Expert articles and wine tasting videos profiling wines from California, California wine regions, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, & more.
Another nice wine from this producer. This is a GSM blend with some other grapes as well. Purple in color. The nose has black and red raspberries, black pepper and spice. On the palate, there is a nice varietal complexity. Easy dirnking but more than that. Nice texture. Some depth. Good with food. Youthful, there is no hurry on this but drinking well today.
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.
A very nice Sauvignon Blanc. Light green gold in color. The nose is slightly grassy with good minerals and slight limes. On the palate, a lovely oily texture. Nice fruit; kind of tropical and part citrus. Good acidity. Nice finish. Lovely wine that works well with food.
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.
As to be expected, this is quite young and tight. Yet, the nose is so precise it should develop beautifully. Black raspberries, black pepper, roasted meats and violets. On the palate, this took some time to open. Vigorous tannins. Black raspberry fruit tightly packed. Deep. Long finish. Don't open for a few years without a long decant.
My favorite of the 12, 13 and 14 trio of these wines (though all are good). This also seems to be the one with the most upside potential. Inky purple in color. The nose is dusty with black raspberries, black pepper and slightly roasted meats. On the palate this is flat out delicious. Deep with black raspberries, black cherries, juicy acidity and some chocolate. Long finish. Tightly packed it explodes in the glass. Great wine.
Inky purple in color. The nose has cedar, black raspberries and black pepper. On the palate, jammy black raspberries with some black cherries and chocolate. Good acidity. This is a very rich and open Syrah but still quite young. it will be interesting to see how these develop with ten or twenty years on them. I think they will be just fine and not too dissimilar from the better Northern Rhone reds. Time will tell.
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.
