David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

As good as the Baron Fuentes is, our carbon reduction celebratory bottle is the Hendricks Cabernet. It was meant to be an 09 but, I couldn’t find my 09’s. Hazards of having nine cabinets & recently reorganized it.

I was inspired by @Paul T- Huntington Beach Hendricks Cabernet post a week ago & seeing @Eric Shanks Hope & Grace Post last night, which Charles Hendricks makes as well!

When first I decanted this 12, I can’t remember such beautiful florals on a wine that quickly. Florals wrapped in caramel & mocha. The florals have tamed a bit and the caramel, mocha & spices have picked up.

The thing about Charles’s wines, he is master of making elegant wines that drink really well young and will improve with 10-20 years in bottle. He is one of a handful of Winemakers that can truly do that really well.

The nose roars ripe, ruby, florals fruits of; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, poached strawberries and haunting cranberries & pomegranate. Warm caramel, mocha, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, dark cola, black licorice, dark, rich, sweet soils, dark spices, limestone, dry crushed rocks, herbaceousness-bay leaf dominate, hint of pipe tobacco, some dry stems with exotic, slightly candied, fresh & withering, red, dark, blue florals set in a bouquet of violets & lavender.

The body is rich, round & full. The tannins are round, tarry, chewy, dusty and still show a lot of power. The structure, tension, length and balance are just starting to hit their stride. This 12 has another 15-20 years of good evolution ahead. It is simply gorgeous & sexy as it caresses the palate. Ripe, ruby, florals fruits of; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, boysenberries, black raspberries, hints of blue fruits, poached strawberries and haunting cranberries & pomegranate. Warm caramel, mocha, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, sweet tarriness, dark French expresso roast, vanilla, dark cola, black licorice, dark, rich, sweet soils, dark spices with big palate heat, limestone, dry crushed rocks, soft leathery notes, toasted barrel shavings, herbaceousness-bay leaf dominant, hints of pipe tobacco, some dry stems with exotic, slightly candied, fresh & withering, red, dark, blue florals set in a bouquet of violets & lavender. The acidity is big & very enjoyable vs. the alcohol & complexity of this cuvée. The long finish is ridiculously, gorgeous, sexy, well balanced & polished with extremely persistent dark spice on the long set. It is memorable for many minutes and for weeks/months with the mental impressions it leaves behind.

With another 5-8 years in bottle, this wine hits 98-100.

What a bottle to celebrate carbon free. #SavetheVineyards — 4 days ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

Served blind to a nice group of novices vs. self-professed experts tonight. And I will say that this one was right on the money for what it was. The nose? Dense, fruit-packed with a hint of brett and soil and earth and flowers? Really nice combo of perfectly aged Napa cab with "huh, are you sure you want to drink this one so young?" Napa cab. The entry of this wine was silky, rounded, blackberry and black licorice. Hint of herbs, white flowers, and rhubarb in the middle. The finish showed just about zero tannin -- all had integrated, and the wine (as it opened) showed a slightly shorter finish. All in all, really wonderful wine. But this is the time to drink this one. The 2002-2021 CT drinking window is shockingly on target. I still have one more of these, but sentimental value will probably keep it around way too long.....even though it will probably decline little by little over the next year. Honestly though, you could probably get another 10 years out of this wine. — 6 days ago

with joe and Jason

Shay A

9.2

This was served blind. Dark core with some bricking around the edges. A touch of aged funk at first, then it shows dates, dark cocoa, mocha and blackberries. It’s got dusty tannins all over, but the finish was quite powerful and almost chalky. The mid palate was a medley of older baking spices, red plum, baked black cherries and old graham cracker. This held up in the decanter for a while and while it’s not getting better, I imagine it will good here for a few years. I called this early 2000s mountain cab heavy blend from O’Shaughnessy. Thanks @Jason Jones — 16 hours ago

with Jason and Mark

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

Happy Thanksgiving Eve. I wish you all a great Thanksgiving with family & friends giving thanks over some great food & wine pairing. 🍁🦃🍽

Coravined this last weekend as nightcap...it’s a pleasure getting back to it tonight.

The nose at the beginning broods ripe, dark fruit liqueur notes but, calms down in the glass after 10 minutes. It evolves into; bright, ruby, lush, dark, slightly candied floral currants/cassis. Ripe; blackberries, black cherries, blueberries syrup, boysenberries, olallieberries, black plum extract with poached strawberries & raspberries on the glass edges. Anise to black licorice, sweet tarriness, dark, mixed berry cola, mid intensity dark spice, dry crushed rocks, touch of incense, dry tobacco, leathery notes, wood shavings, dark chocolate, vanilla, light nutmeg & clove, dark, rich, turned earth, steeped fruit teas, mid, fresh herbaceousiness, bright, dark, red, blue slightly candied florals with fresh violets & lavender for days.

