Jim Stehli

9.3

Classic Zin. The earth in St Helena has a lot going on and Chase delivers it nicely. Delicious dry farmed Zin classic flavors. Low key, smaller cellar if you prefer and I do. Nice people, nice view, nice wines. — 4 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

On the nose, still showing dark currants but, the fruits are starting to shine. Creamy fruits of; black plum, plum, blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, dark chocolate, mocha bar, vanilla, cinnamon, light clove, soft dark spice, limestone minerals, crush dry rock powder, sweet tarry notes, expression roast with dark dry & fresh floral bouquet.

The palate is much rounder & integrated from a year ago. The tannins are powdery & dusty. The body is still very full. The structure, tension, length and balance are knitting together nicely. Creamy fruits of; black plum, plum, blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, dark chocolate, mocha bar, vanilla, cinnamon, light clove, soft dark spice, limestone minerals, crush dry rock powder, dry stones, dry stems, sweet tarry notes, expression roast with dark dry & fresh floral bouquet. The acidity is lively. The finish is beautiful but still more earth & spice dominated than fruit. Yet, it is evolving to being more even. It’s just starting to evolve into the wine I thought it will become with a beautiful finish that goes on and on.

Photos of, more guests at the party enjoying themselves, chicken sliders with aioli, view of the Estate vines and Napa Valley floor from their house and the awesome Latin ensemble that performed. — 6 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.8

Seven Stones was the wine of this market visit to Napa. For me, it is the very definition of why I drink wine. Great fruit that is not overworked and is the Webster’s Dictionary of elegance, even at this young age.

On the nose; beautiful dark & medium red cassis. Ruby in style with amazing florals. Blackberries, dark cherries, raspberries & blue fruit mix. The red florals are so engaging, They possessed me for quite sometime before getting to tasting the wine. Soft baking spices with understated vanilla.

The body was medium full. Tannins unbelievably soft, silky and elegant for such a young wine. The fruits picked at the perfect ripeness. Such elegance! Creamy and ruby fruits of; cherries, dark cherries, creamy raspberries and wafting blue fruits. Soft spices, dry crushed rock powder, delicate volcanic minerals, touch herbaceous, whiff of black olive, dry soils, beautiful red roses and violets. The structure firm yet delicate as was the tension. The length and balance in perfect harmony. The long, polished finish simply amazing. Especially, in a wine this young.

Photos of; the property with the seven stones from Yosemite that are held together by gravity and weight 100,000 pounds, and two other artworks from the owners amazing art collection and the view from their terrace. — 7 years ago

Lee Kendrick

9.8

Hard for me to get in Colorado. I must use my friend in Mountain View to aquire. Big dark fruit flavor and lingering. Love it! — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.5

@Mark Flesher and I decided to do a 2014 Napa Cab battle from two of Napa’s top winemakers...TRB and Mike Smith.

At pop and pour, the aromatics here were absolutely wonderful. There was a sweet/ripe dark fruit core to this wine. Very youthful with some cedar and cocoa. Stylistically I view TRB as a red and black fruit Cab winemaker and I found the nose to be on the darker side. BUT. The raspberry, vanilla pipe tobacco, dark chocolate and dates on the palate showed TRB in every way. There was an elegance with power here. In a few years, this will undoubtedly be stellar. Great bottle @Mark Flesher — 6 years ago

with Mark

Shay A

9.2

A while back, Chappellet came to Fort Worth and did a wine dinner, so my in laws and I attended. Overall, very nice wines and we heard the view was great atop Pritchard Hill, so they wanted to stop by during our trip.

Chappellet does a very solid job across many wines, but this Malbec was a standout. It’s usually so inky and one dimensional, but this was a welcomed surprise. Lots of black cherry, red licorice tart and spice. Similar to the well crafted Hope & Grace Malbec that @David T introduced to me. — 7 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

The 2015 was paired with “Braised Short Rib over Pomm Purée Dressed with Au Ju.”

Had to take speed notes on this one as we were running late to Outpost.

The nose shows beautiful ripe fruits of; dark cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, big plum, beautiful medium spice, beautiful baking spices, fresh violets and purple flowers.

The body is full and fresh. Tannins are soft and round. The structure & tension big. Well balanced. The acidity nice and round. The finish is beautiful elegant rich and even start to finish.

Photos of; Vineyard 29, the top view of their large oak vat fermenters, Estate Cabernet grapes and the patio view from Vineyard 29. — 6 years ago

Samantha Potter

9.2

Enjoyed this tasty and teenaged Anakota Cab at Amis in Philadelphia with a lively view of the kitchen and delicious steak. Rich and peppery with a bite. Lots of fun chatting with the kitchen crew and the rest of the team at Amis while witnessing some glorious dessert prep (pictured: melted chocolate in ramekins)... Thank you @Cara Zimmerman for the great recommendation! — 7 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

On the nose; glowing ruby fruits, amazing perfumed florals, dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, blueberries, plum, black plum, anise, layers of fine baking spices, vanilla and stunning red florals. The body is full with firm tannins showing more roundness than the 14. The structure, tension and length is still big, well done and just beginning to integrate. The palate has expressive florals and ruby, ripe fruits of; dark currants, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, blueberries, plum & black plum. Nice heat lifting palate spices, round, layered integrated baking spices, leather, graphite, dry top soil with crushed rock powder, dusty gritty volcanic minerals, anise, nice round acidity with developing structure, softening tension, great length and beautiful finish that lasts two minutes. Photos of, the staff harvesting, our fabulous host Beverly Sodhani and another angled view from their vineyard. — 7 years ago

Eric

9.0

Sub par example from my "go to" producer. Not bad, but washed out and flat. In my view due to age (not storage). These wines are best consumed within 5 years. — 8 years ago