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I am a big fan of the Lagier Meredith wines.  For some reason, this is the first review on this site, but that will be corrected.  Steve Lagier is a lifelong winery worker with impressive credits and associations going way back to Robert Mondavi.  Carole Meredith is a retired oenology professor at UC - Davis and one of the preeminent wine grape DNA researchers.  This winery is a two man team on top of a mountain.  Despite PG&E turning off the power, these two didn't even blink.  If there ever is a Zombie apocalypse, this is the place to be.  First, it is way too steep for Zombie's to ge

We shared this bottle with Rob Greer over a recent lunch in Napa and then finished it up at dinner giving it a lot more time to breathe.  For those on the mailing list, this is the current release.  The vineyard is in a spectacular location across the street and down the hill a bit from Scarecrow.  A very pretty property.  The wine itself is quite young but might be the best Greer yet, and that is truly saying something.  This is one of the best wines that Napa has to offer.  It is made by Aaron Pott.  Purple in color with a ruby rim.  The nose has cassis, slight sandalwood, spice and with

Biased Review.  This is our wine, so it was made in a style that I love.  Of course, I like it.  Although the critics were quite kind to it, YMMV.  This was consumed over two nights and was better on day 2.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black raspberries, slightly earthy with black pepper and slight roasted herbs.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has black cherries, char, slight plums and spice.  Medium tannins.  Nice acidity.  Good finish.  This still needs about five more years to peak and should stay there for another ten to fifteen after that.  Right now, it drinks

Wine is subjective.  A friend poured this for me and loved it.  I was less fond of it, so take this with a grain of salt.  Ruby in color.  The nose has craisins (dried cranberries) and dust.  On the palate, this is a bit sour with more craisins.  There is some heat.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  It seems like it should be consumed now though it might benefit with some air.  It might go with lighter foods.  This is a solid wine and certainly a unique take on Grenache.  

Another gorgeous showing for this Syrah.  It is still youthful although like many 2013's, they have turned the corner and are moving to adulthood.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, roasted meats, roasted herbs and black pepper.  This is deep with about 30 minutes of air.  Tons of fruit; black raspberries over a char finish.  Very concentrated.  Moderate tannins.  Long finish.  Delicious.  Very structured at this point, this may yet get a bit better!  Worth holding another few years though this wine is good for ten to fifteen more.  It will go well with roasted meats an

This is really in a great spot right now.  Drinking superbly.  Will it get better?  Perhaps, but absolutely worth opening a bottle right now.   A blend of 52% Grenache, 26% Mourvèdre and 22% Syrah.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is great with black raspberries, white pepper, black cherries, and slight roasted coffee beans.  On the palate, this is soft, gulpable but also deep and complex.  Black raspberries and plums intertwined with char, slight earth and roasted meats.  A long finish.  It is delicious and a show stopper.  No rush, this should easily do another ten to fifteen

This was a barrel sample.  As it happened, I drove by the Moulds vineyard the next day so that was nice to get to see.  I wouldn't call it mountain fruit but it is on the way up towards Mt.

This is another Cab tasted at the winery.  It is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon with 12% Cabernet Franc.  Inky purple in color.  The nose is tight but with air shows some cassis, a bit of pencil lead and char.  On the palate, this is concentrated and tannic.  Quite young of course.  It has a wonderful texture.  With air, the cassis fruit comes out and a bit of black cherry.  Very deep but monolithic right now.  Give it seven to ten years to develop and unwind.  In the meanwhile, it is quite delicious, but needs about eight hours of air.  This should last another fifteen to twenty years or more.  It

Tasted on a visit to the winery.  This is 5% Cabernet Franc and the rest is Cabernet Sauvignon.  It has an intense purple color, almost neon bright.  The nose is primary but quite good with cassis, slight black cherry and lumber.  On the palate, this has strong tannins.  It also has a very lively texture which I attribute to great balance, acidity and purity of fruit.  Lots of cassis with a nice underlying minerality.  This winery had been highly recommended to me but this was my first time trying the wines so it is a bit hard to evaluate growth and maturity.  Still, I would estimate that i

During a recent visit to the Napa Valley, I had a chance to meet with Tom Garrett.  Tom is part of the Detert Family of wines who own a portion of the historic To Kalon vineyard.  The Detert's and the MacDonalds are cousins whose lineage goes back to a common owner of a parcel of the vineyard from the early 1950's.  The Detert's portion grows mostly Cabernet Franc although there is some Cabernet Sauvignon.  This particular bottling is their top Cabernet Franc and it is as good as any made anywhere.  Although still very young, this is a wine that has great concentration and will age graceful