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Very pale pink in color.  The nose has slight strawberry notes.  Light bodied.  On the palate, this has some strawberries.  Very light.  Served quite cold (at a wedding at the ranch), this was refreshing.  It should be consumed this year.  It lacks a lot of acidity, so keep the food light or serve on its own.  Serving ice cold was probably a good idea.  

I attended a wedding recently at Holman Ranch and this was served.  Of the three wines I tried, this was the best one.  Pale gold in color.  The nose has some peach and melon.  Nice.  On the palate, this is nice.  Easy drinking with a bit of melon.  Clean.  No bite. This should be consumed in the next year or so.  It will work with lighter foods or on its own. 

This is the top wine that Duckhorn makes.  It is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has black cherries, cassis, spice and slight chocolate.  On the palate, this has a lovely texture.  It is not a monster wine, but has a nice elegance to it.  It is younger-ish with firm tannins.  Lots of black cherry fruit with some underlying sandalwood and slight forest floor.  Good finish.  This will work well on its own but also with a wide variety of meats and fowl.  It should be close to peak but should be here for at least another

This is a blend of 62% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot.  It is a delicious wine that while still young is drinking well.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, cassis, cigar box, plums and baking spice.  On the palate, this is full bodied.  Lots of black cherry and cassis with forest floor.  Thick tannins.  Long finish.  Obviously young, this will continue to improve for another seven to ten years and then be good for at least ten to fifteen after that.  It drinks well on its own and will work with roasts or casseroles.  

This is very nice take on a California Chard.  It is more mineral driven than I expected and doesn't show much sign of malo (butter).  There is a fair amount of oak showing, but that will likely subside as it matures.  Golden in color.  The nose has a nice peach quality along with a bit of vanilla and slight toasty oak.  On the palate, this is full bodied but enough acidity to give it a bit of crispness.  Nice mouthfeel.  The peach flavors come thru.  Good finish.  This is drinking well now, but should improve for a few years and be good for seven to ten years at least.  It drinks well on i

Opened for our 27th Anniversary.  At age 27, this wine is doing well.  Of course, when a wine gets this old, every bottle is different.  This was a good, if  not great bottle.  Opened an allowed to breathe for 30 minutes, then enjoyed over the next couple of hours.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has cassis, rust, and slight brown sugar.  The last two suggest a slight oxidation and slight exposure to heat.  It was better, however, on the palate.  Deep and complex with slight layers of cassis and earth.  There was a hint of oxidation on the palate as well but the fruit was still youthful enou

Time has been quite kind to this wine.  On release, this was a bit disappointing after the stellar 2001 and 2002's.  At age 16, however, it has put on weight, aged slowly and is a terrific Merlot.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  The nose has milk chocolate, cherries and just a bit of raspberry.  On the palate, this has nice layering of fruit and earth.  Tannins are all resolved.  Easy drinking.  Good finish.  This won't get better and should be drunk in the next few years.  It will go well with roasts and casseroles of all types.  

Torrin makes some of the best Rhone styled wines anywhere.  This is 30% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Tannat, so not completely a Rhone styled wine.  Close enough.  There wines are big and generally need at least five years to start to be approachable for my tastes.  This one is just getting there.  Purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, plums, slight black cherries, blueberries, slight dust and spice.  It's great.  On the palate, this is big and wide.  Great texture.  Loads of black raspberry fruit with some blueberries and a bit of black cherries.  It's d

This is a classic example of how well these high octane Syrah's from Paso Robles can age and mature given the chance.  The bottle lists this at 16.5% ABV.  On release, many naysayers said it would fall apart after five years.  They complained about the heat and taste, many without even tasting it first.  Now, I will admit that I liked this wine young.  And, at age 17, I liked it even better.  Of course, if you didn't like it young, you probably won't like it now I suppose.  But, it clearly has not fallen apart.  It is delicious, complex and has years left.  This wine was made by Justin Smit

Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice with black cherries, char, and spice.  On the palate, this is a bit thinner than the Heritage Selection (but still a big wine).  A bit more complexity if not depth.  On the palate, black cherries continue thru over a smokey (not fire related) base.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This needs five to seven years to peak and should be good for ten to fifteen after that.  It does drink well now on its own and will work well with grilled foods.