Yountville

This is 97% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc from one of the great vineyards of Napa.  Purple in color with some ruby hues, opaque and bright.  The nose is brilliant with chocolate covered cherries (including the liqeuer), spice and char.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great energy and balance.  On the palate, this is incredibly smooth.  Also deep and complex.  Flavors of black cherries, cherries, tobacco, chocolate and earthiness.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This was wonderful on its own, but would be nice with roasted duck or chicken.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

Great showing for this wine although still a bit on the youngish side.  Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is big and deep.  Cedar, cassis, slight blueberries, slight coffee, and char.  Full bodied.  Great plush texture.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is deep, complex and delicious.  It has a bit of a "Bordeaux" quality but the fruit is prime Napa.  Flavors of cassis, coffee, char and slight blueberries.  Long finish.  The last glass was the best.  This is great on its own but works with most (not seafood) foods.  This bottle was enjoyed with an assortment of che

This is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot from Napa.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, chocolate, tobacco, spice and earth.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great energy.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Flavors of black cherries, cherries, forest floor and char.  Long finish.  This is deep and complex.  The layers unwind in the glass.  Still drinking youthfully, this should drink well for another fifteen to twenty years.  Great on its own, this is very food friendly.  It would work very well with Beef Stroganoff. 

The label states they make single vineyard, single varietal wines.  First time trying one.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, slight cedar, spice and a slight earthiness.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is concentrated and deep.  Lots of cassis flavors with some earthiness and  char.  Long finish.  Very good.  More concentrated and piercing than complex but that works for this wine.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  It will work well with roasted or grilled meats and fowl.  

This was a new wine for me.  Ghost Block has a great story.  About 8 million years ago, it was on a mountain top above Stags Leap in the Vaca Mountains.  The Mountain collapsed and fell over on its side so although the vineyard sits on the valley floor it is geologically the same as those on the tops of the  mountain.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has a bit of volatile acidity on it.  For my tastes it is just enough to raise the aromatics.

This is a blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot.  One of the great Bordeaux varietal wines.  This is till young, but really drank beautifully.  Purple in color with a ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, tobacco, licorice, spice, thyme and char.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great, juicy texture.  On the palate, this has some tight complexity.  Flavors of cassis, leather, tobacco, spice and char.  Long finish.  It really needs another five to ten years of cellaring and should drink well for twenty to thirty after that.  Of course, it was fantastic right now.  Great on

This is a blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot from one of the premier vineyards in Napa, the State Lane Vineyard.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, blueberries, slight cigar box and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Juicy acidity.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Black cherries, some black raspberries and blue berries with a bit of leather and earthiness.  Long finish.  This is drinking well and may still improve.  It should drink well for another twenty years.  Great on its own, this would work well with roasted duck or even roast r

Merlot gets a lot of mockery (See Sideways), but a well made Merlot is truly special and this is one of the best on the planet.  Now, 2011 was one of the weaker vintages in Napa, but the late Lou Kapcsandy tailors the plants to adjust for the vintages and the State Lane Vineyard is truly Grand Cru.  The result is another outstanding wine.  It also have 5% Cabernet Franc blended in.  if anything, the vintage is a bit more accessible at a younger age than most.  Purple in color with some ruby hues, opaque and bright.  Gorgeous nose.  Black cherries, mocha, spice and slight coffee.  Full bodie

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

These are some of the slowest to come around wines in Napa.  They act very similar to a Frist Growth Bordeaux.  It was with some trepidation that we opened this at age 9.  95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot.  Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is classic.  Cassis, pencil lead, spice, chocolate and char.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great texture.  On the palate, this took a couple of hours to open and unwind, then it was stunning.  Cassis, some chocolate and underlying char.  Long finish.  This is drinking well but may still earn that 100 point moniker.  Eighte