Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.8

I coravined some of the 97 early this week and as I sipped it, it was had not to think it was the best Jones Family I’ve had. A score of 98 and I have not given a wine 98 in a very long time. But no matter where you go, there you are.

Tonight I had the 01 at the “Tasting House” and it was amazing. Their Short Ribs are amongst the best I’ve had. A deliberate wine bring knowing the wine & how well it pairs w/ short ribs.

1997 was an outstanding vintage. I think we can all agree on that. Jones Family is a TRB wine that should not fly under the radar in any vintage and I have had nearly all those good vintages since 97.

The 1997 is ethereal. The nose is pure beauty. Perfectly ripe and resolved fruits. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, both plums & juicy strawberries. Perfect baking spices; clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanillin, sandstone/limestone, fresh tobacco, cedar to sandalwood, dark, Indian/Asian spices, camphor, black licorice, berry cola, sun tea, volcanics, tree bark w/ hints of sap, dark & red fresh flowers.

The palate is incredibly, beautiful, balanced fruit & earth. Bright cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, both plums, hovering raspberries & juicy strawberries. Perfect baking spices; clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanillin, sandstone/limestone, beautiful Indian/Asian spices w/ some plate heat, fresh tobacco, sandalwood, volcanics & dry clay, camphor, dark chocolate baking bar, black licorice, some warm caramel, berry cola, sun tea, volcanics, dark rich soil with dry leaves, tree bark w/ hints of sap, fresh & dry herbs, dark & red fresh flowers framed in lavender & liquid violets, excellent acidity with perfect; elegance, tension, balance and structured finish that last minutes landing on fresh fruit, dark spices and earth tones.

I’ve posted other bottles of 97 Jones Family that were incredible, 95-96. This one perhaps had better storage, evolution & timing. Magic. — 16 days ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Excellent integration & evolution. Still ascending.

As one/me might have imagined, dry, sour dark, red, cherries, baked to dried rhubarb, dry blackberries, cedar to sandalwood, dry tobacco, lightly crushed rocks, limestone, dry leaves, sun tea, sandstone, dry florals that are dark, red with violets, excellent acidity and a medium tension, nicely balanced & beautifully knitted , smartly polished finish that lasts nearly two/minutes. — a year ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

A gift from a neighbor, this is a friendly and open red. Medium intensity nose shows red fruit (even a little strawberry), cigar box, and sandstone. Broad and flowing in the mouth. Tobacco leaf, plummy fruit, iodine. Ends on a lengthy savory note (the 20% Syrah signature?). — 3 years ago

Doug Powers

9.4

Beautifully ripe red and blue berry fruit aromas and flavors, beautifully balanced and restrained Santa Cruz Mountains Syrah, long, lingering finish, this is really super juice!! — 2 months ago

with Jim

Neil Valenzuela

8.9

Deep purple color. Aromas of plum, blackberry, cherry and oak. Baking spices, graphite/lead and vanilla notes. Paired nicely with Italian sausage rigatoni.

🏅92 Points - Wine Enthusiast — 4 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Beautiful. Young Tempranillo is rough & rugged Wild West tumble weed. This is soft, ruby, lush falling onto minerality and dry brush.

The fruits are dryish to ripe, creamy and rich; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum into black plum pudding, dark cheries, blueberries hues on the long set, dry tobacco, sandalwood to cedar, dry herb-sage & thyme driven, limestone/sandstone minerals, black pepper, anise to black licorice, dark chocolate, caramel, mocha, moist, grey, volcanic clay, withering, dark red, flowers, round acidity, balance, softened tensioned, nicely structured and polish for days that lasts two-minutes.

Paired this with/ a dry rub tri-tip and a burgundy marinaded Cardiff Crack tri-tip. Both very different and enjoyable, but this was a slightly more enjoyable with the Cardiff Crack burgundy marinate.

