Ray Vanderhoff

9.1

Dark purple/black color. Aromas of cooked black fruit, violets and Asian spices. Blackberry compote, huckleberry, blueberry jam and black plum fruit flavors along with notes of chocolate, black licorice, basil, tobacco, coffee and vanilla. Hint of saline on the long and drawn out finish. High, but not obvious, alcohol (16%). Velvety texture and tannin structure. Plush, bold and powerful. Thanks for sharing, James W. — 12 days ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

2019 vintage. Tasted 30 minutes after being opened. Not decanted. Not nearly as gratuitous as the vast majority of 2019’s. Overall, lean but with a pleasant substrate/foundation of dark plum and cassis. A bit tight and would definitely benefit from a 2+hour decanter spa/lounge sesh. 07.15.25 — 2 days ago

Henry Fuseler

9.0

6/2025. A mouthful. Tasty, bold and nice on the palate

Paired well with the lamb at Halls Chophouse. — 24 days ago

David Walser

9.4

Very enjoyable bottle of wine tonight. Screw cap held up well. — 21 days ago

Doug Powers

9.0

Lovely spritz and freshness in this 5-year-old German Riesling Kabinett, mineral, stone, just barely off-dry Tiesling fruit that is lovely, persistent acidity in the medium-long finish, lovely! — 14 hours ago

with Jim

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

1979 vintage. Tasted after being open for 30 minutes. Not decanted. Medium body still. Smoke and caramel flavors at the forefront with expected baselines of dark plum and dark cherry. Baking chocolate mostly hiding in the wings but not demonstrative currently. Unified and drinking beautifully now. Smooth. complex finish. Has at least another 4-5 years at this level. Picked up a case for a song. 07.15.25. — 2 days ago

Rob N

9.5

I love this cab bc so many of the notes are classic but the rannins are low. $160, RP 95 points. — 19 days ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

After reading the story of this producer, I inspired to try it. Especially, at $59.99 for a quality Napa Cabernet. These two brother’s are true pioneers of the Napa Valley. They do their own thing. Don’t follow trends and are not aggressive with their bottle price, nor do they really wish to. More rare than common in today’s Napa Cabernet market. I have a lot of respect for that and Napa Pioneers.

This also drinks pretty well for a young Napa Cabernet. I was expecting bigger/bolder based on write up. Not that this won’t benefit from cellaring.

The fruits are nicely ripe; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries, cherries & blueberry hues. I was expecting more teeth. Think it is showing the finesse & balance of most 21’s I’ve had. Dark spice, grilled meats, light black pepper, barrel dust, dry tobacco, leather, savory herbaceousnes, moist clays, dry crushed rocks, cola, flower bouquet of red, blue & purple fresh flowers, rainfall acidity with a well balanced, softly structured, elegant finish that lasts just over a minute and lands crushed rocks and touch of spice.

It will be interesting to see if this shows more in 5 years.

Photos of; Smith Madrone vineyards and brothers Stuart and Charles Smith — a month ago

Doug Powers

9.6

Sweet dried redfruits and oak aromas, soft tannins, sweet fruit on palate as well, very fine acidity and depth, seems close to fully mature, but should last 3-5 years at least, kudos to Patrick Campbell, who made a lot of outstanding LG Cabernets back in the 1980s and 1990s, excellent Sonoma Mountain Cabernet!! — a month ago

with Jim

Bill Mowry

9.0

Medium bodied with dark violet color I double decanted the wine and it surprisingly still seemed young after seven years. More Cab Franc (18%) in this vintage blend than some of the others it was smooth and subtle with cocoa, fig, and blueberry. Paired well with BBQ St. louis ribs. — 25 days ago