Jason Smith

9.9

2012 worth every penny — 8 months ago

Shay A

9.6

Last week was a combo of 4th Friday and Open That Bottle Night on back to back nights. Needless to say, the lineup between both days was full of heavy hitters, so I’m only posting standout bottles.

If you want decadent and powerful, this is your huckleberry. This was so good! Where the Futo was high toned and lifted in profile, this was more dense and all encompassing. The glass smelled of fondue dipped black cherries, blueberries, fresh squeezed blackberries, baking spices like cinnamon and vanilla, with some savory graphite just at the end. It’s a total flavor bomb (in a good way) on the palate because of how focused it is. Nothing stewed, overripe or flabby. Creme de cassis, dark chocolate, cedar, cascading dark fruits toward the finish. Big structure but so nimble. This reminds me of Shafer HSS. Nice bottle @Weston Eidson . — 5 years ago

with Weston

Richard Alfred

9.3

Terranea. Seyfarth partner meeting. Susannah Bonham (Houston) — 6 years ago

Tom Garland

9.3

12 person winemaker dinner with Jeremy Nickel of The Vineyard House winery.  Interesting stories about growing up at Far Niente winery, involvement in Nickel & Nickel winery with his father Gil, and starting The Vineyard House in Oakville next to Harlan and Futo.

WINES:
2017 TVH Blanc De Blancs, Oakville
2019 TVH Chardonnay, Oakville
2018 TVH block 5 cab franc
2018 TVH estate cab
2018 TVH block 8 "the boss" Cab

FOOD:
Foie Gras, toasted brioche
Lobster roll, toasted focaccia
Venison Chop, roasted yams
Lamb lollipops, braised mustard greens
Wagyu Ribeye, truffled potato
Apple Panna cotta — a year ago

with Brenda

Edmond Bordelon

9.6

Surprisingly, this one was not as big as the Futo. I am a big fan of anything from Prichard Hill and was intrigued seeing this one on the list. Gave it an hour to open up and had a fantastic ribeye to pair it with! In retrospect, I think I would have flipped the sequence. (All bullshit aside on sequencing, this is still an amazing wine and I am just being anal).. The color was still a nice deep violet with strong dark fruits. Great pedigree with Helen Turley on the planting and David Abreu on the vineyard management. What could ever go wrong? — 5 years ago

Doug Kahn

9.1

Look out for this producer. Very impressed — 7 years ago

Thomas Sorbo

9.1

Crisp and bright! — 5 years ago

with Paul and Jack

Steve Belmonte

9.2

I am in love. Smooth and made my eyes shine — 5 years ago

Aaron Hamrock

9.7

Really fantastic. Decanted for about two hours. Showing blue fruit, herbs and vanilla. The tannins and acid are in perfect proportions followed by the lovely fruit. Paired extremely well with the wagyu braised short rib. Thank you Mr. Futo. — 6 years ago

Ryan Mayes

9.1

This is the first vintage of Helianthus, a new wine from the daughter of Tom Futo. Very interesting Cab-dominant blend from Oakville. Deeply concentrated with obvious purity of fruit (a cherished Futo trademark). Alcohol, tea leaves, dry cedar, cooling ember and dark fruits with some tropical undertones dominate the olfaction. These aromas sort of conflate in a way that make it somewhat difficult to discern each component, but the resulting nose is welcoming and intoxicating. Palette is consistent with rich dark fruit and a vibrant mouthfeel indicating a structured wine with ample tannin and acidity. Enjoyed this even more tonight than we did at the property back in February! Avoid spilling this inky wine on furniture (as we did tonight...) — 8 years ago