David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Bruce Phillips and his wife were pouring their 2021. Talked w/ him at length. Very nice couple.

The 2021 showed well young with room for improving with 10-25 years in bottle and beyond. It showed some evolution, wasn’t all primary. Elegant, very well balanced with excellent structure and finish. Drink 2033-45 properly stored.

The general Napa consensus on 2022 vintage will be a story of did you pick before or after the 6 days of extreme heat during the harvest window. One producer told me his would add 5% of 2023 to some of his 2022’s, which is allowed. He mentioned that he was going to add 15%. But, I think he just misspoke? Get ready for an amazing 2023 vintage from Napa. It was a cooler, not hot-hot, which was a near perfect growing season for long slow even ripening. Some say a vintage of a lifetime and others would only say exceptional.

The Saturday-Sunday Pavilion tasting at Pebble Beach Food & Wine is an excellent four hours to taste a lot wine, taste curated dishes from chefs from all over the country and meet the people behind the bottle. These short ribs were one of the top two or three things I tasted at the Pavilion Saturday. — 7 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.7

Initial impressions - Earthy, Herbal, Soy. Cherry complex and long. Much intestinal fortitude ie. guts. Thankfully not overly menthol/eucalyptus (just a trace) as you often get with all Wendouree Cuvées. Amazing the intensity provided by those old vines going back to the 1890’s. Could easily last another 5 to 10 years but pretty much at its peak right now. This is as good as Australian Shiraz gets - up there with Grange and Hill of Grace and recognised as such by Langtons. With time in the decanter, like all great wines, they develop and change. I was getting raspberry and mineral after a few hours. An exceptional wine and in the top 5 or so wines I have had this year. In good vintages I don’t think Wendouree Shiraz should be approached at under 20 years of age. — 2 years ago

Flobaco

9.2

Lovely sweet fruit. Delicious — 5 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

This one is a 93+ at this stage with room for improvements with some more age.

The Farella showed a more savory character than the rest. It’s body thicker than the others. Ruby; blackberries, black plum, black raspberries & raspberries. Herbaceous notes, soft minerality-rock powder, limestone, volcanics and just drying top soil, dry tobacco, sandalwood, perfectly executed baking spices, dark spice, vanillin, withering dark, red, blue and violets, nice round acidity, nice tension, structure, well knitted & balanced structure with an excellent full minute finish.

Pano photo of Pritchard Hill from the estate (what a stunning view), barrel room, the estates wine collection; which given the excellent producers in it (bottles of Petrus just one of very expensive producers), I’d be a little earthquake nervous & lay some thin wire over the bottles to hold them in place and their tank room. — 10 months ago

Mark Schwarzmann

9.3

A Blue Hill purchase near the top end of their inventory, this well balanced chardonnay didn't disappoint and is very much worth finding again. — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Presented double-blind. Bright straw color in the glass. On the nose, medium+ intensity and crazy complex with orange, lemonade, stone fruits, tropical fruit, pineapple, Carmel apple, white pepper, toasted sour dough, saddle soap, and cotton candy. On the palate, the wine is dry and quite round. Deeply fruited and primary with juicy fruit bubble gum and holiday spices. The finish is long. Medium- acid, medium+ alcohol. Complex, rich in texture and slightly bitter. This vintage was 100% Marsanne from the Maison Blanche lieu-dit at the top of the hill. Whatever grapes don’t get used for the Domaine’s Hermitage Blanc are put into this bottling and made more or less the same way. I have a couple bottles holed away for down the road as I suspect these will drink very well for many years down the road. — 3 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Cobb is another solid producer of CA Pinot Noir. A 14 acre parcel bought in 1988 by Ross Cobb and began making wine in 1989.

The nose reveals ripe, lush, ruby fruits of; poached strawberries, blackberries, dark cherries, raspberries, hints of blueberries, uncooked rhubarb, tree bark w/sap, hints of eucalyptus, smoky characteristics, lightly grilled meats, black pepper, red licorice/cola, understated baking spices, dry top soil w/ crushed rocks, light, fresh tobacco, volcanic ash and fresh; dark, red, blue flowers framed in violets.

The palate is ripe, juicy and very elegant. Fruits are; ripe, lush, ruby fruits of; poached strawberries, blackberries, dark cherries, plum, raspberries, hues of blueberries, uncooked rhubarb and pomegranate juice. Tree bark w/sap, hints of eucalyptus, smoky characteristics, lightly grilled meats, black pepper, red licorice/cola, understated baking spices, dark, moist spice, very, dry, dusty top soil w/ crushed rocks, crumbled volcanics, dry, grey clay, light, fresh tobacco, cigar & volcanic ash and fresh; dark, red, blue flowers framed in violets. The excellent acidity runs like a cool mountain river with a well knitted, structured, balanced, elegant & smartly polished finish that lasts over a minute landing on soft minerality & spice.

This 14 has another 4-5 years of good drinking before it starts its gentle decline.

Photos of the Jack Hill Vineyard, winery gate and founder Ross Cobb. — 10 months ago

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.5

There is really only one grape variety that I know of in the world that deserves to always have an exclamation mark: Juhfark! Or as I like to shout, Juhfaaaaaaaark! (pronounced you-fark). Grown only on the tiny little hill of Somló, an ancient underwater volcano, in Southwestern Hungary, it is among my favorite grape varieties and simply one of the world’s coolest wines. @sap_somlo is one of the best producers of it, coaxing out its bee pollen and chamomile scents and electric neon lemon, citrus peel, and yellow herb flavors, all layered on top of the deep volcanic minerality. The longer you let these wines age, the more they taste like rocks. Tired of the same old flavors in your white wines? Get thee some Juhfark! — 3 years ago

Allen Perry

8.9

It’s peach and it’s sangria.... not sure there is much else to say. If you like peach and you like sangria you’ll like this. — 4 years ago

with Kathryn

Bob McDonald

9.4

Pale Ruby. Some clove and tarry nuances on the nose. The pale colour belies the M+ Intensity. Very Burgundian in aroma, structure and palate. Even better on the 2nd night. The 2nd wine of Bell Hill made from younger vines from the top Cuvée. Very impressive. Only 1897 bottles made from Canterbury NZ and difficult to source even in Australia. — 5 years ago