Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

8.9

As I have mentioned, I am not much of an SB fan. This isn’t awful. It has some reductive qualities and a little vanillin. But, still has the dry cut grass, hay and just a touch of that NZ cat pee. — 2 years ago

Deborah M

8.9

1 out of 4 not corked 😕. Last Bottle did give credit, but still frustrating. Based on notes, pretty much everyone who received this one had the same experience. — 5 years ago

Russell Perry

9.2

Excellent cab. — 6 years ago

with Danielle

Prakash Panjwani

9.1

Great wine but could afford to have more tannins — 7 years ago

Jason and Jennie

9.5

Compared to the herold, this is more fruit forward and less tannin. What i like about this wine is that the oakville structure shines through even though it is so opulent. Prob my favorite non-beckstoffer wine they make still. Against the herold, it's a better value. — 9 years ago

Aaron Means

9.5

Hands down the best Cab Franc I've tasted all year in California. This was spectacular. Last vintage by this winemaker. Mark Herold takes the reigns next vintage and I'm sure he will make a mess of this. — 9 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.5

Second vintage from Kevin Carriker (I think Mark Herold was still involved at this time). Absolutely terrific. It's clear that Kevin's wines need a lot of time in bottle. Had this one several years ago and there is NO comparison. Surprised how much primary fruit one still gets on the nose, but the palate is classic, moderately aged CA cab. Beautifully sweet, integrated tannins. Great balance, with a silky finish. Unfortunately this is our last bottle, but it probably has a few more years left (but don't wait: it's drinking perfectly now!). — 9 years ago

with Vanessa

B A

8.9

Yeast and caramel apple up front but dries out — 2 years ago

Roy Goble

9.4

Nice gift for Father’s Day. Thank you @Rachel Goble and @Sam Hara — 4 years ago

Laura Purdy

9.0

Gorgeous rosé. Paired well with popcorn and a perfect patio night — 6 years ago

Kurt Schuster

8.9

Look it’s not bad, it’s really not. Firm and ripe while giving us spiciness. I just can’t stand the guy puts his name on everything. — 6 years ago

Eric

9.5

Mark Herold wine. Terrific. sweet coffee vibe throughout. Outstanding balance. Blackberries soaked in ink. Damn. — 8 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.4

Deep purplish ruby red. Powerful and rich Cabernet nose, layered with sweet and dark spices, vanilla, dark berries, dark raspberries and some incense. Heavy tannins (7/10) and full bodied. Plush palate with great structure. Lovely and powerful texture with layers of dark berries, sweet spices, graphite, blue and black fruits. Long and lingering finish. Excellent work by Mark Herold. Drink till 2032. | Sample — 9 years ago

with Sean and India

Lynne Rieck

9.2

I love this expression of Albariño and the winery in Napa is great fun! Enjoyed this bottle on Albariño Day, of course. — 9 years ago

Eric

9.2

Destroyed the Herold for half the price. Straight forward fruit and oak. Still had time left. — 9 years ago

Michael Walker

9.8

Note this is Flux red blend (not Rose) and Last Bottle says the winemaker Jon Keyes worked for Mark Herold but this isn’t a MH wine…..ANYWAY it’s a very agreeable blend at an exceptionally agreeable price ($16) at LB - beautiful blackberry tones on the nose, light on the palate but not too fruity - I think some age would work well - reminds me of the FC Siena tho J thinks it’s lighter — 4 years ago

Bryan Kesting

9.3

This is a great bottle of wine for the money. Creamy, full bodied and well balanced. — 5 years ago

Georgina McDonald

9.2

All hail Germany’s Weingut Mann, from Eckelsheim. 2018 Cuvée Rot. 50% Merlot. 50% *Dornfelder. 100% would drink again. Good concentration, strong color with a gentle tannic grip and surprisingly only 11% alcohol. Worthy of cellaring. A brilliant “natural wine” with the ability to woo the naysayers. A wine that could shake off the title of “natural” like a wet dog, knowing it has the integrity to simply be, a good wine, without having to shout out its resume. Confident this would please many people, on either side of the fence. Would love to taste again in two years.

*Dornfelder is a dark-skinned variety of grape of German origin used for red wine. It was created by August Herold at the grape breeding institute in Weinsberg in the Württemberg region in 1955. Herold crossed the grape varieties Helfensteiner and Heroldrebe, the latter which bears his name, to create Dornfelder. Via Wikipedia ;) — 6 years ago

Tyler Mitchell

9.0

Passion fruit bomb. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

We were suppose to be in Napa this weekend. Sadly, no one should be in Napa/Sonoma except Firefighters and first responders. However in lieu of; the Sodhani party, appointments at Beau Vinge, Mark Herold & a steak at Cole’s Chop House, what the next best thing? #STEAKANDCLARETNIGHT at home in the backyard. This 86 was amazing with my ribeye. The kind of pleasure that causes great pause and rolls the eyes a bit. On the nose; menthol, eucalyptus, dry herbs, soft ripe blackberries, dark cherries, strawberries, baked plum, perfectly stated baking spices, stones, soft unstated spice, clay, rich dark earth, touch of black cherry cola and fresh & dark florals. The palate is heaven as it coats. The body medium full, layered and the tannins are nicely resolved but not completely...still a fair amount of life in this bottle. I’d say it’s still around it’s peak. The fruits are ripe and still fresh. Blackberries, baked plum, dark cherries, strawberries, dry cranberries, hues of blueberries, black cherry cola, sweet darker spice, vanilla, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, dark rich earth, dry stones, tobacco, suede leather, dry clay, menthol, eucalyptus, touch of dry herbs, fresh & dry dark flowers, beautiful, round acidity, perfect 12.5% alcohol and a long, even, elegantly balanced with beautiful structure, tension & length that’s lasts two minutes. It’s in a really excellent spot. 9.6 with the ribeye and 9.4 on it’s own. Photos of; an aerial shot of Chateau Canon, owners Alain and Gerard Wertheimer who made their first big money on Chanel, own Rauzan-Segla and are worth just under a paltry 10 billion, their barrel room and their Saint-Emilion vineyard. Producer notes and history...Chateau Canon is a premier cru with a history of fine vintages. This Saint-Emilion property has long been recognised as one of the best in the appellation. It is believed that Canon was named after Jacques Kanon, the naval officer who bought estate in 1760. He built the château here and surrounded it with plantings solely of vines...a rare agricultural practice at the time. However, he then sold the estate to a Bordeaux négociant just ten years later. In 1919 it was purchased by the Fournier family, who owned the property until 1996. When they sold it to the Wertheimer family, owners of Chanel and of Rauzan-Ségla in Margaux it unfortunately had some serious problems. The cellars were contaminated with TCA, the chemical compound which causes cork taint. Many of the vines were infected by viruses and in need of being replaced. As well, part of the vineyard above the quarried cellars had subsided. Fortunately the Wertheimers had the money to fix these issues and a manager, John Kolasa with the skills. The first decade of the 21st century saw Canon begin to regain its reputation once John Kolasa retired and Nicolas Audebert at Rauzan-Ségla took over. The substantial estate covers 22 hectares on Saint-Emilion’s famous limestone plateau close to the town. The vines have an average age of 25 years and are generally planted with a southerly or south-westerly exposure. 75% of the vines are Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc. After the grapes are hand-picked, they are fermented in traditional cone-shaped vats, before spending 18 months ageing in oak barrels, 50% new and 50% used. — 9 years ago