Walking Stick
Witching Stick
Gianoli Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020
Beaulieu Vineyard
Reserve Tapestry Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1997
The follow up to the 03 Brane-Cantenac. So good but still youthful now as I mentioned this 97 still is in @Paul T- Huntington Beach recent post of his 2013.
The tannins are round, softened but still meaty & somewhat tarry.
The nose is still brooding. Ripe lush, ruby, fruits of, blackberries, black plum, black raspberries, dark cherries, baked to poached strawberries. Dark, rich, sweet forest floor, mix of Indian & Asian spice with palate piercing heat, notes of Cognac, steeped tea, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, black licorice, tarry notes, day crushed rocks, limestone minerals, grey volcanic minerals, light tobacco with ash, used leather, sandalwood, bright, fresh; dark, red, blue florals with violets.
The palate is ripe, lush, juicy & floral fruits of; blackberries, black plum, black raspberries, dark cherries, baked to poached strawberries, raspberry highlights & pomegranate. Dark, rich, sweet forest floor, mix of Indian & Asian spice, notes of Cognac, steeped tea, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, black licorice, tarry notes, day crushed rocks, limestone minerals, grey volcanic minerals/ash, moist, grey clay, light tobacco with ash, used leather, sandalwood, bright, fresh; dark, red, blue florals with violets, insane, waterfall acidity, woven, layered, structured, nicely tensioned with great length and a incredibly balanced, well polished finish that goes on for two to three minutes.
If you are 15-20 years plus patient w/ these bottling’s, they are one of the very best values in Napa Valley. — 2 years ago
Lost Blues
Walking Boss Paso Robles Syrah 2017
Rich, smoky, meaty, but well balanced. — 5 years ago
Hendricks Wines
Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2014
Charles strikes again.
I said weeks ago, I’d rather drink Charles Hendricks Pinot in futures @ $75 vs. the 09 Marcassin we had two weeks back @ $150+ winery or $225+ on the secondary market. This 14, while still young, proves that point and will only continue to get better.
It’s about as luxurious as Ca Pinot gets. Just supple, soft & elegant as body gets. Candied, floral fruits of ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, blue fruits, lean purple fruits, dry cranberries, strawberries, plums, delicate but darks spices, cinnamon stick, vanillin, nutmeg & touch clove, salted caramel, mocha powder, limestone & grey volcanics, dry crushed rocks hints of peppered grilled meats, fresh & dry tobacco, dry stems/twigs, sage dominated dry Provence herbs, splash of mint/eucalyptus, tree sap with bright candied, fresh & slightly withering florals of; dark, red, purple, blue set in a field of violets & some lavender. The acidity is perfect. The long finish is; extremely well balanced & polished, elegant, fresh, just the right amount of candied with a long, dark spice finish in the long set.
The 14 really started to excel after an hour plus in the decanter.
Photos of; the outside of the Hope & Grace tasting room in downtown Yountville where you will find Charles Hendricks wines. He makes Hope & Grace wines as well. One of my favorite paintings that used to sit behind their tasting bar but, is now in Charles house. It is very Pollock like! Winemaker/Co-owner Charles Hendricks and a vineyard in region of the Santa Lucia Highlands. — 6 years ago
Larkmead Vineyards
Firebelle Napa Valley Merlot Blend 2008
The nose reveals; brambly, blackberries, dark cherries, stewed strawberries, blueberries, hints of slightly cooked rhubarb, mix of black plum & plum, creamed raspberries, vanilla, touch of cinnamon, clove and even less nutmeg, dark spice, underbrush, soft leather, fresh tobacco, limestone minerals, dry herbs-bay leaf, mid, mixed, berry cola, crushed, dry rock, steeped fruit tea, cherry kirsch, slight liqueur notes, candied; violets, fresh dark & red florals with hints of lavender.
The body is full, still youthful and lush. The palate & tannins are rounded but, teethe, tarry & a touch austere. The tension, structure, length and balance are very nice but, still have 7–10 years good drinking ahead. Brambly, blackberries, dark cherries, stewed strawberries, blueberries, hints of slightly cooked rhubarb, mix of black plum & plum, creamed raspberries, vanilla, touch of cinnamon stick, clove and even less nutmeg, dark spice, black licorice, underbrush, old, soft leather, fresh tobacco, limestone minerals, dry herbs-bay leaf, mid, mixed, berry cola, tarry notes, crushed, dry rock, dry top soil, steeped fruit tea, cherry kirsch, slight liqueur notes, candied; violets, fresh dark & red florals with hints of lavender.
One flaw, the first glass showed a little to much alcohol heat but, dissipated after. 14.5 ABV...seemed more like 15.5.
