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 bottle was singing with a little air.  Inky purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, a touch of char with an earthy note and a slight menthol note on the back end.  Full bodied with a great texture.  The palate has boysenberry fruit and black pepper with underlying char.  deep yet already accessible.  This is a big hearty wine but compared to prior vintages this seems to be maturing, or at least opening, a bit faster.  Nothing wrong with that especially for Petite.  Delicious.  This should continue to open and mature and drink well for the next ten to fif

Great showing for this wine.  Pop and pour, it took a couple of hours to really get going.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, cedar, slight black cherries and minerality.  Full bodied but not over blown.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, precise cassis with under lying minerality.  It grows in the glass.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is still young and needs about seven to ten more years until peak.  It should be good for another fifteen to twenty after that.  It drinks well on its own and will work great with heartier fare such as pot roast.  

This continues to be one of my go to wines for reasonably priced Napa reds.  It is a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon with the rest made up of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, baking spices, slight oak, and a bit of leather.  Medium to full bodied. On the palate, there is nice cassis fruit with underlying earthiness.  Medium finish.  This should continue to drink well for the next eight to twelve years.  It drinks well on its own and would be a nice match with roasts.  

This is the "base" Cabernet from the home vineyard of Thomas Rivers Brown.  It is anything but a simple wine though.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great and surprisingly open given its young age.  Cassis, cedar, spice, blueberries and slight floral notes.  Full bodied with firm tannins.  Concentrated cassis with underlying clean earth.  Long finish.  This really does need at least five years and better to give it ten more years.  After that it should be good for another ten to twelve.  If opening sooner, than give it a long decant.  It drinks well on its own but wit

Another stellar Myriad Cab.  Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is great with cassis, graphite, cedar and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has firm tannins.  Loads of cassis fruit but it doesn't come off as cumbersome or a fruit bomb.  It is a bit tight and needs some air before it opens.  Shows cassis over spice and slight char.  Long finish.  This wine really needs seven to ten more years until peak (maybe more) and should last for another fifteen or twenty years.  

My first time trying this winery and I am impressed.  I kept reading things like "old school" or "medium bodied" and I think those descriptions are missing the point.  First off, this is delicious!  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  The nose is great with a bit of air.  Cassis, slight clove, black cherries, just the slightest whiff of bell pepper and spice.  On the palate, this is in fact medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  But, this is not Bordeaux or "Classic" Napa.  It has plenty of sunshine and ripeness.  Lots of energy.  A wonderful mouthfeel.  The fruit pops on the attack and the

Great showing for this wine.  One of the best Petite Sirah vineyards!  This is inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with boysenberries, gravel, violets and spice.  Full bodied.  Lots of energy.  This is big but not over the top (especially for Petite).  Lots of black raspberry fruit over a gravelly bed.  Some peppery notes too.  Medium tannins.  Long finish.  This should continue to evolve for another five to seven years and drink well for ten after that.  It is also delicious today.  Drinks great on its own, this will work with roasted veggies or meats.  

This is a nice value in Napa Cabernet.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, spice and dust.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, nice cassis fruit with underlying spice.  Solid finish.  This is easy to drink on its own but will b a nice wine with a burger.  Drink over the next five to seven years. 

From Magnum.  This was tasted right after some older Bordeaux's and the difference was obvious.  Both styles were good, but even at age 17, this was about fruit and sunshine while still showing some tertiary development. Purple in color, opaque and bright.

This is the top bottling offered by Realm.  They take the best lots in the cellar and blend them into a proprietary blend.  Very little is produced.  In 2017, the fires forced Realm to only utilize fruit that was picked early  on in harvest, so it is likely a different blend that typical.  This is purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black cherries, spice and cedar.  On the palate, this is more about black cherries with some cherries and some black raspberries.  It has a wonderful texture.  Very concentrated.  Medium to firm tannins.  Nice finish.