Bordeaux Blend

Wow.  Talk about a Bordeaux styled wine made in Napa, this is it.  Just a beauty.  87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 1% Petite Verdot.  Ruby/purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is gorgeous, if young.  Cassis, black cherries, blueberries, smoke, tobacco, earthiness, cedar and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great energy.  On the palate, this is complex and tightly layered.  Cassis and black cherries with earthiness and smoke.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is not a huge fruit bomb at all.  Not yet at peak but well on its way.  This has another twenty to thirty

Popped the cork, allowed to breathe for an hour or so.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, slightly flat and opaque.  The nose is classic Bordeaux.  Some Bordeaux earthy funk along with cassis, cigar box and cedar.  Firm tannins.  Nicely balance.  Great texture.  On the palate, this is just about at peak but maybe not quite.  Layered complexity.  Cassis, earthiness, tobacco and slight char.  Long finish with some dark chocolate on it.  Delicious.  Everything one could have hoped for on purchase.  This drinks well on its own but would be great at the dinner table with Roasted Lamb.  It still

It is always a pleasure to drink a first Growth.  2003 was an extremely hot vintage all across Europe.   This vintage is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  Great nose.  A bit of funk, some cigar, plenty of cassis, and leather.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this seems about at peak maturity.  Plenty of depth.  Layers of cassis with some tobacco notes and earthiness.  Long finish.  Just a fantastic wine.  This drinks great on its own and would work well with roasted meats or veggies.  It w

Frank Family seems to be one of those wines that people like because the owners are such good people and the wines are good as well.  While I haven't had the pleasure of meeting the owners, I do agree, the wines are very good.  A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, cedar and spice.  Full bodied.  Tannins are mostly, not completely, resolved.  On the palate cassis, slight spice and a hint of char.  Nice finish.  An enjoyable, easy to drink wine with some stuffing.  Good finish.  Dri

This is a blend of Howell Mountain (70%) and Mt. Veeder (30%) grapes with Cabernet Franc (52%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (38%) and the rest Malbec, Petite Verdot and Merlot.  The team at Dagmar are negociants for California wines.  Garnet in color with purple swirls, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, tobacco, dust and slight sage notes.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now and should drink well for another seven to ten years.  It works well on its own and would work well with hearty foods such as lamb stew.  

A blend of 35% Malbec, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Cabernet Franc grown at 4,000 feet.  This is an organic wine with no additional sulfites added.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries.  Medium bodied.  Nice texture.  Little or no tannins.  On the palate, black cherries with a slight cough drop note which carries thru to the finish.  Also a slight root beer note at the finish.  This is an easy drinking wine that drinks well on its own and would be great with (veggie) Burgers.  Since this is made with no added sulfites, storage is critic

This showed better than the 1998 and at age 29, very nice.  It is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Cabernet Franc.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, tobacco, black cherries, spice and slight herbal note.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this has juicy acidity.  Black cherries, some cassis, spice, char and slight tobacco.  Complex.  Long finish.  This is probably past peak, but really drinking well.  Drink over the next few years but it might go longer.  It will work well on its own, but will match well with roasted chicken.  

This is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Cabernet Franc.  Ruby in color, with slight browning.  The nose has cassis, leather, black cherries, slight tobacco and slight cedar.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has some complexity.  Nice cassis fruit with a bit of underlying tobacco.  Moderate finish.  This is past prime and should be consumed soon.  That said, it does have something to offer.  Better with food at this stage.  A nice wine with Brisket.  

Nice showing for this wine.  In its youth, this was full throttle oak, but at age 23, the fruit, oak and tannins have all integrated and mellowed and come together.  Purple/black in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has clay, black cherries, spice and chocolate.  Medium tannins.  Nice texture.  On the palate, nice black cherry fruit with a hint of black olives.  The finish is a bit bitter and drying.  Overall, this seems at peak.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  It will work better with food.  A nice wine with a burger.  

This is 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc from the difficult 2013 vintage.  Ruby/purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose cherries, chocolate, tobacco and spice.  Nice texture.  Medium bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherries with some cherries with some clay and spice notes.  The finish is a bit clipped.  A very nice effort for the vintage.  It may not have enough fruit to outlast the tannins.  drink over the next ten years.  Nice on its own, but better with food.  A nice wine to open with Ahi Tuna off the grill.