Nathan Renfro

9.9

2016 vintage. Absolutely stunning, wine of the night. Cassis, blue and black fruit. Strong graphite and minerality. Strength married with grace. Can’t wait to see this evolve, but it’s gonna be hard to wait. — 6 months ago

Joe Gillies

9.4

Delicious! So so good. Decanted for 45 min. Developing very well. Black cherry aromas. BlackBerry, and plum with touches of earthy and mint on the palate. No rush to drink and still developing and improving! — 3 years ago

JKT

9.0

Yellow golden color causing angst of oxidation but no worries as wine is fine. Mature Tropical floral notes with hints of stones. Great firm textures still with a bite and long tingling finish. Great wine with Asian dishes. First experience with 43-45-12 VRM blend from Catalyuna. AA18 by mistake but worthwhile and could go to AA5. And have done so! More to come. — 4 years ago

Shane Rische

9.3

One of the many reasons I miss Howard’s store so much. No, it’s not a classified bordeaux but being able to pick up a nearly two decade old bordeaux for $45? Can’t do that at Binny’s. Fantastic experience if not the most complex but loved it from the first sip to the last. — 4 years ago

Shay A

9.5

I brought this to a big 2012 retrospective tasting of Napa Cabernet but wasn’t able to stop by my offsite in time to get a ‘12.

Cork came out terribly. Double decanted 30-45 mins. 100% Cabernet. Sporting a deep purple color even at 15yrs. Just shy of explosive aromatics…ripe red and black fruits, mocha, cocoa powder. Sheer To-Kalon power on the palate with the velvet glove approach…layered dark fruits, black currant, cassis, charcoal and graphite. Mid-palate here has great depth and the finish is beautiful. This has evolved wonderfully. Pop now but no rush. — 7 months ago

Paul T- Huntington Beach

9.5

Just in from Jersey, $22.00 no tax free shipping. Buy it by the case all day long. Skip the Bevan & buy this
Retail notes,

There’s a sweet-spot for domestic Sauvignon Blanc found in a special part of Bennett Valley that experiences a strong maritime influence as it flows through the Petaluma Gap to Sonoma Mountain. Within that funnel of cooling coastal air, the Dry Stack Vineyard is in a prime location at 550 feet elevation at the base of Mt. Taylor. I’m continually drawn to Sauvignon Blanc from Dry Stack and the vineyard produces fruit with detailed notes of fresh guava, rocky minerals, ripe tangerine and mineral infused citrus. You might be familiar with Russell Bevan’s version from Dry Stack, and Grey Stack has been a pillar on our tasting list in Yountville.

With Grey Stack, everything begins in the Vineyard with exceptional quality fruit, but from there, the wine is given a voice by winemaker Patrick Sullivan, whose experience includes making wine at Peter Michael, Paul Hobbs, Lewis Cellars and Rudd. This is absolutely one of the finest examples of California Sauvignon Blanc with its superior focus and incredibly vivid, distinctive flavors. If you love Sauvignon Blanc, or better yet, even if you don’t… Try this one and you’ll probably never look back. — 3 years ago

Mike R

9.5

Brilliant example of aging a good bottle of Napa cab - so complex and structure but no burn heat so just big bold beautiful- I could drink this all the time — 4 years ago

Kia Braun

10

The best wine I've ever had — a year ago

"Odedi"

9.0

Time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

Purple in color with a purplish rim.

Fruity nose of black plums, black currants, oak, spices, tobacco, vanilla, licorice, light alcohol, blueberries, light earth, pencil lead, coffee, chocolates and peppercorn.

Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, licorice, oak, vanilla, chocolates, tobacco and peppercorn.

Short finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a young red blend from Columbia Valley. Fruit forward with a nice mouthfeel.

A good everyday wine to sip on by the porch. Easy drinking, tangy and interesting.

Good now, and will be better in a couple of years. Good by itself or with food. I paired it with cheeses and light appetizers.

A blend of 45% Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Syrah and Grenache. Aged for 9 months in neutral oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$22. — 3 years ago

Scott Soren

9.7

If you’ve followed me at all, i love @Pax Mahle wines. This is no exception. My last of 6 bottles. Killer. Fruit is sure waning. Smoke and olive on the nose. Deep blackberry with smoke and olive tapenade and lingering mushrooms. Still some acidity but on its way down. Stored right has a few years left. It’s all structure now. 45-60 seconds of luscious finish. — 4 years ago