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

This is the base bottling from one of the better producers of Napa Cabernet.  The grapes come from Larkmead Vineyard.  Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, spice, and a bit of floral notes.  On the palate, this is lush.  Medium tannins.  Lots of cassis over a bit of dry earth and slight vanilla.  Long finish.  This will continue to mature and improve for another five to ten and be good for another decade and a half after that.  It is delicious right now on its own and will need bolder foods.  As it matures it will offer a broader array of possibilities.  

This is interesting.  I normally prefer a Rose to be young (with a couple of important exceptions) but this still tasted youthful at 5 years from vintage.  It is made from Merlot and a bit of Cabernet Franc.  Orange/salmon pink in color, clear and bright.  The nose has watermelons, strawberries and slight hay.  On the palate, this is clean with just a touch of acidity.  Cherries and strawberries.  Nice finish.  This will go with anything from a light salad to a burger or fowl.  

My first time trying this wine.  William Segui works closely with Thomas Rivers Brown at Rivers Marie, Outpost and other TRB projects but this wine is he and his wife's own project.  The vineyard has been in his wife Mary's, family for 70 years.  The wine itself is excellent and for their first time at bat, they hit a home run.  Inky purple in color, magenta at the rim.  Pop and pour, this took some time to open and was still getting better when the last drop was consumed a couple hours later.  Bright and opaque.  The nose is really unique.  Sure, it has cassis and a bit of blueberries, but

Always a top Chardonnay known for its richness, this does not disappoint.  Light golden/green in color.  The nose has tropical fruits, melon, and a bit of a vanilla/floral note.  Very pretty.  On the palate, this is full bodied.  Enough acidity to make it lively.  Melons with a touch of butteryness.  Long finish.  It is a delicious wine and drinks well without food.  It will work with richer foods or even a lighter salad.  Drinking at peak right now, no hurry but probably should be consumed in the next five years.  

Scott Palazzo makes some mighty fine wines out in Napa.  This one is no exception.  This is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon hence the "Right Bank" name.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is very nice with black cherries, cherries, a bit of dark chocolate, slight cigar box and spice.  On the palate, this has a lush texture but is by no means a fruit bomb.  Good acidity.  This will work well with a wide variety of foods especially roasts.  There are still tannins present and this did improve a bit with air.  It should continue to improve for the next few ye

Randy Dunn's wines are notorious for taking a long time to open and develop.  A recent 1997 Napa was in great shape and just entering a drinking window.  So it was with some trepidation that I tried this wine.  It was actually drinking nicely, if tannic, tight and in need of a long sleep.  For those who like big tannins, perhaps they might open one now, but the price on this and its potential really do speak to showing some patience.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has cassis, some char and spice.  On the palate, this has firm tannins but persistent cassis fruit.  Deep but hard to see the bo

This is a blend of grapes from Napa (Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Malbec and Petite Sirah) combined with Syrah from Sonoma.  It is a pretty big and jammy style of red wine.  The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, graphite, baking spices and a bit of chocolate.  Rich texture.  A nice varietal complexity.  Light tannins.  This is ready to drink now.  Lots of purple and dark red fruits.  Tasty.  Probably better served as a glass on the deck but it will work with bolder foods.  Probably best if drunk in the next year or two as the exuberance and energy are what this wine is all about

Dunn Cabernet's have a reputation of taking forever to get to maturity but lasting a long time.  While that is more true for the Howell Mountain, it is also true for the Napa.  This one was purchased on release to celebrate occasions as my daughter, born in the same vintage grew up.  So, when she graduated college, this one was on the list.  It is drinking wonderfully right now and does not seem like it is 22 years from vintage.  It will easily go another decade and may be two before heading south.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice with cassis, some cigar box and spice. 

This one seems like it has seen better days.  There is still a fair amount of oak on it, yet the fruit is almost all faded.  I tasted this in its youth and it was a very nice wine.  It had a fair amount of oak but also a nice crispness to it.  If you own any, I would drink up.  

A question that comes up on occasion is whether a $125 bottle can be considered a value.  In this case, I say yes.  A Napa Cab of this quality often costs 4 times the price and rarely less.  The Bard is consistent from vintage to vintage and a truly great wine.  This is a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and the remaining grapes are Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  Inky purple in color.