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From the eponymous winery of Thomas Rivers Brown.  They make some stunning Cabs and this one is always one of my favorites.  The 2017 version is no exception.  The only real question is just how good it will get.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, blueberries, slight floral notes, sandalwood and a roasted wood quality.  This is one wine where the descriptor of sexy will work.  The palate is tight but in the glass opens with cassis, slight blueberries over a a nice hard, dry earthiness with gravel and graphite.  Some sandalwood on the finish.  Medium to full tannins.  This should c

This is consistently one of my favorite Zinfandels.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose is nice with cherries, slight wintergreen, and sandalwood.  On the palate, this seems a bit lighter than prior years.  Good acidity.  Light tannins.  Nice cherries and raspberries with some underlying bramble.  Good finish.  Drinking well right now, it probably should be consumed in the next eight to ten years.  It will be interesting to see if it develops more or puts on body.  It is actually very food friendly and will work with a wide variety of medium and heavier foods.  

This is former baseball great Tom Seaver's wine project.  He may be a celebrity but this is a serious project with the wines being made by Thomas Rivers Brown.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is great with minerals, cassis, roasted herbs and a slight minty note.  On the palate, this is concentrated.  Black raspberry fruit over a dry forest floor.  The roasted herbs carry thru to the finish.  Firm tannins.  This needs five to seven more years to really open and then it should be good for another twelve to twenty.  A delicious wine on its own, with air or cellaring this will work

This is a nice tale on Petite Sirah made from Howell Mountain grapes.  It is quite intense and will need some cellar time to reach full potential.  Inky purple in color.  Opaque and bright.  The nose is tight but has boysenberries, slight pencil lead and slight gravel notes.  On the palate, firm tannins.  Boysenberry fruit.  Very tightly packed.  Persistent finish.  It is quite tasty but clearly will have more to offer in five to ten years.  It should be best in seven to fifteen or so years.  This will drink better with food such as roasts, stews and casseroles.  If drinking soon, give it a

Palisades is one of the better Petite Sirah vineyards (albeit there are not that many).  This was my first time trying a wine from Mending Wall.  Their facility is where Thomas Rivers Brown makes much of his wine these days.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has boysenberries, clay, gravel and slight char.  On the palate, this is delicious already.  Medium tannins.  Reserved black raspberry fruit with a soft texture.  Surprisingly accessible at this young age.  It should still improve over the next five to seven years and be good for another ten after that.  This will work great with Indian

I believe this is a new wine for Hobel.  Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, chocolate, some earthiness.  On the palate, this was a wonderful rich texture.  Lots of cassis fruit over a dry earthiness/dust.  Firm tannins.  This is ripe but not over done and no signs of being too ripe.  Long finish.  This seems like it is close to drinking well with a bit of air.  It will still improve over the next five to seven years.  It drinks well on its own and should work well with roasts and grilled foods.  

Made with fruit from the Ciminelli Vineyard.  This is the last year that Hobel will be making wine from this vineyard.  Deep ruby in color, inky purple at the core.  The nose is very nice with cassis, baking spices and a bit of char.  On the palate, this has nice black raspberry fruit and an interesting slight dark chocolate note.  There is some dustiness underneath.  Quite concentrated and complex.  It is delicious as well.  This should need about ten more years to peak but should be outstanding even if drinking a bit young (give it some air).  It was my personal favorite of the three Hobe

This is a project by Cameron and Bahaneh Hobel with Thomas Rivers Brown as the winemaker.  They now make, I believe, three different wines.  This is deep ruby in color with a purple core.  The nose is sweet black raspberries, spices and slight oak.  On the palate, this has nice cassis fruit, a hint of cough syrup over a bit of gravel and char.  I think this wine is more sweet than residual sugar which means that it should settle down a bit as it ages.  Medium tannins.  Good finish.  It needs about seven to ten years to all come together and should be good for ten to fifteen after that.  It

Another winner for this relatively new winery.  Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, spice, and slight cinnamon.  Firm tannins on the palate.  There is cassis with underlying dry forest floor.  Tightly packed for now, it does unwind a bit in the glass.  Seems just a tad more open than the 2016 but just as delicious.  This will still need about seven to ten years to reach peak and should be good for ten to fifteen after that.  Nevertheless, it is tasty today especially with some air.  It needs bigger foods right now if serving with a meal.  There i

This is a blend of 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, and 29% Cabernet Franc.  Another project made by Thomas Rivers Brown.  This is a gorgeous Bordeaux blend.  I know that many critics have worried about the 2017 vintage and while the fires are a legitimate concern, I have been loving them and especially the Cab Franc and Merlot.  I loved this even more than the 2015 which I scored 97 (reviews are on this site).