Tom Garland

9.2

Decant and pour. On the nose: dark fruit, smoked meat, worn leather, cigar box, and a little bandaid(brett?)..luv the funk! Taste: elegant and fresh for its age with dark plum, earth, leather, and a sour cherry/chocolate espresso/tar long finish. YUM! — 12 days ago

with Brenda

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Ruby with elegant red fruit aromas and gentle floral spice, aged for 10 months in French oak. On the palate flavors of cherry and cranberry with notes of tea, herb pepper with wet stone notes. Soft tannins on a long finish ending with fruit, spice and earthy mineral notes. Very Nice! — 2 months ago

President Obama

9.5

Fuck that's good. Thanks Derek. — 9 months ago

Kamall

9.2

Deep, dark and lovely texture. — 4 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Most of the wines I open tell me a story w/ each sip. Most tied to my late wife Sofia. My memories of this producer precedes her.

This is a producer that flashed early in my wine journey. Generally, one you have moved on from today. That’s until, their 2013 is offered at $39 recently. A grand vintage. For me, I wanted to see the wineries progression and experience earlier memories that flood back w/ each sip. It has done that.

I have a Napa history infatuation. This one is kinda of a pleasure-pain thing. While I enjoyed this producer many years ago, the 2020 Glass Fires destroyed 90% of their vineyards, almost all their structures & their 19 & 20 vintages. I can’t express enough what a gut punch that is for its owners & staff. It is an insurance nightmare and let’s not forget that after all the time it takes to re-plant vines, it takes at least 7 years before you get useable fruit to make wine. So…a ten yr plus setback w/ nearly no revenue stream.

The wine tonight w/o a ribeye, showed excellent fruits that the 13 growing season brought. But what followed was a lean mid plate and finish. With the steak, not so.

The palate shows M+ velvety, dry tannins. Ripe, rich, lush, ruby fruits of: blackberries, black plum, baked plum, dark cherries, black raspberries, raspberries, poached & fresh strawberries & an understated array of purple fruits. Moist, grey, volcanic clays, moist tobacco w/ ash, used leather, graphite, dry, crushed rocks/limestone-sandstone, dry brush, dark cola, black licorice to anise, dry herbs-bay leaf, sage, dark, mid spice with some palate heat, sweet tarriness, dark, fresh, candied & withering red roses, lavender & dry violets, excellent acidity with a well balanced-knitted, nicely structured & tensioned, elegant finish that lasts minutes and long sets on dry earth & spice.

This is nice on its own but so much better with a ribeye. 92 on its own with a hour decant. 92-93+ with an hour decant plus a juicy, well seasoned MR ribeye. — 5 days ago

Jeffrey Woo

8.9

Light ruby hue. Aromas of cherry, cream, grass, minerals, and smoke. Medium-light body, soft tannins, and plus acidity. Bright and balanced with a lasting finish. A little tight at first, but softens after opening a while with hints of vanilla on the palate. — 4 years ago

Rod Carril

9.2

Dark cherry deep flavors. Love the finish. — 4 days ago

Christian Fischer

9.2

Well that was a weird bottle. Smelled amazing and tasted very off, no TCA or anything like it, difficult to describe. It had a layer of very tart tannin-like overlaying flavor that was not good. Left it open for 24 hours and it was much improved. After 48 hours it was a nice bottle of CA cab. Clearly something off with this bottle and the 9.2 rating is a 9.1 from day 3 and some add for ‘not typical’. I had high hopes for this wine and don’t think I have had a fair sampling of it — a month ago

Ron

9.2

Goes well with sweet potato chips, lol — 9 months ago

with Meli

Jule Ryan

9.0

Oaky vanilla stone fruit delight. HVD — 4 years ago