit that is typically more concentrated than valley floor fruit.  The label lists 14.5%abv.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, spice, clay and chocolate.  Firm tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is very drinkable.  Cassis, chocolate and some sp

Consumed over three nights, I much preferred it on night 3.  On opening this showed a lot of oak and some heat.  By night three, the oak had integrated, the heat mellowed and it was a delicious Napa Cabernet.  This is made from a combination of Howell Mountain fruit and Rutherford Dust Vineyard Cabernet.  Purple in color with some ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is initially cedar and spice, but by night 3 there is cassis, cocoa powder, some cedar and a slight saddle leather note.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, by night 3, the tannins had integ

What a beautiful take on Vermentino.  Decidedly California in style, but the wine bears some resemblance to the classic Italian versions.  Light golden in color with some green hues.  Medium bodied.  The nose has a bit of citrus (tangerine) along with slight guava notes.  Slightly viscous.  Excellent cut.  On the palate, more lemon than tangerine with nice underlying minerality.  Lively acidity but no sharp edges makes this very easy to drink.  The acidity and minerality set this apart from so many Napa whites.  Nice finish.  Consumed over two nights, this was even better on night 2.  This

What a beautiful wine.  Inky purple in color, ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is very concentrated with cassis, baking spice, slight chocolate and a hint of char.  Full bodied with a lush texture.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is concentrated as well.  It took a couple of hours to open up.  Once it did, lots of cassis with coffee, spice and chocolate.  Lots of energy.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now but should continue to for another ten to fifteen years.  It drinks great on its own and will work well with roasted meats and veggies.  

This was the first vintage of what has been a consistently great wine since.  Purple in color, some ruby, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, spice, slight coffee grounds and char.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is quite concentrated.  Not over blown but plenty of cassis fruit with underlying char and spice.  Great balance.  Long finish.  This is drinking well but no hurry.  It will easily last another ten to fifteen more years.  It drinks well on its own and is a great choice for a roast or even a burger.  

This is a classic wine from a good if not great vintage.  The nice thing about that is the pricing may be better and the wine is drinking well earlier.  Purple in color with garnet swirls.  The nose is pretty with cassis, graphite, spices and slight roasted herbs.  Full bodied.  Lovely texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Deep with lots of cassis and spice.  Long finish.  This is drinking great now, but perhaps will still improve a bit.  It has a Bordeaux-ish personality but with California fruit (and sunshine).  Drink over the next fifteen to twenty years.  It will

Classic Napa Cabernet.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, spice and char.  Full bodied.  Nice complexity.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is still young, but drinking well.  Plenty of cassis with underlying char and spice.  Nice finish.  This is more old world in style but has a nice Napa ripeness.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  A classic steakhouse wine.

Due to a heavy amount of Brettanomyces, this is a love it or hate it wine.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has a ton of barnyard along with boysenberries and char.  Full bodied.  Mature.  On the palate, a few people that tasted this called it "chunky".  Not sure what that means but it is very earthy with some black raspberry fruit.  Good balance.  Having had three bottles now, the cleaner the bottle the better the wine, but I enjoyed them all.  Complex.  Deep.  Drink over the next five to ten years maybe longer for well stored bottles.  It does work well with heavier dishes s