Sipping Fine Wine

9.5

First of all Kudos to Ant Hill love the wax seal over cork! Deep Ruby with aromas of dark Berry fruits with notes of herbs, citrus, floral and earthy spice. On the palate flavors of blackberry and cherry, tea, vanilla and herb tones, well balanced with acidity. Firm fine tannins on a long finish ending with fruit and floral herb character. Very nice! Will age well! — 4 months ago

Paul J

9.4

1hr+ decant. This start out amazing but faded over time. Lovely dark red color with purple rims. Nose contained refined dark cherries and subtle baking spices. A nice sweetness was well balanced with the very present tannins but this fell out of balanced over time. The depth and finish were both great but also faded. Very nice wine that had so much more potential. — 9 months ago

with Brooke

Robert S.

9.1

Decanted 30 minutes. Expressive nose of dark berries. Air time added a smooth mouthfeel. Luscious medium to long finish. Drinking very well now. — 5 years ago

R David Fuhrman

8.9

Well made ... not my favorite style — 6 years ago

Ted

9.0

Found another ridge that I haven’t tried. Earth and black fruit. Dark chocolate as well. — 7 months ago

with Jeni

Tom Casagrande

9.0

From young vines (22 years old) in an otherwise very old vineyard site. It’s very good but, of course, lacks the depth of an old vine blend. Very pure and juicy dark berry fruit on the nose, almost like a sugar-glazed berry cobbler. Gorgeous balance in the mouth. Ripe fruit, no jamminess, spritely acids, and some very very soft tannin underneath. Not complex or especially deep, but well made. Great cookout wine! — 9 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

A blend of 88% Cab Sauv, 8% Petit Verdot & 4% Cab Franc, deep Ruby with aromas of juicy red and black fruits, sweet spice with floral notes. The palate is loaded with vibrant ripe fruit, cherry, blueberry and blackberry flavors with vanilla cedar, some cacao and currants notes, well balanced. Fine round tannins with great mouthfeel, long ending with a powerhouse of fruit and sweet spice on the finish. Great now but has plenty of room to run. — 5 years 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. — 9 months ago

Charles York

9.0

Raisin. Cinnamon. Dried strawberries. Maybe a hint of 5 spice. Well made and ready to drink. Don’t wait too long. — 3 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.1

The 2018 Sbragia Family Vineyards ‘Home Ranch’ Chardonnay is a seriously good effort from famed winemaker Ed Sbragia. On the nose this grabs your attention with baked pear, marzipan and shades of lemon cream that all fill the glass. The bright acidity is lovely here as lemon creme brûlée, ripe pineapple and shades of butterscotch flavors all enter the fray. While a delight to savor in its youth this excellent wine will cellar well for a decade or more, picking up earthy tertiary notes as it evolves. Drink 2019-2029- 91 — 5 years ago