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 great bottle of Napa Cabernet even if a bit young.  And that, is a great thing about Napa Cabs versus Bordeaux; they drink so well young.  Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is great with cassis, slight blueberries, cedar, slight cigar box and spice.  Also some char.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, there is lush cassis fruit with some blueberries.  Underlying cedar and char.  Lots of depth.  Great balance.  Delicious.  Long finish.  This will continue to mature for another eight to ten years and drink well for ten to fifteen more after that.  Wit

This is the "second" wine for Bevan, the other Cabs being single vineyard releases.  While it is expensive, it is half the price of those other wines.  It is a fantastic wine in its own right if not quite as good as those single vineyard wines.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, leather, slight coffee, some blueberries and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, what a great texture.  Rich and muscular but with a touch of finesse.  Flavors of cassis, and blueberries intertwines with coffee and spice.  Great balance.  Long finish.  This

This is another Napa Cab made by Thomas Rivers Brown.  Not inexpensive, but still under $100 isn't bad for a wine with this pedigree.  Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is great with cassis, slight blueberries, slight chocolate, graphite and spice.  Wonderful lush texture.  Lots of energy.  On the palate, firm tannins.  This is very concentrated at this young stage.  It could easily do with a 24 hour decant prior to serving.  Cassis, black plums, with some char and a bit of dry earthiness.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This should continue to improve for the next se

This is a very straight forward, tasty Napa Cab.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, slight blueberries, spice, and smoke.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate black raspberries and slight dark chocolate with underlying char.  Easy to drink.  Light tannins.  Nice finish.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  This drinks well on its own and would be a nice match with a steak or burger off the grill.  

This is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot.   Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is great with cassis, blueberries, cedar, spice and char.    Lush, velvety texture but lots of vibrancy.  On the palate, cassis and blueberry fruit with underlying tobacco and char.  Long finish.  This is still developing and will be for a decade.  That said it is delicious now and will continue to drink well for another fifteen to twenty years.  It drinks very well on its own and will work with bigger, fattier foods such as prime rib or a roasted veggie pizza.  

From the Larkmead Vineyard and made by Thomas Rivers Brown.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, cedar,  blueberries, and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this has juicy cassis fruit with some black cherries and some blueberries over cedar and char.  Still quite young, this should improve over the next eight to ten years and drink well for ten to fifteen after that.  Delicious and complex.  Right now this drinks better on its own and will need big flavors to stand up to it but with time it will settle down.  For now, braised short ribs would be

This is a brooding wine that is just starting to open up.  It improved with air.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is concentrated with cassis, iodine, graphite and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  The palate is also concentrated with cassis and spice.  Deep but stubborn.  Give it a decant.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years. This will work well with grilled lamb chops or grilled portabellas.  

This is part of the new lineup of Penfold's wines that are from other than Australia.  This one is from Napa.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, baking spices, and smoke.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is nice cassis fruit, spice and some underlying char/smoke.  Nice finish.  Drinking well now.  It will make great drinking over the next five to seven years.  It is probably better on its own but will work with bigger flavored foods.  The big question is if this improves with bottle age or not.  Time will tell.  

It is always a pleasure to drink an older Napa Cabernet.  This one is drinking beautifully today.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, spice, some tobacco, cherries and slight chocolate.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is a bit past prime but offering up a lot.  Some fresh fruit (cassis and cherries) along with tobacco and slight funk.  Nice finish.  Good complexity.  This should be consumed sooner than later but all bottles will be unique.  It drank great on its own and worked with some soft cheeses.  

This is a luxury bottle from one of the oldest Napa producers.  It is a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Merlot, and 1% Malbec.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, blueberries, cedar, and mocha.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, lots of cassis with some cedar and slight chocolate.  This is  still young but opens in the glass.  If drinking soon, a few hours in a decanter is a good thing.  Drink over the next twenty years.  It drinks well on its own but will require big flavors.  Fatty meats or roasted veggies would work.  P