Tree Kilpatrick

9.1

From some research I found this is Syrah and Grenache from two vineyards in Bennett Valley. Dark color. Like India ink dark with a purple lip. Smells lovely. Fresh berries meets European salt licorice. Also little fresh paint. A few wet stones as well. Flavors are dense and extracted. Plenty of tannins, but floral and complex. There’s plenty of minerality here. This might age well. Loosen up and gain a softer edge. Lots of leather, cherry pits and olives in there. Bennett Valley sure is great for Rhone grapes, especially Syrah’s. — 4 months ago

S.S. Mandani

9.3

Perfume of black cherry, leathery, dried out plums, fig marmalade, and the deep essence of a fistful of ruby saffron. A menacingly intoxicating bouquet.

So much flavor. Smacks of chewy raspberries, and the tartness of a cherry pie. Balanced with the brightness and liveliness of fruits of the tropics. I’m thinking a tart, unripe mango, the type that grows in India, but that my grandmother planted a decade ago in our backyard in Florida, which now bares hundreds of wonderfully tart green mangoes every year.

A little sweet spice right at the end, and you get a complex dance of flavors. One that makes you think that wine is the manifestation of a miracle growing from the ground. — 4 years ago

Chris Durall

8.9

A Fantastic Voyage from Connecticut Valley Brewing. New England Style IPA 6.5% ABV — 6 years ago

Suhneel Roye

9.5

Drank at home while cooking with India, paired with homemade Veggie Casserole. — 3 years ago

Chris Gorgone

9.4

Valentine's Day dinner with my Bahama mama at The Landing; a 200-year-old estate in Harbour Island's downtown. Originally the home of the island's first doctor, the colonial-style building served as Customs House and then a private club. It was built when Harbour Island was a ship building center. With the help of supermodel India Hicks, The Landing has been transformed into a charming 12-room boutique hotel with one of the hottest restaurants in town. — 3 years ago

with Beth

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

For me, there is one Napa winery that was great in the pioneer days and lost their edge for a time but, has seriously reclaimed it. That winery is Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. It is largely overlooked with so many modern quality producers rising in the Napa Valley.

This 09 Fay is outstanding in a way that is truly unique to Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.

The nose reveals, dark currants/cassis, deeply extracted; blackberries, black raspberries, black raspberries, black plum, black cherries with faint, creamy raspberries on the high nose & glass edges. Dark expresso roast, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, mocha, caramel, nutmeg, clove, vanilla, black licorice to anise, medium intensity dark spice, limestone minerals, dark, rich earth, dry crushed rocks, volcanic minerals, steeped tea, fresh tobacco, graphite, dark liqueur notes, Provence herbs with dark, florals, fresh & withering, candied florals with bright violets.

The body is full, silky and velvety. The tannins are rounded, soft yet tarry and teethe, 40% resolved. There are 10-20 years of life ahead depending on how you enjoy & store wine. The tension, structure, length and balance are just starting to climb to its peak. Dark currants/cassis, deeply extracted; blackberries, black raspberries, black raspberries, black plum with skin, black cherries with faint, poached strawberries & creamy raspberries. Dark, well pressed, expresso roast, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, mocha, caramel, nutmeg, clove, vanilla, dark, Asian & India spices with heat, black licorice to anise, medium intensity dark spice, limestone minerals, dark, rich earth, moist clay, dry crushed rocks, volcanic minerals, steeped tea, fresh tobacco, touch of black pepper, graphite, dark liqueur notes, Provence herbs with dark, florals, fresh & withering, candied florals with bright violets and lavender. The acidity is phat, round and fountain drippy. The long finish is; big, round, elegant, ripe, ruby, well balanced and persists deeply for minutes.

Photos of, their tasting room & Estate vines, barrel room, non-stop swinging pendulum ball and aerial view of their Estate. — 5 years ago

David Foster

9.0

Light as water. Berry. Dry. Long tail taste. Named after Mirabai poet-seer saint of 16th century India. — 3 years ago

Yash Gala

9.2

President during lockdown. Plummy with a hint of fruitiness. Medium bodied. Would order again one of the decent chilean reds available in India — 4 years ago

Kurt Schuster

9.2

When I saw that it was unfiltered the color made perfect sense. Inky black like India ink. It opened with incredible spicy notes and write fruits that mellowed out quickly to smooth round right fruit. Good Tanic structure to it that didn’t leave it flabby. Developed baking and old-fashioned spices at the front end that finished with baked fruit at the back end. Delicious — 4 years ago

Jeffrey Long

9.5

Soft mouthfeel with a touch of dankness and a tremendous tropical complexity that merges with the sweetness from 8% abv. Well done and pretty much everything you could want from this style. — 6 years ago