Rutherford

Inky purple, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose deep. Cassis, graphite, leather, cedar and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.   Great balance.  On the palate, this complex and delicious.  Flavors of cassis, some black cherries, graphite, spice and char.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now but will improve.  Drink over the next twenty years.  Great on its own, this will work well with meat or fowl or roasted veggies.

This is the other wine from Scarecrow (second wine doesn't do it justice).  It is a blend of  84% Cab Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot, and 3% Merlot.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great.  It could pass for young left bank.  Cassis, plums, chocolate, spice, cigar box and slight graphite.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great energy.  On the palate, this is drinking well.  Nice complexity.  Flavors of cassis, black cherries, plums, spice, chocolate and char.  Still young but starting to evolve.  Long finish.  This drinks great on its own and would work well with meat

It’s not that Malbec is a forgotten grape, it’s that it doesn’t get the love it deserves, and too often wineries seem to want it to taste like Cabernet. Enter Whitehall Lane, who makes this impressive Malbec that you will love - a Malbec that tastes like a Malbec should. The fruit is supported by a tannic structure that provides an earthiness and rusticity to it. Blackberry brambleberry, huckleberry and boysenberry all work together to create a rich wine that’s not over the top but not subdued either. The mid-palate reveals the wines’ acidity with notes of sandalwood and cocoa powder.

Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, graphite, slight cedar, spice and char.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is developing nicely.  Not yet at peak but not a baby either.  Great texture.  Flavors of cassis, spice and earth.  long finish.  Delicious.  Drink over the next twenty years.  Great on its own, this would work well with roasted or grilled beef or poultry.  

From a half bottle.  This is a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.  It is a late harvest dessert wine.  Light gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has honey along with a touch of peach.  Medium bodied.  Slightly viscous.  On the palate, this has some sweetness but that has probably faded since release.  Some honeyed notes.  Moderate finish.  These need to be drunk up at this point.  It works better with some food.  Cheese or less sweet pastries would work.

Served blind, I got lucky and guessed 2017 Scarecrow.  This was more open and ready than I might have expected for 2012, which is why I guessed 2017.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, cedar and clay.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  great energy and balance.  On the palate, this is seamless.  So smooth.  Cassis with wet rocks/light earthiness.  Long finish.  This may still improve and will undoubtedly age more.  Drink over the next fifteen to twenty years.  Great on its own, this is a classic steak house wine.  

Pop and pour, this wine is in a great place right now.  Purple in color with slight ruby swirls, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with spice, cassis, earthy and some  hay notes.  Medium tannins.  Full bodied.  Complex.  On the palate, cassis, and black cherries with some char.  Long finish.  At age 15, this seems at peak.  I don't think it will improve but it should still drink well for seven to ten more years.  Great on its own, this will work well at the dinner table.  It went great with a pasta dish and a lentil salad.  

Hay/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lots of gun powder/sulfur with some pineapple and baking spice.  Medium bodied.  Nice texture.  On the palate, peach and lemon cream with nice acidity.  Nice finish.  This is a bigger, rounder Sauvignon Blanc which has a lot of oak showing at this young stage.  It drinks well on its own and will work with some foods.  Pasta Primavera might be one.  The fruit will likely fade before the oak integrates, so drink up in the next few years.  

This is a proprietary Red wine from Napa.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, blueberries, dark chocolate, black cherries and cedar.  Clean.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, cassis, cedar and chocolate.  Long finish.  Deep and complex.  This is still drinking young, so if opening soon, give it some air.  It should drink well for twenty to thirty more years.  Great on its own, this is the quintessential steak house wine.  

Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is  nice with cassis, cedar, camphor and leather.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, plenty of cassis with some char.  Lots of depth.  Complex if still tight.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue to for another ten to twelve years.  It might improve a bit more as it ages.  Nice on its own, this would work well with grilled meats.