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

I was expecting this to be a much bigger wine.  Perhaps it is the vintage as 2017 was a thinner vintage in much of Napa.  In any event, it is an excellent wine styled in more of a claret styled Zin.  As it is the first vintage I have had, I am curious if this is representative of other vintages.  Deep ruby in color with purple swirls.  The nose has red berries, some cedar and a ton of black pepper.  On the palate, the red fruit and the black pepper come thru.  Good acidity.  The drinks almost too easily.  Very good on its own, this would work with steaks of burgers too.  t seems like it sho

I am a huge fan of the eponymous winery of Steve Lagier and Carole Meredith.  They make some wonderful wines on their remote property in the mountains of Napa.  And they are great values.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, smoked meats, slight floral note and baking spices.  On the palate, this has a wonderful texture.  Lots of black cherry and black raspberry fruit with underlying char and slight earthiness.  Nice At age 13, this seems close to peak but may yet improve.  Either way, it should have ten to twelve years before slowly fading.  This w

It seemed a bit odd opening this with the Corona Virus spreading across the globe, but why not?  This is one of Rivers-Marie top Cabs and it is delicious.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, dark chocolate, slight plums, spice and cedar.  On the palate, this is full bodied.  Quite concentrated.  It still has firm tannins.  Lots of cassis fruit over spice and dry earth.  Good energy.  Long finish.  This still needs about five to seven years to approach peak.  It should be good for fifteen years after that.  It drinks well on its own right now and will work well with he

This can be a polarizing wine.  For some people, it is the definition of a fruit bomb and in a bad way.  To add insult to injury, those people seem incensed that the wine is so popular.  For others, this is one of the top Napa Cabs on the market.  There is no denying its success in sales volume.  It is purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has tons of cassis, some black cherries, toasty oak, and spice.  On the palate, this is jammy black raspberry fruit.  Light tannins.  Plenty of toasty oak.  It is big and for me, borders on too much but stays withing bounds.  It is tasty.  I would

On release, these were big, bold wines made, at least in part, by John Kongsgaard.  Of course, its now 21 years since vintage and one wold be hard pressed to call this anything but right bank if tasting blind.  Part of that is one doesn't expect a Napa Merlot to age this well.  It does have 10% Syrah in the blend so that may be part of it.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose is dusty with cherries, black cherries, slight cedar and some earthy funk.  On the palate, this has a great texture.  Black cherry fruit with a touch of dark chocolate and underlying earthiness.  This is complex and also vib

Of course, this bottle should have been consumed long ago, but it happens.  This acquitted itself very well, all things considered.  Deep ruby in color, some browning but not much at the rim.  The nose is dusty, earthy with some dried and macerated cherries.  On the palate, this has some layering going on, fresh cherries, dried cherries and forest floor notes.  Tannins are all resolved.  A bit tart.  Good finish.  This improved a bit with food.  I worked well with a vegetarian bean cassoulet.  These should be drunk up.  

This is a nice white from Mike Smith at Myriad.  Light golden in color.  The nose is a bit waxy with lemon (a slight furniture polish note) and nice minerality.  slightly viscous and slightly oily in texture.  On the palate there is a nice lemony note along with underlying minerality.  Crisp.  Good finish.  This is drinking well now.  it probably should be consumed in the next few years to enjoy its vibrancy but no doubt it can last longer.  It will go well with chicken salad or other lighter foods and sea foods.  

This is Becklyn's base Cabernet.  Even so, it is still a great bottle and is expensive.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Opaque and bright.  The nose has a lot of cassis, some cedar and spice.  On the palate, this is full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Lots of cassis, some blueberries over some cedar/earthiness.  Lush and delicious.  Nice finish.  This drinks great on its own right now.  It will require some grilled or roasted meat.  This should continue to evolve over the next seven to ten years and become more complex and food friendly.  It will drink well for twelve to fifteen years.  

This is a blend of 89% Syrah and 11% Petit Sirah.  It takes time for the Petite to emerge and today, the Syrah is really the show.  And a great show it is.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, char, violets, slight roasted meats and herbs.  Full bodied with a lush texture.  On the palate, juicy black raspberries with slight blueberries, and some underlying char and earthiness.  Medium tannins.  Long finish.  This drinks great on its own and went well with a chocolate cake but would work well with Indian food or roasts as well.  

Carlisle makes a variety of Zinfandels.  This is one of my favorites.  Great vineyard.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  The  nose has black rasoberries, bramble, and black cherries.  Also a bit of char.  Great texture.   A nice complexity with layers of black raspberry fruit, black pepper and woodiness/sticks.  Nice finish.  This is just passing the exuberant stage for a Zin but should continue to evolve for the next ten to twelve years.  It worked great with a chocolate molten cake dessert.