Photos of; two of their different seasonal vinyards, cave entrance & large cellar vats. — 10 months ago

Tom Casagrande

9.4

Another very elegant, balanced, complex, and distinctive Syrah from The Rocks district. Sultry color. The nose is extraordinary and so “The Rocks”: tobacco leaf, asparagus, fire pit, sandstone, with the ripe berry ooze fruit in the background. On the palate, it’s so soft and enveloping, with dark ripe berries shot-through with crushed smoky rocks. Though it’s not heavy or jammy, texturally it coats the palate and won’t leave. So good. What I love about this small and unique district is that it shows, almost more than any region I can name, the effect of geology on wine. Rhône varietals, especially Syrah, grown here are unlike anything else I’ve ever tasted. I just hope that global warming doesn’t wreck things here. — 3 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

This was nice with Bolognese.

Excellent integration & evolution. Fine tannins, some dark blackberries, dark sour cherries, blood orange w/ rind, soft spices, sandstone mineral dust, dark withering flowers, good acidity and a smooth, elegant finish that lasts a full minute.

This was in a good spot and will hold another 5-7 years, but believe its ascenion is complete. — 2 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

So, I am reposting this with realtime notes because I couldn’t a few weeks ago. I had it again tonight only with a Wagyu NY steak. While it went well with the steak, I think it shows even better on its own it’s that soft & elegant. I slightly over peppered my steak tonight and that could have contributed to that thought. I bought six more bottles last week for a ridiculous $39.99. For under $40, you’d be hard pressed to find a a better quality, drinkable Bordeaux at that pricepoint. I know if anyone researched the reviews on the bottling there would no scores 90 or above. Most or all I believe would be slightly below 90.

The thing that time & experience has taught me is trust in Clyde Beffa the owner of K&L Wine Merchants. He brings in older Bordeaux’s directly from Chateaux’s or Negotiants well after the fact as he has here and done very successfully for over 40 years. I have bought these kinds of older Bordeaux bottling’s to avoid drinking my wines that need cellaring too soon. Again, he has brought in a lesser Bordeaux regions and or Bordeaux producers that through long bottle evolution yielded magic after young critical reviews.

The nose reveals; older, musty funk on well aged, beautiful, ripe fruits of; soft blackberries, black raspberries, dark sweet cherry kirsch, stewy black plums, baked strawberries, dry rhubarb & cranberries. Baking soda, red fruit cola, steeped tea leaves, aged, dryish tobacco, well used leather, soft cedar to sandalwood, sandstone powder, mix of dry & fresh herbs, moist volcanic clay, limestone marl, dry river stone, well evolved and smoothed out lead pencil shavings, caramel hues, melted, warm, dark chocolate cake w/ frosting, classic older Bordeaux funk, withering to withering to dryish flowers that are dark & red.

The color isn’t even very brickish. Some barnyard, funk on well aged, beautiful, ripe fruits that are; soft blackberries, black raspberries, dark sweet cherry kirsch, stewy black plums, baked strawberries, dry rhubarb & cranberries. Baking soda, red fruit cola, steeped tea leaves, aged, dryish tobacco, well used leather, soft cedar to sandalwood, sandstone powder, mix of dry & fresh herbs, moist volcanic clay, limestone marl, dry river stone, well evolved classic, older, softened lead pencil shavings, caramel hues, melted, warm, dark chocolate cake w/ frosting, classic older Bordeaux funk, fresh to withering dryish flowers that are dark & red. Spring rainfall acidity with a well evolved, elegant, balanced, still nicely structured/tensioned, soft elegant finish that lasts two-minutes and falls on dry, well resolved tannins and perfect earthiness. Soft & complex as all get out! A steal at this price!

Photos of; the Chateau, stainless steel tanks, barrel room and Estate vineyards. — 8 months ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Color starting to mature a bit. Nose has lots of different things going on: cassis, warm brick, an iodine note, cigar box, and a bit of eucalyptus even. Soft and expansive in the mouth, though not terribly dense of concentrated. Dark berries, leather, lots of dry sandstone. — 3 years ago