David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

One of my favorite Napa producers & vintages from Philip Togni.

On the nose, ripe, perfumed florals, creamy fruits of; blackberries, mulberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, raspberries, plum and strawberries on the glass edges. Vibrant baking spices; vanilla, light cinnamon, clove & nutmeg. Dark smooth spices, mocha chocolate with caramel, dark berry cola, notes of black licorice, sweet tar, forest floral, fresh tobacco leaf, just a touch of dry herbs, graphite, loamy clay and dark, fresh red florals with lavender & violets.

The body is, round, ruby, lush & full. The structure, tension, length have just tipped to the very beginnings of the waning stage but, the balance is incredible. Ripe, perfumed florals, creamy fruits of; blackberries, mulberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, raspberries, plum and strawberries on the glass edges. Vibrant baking spices; vanilla, light cinnamon, clove & nutmeg. Dark smooth spices, mocha chocolate with caramel, dark berry cola, chalky volcanic minerals with some grit, crushed dry rocks, notes of black licorice, sweet tar, forest floral, tobacco with ash, soft leather, saddle-wood, some underbrush, just a touch of dry herbs, graphite, loamy clay and dark, fresh red florals with lavender & violets. The round acidity is near perfect. The long, round, ripe, ruby, lush, well balanced finish sings on the palate for minutes.

Photos of, the Philip Togni vineyard, cellar staff-Salvador Sanchez, Philip Togni and his daughter Lisa and their barrel room.

Producer notes and history...Philip Togni was born in England and earned a degree (the Dipome National d’Oenologie) at the University of Bordeaux under Emile Peynaud. World famous Winemaker & mega Wine Consultant Michel Rolland also studied under Emile.

After his studies, Philip Togni moved to the Napa Valley in 1959. His first job was planting vines at Mayacamas.

In his career, he has been the Winemaker for Chalone, Chappellet, Cuvaison, Gallo, Inglenook and Sterling before starting his own winery.

Philip Togni was the Winemaker at Chapellet when they made one of the top wines from the 1960’s, the legendary 1969 Chapellet.

Philip Togni Vineyards were founded in 1975 when he purchased 25 acres atop Spring Mountain at an elevation of 2,000 feet. It took until 1981 to plant the vineyard. Sadly, he had to replant in the early 1990’s due to phylloxera.

The winery released its first vintage in 1983, a Sauvignon Blanc. However, he no longer produces white wine.

It took a few more years until the first Cabernet Sauvignon wines were produced at the estate. The debut vintage for Philip Togni Cabernet was the 1985 vintage. The initial vintages of Philip Togni were 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Philip Togni does not produce wines with high alcohol. A style from Napa that is sorely missed by me.

The style of his wines are Left bank. Left Bank wines had a big influence on his winemaking and the estate. However, if you have ever spent time looking at his labels for alcohol levels, they’re nowhere to be found.

During the 1980’s, the BATF allowed wineries to state that their wine had the alcoholic strength of a table wine, which was around 7% to 14%. For wineries that had not requested to change their labels, those wineries were not forced to provide specific percent of alcohol. If their labels remain unchanged from their label during the 1980’s, they were only required to state the wine as table wine.

The vineyard contains rocky and clay soils at 2,000 feet. Like Howell Mountain, the vineyard is well above the fog line, which allows for more sunlight and riper fruit.

The Estate is planted to 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot.

Philip Togni makes three wines:

Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon. It is aged in 40% new, French oak barrels for an average of 20 months before bottling.

Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon is a big, powerful, tannic when wine young. PT requires longer cellar time. It’s made from ripe mountain fruit that can easily take a 10 to 20 year to fully mature. And trust me, it is closer to 20 years of aging before it’s ready to drink.

Philip Togni also produces a second wine called “Tanbark Hill.” It’s named after a prominent hill near the Estate. Tanbark Hill is a 3 1/2-acre parcel of young vines. A very good second wine for less money.

The third wine is Philip Togni Ca’ and is sweet red dessert wine that is produced from the grape, Black Hamburgh. This grape was popular in the Napa Valley before Prohibition. Black Hamburgh is also know as Black Muscat. It is a grape variety derived from the crossing of the Schiava Grossa and Muscat of Alexandria by R. Snow of Bedforshire, England in 1850, according to my studies.

