Rutherford

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.  

This is a blend of 42% Cabernet Franc, 42% Merlot, and 16% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Impressive showing.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is tight at first but opens to show black cherries, cherries, chocolate, and brown tobacco.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Wonderful velvety texture.  On the palate, this is delicious with black cherries, iodine, blueberries and crushed leaves.  Complex.  Still not fully mature but getting there.  Long finish.  No harm opening now, but another five to eight years and this might get a 100 score.  Great on its own, it will take big food right

Yes, this is very young, but what a great opportunity to try a limited wine so soon.  This is one of the great cult wines of Napa!  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is tight but opens to show cassis, pencil lead, blueberries, chocolate, spice, smoke and minerality.  Firm tannins.  An impressive velvety texture.  On the palate, this is ripe.  Slightly sweet but not residual sugar.  Cassis, blueberries, coffee and spice with underlying minerality.  Enough acidity to cut through and keep the palate from being tired.  Ideally, this gets another ten to twenty years in the cella

This is made by winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, one of the top winemakers in the world. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is huge with cassis, cedar, baking spice, anise and char. Full bodied. Almost seamless texture. Juicy acidity. On the palate, loads of cassis with nice minerality and underlying char. Long finish. This is delicious. This is still quite young and will mature and probably get even better. Drink over the next twenty years. Great on its own, this will work with bigger meat dishes or even roasted veggies especially root vegetables.

My first time trying this winery.  It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, dust, cedar and mint.  Full bodied.  Soft and accessible texture.  Delicious.  On the palate lots of cassis with underlying char.  Firm tannins.  A bit of dark chocolate on the long finish.  This is drinking well but will undoubtedly mature and improve a bit.  Great on its own, it needs bigger food such as a steak or rib roast.  Drink over the next twelve to fifteen years.  

Mike Smith is the winemaker here and produces some of the top wines in the world.  This is an interesting vintage.  Initially, it looked like it would be amazing, but many of the wines seemed to get almost to that point and just stopped.  Still outstanding, but not quite the overall quality of say 2013 or 2014.  I think that is true for this wine although that is clearly nit-picking and most wineries only dream of getting to this level of quality.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, spices and char.  A really great, plush texture.  Tannins are mostly resolved but