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

There’s a belief I have that if you mess up any fruit from Howell Mountain there’s something wrong with you. Duckhorn has consistently produced an extraordinary Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2017 is no exception. Comprised of all Cabernet with 10% Merlot, this is a softer version than in years past, these tannins are a little more mild, the acidity a little brighter, and the fruit opulent and rich. Black cherry, blackberry, blueberry, and boysenberry, lead off and the fruit is a tad more expressive than in years past. It was aged 24 months, 18 of which were new French oak.

This wine has always been one of the outstanding performers in the Cuvaison portfolio and year after year is a wine that never ceases to impress. It is also one of those Chardonnays that makes you rethink Chardonnay because it is so beautifully balanced, so definitely handled, that it surpasses what most of us know about Chardonnay. Yes you’ll find light lemon-lime, green apple, kiwi, guava notes, but also viscosity and minerality. It also possesses a slight resin and stone fruit quality and maturity of fruit. That these vines are just 20 years old suggests there are great vintages ahead.

For 35 years Soliloquy has been the flagship white wine from Flora Springs in Napa. The wine bursts with grapefruit, lemon, lime kefir, lychee, and back notes of resin, white peach, Asian pear and mango. The acidity holds the wine and fruit in check while allowing it to be a companion with a diversity of food. It’s comprised of 73% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Chardonnay and 15% Malvasia and a brief seven months of aging in French oak rounds it out. This is a consistently solid wine and year after year is worth seeking out. 605 cases. ORIGIN: Napa Valley. ALCOHOL: 14.2%

Classic Napa Cab.  This is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec, and 2% Cabernet Franc.  The nose has cassis, dust, graphite, and mocha.  Full bodied.  Complex.  Velvety texture.  On the palate, cassis and black cherries with underlying spice/sandalwood.  Firm tannins.  Long finish.  This is still young but drinking well.  It should drink well over the next twenty years.  A great wine to drink on its own or serve with braised lamb.  

Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is very tight, but with air it shows cassis, blueberries, spice and slight mocha notes.  full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Very concentrated.  On the palate, black cherries, cassis, blueberries and mocha.  A bit of menthol on the finish.  Long finish.  This needs time or a few hours in a decanter but it is quite good.  Maybe another three to five years of cellaring and drink for fifteen to twenty after that.  Great on its own, it will need big, fatty foods such as prime rib. 

This wine is now called simply The Flight to prevent any confusion from thinking this is a second wine.  It normally has a more significant percentage of Merlot, but in 2012, it is actually 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc.  Beautiful wine.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, cassis, cherries, graphite and slight black olives.  Full bodied.  Silky but rich texture.  Great depth and balance.  On the palate, black cherries, mocha, slight char and spice.  Long finish.  Delicious.  Medium tannins.  This is drinking well no

Ruby in color with some purple swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, spice and char.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, plenty of cassis fruit.  Not overblown.  Also, some underlying char and slight leather.  Solid finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue for another ten years.  A great choice with a burger off the grill.  

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