Philip Togni remains a family Winery. The estate is managed by Philip Togni (in his 90’s), his wife Brigitta Togni and their daughter Lisa Togni. In time, it is expected that Lisa Togni will take over the estate.

— 4 days ago

Bob McDonald

9.8

Always going to be the highlight of the Wynns tasting and only made in years where the fruit quality and vintage conditions were exceptional. Sue Hodder said everything fell into place in 2015 and she made one of her best ever Riddochs. From less than 1% of Wynns available Cabernet fruit. Latent power on nose and palate with black fruits and balanced oak. At least a 30 year future but so balanced you could happily drink this now but one should wait at least 10 years for its charms to start showing through. A brilliant 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. — 5 days ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.7

Great way to celebrate the 4th of July. What are you guys drinking today?
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2010 Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon
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Oakville, Napa Valley, North Coast, California, USA
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Tasting Note:
Received a three hour decant and tasted blind. Deep and dark purplish ruby red. Layered nose with anise, cassis, cherries and rich undertone of black fruits as well. Heavy tannins (8/10) and full bodied. A light touch of heat on the palate but not overwhelming. Rich and lush palate with dark spices, blackberries, blue fruits, cinnamon and some dark cocoa. Long and lingering finish. A real treat to finally try a bottle! Drink till 2030.
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One of the most prestigious wineries in the world, started by Jean Phillips in 1986 when she purchased a vineyard in Oakville that was cultivated by Ren Harris of Paradigm Winery. Now the estate is owned by Stan Kroenke who purchased the estate in 2006 with Charles Banks. This vintage was produced by Andy Erickson with Nick Gislason as his assistant winemaker. Made up of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc. Aged for alomst 24 months in 65% new French oak. Only 610 cases produced.
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Rating: 97 Points
Price: $$$$$$ - Retails on the secondary market for a minimum of $3,500.00. Release price from the estate was $750.00.
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#screamingeagle #july #july4th #cultwine @andy.erickson @paradigmwinery #cabernetsauvignon #redwine #wine #wein #vino #winelover #winelovers #wines #winetasting #winestagram #winesofinstagram #winerylovers #MillennialDrinkers
— 13 days ago

with Sean and India

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

On the nose, French roast coffee, dark currants, dark cherries, Kirsch cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, cherry cola with liqueur notes, blueberry hues, vanillin, cinnamon stick, light clove, toast, rich, dark soil, limestone minerals, sweet tarry notes, soft leather, hint of mint/eucalyptus, light graphite with bright red & dark florals.

The body is round, ripe and full. The tannins are nice rounded. The length, structure, tension and balance are coming into their own. Upon first pour, lots of French roast coffee, dark currants, dark cherries, Kirsch cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, strawberries, cherry cola with liqueur notes, blueberry hues, vanillin, cinnamon stick, light clove, cocoa powder, dark spice with just a touch of lifting heat, toast, rich, dark soil, dry stems, good presence of dry herbal notes (sage), limestone minerals, sweet tarry notes, soft leather, hint of mint/eucalyptus, light graphite with bright red & dark florals. The acidity is about as good as it gets. The finish is rich, ripe, well balance, very elegant as it opens and last several minutes.

While this is delicious tonight, it’s early on this wine. Give it another 5 and will cellar another 15 years plus.

Photos of, the newer Stag’s Leap Winery with the rock wall...all the stones used in the wall collected from the vineyards prior to planting. The cellar pendulum ball that never stops its motion once started, the newer tasting room and the twilight view from their tasting room.
— 3 days ago

Bill Bender

9.7

My buddy @Mike R and his lovely wife drove all the way out to the sticks to meet me and my daughters on our country vacation and we met at a little diner and brought a few wines to share....I meant to bring the ‘13 Scarecrow but mistakenly grabbed the ‘14 because of the damn tissue wrap. No worries with the vintage mix up—it absolutely shined bright like a diamond as did Mike and Rhonda who immediately make you feel at ease and happy when you see them. The Scarecrow was resplendent in dark chocolate, Jamaican coffee, rich soil, smoke and buoyant sweet purple fruit. Astonishing purity, acceleration through the mid palate and a very lengthy velvet coated finish. Superb performance for such a nascent wine and the company was beyond compare. @Mike R drove me home to my farm afterword and we hit a deer (it and his car are OK) on the way and we ended the evening shooting off fireworks on the back porch. Pure country goodness. — 4 days ago

