Jay Kline

9.2

A member of our Tasting Group provided this bottle from his cellar. It had been opened 90 minutes prior to service, poured into a decanter and, in typical Tasting Group fashion, presented double-blind. Appearance: a deep, slightly turbid, garnet color with some very slight browning towards the rim. Medium intensity. Medium viscosity. On the nose this was fully developed with notes of red and dark fruit, grilled Poblano pepper, leather, and sweet pipe tobacco and baking spices. I felt certain, from the bouquet alone, that we were in the presence of a wine that had seen some significant age. On the palate, a mix of dried fruits including cherries, dates and figs with milk chocolate, nuts, leather, and tobacco. Plush mouthfeel. The tannins were medium and fully integrated at this point. Acid was medium+ which provided youthful energy. The finish was long, lovely. In fact, the flavor on the finish reminded me a bit of a Palmer Twin Bing. I called Napa Cabernet from the 1990 vintage. I was pretty darned close! This bottle was hitting right now and well-stored examples should continue to drink well over the next 5-10 years. — 10 days ago

Adam Beasley

9.2

Enjoyable but way too young. It evolved a lot over a few hours starting off with dried red fruit and leather then into plush ripe fruit, earth, and mushrooms. Tannic with m+ acid and a long finish. Rating more on potential here than where it was when we drank it. Looking forward to trying this again further down the road. Lots of character. — 3 days ago

"Odedi"

9.3

This is a great quality Syrah from Washington State. Very stinky, in a good way. I had it blind and called it just by smelling it.

Harsh on the palate with black fruits, oak, spices, vanilla, peppercorn, wet leaves, earth, olives, mushrooms, vegetables, tobacco and espresso.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity. Very rich and extracted.

Dry and fruit forward with great complexity.

Thank you Barry for sharing.

Took 3 hours to open up, and it may not have been enough time.

Still extremely young and would be better in 5 years. Will age nicely in the next 25 years. A 95+ point wine in 10 years.

I paired it with heavy appetizers.

14.3% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$200. — 6 days ago

Romain Fitoussi

9.0

Bright purple dress. Open and fine nose on fruit, well ripe black cherry and spices. Fine, supple and concentrated mouth. Very nice balance, Pinot-black gamay blend, which makes slightly refreshed.

Robe pourpre, violine, éclatante. Nez ouvert et fin sur les fruits, cerise noire bien mûr et épices. Bouche fine, souple et concentrée. Très bel équilibre, assemblage gamay Pinot-noir, qui prend ton son sens dégusté légèrement rafraîchi. — 12 days ago

Shay A

9.3

Had a lovely visit here in early 2020 with Haley. I fee like these wines don’t get as much recognition as they should, especially based on the quality of the fruit and the wine.

I opened this and gave it a quick pour…first thought was it was just kind of there. Wasn’t expressive, but wasn’t flawed. About 15-30mins later, it finally blossomed. For me, I always get a distinct note out of Wight vineyard…normally a high toned cherry/sweetened raspberries and sometimes a kiss of eucalyptus. I got all of that here on both the nose and palate, just slightly toned down. At 15.3ABV for 2005, this was well balanced and integrated. After corking the remaining third and having for dinner, it sported a lot of cherry chewing tobacco with herbal crusted ripe black cherries. This is bridging the gap between new world and old at this point. Best to consume in the next couple years if you want that balanced profile. — 3 days ago

Neil Valenzuela

9.2

Deep ruby color. Aromas raspberry, dark cherry, cardamom, sage and chocolate. Flavors of cooked berry, plum and violet with a black tea finish.
Decanted for 24 Hours — 12 hours ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Seems tightly wound at first, but opens up with air. Nose shows candied, crisp cherry, light spice, and bright crushed rock minerality. Very lively. Chiseled in the mouth, with crushed rock minerality in the foreground and fruit in the background. Bright acids. Seems like it’s not quite integrated yet. Fun now, it will get more elegant and settled over the next 2-3 years. Nice!

UPDATE: Night 2, it’s in fact much more together. All the individual components are singing in harmony, and great limestony terroir is informing the crisp cherry fruit. Upping from 9.0 to 9.2. — 7 days ago

Allison Lyzenga

9.3

Medium ruby; medium plus intensity aromas of red and black plum, pomegranate, black cherry, black currant, subtle cedar, baking spices; dry, medium plus acid, medium plus tannins, high alcohol, full body, medium plus intensity flavors consistent with aromas; lovely and concentrated, a classic Napa Cab, just what I was in the mood for — 3 days ago

Aravind A

9.1

Pop and pour. The density this has shown has just increased in the last few years. On the nose: spicy red fruit, a hint of savory licorice, lovely intensity. On the palate: lovely acidity and density. Fills the mouth with lovely red fruit, earthy spice and a touch of herbs. Attenuated tannin on the finish. Yum. — 4 days ago

Ericsson

9.7

Words won’t do justice to this wine’s and vintage’s terroir. All I can say is that you can literally taste the the foggy morning’s dampness, the sunny fruity vine’s ripeness, and the earthy twilight’s air of Coombsville on this Cab. ‘16 was nothing short of spectacular; a gem, for sure. — 6 days ago