Bob McDonald

9.8

Still a very dense crimson with no tawny rim, at 28 years of age but the tawniness is beginning. A certain feral, Animale, earthy note. Palate is ultra smooth, medium bodied / very savoury yet with a sweetish earthy note with a hint of raspberry. Jancis Robinson was invited by Stephen Henschke to a vertical tasting at the winery in May 2013 to cover vintages back to the late 1950’s. She described the 1996 as “pure hedonism “ and gave it 19/20. Medium plus intensity on the delicious palate with those gnarled old 150 year vines showing through. An absolutely stunning wine - one of the best we’ve had this year. — 5 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Our relatively new good boi Bandol is wondering when he’ll get a little treat tonight. In the meantime, this is a nice value treat for me. Think of it as the Napa version of a top-flight Cru Bourgeois. Nose has a lot going on. Vanilla, cedar, plummy fruit, graphite, dry gravel, new leather. Nicely balanced and round in the mouth. Tannins are quite soft. Not great concentration but loads of flavor. Some alcoholic pepperiness pokes through on the back half of the palate. But can’t complain at all at under $30 (except about the unnecessarily heavy bottle). — 5 months ago

Robert Stackowiak

9.4

A big Cabernet (83 percent) but not over the top. Great with a steak. Blackberry on the palate. Also has 8 percent Malbec, 6 percent Cab Franc, 3 percent Petit Verdot. At 10 years old, Tannins have smoothed a lot, but more aging possible. October 2023. — 6 months ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Bruce Phillips and his wife were pouring their 2021. Talked w/ him at length. Very nice couple.

The 2021 showed well young with room for improving with 10-25 years in bottle and beyond. It showed some evolution, wasn’t all primary. Elegant, very well balanced with excellent structure and finish. Drink 2033-45 properly stored.

The general Napa consensus on 2022 vintage will be a story of did you pick before or after the 6 days of extreme heat during the harvest window. One producer told me his would add 5% of 2023 to some of his 2022’s, which is allowed. He mentioned that he was going to add 15%. But, I think he just misspoke? Get ready for an amazing 2023 vintage from Napa. It was a cooler, not hot-hot, which was a near perfect growing season for long slow even ripening. Some say a vintage of a lifetime and others would only say exceptional.

The Saturday-Sunday Pavilion tasting at Pebble Beach Food & Wine is an excellent four hours to taste a lot wine, taste curated dishes from chefs from all over the country and meet the people behind the bottle. These short ribs were one of the top two or three things I tasted at the Pavilion Saturday. — 19 days ago

Scott E. Becker

9.0

[Tasted on March 15, 2024 at Richland Country Club in Nashville]

49% Cabernet Sauvignon; 21% Malbec; 17% Merlot; 8% Petit Verdot; 4% Syrah; 1% Carmenere. Chalk Hill AVA is a sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley AVA and is known for its chalky white ash soils. Restrained red currant fruit with mineral and graphite notes. Balanced and Bordeaux-like. — a month ago

Tom Garland

9.2

From mag

Pop and pour. A wondrous medium gold color. On the nose: Asian pear, oyster shells, lemon, floral, toasted nuts. Taste: great creamy-chalky mouthfeel with lemon, minerals, tart green apple, honey, cider. YUM! Still delicious at 27 years. — 5 months ago

with Brenda

Brad Jensen

9.0

Bought at the winery in 2021 just as things started to lift for COVID, and we brought our dog Murph along. This has sat for a bit, with three sediment coating the inside of the bottle, and is starting to show some age, with a pale red, somewhat fig color, with amber notes and bricking to the edges. The nose is tart, with more hints of fig, iron/blood, and a little iodine, with some softer fig newton and dark plum notes to finish. The palate is still acidic, with a little smoke or charcoal, super ripe strawberries, star anise, grapefruit, butterscotch, some iodine or apple cider vinegar, grandma’s fruit chew gummies, some iron and age elements of amber and velvet present at the finish. Tiva said Hawaiian Punch! — a month ago

Rick Castaneda

9.0

Black currant, black raspberry, gentle earthiness, black pepper, and slight star anise at the end. Lovely example of a Willamette Pinot. Medium to full body with medium tannins. Performed even better after decanting. — a month ago

with Kimberly

Bob McDonald

9.2

Brief notes. Peach and pear together with spice and a trace of pepper. Plenty of power on the palate. Probably one of Australia’s best examples of Gruner Veltliner. Bought at the Cellar Door in the Adelaide Hills in March 2021. — 5 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.6

Pale to mid yellow in colour. The wine was a little cold to begin with. Aromas of talc and lime marmalade, dried flowers - a faint paraffin note - No Kerosene or petrol (TDN). A beautiful aged Riesling from the Clare Valley from Petaluma - a long time favourite producer of Riesling. With air and warming up, some yellow peach notes developing. I see HH said this benefits from decanting which I didn’t do. Drinking at its peak. Sadly my last 2012. — 6 months ago