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This took a while to come around, but it is finally showing the promise it showed on release.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, a touch of black olives and sandalwood.  Full bodied.  Lovely acidity.  On the palate, great black raspberry fruit with underlying earthiness.  Concentrated fruit that unwinds in the glass.  Nice finish.  This appears to be at or close to prime and should continue to  drink well for 8 to ten more years.  A nice wine on its own and will work well with roasted meats, fowl or veggies.  

I am a big fan of the RM Chardonnays.  This is the "generic" non-single vineyard offering.  It might be a hair less than those others but it is also less expensive and an outstanding wine on its own.  Light gold with some green swirls, shimmering bright.  The nose is classic with lemons, vanilla, slight chalk and a hint of mint.  Full bodied but with cut.  Lots of energy.  On the palate, this is delicious right from the go.  Lemons, vanilla, slight spice with a long finish.  Great texture.  Young, of course, but this should easily do another ten years as it matures.  Might even get better. 

This is a blend of 38% Grenache, 33% Mourvedre, and 29% Syrah.  Purple in color with ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, black raspberries, slight char and a bit of anise.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is nice.  Not over done.  Notes of black cherries, black raspberries and plums with a slight underlying char.  Good energy.  Nice finish.  Drinking well now, it should continue to do so for the next seven to ten years.  A nice wine to have on its own or with a burger or ribs off the grill.  

Beautiful showing for this stalwart of Napa.  What a great vintage.  Consumed over two nights, it was even better on night 2.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is classic with cassis, black cherries, cedar, leather and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, lots of cassis and black cherry fruit with an underlying dry earthiness.  Still a fair amount of oak and tannins - it is young.  This should get better over the next five years and drink well for ten to twelve after that.  That said, it is delicious today.  Given the price of Napa Cabs, at MSRP of $48, this is priced attractiv

Bonterra has been a winery that has been reviewed here many time.  They provide quality wines at a fair price from grapes that are organically farmed.  This is a blend of mostly Grenache with some Malbec and Viognier.  The juice comes from the remains of grapes used from their Rose, and then hard pressed.  It is fermented mostly in barrel although some sees stainless, and then aged in neutral French oak for five months.  It is not meant to take too seriously.  Garnet in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, fig newtons, and clementine oranges.  Medium bodied.  13.3% ABV.  On the

This is the new venture from Cameron Hughes.  He buys lots of juice that wineries can't or don't want to try to sell, and repackages the juice and sells at a steep discount.  One can guess where the grapes are from, but it is never announced.  The wines are sold thru a daily e-mail but they recently added a store on their site for unsold wines.  I am skeptical about buying wine that is advertised as "really being X" or "declassified X" but these wines are not expensive and I thought I would give it a go.  This is one of their higher priced wines at about $21 delivered.  Overall, I am happy

I love Realm wines and this might be my favorite.  A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, slight chocolate and tobacco with some cedar.  This is a very accessible vintage for this wine.  Full bodied.  On the palate, cassis and black cherries, with some forest floor notes.  Firm tannins.  Nice balance.  Long finish.  This drinks very Bordeaux-like for a Napa Cab.  It will still mature and like improve over the next ten to fifteen years and drink well for another ten to fifteen after that.  A nice wine

 This is a blend of 82% Syrah, 7% Mourvèdre, 6% Grenache, and 5% Petite Sirah.  Like many SQN wines, this weights in at 15.8% abv but there is no hint on the nose or palate.  Delicious wine.  Inky purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black raspberries, white pepper, roasted meats and roasted herbs.  Full bodied with a lush but lively texture.  On the palate, this is surprisingly drinkable even at this young age.  Loads of black raspberries with underlying char and black pepper.  Deep.  Long finish.  Drinks great on its own but will work well with grilled, roasted or braised meats

This is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 8% Merlot.  Purple in color, slight ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, some very smooth oak and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, there is a nice depth and complexity her.  Good acidity.  This is a really elegant wine that is just delicious.  It should continue to mature and perhaps improve over the next seven to ten years and drink well for fifteen more.  This would be a great steakhouse wine but will work well with a burger, too.  

Wow.  An amazing wine.  This is only sold in Magnums.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, iodine, graphite, slight earthiness, and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  For all of its power, however, this is not a bomb or monster wine.  There is a lovely elegance to this as it expands to coat the palate.  Flavors of cassis, slight blueberries, cherries with lots of concentration and depth.  Underlying minerality with a slight char.  Great energy and balance.  Long finish.  And, delicious.  This wine is young and will continue to mature and evolve for t