Ellen Clifford

8.9

Made with just a touch of pleasant oak against a tropical backdrop, a smidge of wet, dewy lawn mingled in. — a year ago

Joseph Hainsworth

8.9

Excellent cab, great value. Bright nose, wide body, decent structure. — 3 years ago

John Howard

Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries

9.1

Like an oaky version of Ridge geyserville or Lytton springs but for much less dosh. Surprisingly good. — 6 years ago

Amanda Anderson

8.9

From Everson Royce monthly wine collection — 9 years ago

Frank Bragg

9.4

Really nice! Smooth, very drinkable. — 10 years ago

with Keith

Ulrich Rieger

9.3

Wonderful wine for a Friday evening chill out. — 10 years ago

Travis Rhoades

9.6

Complex flavors of cedar and sweet dark berry. Lengthy finish with toasty oak tones — 12 years ago

Andrea Watt

8.9

Peach, pear, and tangerine over orange blossom and jasmine. Slightly sweet but still acidic enough to balance a cheeseboard or meal. — 2 years ago

Lindsey Smith

9.0

Lovely and deep. Has a fairly rich and mellow taste which is very pleasant compared to the light and uninspiring nose. The finish is slightly deep but has zing to it. I am a bourbon drinker and have 40+ bottles in my collection and can say that I completely forgot this was finished in bourbon barrels. I guess if you're thinking bourbon while you're drinking, you get a sense of it in the exhale at the end of the finish, but that's about it. But there must be some influence in keeping the taste a bit rich. Whatever the bourbon is doing, I like it. — 5 years ago

Kristin the Wine Girl

9.1

Dark and deep like the name. Drinking smokey deep dark purple velvet in a glass. Floral yet brooding and dark. A long time favorite. Decant at least one hour. Will age well. — 8 years ago

Juan Borda

9.0

Nice wine. Great flavors. — 9 years ago

Brian McMahon

Sales Polaner Selections

9.1

Varietal Notes: Moscato Bianco, Fuilano, Cortese
Vineyard: Flora and Fauna loosely means the collection of plant and animal life of a certain epoch. This version is the collection of varietals from the cellar and also from Sam's ideas that make up the blend for the year. For 2014, The Bee compromises of roughly 60% Muscat Canelli (a.k.a Muscat Blanc, Moscato Bianco), 30% Friulano, and 10% Cortese. The Muscat Canelli comes from organically farmed, well drained volcanic soils on the southwest edge of Lake County. The Friulano and Cortese both come from Fox Hill Vineyard with soils that are well drained with high concentrations of gravel and sandstone.
Vinification: Winemaking starts in the vineyard, and Sam's preference is to find sites that require minimal to no work. In other words, the basics done right and well timed are all a great site needs. When that is the case, the winemaking becomes a simple game of guiding the fruit to be what it already is. For all three pieces of the blend, the grapes are picked at the first sign of ripeness. Sam time picking to when flavors just begin to emerge but the acidity and structure are still the predominant focus. From there, the grapes were whole cluster pressed, fermented via native yeasts, left on all the lees and solids, aged in neutral oak, and underwent native secondary fermentation. The blend was assembled in January leading up to bottling.
Production: 185 cases produced.
Notes: A dry, exotic, and aromatic white that doesn't stray to an over the top or sappy level is hard to find, and it was the rational behind the varietal choices and picking decisions. Macerated orange blossoms, wet river stones, spiced honey, ginger, gardenia, lemon peel, salty ocean air, and rangpur lime all balance in the aromas. The mouth shows great texture and weight without ever getting heavy. The finish is full of spicy acidity.
RATINGS
— 10 years ago

Kapyrick Wine

9.0

v22. Very nice. Soft, fresh cut melon nose. Creamy, apple and lime fruit. Bright, round, soft oak finish. Enjoyable. — 2 years ago

Jeremy.Buss

9.1

Very fruit forward with an array of dark berries present, strawberry, and even a hint of cherry. Little bit of black pepper and medium tannins. Not a common bottle in our collection but worth having. — 5 years ago

David Shaw

9.1

Dense purple, moderately extracted pigment. Raspberry, blackberry, strawberry jam, green and black olive notes in nose. Raspberry, blackberry and tart cherry flavors, green olive, cool mint and dusty herbal notes, a touch of tar, bright acidity, light rounded seed tannins in finish initially. A lot of yummy flavors here, a greatest hits collection of traditional Cali red wines. Lovely complexity here — 7 years ago

Julianne Akins

9.0

Very nice, porch with Laura Wilson — 10 years ago

Christina Ahlheim

9.1

Very nice and smooth. Drank at Brio. — 10 years ago

Patrick Fishman

10

Awesome & tasty — 11 years ago

with Dana