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

Gorgeous.  This wine is sexy and almost seamless.  Although youthful, it is drinking beautifully at age ten with a decade or two left.  Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, sandalwood, blueberries, and cedar.  On the palate, just a great texture.  Deep, it shows nice layering as it unwinds in the glass.  Cassis and blueberries with minerals and char.  Quite smooth.  Long finish.  It is delicious.  Worked great with food as well.  

Excellent wine.  Still youthful and with upside potential.  Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, spice, cloves and slight crunchy leaves.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Great texture.  Juicy cassis fruit layered with earthiness.  Long finish.  Another one of those wines where each sip makes you want more and then the bottle is emptied.  Beguiling.  

This is about as good as Zinfandel gets for me.  It should probably be getting a higher score actually.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, spice, black pepper and slight bramble.  On the palate, this is almost seamless.  Great black chery fruit, slight blueberry.  Great balance.  It has a lightness that is deft while packing a powerful punch.  Delicious.  Will it get better?  I really, really need to try and stock one awy and find out.  Just a fantastic wine and a great value.  

I had been hearing good things about this winery so I bought a bottle.  It did not disappoint.  Purple in color.  The nose has raspberries, bramble, spice and black cherries.  Great texture.  Silky yet full bodied.  On the palate, this is juicy with great raspberry and dark cherry fruit.  Firm tannins.  Great acidity.  Nice finish. A delicious bottle of wine with a nice complexity.  Seems like it might have some upside to develop.  

I love how well Mike Officer made Zins in the difficult 2011 vintage.  Purple in color.  The nose is great with raspberries, black raspberries, brambles and slight spice.  On the palate, the texture is amazing.  Juicy acidity.  Good fruit.  The kinf of wine that is so delicious one can't help emptying the bottle quickly.  I know these last longer than people might think, but I just can't keep from opening them.  

Purple in color.  The nose is nice, if young.  Cassis, cedar and baking spice.  On the palate, very nice texture.  Cassis fruit with an underlying char and spice.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  Pretty middle of the road in style which is fine. Certainly has some upside to it based on other times I have tried this bottling over multiple days.  

I have been lucky enough to try this twice in a month.  Both times just as amazing.  Purple in color.  The nose is great with cassis, cedar and pencil lead.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is almost seamless.  Gorgeous texture.  Cassis with graphite and underlying minerals.  Long finish.  More elegant than powerful but it has power.  This is still quite young and needs a long decant or better yet, more time in a good cellar.  

This seems to be at or close to peak at this point.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, cedar, slight char and a slight earthiness.  On the palate, this is soft with thin tannins.  Cassis layered with earthiness and spice.  Nice finish.  Showing a very nice complexity.  Worked well with food.  This was a huge wine in its youth that has developed beautifully.  

Gorgeous wine.  Still drinking quite youthfully, this has decades left.  Inky purple in color, magenta at the rim.  Great nose with cassis, blueberries, cedar and violets.  On the palate this has such a luxurious texture.  Lush with cassis.  Also some charred earth.  Tight layers that expand in glass.  Great precision.  Long finish.  This may yet improve a bit and will certainly gain in complexity.  Year n and out, one the best Cabs offered anywhere.  

This is a very solid Napa Cabernet.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose has cassis, , milk chocolate and spice.  On the palate, this is sweet ripe fruit; cassis, licorice and vanilla.  It drinks quite easily.  Still young, perhaps it will gain more complexity with age.  Nice finish.  A very tasty wine.