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 one of my favorite high-end wines.  Even at the $95 price tag, it is almost as good as Bevan's single vineyard designated red wines that sell for twice the price.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, coffee, black cherries, chocolate and graphite.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has muscular tannins but plenty of fruit to match up with it.  Juicy cassis and black cherries with underlying graphite and spice.  This drinks beautifully now but should evolve and improve over the next five to seven years and drink well for ten to fifteen after that.  It will need big foods righ

This is a proprietary red from Napa made from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, and 1% each of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.  Tasted from two bottles, and one bottle was good, the other one great.  At age 18, that is to be expected.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose is great with black cherries, black raspberries, gravel and roasted meat and herbs.  On the palate, this is complex as the layers start to unwind in the glass.  Black cherries dominate over a nice dry earthiness.  Light tannins.  Great balance.  Nice finish.  This drinks nicely on its own but will be even better with

We had two bottles of this.  The first was just amazing while the second was merely quite good.  At age 16, bottle variation happens.  The first bottle actually appeared and tasted older, so perhaps we just caught the second one in a dumb phase.  Purple in color, a bit of bricking at the rim.  The nose has cassis, camphor, slight cigar box and a sweet perfume.  Full bodied.  Tannins resolved.  This is mature and at peak.  Notes of cassis with underlying tobacco and slight char.  Nice finish.  This won't get better and should be consumed over the next five years.  It will work great with gri

it still amazes me that some people say California cabs don't age.  This one, at age 21, is gorgeous and still showing youthfully.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, tobacco and black pepper.  Open and very nice.  On the palate, there are light tannins present.  It drinks so smoothly.  Plenty of cassis, layered with earth and tobacco.  Long finish.  This wine is beautiful today but should last another ten years.  It will work nicely with roasted meats, veggies or fowl.  

A gorgeous wine.  Nice to be able to re-visit this wine.  Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose has cassis, dark chocolate and blueberries, with spice and slight cedar.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has lots of depth, layers of complexity that unwind in the glass and medium tannins.  Lots of up front cassis fruit with chocolate in the background over a graphite base.  Long finish.  This still has three to five more years to go until peak and should be good for ten to fifteen more after that.  Drinks great on its own and will work great with roasts or grilled foods.  

Another excellent wine at a fair price from this established Napa winery.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has pineapple, slight lemons, vanilla, baking spice and toasted oak.  Full bodied with a creamy texture.  On the palate, this is big and bold and delicious.  Pineapple, vanilla, cinnamon, and burnt wood.  Good finish.  This drinks well on its own and will stand up to a burger or ribs nicely.  Also, roasted vegetables.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

This is the basic Cab from this winery.  It is still expensive ($70 on release) but it is an outstanding wine.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, cedar, graphite and slight chocolate.  Full bodied with medium tannins.  On the palate, cassis, licorice with underlying char/graphite.  Lovely texture.  Long finish.  This is still young but drinks great on its own.  It should continue to develop for another five years and be good for another ten after that.  A nice drink on its own and will work great with a steak or burger off the grill.

Tasted from a Magnum.  This old guard of Napa is doing just fine thank you.  Delicious at age 12.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, mushrooms, and dust.  With a bit of air, it wakens up showing some chocolate and black cherry notes as well.  Full bodied.  On the palate, sweet cassis fruit with some dark chocolate and slight spice.  It has a nice depth to it.  Medium tannins.  Nice acidity.  This got better all night long.  This should continue to drink well for ten to twelve years.  It works on its own and went very well with a veggie pizza.  

This was from Magnum.  Just a gorgeous, if young, wine.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, coffee, gravel and spice.  What a wonderful texture.  Lots of energy, lush but precise.  Almost understated at first on the palate, it just keeps its presence.  Not a fruit bomb but a lot going on.  Light to medium tannins.  Cassis, chocolate over a gravel base.  Long finish.  This needs a few more years until maturity and should be good for fifteen to twenty years after that.  Great on its own, it will work well with bolder food, say, ribs off the grill or roasted veggies

This is from the Chiles Valley in Napa.  It is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, dust, chocolate and still showing a fair amount of toasty oak.  On the palate, this black cherry fruit with a bit of cough medicine on the finish.  Showing some complexity as it unwinds in the glass.  This still has some drying tannins to resolve,  Long finish.  This should continue to drink well for another ten to twelve years.  It will work well with a smoked brisket.