Scott Kahn

9.2

This is the best Chardonnay from Maxem hands down. My first from Lucky Well Vineyard - full of minerality reminiscent of a fine Montrachet. — 10 months ago

Edmond Bordelon

9.6

Nine Suns and their favorite son, Sam Kaplan!
Sam and his lovely wife, Nancy were kind enough to take time out of their Florida vacation and stop by our house for a great Tasting Event of his big 3 Wines,... Arkenstone, Memento Mori and Nine Suns. And then he pulled out his latest project, soon to be released in the fall, Maxem! (Named after his two children, Max and Emma.) Not to compete with his huge red blends, his Maxem line is Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, both from the famed UV Vineyard in Sonoma. (Think Aubert Pinot Noir😃). I will try to review the Maxem wines later, but back to the amazing Nine Suns red blend from Pritchard Hill. We had the 2012 recently and were blown away by how much it has improved in such a short time. The 2013 needed some more time, but you can already sense the greatness to come. Already balanced feel and long finish. I decanted it for 4 hours to ensure we were doing justice to this deep purple stunner. While I liked the 2012 better, this 2013 was still lush and had blueberries as the major fruit up front and dark cherries on the back end. Sam talked about Nine Sun's amazing Houyi Vineyard, calling it the Rodéo Drive of Napa with all of their big neighbors. 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec, 8% Petit Verdot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot. Robert Parker gave it a 96, and I am in full agreement! — 8 years ago

with Beth and Katherine

Philip Deibel

9.2

Purchased based on Sam’s involvement with other projects that I have enjoyed, this is not my go-to style for a Pinot. It is more ripe and alcoholic (14.8%!) than I would usually purchase. I was told that this is characteristic of the UV vineyard. That being said, this was very enjoyable. It is a cab-lover’s Pinot as it is plush and broad on the palate. While it won’t be my daily go-to Pinot, I will definitely keep some on hand to fit the right mood and/or company. — 4 years ago

Paul T HB

9.6

Great new Chardonnay from Sam Kaplan,
Parker 94-96 — 7 years ago