Jim O’Gorman

9.1

Enjoyed this ultra full bodied Cab with nice steak. Let this bottle breathe a good 4-5 hours before serving. And then decanter. It was worth the wait. — 3 days ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.0

Gratifying Oak Knoll #napavalley #merlot - medium plus body, calibrated acidity, some vanilla and toasty oak notes so it’s pretty young but well executed Merlot. My hot take - Merlot at the $50 retail mark will outperform Cabs at this price point. — 4 months ago

Seth Masterson

9.0

Perfectly ripe red fruit condition, Red plum and red cherry. Secondary black plum.
Texture is rounded and soft with a good acid balance.

Too much new oak for my preference, it distracts from the quality of the fruit. — 6 months ago

Galen Hasler

9.1

Complex rich full body live acidity petrol — 6 days ago

Michael Chelus

9.0

Apple, lemon, honey, peach, oak and hints of almond. Great acidity and balance. — 3 months ago

John Malcolm

9.4

Rated this over five years ago. All I can say is “ditto” — 5 months ago

Charlie Frago

9.1

Great color , moderate fruit and solid tannins. Similar to Dragons Tooth. Very enjoyable.  — 6 months ago

Gijs jakobs

9.5

Beste wit, met een eindeloze afdronk — a month ago

Kelley Raymond

9.2

Well worth the price - deep color and smooth finish — 2 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

After reading the story of this producer, I inspired to try it. Especially, at $59.99 for a quality Napa Cabernet. These two brother’s are true pioneers of the Napa Valley. They do their own thing. Don’t follow trends and are not aggressive with their bottle price, nor do they really wish to. More rare than common in today’s Napa Cabernet market. I have a lot of respect for that and Napa Pioneers.

This also drinks pretty well for a young Napa Cabernet. I was expecting bigger/bolder based on write up. Not that this won’t benefit from cellaring.

The fruits are nicely ripe; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries, cherries & blueberry hues. I was expecting more teeth. Think it is showing the finesse & balance of most 21’s I’ve had. Dark spice, grilled meats, light black pepper, barrel dust, dry tobacco, leather, savory herbaceousnes, moist clays, dry crushed rocks, cola, flower bouquet of red, blue & purple fresh flowers, rainfall acidity with a well balanced, softly structured, elegant finish that lasts just over a minute and lands crushed rocks and touch of spice.

It will be interesting to see if this shows more in 5 years.

Photos of; Smith Madrone vineyards and brothers Stuart and Charles Smith — 5 months ago