Doug Powers

9.4

Still very MAD that when we visited Margaret River last December we did NOT visit McHenry Hohnen (in fairness, it was on my visit list of 12-15 wineries, and while we drove by, it was end of the day and so didn’t stop — STUPID ME!! 🤷) — Medium-dark purple, fair amount of sweet new oak, dark fruits, mulberry, blackberry aromas and flavors, BIG structure, quite tannic (but I’d contrast current day Margaret River tannic vs. Napa 1980s tannic any day, the latter generally more bitter), great depth and complexity, needs 10+ years aging, great juice!! — a month ago

with Jim

Jay Kline

9.1

The 2020 vintage presented many challenges for wine producers around the world but the fires in California added a layer of complexity that nobody needed. Many of the producers I enjoy didn’t even make red wine and if they did, it was never released. For some, the effects were more catastrophic. Unfortunately for McHenry Vineyard, the situation was the latter. Not only was the entire crop lost to smoke taint in the CZU Lighting Complex Fire but the winery and most of the structures on the property were destroyed. They even lost some of the majestic redwoods that have surrounded the vineyard for centuries. Despite the pandemic and the destruction, Brandon and Annelisa were resolved to rebuild. However, with the crop lost and nowhere to make wine for the foreseeable future, they had to enlist some help. In the near term, Brandon was able to purchase fruit from the Christie Vineyard in Corralitos (the longtime source for Storrs Winery & Vineyard) and John Benedetti of Sante Arcangeli came in the with the assist; just as he had in the production of the 2019 vintage. The fruit from Christie Vineyard is more Dijon heavy than McHenry’s estate vineyard but John did a great job of honoring the McHenry approach and style. The results were remarkable.

Popped and poured and enjoyed over a four hour period, the 2020 McHenry “Christie Vineyard” pours a bright, luminous ruby color with a transparent core. No obvious staining of the tears; medium+ viscosity. On the nose, bright ripened cherries, raspberries, roses, cloves and other spices. The wine is dry with medium tannins and medium+ acid. The finish is long. The overall impression is fresh, juicy and full of life. Like all vintages of McHenry, production is minuscule with only 150 cases produced.

As a sort of epilogue, Mother Earth giveth and taketh away. For all of the gifts that California’s climate brings to the production of wine, they are not immune to the whims of nature and these sorts of stories are becoming more and more common. With that being said, there have been at least two other occasions in McHenry’s past where they have been forced to purchase fruit or choose not release wine due to fire or pests. Unfortunately, this will probably not be their last but as long as they are determined to make beautifully balanced Pinot Noir way up on Bonny Doon Road, I will be drinking them. — 2 years ago

Matt Forester

9.4

Bramble, blackberry, wild, touches of pyrazine. Winner of small scale couthern hemisphere Cab tasting. — 6 months ago

Byron Hewett

9.3

Stunningly gorgeous! A blend of 3 vineyards. — 10 months ago

Arecibo Message

9.2

Huh, who knew? It reminds me of the light cherry effervescence of McHenry, but a bit watered down and soda pop. Like pleasant drunky black cherry soda. — 4 years ago

with jo

Mike Searby

8.9

Plums and menthol. Very quaffable. — 4 years ago

Jay Kline

9.5

And they call this their “second” wine. After McHenry in Santa Cruz, Seavey was an absolute show stopper for me on our recent trip to wine country. We had the opportunity to try five different wines with three bonus pours from recent and library wines and I tell you: All 👏🏼 eight 👏🏼 were 👏🏼 bangers 👏🏼. From their Chardonnay (which was sprung on us the moment we arrived, was acid driven and had the most delightful spine of minerals that I could have sworn it was GC Chablis), to their Rosé (which is a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend and bends what’s possible with the genre) to their Founder’s Reserve (which didn’t present much in the value dept. but was a killer wine nevertheless). Anyway, this 2005 Caravina is positively singing right now. Opulent amounts of plums, cassis, brambles, and sweet tobacco with secondary characteristics juuuuust starting to make their appearance: leather, truffle, and forest floor. Moderate acid. Firm tannins still! What a beauty...in a sort of masculine way. America! — 5 years ago

Byron Hewett

9.2

World class Chardonnay from Margaret River. All of their Chardonnay offerings are worth buying. A deft touch. — 8 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

The 2nd of two vintage Cape Mentelle wines for Sunday lunch. A medium plus crimson red in colour. Notes of mulberry and herbaceous Margaret River characters. Even at 15 years a whiff of French oak. With time in decanter sweet red and black fruits revealed themselves on the medium plus bodied palate. Finishing with velvety tannins. A classic Margaret River Cabernet from a good vintage - the first of 4 bottles from the cellar. Loved this with a Porterhouse Waygu score of 4. Cape Mentelle was one of the early stars of Margaret River, with David Hohnen at the helm they won 3 Jimmy Watson trophies in a row in the early 1980s. Nowadays owned by LVMH. Had another 52 weeks later on 7th January 2024 with consistent notes. Still have 2 left. Have next in 2025 and then the last one anytime up to 2028. I ended up having the 2nd last one on 8th June 2024 with consistent notes as previous. — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

This is a long story but worth the read. McHenry Vineyard, which is own-rooted and dry-farmed, was replanted back in the 90’s. While they waited for their vines to mature, they purchased some fruit and this is one of those examples.

The first time I ever had this wine was back in 2007 with some dear friends of ours, celebrating a birthday. Her father was a construction executive who periodically travelled to the Bay Area and happened to bring a few bottles of McHenry back on one of his trips. I was early in my wine journey and remember thinking back then, “This wine is gorgeous and, wow, has it aged really well…for a California Pinot Noir”. In that instant, McHenry became a darling winery for me and I have been enjoying their wines ever since.

Fast-forward to the summer of 2019 when I first visited the vineyard. I mentioned to Brandon that my introduction to McHenry wines was the 1999 Massaro Vineyard and before I new it, he had pulled a bottle from the library. The wine instantly brought me back to that experience in 2007. He even agreed to sell me a bottle to take with me too! Anyway, on this night, since I was with the same group of friends from my first experience 13 years ago.

In the glass, this shows signs of age. There is some sediment and the rim shows a slight brownish tint. On the nose, the fruit is still very alive! A mix of dark and red fruits are the predominate feature but secondary characteristics of mushrooms, leather and damp earth are riding shotgun. On the palate, dried dark and red fruits with mushrooms. The finish is long and satisfying…almost candied in a way. The wonderful structure that McHenry wines are known for has done its job and there’s still life in this bottle and worked very well with the meal.

If you’re still reading this, I should share that McHenry Vineyard suffered heavy damage due to the CZU Lightning Complex fires. The winery, one of the dwellings, their well system and their entire library was lost. The vineyard itself sustained some damage but should be okay. The 2020 crop is a complete write-off. That being said, they were able to secure some fruit from the Christie Vineyard in Corralitos so there will be a small 2020 vintage after all. The family’s heart remains bound to this land up on Bonny Doon and their special vineyard. They are already in the process of rebuilding and I, for one, am very much looking forward to drinking their wines long into the future. — 4 years ago