From mag. Dark plum and deep black cherry. Dried herbs and a bloody intensity. Something a touch off in the nose… A hint of tca? If so, very minor and not getting wise with time. Some Green notes. Pure but and intense and complex but there is that slight flaw with the nose. — 3 days ago
From a really fine, structured Napa vintage, this shows dark fruits and mineral notes aromatically, still has loads of Dunn Howell Mountain structure and tannin, long, lingering finish, but the finish suggests that it needs 10-20 more years of aging, simply an incredible, old school (13% ABV) Napa mountain Cabernet with amazing length and freshness, a true WOW wine (if you’re moderately unoffended by the enormous structure still remaining)!!! — 5 days ago
Cork giving out but why not after 19 years! Wine is escaping to fresh beauty with a little wet dog age that I like.
Holding her space in 2025
80% Zin, 16% Petite Syrah, 4% Carignane
14.7% is reigning it in on this varietal and well done! Doesn’t feel fire breathing at all 👏 — 17 days ago
From MAG
2 hour decant. A striking purplish dark garnet color. On the nose: beautiful notes of dark fruit, pencil shavings, herbaceous, vanilla, cloves. Taste: creamy, polished, structured wine with blackberry, dark chocolate, minerals, bell pepper, leather, and a decent herbal/potting soil finish. Drinks surprisingly well with the decant at this age, and of course a few more years it will improve. YUM! — 12 days ago
Ruby in color with a wide reddish/brick rim.
Fruit forward on the nose and medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with nice complexity.
Showing sweet cherries, raspberries, blueberries, black currants, plums, chocolates, light oak, earth, cola, herbs, spices, light vanilla, licorice, peppercorn and tobacco leaf.
Nice tangy finish with soft tannins.
This 6-year-old Zinfandel blend from Sonoma County is drinking at its peak. Spicy and fruit forward. Elegant and juicy.
Great right out of the bottle, but even better after a few hours of air, when the complexity really comes to life.
The alcohol is very nicely integrated by now. Easy drinking and nicely balanced. A great sipping wine.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$35. — a month ago
Presented to me double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine appears a garnet color with a near opaque core with significant rim variation; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and significant signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of desiccated and ripe dark and red fruits: currants, plums, brambles, old leather, cigar box, and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin (integrated) and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium.
Initial conclusions: this could be Cabernet Sauvignon (or based blend), Tempranillo, Grenache-based blend from the United States, Spain, France or Italy. I felt like this leaned more towards the fruit than the non-fruit character and/or structure. Additionally, the color and desiccated nature of the fruit leads me to believe this bottle has significant age. So, my final conclusion: this is a Cabernet Sauvignon (or based blend), from the United States, California, Napa Valley with 30+ years of age. We’ll call it 1985. Awfully close! Drink now. — 11 days ago
It has been 15 years or so since I’ve had a Silver Oak. Thought I check in. Nothing has changed, every vintage basically tastes the same. It almost like they add flavoring. 🤷♂️ One red you could not fool me blind. Short Rib was excellent.
At Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2025.
The ticket to this event has a pretty big price tag. But when you consider what a Napa etc. tasting or two and lunch would cost you, you are pretty much there and there is so much more than that. It ends up having great value. It’s wine, spirits and food candy land. — 21 days ago
Tobias Anderberg
Great as usual. Cherry, strawberry, wood — 14 days ago