with Mike

Shay A

9.3

I don’t have much experience with Moulds Vineyard (aside from a bottle or two of Becklyn’s Reserve) so I’m unsure if this was more representative of the vineyard or the winery...or both! @Mark Flesher opened this and is more knowledgeable than I am when it comes to Behrens and he said this is exactly their style. Some spice box, tar and black cherry on the nose with a big mid palate...but it stayed smooth! Plum, cassis and violet wash all over the tongue and mouth. I initially thought this was at its top drinking window, but this wine actually came charging through the longer it was opened and made me think this has a ways to go. Classy and well crafted. — 5 days ago

with Mark

Ryan Vento

9.2

I was able to have a good conversation with Justin (one of the wine guys) at Central Market as he poured me the rest of the Silver Oak, and he was gracious enough to open up the floor for recommendations on what their next higher-end wine should be to serve BTG at cost. In the meantime, however, he opened up this bad boy and man...what a treat. The winemakers for Nice are (from what I’ve heard and read) some pretty solid dudes and it was neat to see that they’re headquartered right here in Houston. Below is an excerpt taken directly from their site as a means of education to satisfy all of the wine nerds out there (myself included):

“Winemaker and Foodie superduo Ryan Levy and Ian Eastveld of Nice Winery are Certified Sommeliers, wine educators, and Le Cordon Bleu trained chefs. Their hand crafted, boutique wines are poured in top restaurants and have won gold medals in internationally recognized wine competitions. Ryan and Ian have built their epicurean pedigree while studying in Paris, France, directing culinary education for Viking, teaching cuisine to thousands of students at Central Market, and operating their restaurant and catering companies, Republic and Nuance. They make their wines from estate vineyards in Texas, Argentina, and California.” — 6 days ago

with Krystal

Shay A

9.4

Impromptu meet up at Classic! Having a relaxing Friday afternoon with good friends and good wine makes for a perfect start to a weekend!

@Delectable Wine : This is Spoto’s Premiere Napa Valley Private Reserve Cuvée. It was not in the database.

Another dreaded ‘11 that is doing fantastic. I’ll let @Mark Flesher clarify since he is the Spoto connoisseur (and opened this), but this is To-Kalon fruit from their little portion in TK. PNV, so a special barrique. Nose is VERY black cherry, black tea, crushed blackberry and slate. Super smooth and drinking really nice. More cedar than Rutherford dust. Black cherry cordial finish. — 4 days ago

with Dan and Mark

todd herron DPM

9.9

2015 Provenance Rutherford Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon !!!!! The color is opaque. The bouquet is cranberry juice and mixed berry pie. Very unique. There is also a hint of the forest in the bouquet. The initial palate is big dark fruit with a very viscous texture. Talk about your big bold meaty CAB!!!!!!!!! Wow. There is chocolate and spice and everything nice. The mid palate delivers a wonderful cool velvet texture to the palate. The finish is very dry with rosemary and oak. I can’t wait for the next sip!!!!! I highly highly recommend this while its this good!!!!! — 2 days ago

"Odedi"

8.9

Is it time for my Friday's Cabernet fix? Sure is! Let's try a Napa Cabernet.

Dark ruby in color with a purplish rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, blueberries, cherries, licorice, cedar, vanilla, tobacco, cloves, chocolates, dark coffee, bonfire smoke, spices, light vegetables, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and nice legs.

Dry on the palate, and fruity, with blueberries, black currants, vegetables, cedar, leather, earth, vegetables, vanilla, tobacco, coffee, chocolates, peppercorn and spices.

Medium plus on the finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a nice surprise. A nice Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley at a decent price point. Showing nice complexity and mouthfeel. A Fruit forward wine that is enjoyable by itself or with food.

Needs an hour to open up properly, show some tannins and remove some of the acidity. However, not bad right out of the bottle.

Might be better in a year, but drinking very nicely now. Not one for long term aging, so drink it in the next 4 years.

A blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 3% Malbec. Aged for 20 months in French oak barrels.


13.9% alcohol by volume.

89 points.


$25. — 11 days ago