Poured into a Swan decanter immediately prior to service and enjoyed over a several hour period. The 2013 “Villero” pours a deep garnet with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears and no signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with a gorgeous, powerful bouquet of dark and red fruits: black cherry, pomegranate, cranberry, tar, roses, talcum powder, and dry stony earth. On the palate the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long, grippy a freaking delicious. This is showing really well but there is no end in sight. Drink now with patience but this should reward an even great bounty done the road and turn heads through 2045+. — 6 months ago
Compared to the last Becker dry Spatlese tasted, this was less inviting: a bit more mineral & stony, with none of the fruit flavors associated with Riesling to be found. Very chiseled & imagine needs time in bottle/ long decant. You can still taste the precision though. — 7 months ago
My nomination for Wine of the Year and it’s… a Napa Chardonnay?!? This wine challenged and expanded my beliefs about what this region, site and variety could be.
Also, we seem to be catching this wine at exactly the right point.
This Spring Mountain estate was focused almost entirely on white wines until recently and has some of the region’s oldest Napa plantings of Riesling and Chardonnay. (Of course now that they’ve been acquired by some PE group for an absurd sum, Cab is being planted everywhere but that’s a story for another day)
Their Chardonnay is idiosyncratic — no malo and low abv (the 2012 vintage is a mere 13%), but you wouldn’t know from its richness.
Mindblowingly complex and - most importantly - indulgently delicious (in other words, I blew my wine budget for two months on two bottles good).
Initial aromas of plastic / petrol (like riesling) that take on more of a toasted vanilla / caramel flan with air. On the nose and palate: pear and lemon, salt and stone. The flavors are concentrated and intense on the attack and yet the wine has such a light touch on the palate and a graceful finish — toasted hay, salty and flirting with bitter marzipan — that just goes on and on and on.
It brings me back to that afternoon on Spring Mountain with the perfect fall light, changing leaves and the coyote we saw crossing our path as we made our way up the winding drive way.
Absolutely fucking brilliant. — 10 months ago
Shelby papa luis xfg Howell mountain de ingrade — 3 months ago
The majestic 2010 Raveneau vintage. 2010 Butteaux is just electric after a few hours in the decanter, showing right at the intersection between youthful vigor and secondary character as it’s starting to develop that magical Raveneau waxy texture that comes with age. It’s deeply aromatic, layered and impeccably balanced between creamy yellow fruit density, stony Chablisen minerality and piercing lemony acids driving everything home. Raveneau is just in a league of its own and 2010 will be one of the best vintages ever for the Domaine and a true classic, terroir driven expression. My favorite since 2004. — 3 months ago
Honey. Melon. Mineral. — 10 months ago
Conrad Green
Honeyed Edges, chalk. Fresh stone. Bright. Good. — 15 days ago