California

This was tight and of course young.  It was interesting to compare this to the Nine Suns (2012) to get a glimpse where it might be going.  For my tastes, this was much tighter than the 2015 Realm Moonracer.  Purple in color, magenta at the rim.  The nose has cassis, dust, minerals and spice.  On the palate, it has a beautiful texture.  Rich and lush with plenty of acidity.  Tightly packed, it takes vigorous swirling to open in the glass.  Firm tannins.  Tons of fruit though; cassis, dark cherries along with a nice bit of earth.  Very deep and brooding right now.  Long finish.  Hold on these

Once again, Scarecrow cements itself as possibly the greatest Napa Cabernet being made today.  At least for my tastes it is.  This is young and already it merits a 100 point score.  does that mean it won't improve?  More of a philosophical question as I am sure it will change and mature but better?  Perhaps but this is stunning right now.  Tasted among some of Napa's elite wines, this was my WOTN.  Purple in color, clear at the rim.  The nose has cassis, slight hay notes, blueberries, spice and slight baked earth.  On the palate, this is seamless.  Wonderful balance.  Perfect acidity.  Tann

First time trying this wine from one of my favorite California wineries.  Purple in color.  Thin ruby rim.  The nose is awesome; cassis, cedar, graphite and with air and intersting clay note comes out.  Great texture.  Rich yet juicy yet supple yet lush.  On the palate, black cherry fruit and cassis.  A great underlying minerality.  Tight but unwinds in the glass.  Deep and complex.  Almost seamless.  I suspect another year or two and this merits a 100 point score.  Easily has 2 or 3 decades of life in it.  Wow.  

A wine I had not had before and even though young, wanted to get a handle on it for future buying decisions.  Pop and pour, i did go back after a few hours and revisit this one.  Great wine.  Inky purple in color, magenta at the rim.  The nose has cassis, pepper, spice and a slight celery note which was not over powering and made it interesting.  On the palate, this is rich with kirsch/cassis.  Sort of sweet liqueur from ripe fruit but again in a restrained manner that was very nice.  Lively acidity.  Nice minerality.

Yes, this was too young to drink such a rare bottle, but so it goes...  Pop and pour, I did revisit it after a few hours.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, spice and a slight mineral backbone.  On the palate, this is really elegant.  Silky texture with sinewy tannins.  Great acidity makes it lively and energetic.  Cassis and dark chocolate shavings on the palate with again, a mineral backbone.  Long finish.  This obviously needs 5 to 10 more years before it should be opened, but it was great to get a glimpse into it now.  Hopefully, my friends that i s

My first time trying this wine made by Russell Bevan.  I love Russell's wines but I struggle with this one.  Purple to the rim.  On the nose, this had that aquarium note that I sometimes find in poorly handled wines.  I know this came from an excellent cellar but perhaps along the way somewhere?  I tried other glasses and it was consistent.  It did blow off a bit with air, but a taste at the end of the night, freshly poured, still had some.  There was some cassis underneath but hard to get to.  On the palate, its a bit better with coffee, cassis, slight graphite.  It also has a tingly acidi

I tried this a couple of years ago and thought it needed 10 more years.  Now, we are down to 8 I guess.  At least.  This is a spectacular wine but it needs time (think Latour).  While it showed well, it just felt like we there is more to come.  Indeed, if one has the patience to wait, this is probably a 100 point wine.  Today, its close but not quite.  Purple in color, magenta at the rim.  The nose has cassis.  Its dusty with iodine.  With air some dark cherries emerge.  On the palate, this is juicy with bright acidity.  Firm tannins that strengthen in the glass.  Black raspberries, blue be

My first time trying this vintage and only second time trying the winery.  Spectacular showing.  This wine was allowed to breathe for about 8 hours and still needed more air.  Some vigorous swirling in the glass allowed it to open, but it really needs more cellar time.  Purple in color, magenta at the rim.  The nose has cassis, blueberries, iodine and sandalwood.  Beautiful.  On the palate, there is some initial warmth but that disappears with air.  Very smooth.  Balance.  medium tannins.

My first time trying this that I can recall.  Very impressed.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is great with cassis, and slight graphite.  This bottle had been allowed to breathe for the better part of the day and still took some time to open.  It opened nicely in the glass though.  Bright acidity.  Cassis and slight cough drop note especially on the finish where it was joined with a bit of menthol.  Firm tannins.  Probably best to hold these or decant for a few hours at this point.  Some upside here for sure.  

I have had this before and loved it, but this bottle, not so much.  Perhaps an off bottle or shut down at this time?  Just last summer, I scored it 100 points, so this was curious.  Some liked it more than I, but most of the room seemed to comment that it wasn't what they might have been expecting.  It is good, but this should be one of the preeminent California Chardonnays.  It happens, but I can only review the bottle I drank.  Light green/gold in color.  The nose is dusty with tine, clay, spice and oak.  No fruit.  No noticeable TCA or other faults.  On the palate, it has a nice texture.