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Another great wine from Fait-Mail.  These wine get some buzz but deserve even more.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, slight graphite, cedar, spice and char.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great energy and balance.  On the palate, this is concentrated, intense and delicious.  Flavors of cassis, slight dark chocolate, spice and char.  Long finish.  This is still quite young and won't hit peak for at least a decade.  That said, it provides a lot of pleasure right now.  Drink over the next twenty years.  Fantastic on its own, this would work with big meat

The inaugural vintage of this wine.  This is a blend of 33% Zinfandel, 31% Petite Sirah, 22% Merlot and 14% Syrah from various appellations around California.  Deep garnet in color, clear and matte.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, gravel, spice and slight mocha.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, flavors of cherries and black cherries with some chocolate and underlying char.  Good finish.  This is accessible and ready to go.  It is nice on its own and will work well with many foods (not seafood).  Baked chicken dishes would work well.  Drink over

What a lovely Rosé and a great value as well.  Sort of a pink/purple/blue color with the pink dominating, clear and bright.  Very pretty.  The nose is nice with typical light cherries, strawberries and watermelon but also some interesting tangerine/orange notes and a bit of a dried herbal note.  Medium bodied.  Semi-plush texture.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is tasty with cherries, some watermelon and again a bit of orange citrus that seems to give it a jolt of acidity that livens it up and makes it very food friendly.  Nice finish.  It drinks very well now and will work well with a

This is a blend of 74% Sonoma fruit and 26% Cabernet.  A gorgeous wine that is just entering its prime drinking window.  Purple in color with some ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is classic with cassis, tobacco, slight cocoa and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is complex, deep and delicious.  Flavors of cassis, earthiness and spice.  Long finish.  This is great on its own and worked well with eggplant Parmesan.  It should have at least another ten or fifteen years.  I know a lot of people like to say these big Cal Cabs can't last.  Th

More known for the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Rhys does a nice job with its Syrah's as well.  More cooler climate in style, this still has plenty of oomph.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, char, roasted meats and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins at this point.  On the palate, this has a nice texture.  Some depth and complexity.  Flavors of boysenberries, spice and slight roasted meats.  Long finish.  This is great on its own and would work very well with a smoke brisket. drink over the next five to seven years.  

Great showing for this wine although still a bit on the youngish side.  Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is big and deep.  Cedar, cassis, slight blueberries, slight coffee, and char.  Full bodied.  Great plush texture.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is deep, complex and delicious.  It has a bit of a "Bordeaux" quality but the fruit is prime Napa.  Flavors of cassis, coffee, char and slight blueberries.  Long finish.  The last glass was the best.  This is great on its own but works with most (not seafood) foods.  This bottle was enjoyed with an assortment of che

This is an inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles that delivers for under $20.  Purple in color with some ruby hues.  The nose has black cherries with some spice.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is an easy drinking wine that would be good to serve for an outdoor cookout.  Flavors of black cherries.  Moderate finish.  A nice choice with a burger off the grill.  Drink now.  

This is a blend of 81% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah, and 9% Carignane.  A middle of the road style of Napa Zinfandel.  Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, slight raspberries, bramble, gravel and spice.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  Some depth.  Flavors of black cherries, cherries, slight cranberries and spice.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This is nice on its own and will work well with foods off the grill.  Drink over the next five years.  

This is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 7% Petite Sirah, and 5% Malbec from Napa.  It is a big wine (15.5% abv) but not over the top.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, boysenberries, char, chocolate and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Good balance despite the alcohol.  On the palate, this is tasty.  Flavors of cassis, black cherries, some milk chocolate, char and spice.  Some depth and complexity.  Long finish.  This should drink well for another five to eight years.  Great on its own, this would work well with a steak or burger.  

This is a blend of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Syrah, 18% Malbec and 16% Merlot from Napa.  The grapes are fermented separately and then blended for further ageing.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, cassis, black pepper, black cherries, chocolate and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is drinking well.  It has some depth and (varietal) complexity.  Flavors of black cherries, cassis, black raspberries, chocolate and char.  Good finish.  This drinks well on its own and will work with lots of foods.  A nice steak wine but also