Napa Valley

• Atlas Peak
• Best of Napa
• Calistoga
• Conn Valley
• Diamond Mountain
• Howell Mountain
• Mt. Veeder
• Oak Knoll
• Oakville
• Pope Valley
• Rutherford
• Spring Mountain
• St. Helena
• Stags Leap
• Yountville

From one of the premier producers of Cabernet Franc in California.  The vines are part of what was historically To Kalon vineyard.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, slight cigar tobacco and cedar.  Wonderful texture.  Medium tannins.  Nice balance.  On the palate, lots of black cherries, some cassis with underlying spice.  Lots of energy.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This should last another ten to fifteen years.  Great on its own, better with food.  Roast duck or chicken would be great.  

A classic Napa Bordeaux blend with 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  Shimmering bright and opaque.  The nose is complex and great.  Cassis, black cherries, earthy, hay, char and slight milk chocolate.  Medium to full bodied.  Slightly sinewy texture.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherries cassis, carob, with a touch of eucalyptus on the long finish.  This is still young and a few more years in the cellar ought to up the score by a couple points.  Either way, this should drink well over the next twe

Gorgeous wine that needs a bit of cellar time.  This is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot.  Inly purple in color, magenta at the rim, clear and bright.  The nose is tight but with air opens to cassis, chocolate, cedar and a scent best described as sauteed onions (unusual but very nice).  Firm tannins.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate cassis, chocolate, char and a slight chalky note.  Great almost seamless texture.  A bit of tart raspberries make a delightful finish.  This needs a few more years in the cellar or a long decant and the score will undou

Nice to try this from a "lesser" vintage but with some nice age on it.  It is in a very good place right now.  It is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Cabernet Franc.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, tobacco and a slight herbal notes.  Also a but of spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, cassis with underlying char.  Lots of depth.  Nice finish.  This won't get better but it is drinking very nicely and should continue for another eight to twelve years.  It works on its own but worked great with mushroom ravioli.  A great example of great

This is made by winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, one of the top winemakers in the world. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is huge with cassis, cedar, baking spice, anise and char. Full bodied. Almost seamless texture. Juicy acidity. On the palate, loads of cassis with nice minerality and underlying char. Long finish. This is delicious. This is still quite young and will mature and probably get even better. Drink over the next twenty years. Great on its own, this will work with bigger meat dishes or even roasted veggies especially root vegetables.

My first time trying this winery.  It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, dust, cedar and mint.  Full bodied.  Soft and accessible texture.  Delicious.  On the palate lots of cassis with underlying char.  Firm tannins.  A bit of dark chocolate on the long finish.  This is drinking well but will undoubtedly mature and improve a bit.  Great on its own, it needs bigger food such as a steak or rib roast.  Drink over the next twelve to fifteen years.  

This is a new winery for Intowine.com.  Vintner Joe Wolosz, along with his husband and partner Jeff Durham are making some exceptional wines in Napa.  This one is quite good, but it is very tight and needs some cellaring to really hit its peaks.  Purple in color with the thin ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has loads of cassis, cedar and fresh cut oak note.  It is very rich.

This is a Merlot dominant Napa Red proprietary blend from Oak Knoll.  Really an impressive wine.  Inky purple in color with a thin ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is tight (it is young) but with some air, black cherries, cherries, and milk chocolate emerge.  With a bit more air, there is also cedar, cassis and slight sandalwood and dust.  It took a few hours to full open up without any decanting.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherries, cassis, plums, over a char and slight tobacco.  Long finish.  This is delicious and has a nice complexity.  If drinking soon, giv

This is made from 100% Pinot Noir.  It has a deep ruby/orange color, clear and bright.  A bit darker than typical roses.  On the palate, there are strawberries, cherry powdered candy (li-a-maid?), with a slight tea and gravel.  Medium bodied.  Lovely texture.  On the palate, the strawberries come thru with some red apple notes and underlying gravel.  A bit of orange candy on the finish along with a slightly bitter orange pith note.  Tasted over two nights, it was better on night two which is rare for a Rose.  This is concentrated.  It drinks great on its own and will work well with lighter

This was bottled and released to celebrate the Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl appearance (and victory).  Los Carneros is Spanish for The Ram.  This is a cooler climate than much of Napa and while the area is not know for Cabernet, this one is a very nice example of a cooler climate Cab.  Unfiltered and unfined.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  Ruby at the rim.  The nose is dusty with black cherries, cassis, slight rhubarb and sandalwood.  Medium to full  bodied.  Lovely sinewy texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, nice black cherries, plums with a chalky/chocolate note.  Long finish.