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 took a while to open up in the glass and then it was gorgeous.  It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (57%) and Cabernet Franc (43%).  One of the Iconic California wines.  Inky purple in color, magenta at the rim.  The nose is beautiful with cassis, cedar, anise, some charcoal and slight blueberries.  With air a woodsy quality emerges as well.  On the palate, this has nice depth and complexity.  Firm tannins.  Sweet cassis fruit with some fresh tobacco notes intertwined.  Very deep.  It needs a few more years or a nice decant now.  It requires big food but will work with it or as a glass

Bryant is one of the classic Napa Cabs.  The wines generally take years to develop but this one seems to be about as good as it will get.  Of course, time will tell.  Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, some celery, and a slight floral note.  On the palate, the green/celery note is gone and there is plenty of bright cherry fruit.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  This is an excellent wine but knowing how good this wine can be in better vintages, this wine does not reach those heights.  Still, it worked well with a Roasted Eggplant dish and would work with roasted meats

I didn't remember until I got home that I had this once before.  Probably because the last bottle was good but it did not show this well.  Not quite sure why.  It might have been me, the circumstances, the food or just bottle variation.  This bottle was opened and allowed to breathe for an hour so perhaps that had something to do with it.  That's why we pop the corks though.  This bottle was outstanding.  It is a project of the famous winemaker Heidi Barrett.  In a vintage like 2011, this one managed to be clean, ripe and without any green streaks.  Very impressive.  Purple in color, ruby a

This is an outstanding Napa Cab.  It is, however, also quite expensive and while that doesn't figure into the tasting note, it does enter into buying decisions.  Purple in color, to the rim.  Opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, cedar, dust and slight salinity.  On the palate, the flavors all carry thru.  This is a bigger wine but not a monster.  It is deep and will need another five to ten years to unwind.  Quite delicious now however.  It went great with homemade Vegetable soup and homemade bread but will easily stand up to bigger foods.  I have a lone bottle left and will try to reme

This was an outstanding Napa Cabernet.  It might be hard to find, but this bottle was purchased recently for $53 and it's a shame we didn't buy more.  Deep purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is classic with cassis, slight blueberries, dust and cedar.  On the palate, this has silky tannins.  It is young but delicious.  Cassis fruit mostly but some blueberries.  Nice ripeness without being over the top.  Good balance.  This should continue to get better over the next five to seven years and be good for at least a decade after that.  It will need bigger and heavier foods or drink on

Always a pleasure to try on of the older stalwarts of Napa Valley.  While this might not have the cache it had 30 years ago, it still is one of the best wineries in Napa.  And this is one of the better values for Napa Cabernet.  Purple in color.  The nose is lovely with cassis, dust, slight tobacco and spice.  On the palate, this is full bodied with nice lush fruit.  Firm tannins still, this probably could have used a decant.  Nice cassis fruit over spice and slight charred earth on the palate.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  Will work with bigger or bolder foods.  Perhaps some upside to cell

This is the "second" label for Scarecrow wine.   It is a blend of blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 6% Malbec and 3% Merlot.  What a fabulous wine.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, some tobacco and slight graphite.  This is young of course but already delicious.  It kept opening all night but even the first sip was delicious.  Full bodied.  14.9% Alc.  Not a fruit bomb but lots of California sunshine and ripeness.  On the palate, cassis and black cherries with firm tannins.  An underlying forest floor quality.  It coats the mouth but has the acidi

Is there a more iconic wine made anywhere?  Arguably no and certainly not in the USA.  This is the wine that defines "Cult Wine".  The release price has closed in on $1,000 per bottle and the aftermarket is double for starters.  So, it is nice to actually open a bottle and see what the fuss is all about.  The first question is whether it is worth it.  That answer all depends on so much more than wine.  One pays for the rarity.  One pays for the status.  One pays for the experience.  Still, at the end of the day, how is the wine.  As Napa Cabs go, this is not a huge wine.  It is more about e

Perhaps not quite as good as the amazing 2013, but a stellar wine nevertheless.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, blueberries, smoke and slight floral notes.  On the palate, this is open and drinking well.  Still, it is deep and unwinds beautifully in the glass.  It really is well served with a few hours of a decant.  Cassis and other dark fruits with graphite and smoke intertwined on  the palate.  Juicy acidity.  Medium tannins.  Probably about five to ten years from peak and should last a couple more decades, but wonderful now.  Needs heavier food and great on its own.  

Pride has a long history of making great wines in different styles from different winemakers.  The reserve wines are at the top of their pecking order and for my tastes the Cabernet Reserve is usually the best wine that they make.  It is a middle ground in style between a full blown fruit bomb and a left bank styled wine from either California or Bordeaux.  This one was gorgeous.  Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, slight coffee, a bit of graphite and a bit of earth and char.  Full bodied with a lovely texture.  Deep.  It unwinds in the glass.  Lots of cassis fruit on the palate, with s