Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is nice with cherries, cassis and chocolate. Also some dustiness. On the palate, this is very elegant. Not the big fruit bomb I was expecting. Cassis, layered with chocolate and char. Great texture. Nice balance. Good finish. Will work with a wide variety of foods. Seems to still be youthful. There might be some upside but it is delicious now.
62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Cabernet Franc. Purple in color. The nose is dusty with cassis, tobacco, and slight cherries. On the palate, this has cassis and cedar over some tobacco and clay. Nicely layered, this wine is drinking great right now. Another Napa Cab that drinks like older Bordeaux with some years. If you like mature wines, this is at peak, if you like fruit powerhouses, this is past. It is balanced and very food friendly. Drink up.
Purple in color. The nose has cassis, tobacco, it is slightly dusty and cedar. On the palate, this still has some tannins left and plenty of fruit but is fully mature. Cassis with some black olives. This seems like a good bottle. There is a nice complexity to it. Very smooth. Very food friendly. Blind, i think most people would guess mature Bordeaux. Of course, with a wine of this pedigree, there is always a lot of anticipation, but I think this is probably the wine producers were trying to make back in 1997. It succeeds at that if a very different wine from most 1997's.
76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 3% Petite Verdot, 2% Malbec. Purple in color, slight ruby at the rim. The nose is dusty and warm with cassis and spice. Soft texture. Good acidity. Nice cassis fruit with an underlying earthiness. Some plums on the finish. Nicely layered, it unwinds in the glass. It seems open but then keeps on opening more. Still some upside here.
From a Magnum. Pretty etched bottle/label. Purple in color. The nose is dusty with cassis and a bit of rosemary. On the palate, there is cassis with some plums on the finish. This is deep and concentrated and seems to be drinking at about peak right now. It starts out with tight layers in the glass and then opens very quickly. Good finish. Works well with heartier foods. No hurry, but no reason to wait to open a bottle.
Sadly, this bottle was quite off. Not sure if it is over the hill or something went wrong. Its full of volatile acidity. Undrinkable. I am a huge fan of Sineann wines and a bottle consumed in 2010 of this scored 90. This one went down the drain. Bad bottles happen and its important to note those as well. This had a glass cork.
Named after the soccer team, from one of the top vineyards in Napa. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is great with cassis, slight blueberries, dust, a bit of chocolate and spice. On the palate, this drinks well with just a bit of air. Deep black raspberry fruit; it unwinds in the glass to show layers of spice, blueberries, dark chocolate and black cherries. Medium tannins. Wonderful texture. Long finish. This is a big wine, but it also has that super concentration. The flavors just keep growing and growing. Great finish. No hurry here, this has a decade or two remaining
Purple in color. The nose is heavily oaked. Also plenty of cassis and some pencil lead. On the palate, this is more integrated. Black raspberries, underlying graphite. Thick tannins. Some depth. Good finish. This is a rich, huge wine. It will take some very hearty food to stand up to it, but it is delicious on its own. Those who love Napa fruit bombs will indeed enjoy this a lot. It retails for around $100.
emBrazen is a new line of wines honoring bold women who were trailblazers in their fields. This one honors Nellie Bly who became a Foreign Correspondent. This wine was a step up from the Chardonnay. Ruby in color, purple at the core. The nose is dusty with black cherries and some tobacco. On the palate, the black cherries continue. Good acidity. Some depth. This would work with BBQ and other summer/autumn fare. It retails for $16 which is a very nice value.
Outpost wines are made by Thomas Rivers Brown, a sensational winemaker. They are made up on Howell Mountain from mountain fruit and are very intense yet also generous. This one is of course young, but delicious. Consumed over two days, it was just as good on either day if different. Purple in color. The nose has cassis, graphite, blueberries and slight spice. On the palate, this is concentrated and intense. Firm tannins. Cassis and blueberry fruit with some spice. Really delicious. On Day 2, some leather notes emerge. It will take some hearty meat dishes to stand up to it at this