The body is full, round, lush & ruby. The fruits halfway to candied. The tension, structure, length and balance are in a very good place with another 8-10 years of good drinking ahead. The tannins are beautifully round, 55% resolved and still tarry, chewy with some teeth. Beautifully ripe; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, black cherries, blueberries syrup, boysenberries, olallieberries, black plum extract with poached strawberries & black raspberries. Anise to black licorice, sweet tarriness, dark, mixed berry cola, mid intensity darker spice on the long palate than the nose and show some heat, dry crushed rocks, volcanic minerals, limestone, touch of incense, dry tobacco, leathery notes, wood shavings, dark chocolate, malt in malted balls vanilla, light nutmeg & clove, dark, rich, turned earth, moist clay, steeped fruit teas, mid, fresh herbaceousness, bright, dark, red, blue slightly candied florals with fresh violets & lavender for days. The acidity is round and some of the best I’ve had in the 10’s I’ve had to date. The finish is delicious, ruby, lush, extremely well balanced and is the textbook definition of elegance. It persists several minutes with several nuances along the way. One of the very best 2010’s I’ve had as I am not a big fan of most 10’s. Get some if you can find.

Photos of; James Cole Winery and Estate vines, certainly one of my favorite Napa Winemakers-Charles Hendricks (FYI, has not been their Winemaker since midway through the 14 vintage), their outside patio lounge and the tasting bar. — 7 days ago

Ryan Vento

9.2

I encroached on this wine with low expectations, even with the knowledge of Daou’s reputation and the pedigree they employ. I’ve never been a fan of Paso Robles and my only run-in with Daou was unimpressive, to say the least. I digress. Tonight’s bottle was purchased to assist my wife & I with putting up Christmas decorations and I think we chose wisely. The deep, dark fruits in this juice are brooding and dense, reminding me of a thick slab of blackberry/blueberry cobbler. The notes of anise & clove offer a nice touch of spice and are even more welcome around the holiday season. The delicate notes of vanilla are pleasing and nuanced. The mouthfeel is plush and voluptuous and has enough complexity to justify the price-point. This is a well-made wine; one that makes me re-think my position on Paso Robles. — 2 days ago

with Krystal

Shay A

9.4

November’s 4th Friday was a big hit. There is no way I’ll be able to upload all the wines, nor give them the reviews they deserve, but there were a few worthy of mentioning!

Could not believe how good this was in terms of how open it was drinking. This is one of those wines that I would describe as sexy. Rich, opulent, and hedonistic like. This is plush and elixir like Napa cabernet in a really good drinking window. Baked blue and black fruits, nutmeg, baking spices and graphite on the nose. Sweet pipe tobacco, violets and milk chocolate drizzle over mixed berries. Looking forward to my visit in about 8 weeks. Thanks @Weston Eidson — 2 days ago

with joe and Weston

"Odedi"

9.2

It's time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a yummy Cab.

Deep purple in color with a short purplish rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, blueberries, cooked strawberries, figs, vanilla, cedar, light earth, spices, chocolates, mocha, caramel, light alcohol and peppercorn.

Full bodied, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, sweet spices, vanilla, cedar, licorice, cola, chocolates, mocha, cloves, herbs, dark coffee, pencil lead, earth, leather, tobacco and peppercorn.

Medium plus on the finish with soft, round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. Showing nice complexity with a great mouthfeel.

Still young and needs a few more years in the bottle to mature and bring out more complexity. Would be nice to fast forward to 2025 and see what this looks like. However, it is drinking very nicely now, tasty and delicious.

Good by itself or with food and a good quality wine. Good right out of the bottle and better after 3 hours of airtime, when the tannins show up.

14.7% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$125. — 6 days ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.7

The 2013 Schrader ‘LPV’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a truly thrilling wine from this storied Napa winery. This is the third vintage of this wine made by the esteemed Thomas Brown. The wine was aged for twenty months in French oak and utilizes both clone 4 and 337 from the Beckstoffer Las Piedras vineyard. The ‘LPV’ benefits from about an hour of air, as the wine gains immediate appeal with its downright sexy bouquet of red rose petals that emerge alongside creme de cassis, tar, mocha and sandalwood. Soft and generous on the mouth, this silky wine effortlessly dances across the mid-palate. The plush, seductive texture gives way to gobs of dense dark fruits, with sweet pipe tobacco, tar and Turkish coffee flavors all marching on parade. Truly a scintillating wine right now, as this will age for decades to come. Drink 2020-2040- 97
— 2 days ago

Shay A

9.3

November’s 4th Friday was a big hit. There is no way I’ll be able to upload all the wines, nor give them the reviews they deserve, but there were a few worthy of mentioning!

Yes, I had to do a double take when I saw the vintage...2017! And it’s drinking like it’s open for business. Similar to the Moone-Tsai it was next to, but everything turned up to 11. Aromatics of triple fudge dipped blueberries and blackberries. Currant and Mexican vanilla too. On the palate, dense and rich. An absolute flavor bomb of baked plums, cinnamon, espresso beans and nutmeg. Maybe this is in a youthful just released phase before shutting down to gain some complexity... — 2 days ago

with joe and Weston

Mark Flesher

9.3

Having 3 of these I figured it would be a nice time to see how this one is doing. Well, I think that this one has probably reached the very front of the optimal drinking window. Took about 15 minutes of air. The nose was red fruit, mint, red licorice, raspberry and oak. Lossa lossa oak. Entry is a little acidic, minty, flinty, red fruit dominant. Middle of this wine tones down a bit and really finds a nice little groove. Finishes with a lot of astringency (say what?) for a 2011. Structure is what. Quality is what. And I think this one has the power to go another 15 years and be juuuust fine, which I'm not sure I could say about many 2011's from the Napa floor. Drink with 30 minute decant or hold for another 5-10 years. — 6 days ago