Photos of; our visit to Larkmead’s tasting room, the back courtyard and two aspects of their tasting patio. — 7 years ago
Robert Craig Winery
The Stick Candlestick Ridge Vineyard Red Blend 2017
2017. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot,, 10% Malbec. Classic Cab blend from CA. Big and bold. Needs to be decanted and can also age more. — 5 months ago
James Cole
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
This wine is in a perfect place. 2008 is not as regarded as 2007, but this 2008 made by Charles Hendricks is saying differently & absolutely one of his very best. I would say, James & Coleen made a mistake in letting him get away.
It is sort of a Mother Mary of God wine. Not to be religious, just the phrase fits.
Our eyes & ears perk up when we hear Napa names like; Harlan, Scarecrow, Hundred Acre, Bond & Colgin. I’d like to put this in blind and watch the shock & awe in everyone eyes when the wines were revealed.
The palate entry is perfect in every way. It is rich, lush, extremely balanced with well rounded, velvety M+ tannins. The core is dark currants, blackberries, black raspberries, both plums, black cherries, baked strawberries framed in raspberry edges. Some of the most amazing, dark spices with palate heat, melted, dark chocolate to pudding, black licorice to anise, mocha, malt balls, caramel, mid baking spices; clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, vanillin, fresh & used tobacco, leathery, graphite, crushed rocks & limestone, sage brush, slightly, candied, dark & withering flowers set in understated violet’s & lavender, warm, summer, rainfall acidity, balance for days, excellent structure/tension with elegance and smart polish that lasts minutes and settles on beautiful spices.
This wine is at its precipice and will hold a few more years with good drinking for 8-10 years. — 10 months ago
Pierre Brisset
Cuvee Cassaneas Bourgogne Blanc Chardonnay 2020
The 4th vintage now of the greatest Bourgogne Blanc in the world. Just a massively complex nose of wet stones, incisive minerality, dash of oak, lime zest, lemon drop that is pure as the driven snow. Just a shockingly incredible nose that screams 1er cru Chassagne all the way. So layered and so deep a new nuance every time you stick your nose in the glass. The palate, as usual, overdelivers with just stunning concentration and lemon flesh intensity and drop dead, drool worthy purity. It’s round yet incredibly fresh and deep. What a finish that just lingers and lingers with a sweet lemon-lime intensity on a bed of minerals. Easiest 9.5 I’ve ever given. Wow what purity. Has that amazing combo of sweet, rich, salty and mineral. This is brilliant A1 winemaking. So slippery on the finish. This is wide open and more open than the 19 was at this phase of its evolution. Just a stunning stunning wine.
As this airs it gets more stunning. Tree bark, saline, iodine, white flowers and more! Superb concentration and density but also round and fresh. Lemony fruit but right now the salty sweet minerals abound. Just a miracle of a wine. — 5 years ago
Witching Stick
Dowser's Cuvée Pinot Noir 2018
Lighter bodied. Fruity of strawberry, hickory and a little funky woodsy, mushroom. Yum! — 6 years ago
Heitz Cellar
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Merry Christmas Eve-Eve everyone! 🎄🎅🤶⛄️❄️🎁🍷
On the nose, leap dark currants & cassis with bright red, dark, blue & purple florals at pop & pour. Ripe; blackberries, dark cherry kirsch, plum, mulberries, blueberries, poached & strawberries, black raspberries & raspberries. Black licorice, star anise, dark chocolate bar, volcanic & limestone, steeped fruit teas, dark cola, sweet tarry notes, black, rich, turned earth, mid, dark spices, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, barrel shavings with char, dry brush, leather, fresh tobacco, granite, some eucalyptus, mint notes, light, dry herbs with fresh & some withering red, dark, purple and blue, fresh and slightly candied florals.
The body is; round, ripe, & rich. The tension, structure, length and balance are just beginning their sweet spot. The tannins are; rounding, tarry & still chewy. Plenty of life left in the 09...8-10 years. Dark currants & cassis. Ripe; blackberries, dark cherry kirsch, plum, mulberries, blueberries, poached & strawberries, cherries, black raspberries & raspberries. Black licorice, star anise, dark chocolate bar, volcanic & limestone, dry, crushed rocks, dry stems, steeped fruit teas, dark cola, sweet tarry notes, black, rich, turned earth, mid, dark spices, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, milk chocolate, mocha, caramel, barrel shavings with char, dry brush, leather, fresh tobacco, granite, some eucalyptus, mint notes, light, dry herbs with fresh & some withering red, dark, purple and blue, fresh and slightly candied florals. The acidity is round & spot on. The ripe, rich, ruby, elegant, balanced & polished finish is splendid and persists nicely on the palate with mid, dark spice on the long set. So much better with this much age. Really delicious tonight!
A steal now at under $35 upon release at Costco.
This wine is close to its peak and will hover there 3-4 years.
Photos of; the Estate, old large oak vats and David Heitz.
— 7 years ago
The Last Wine Company
The Walking Dead Cabernet Sauvignon
Big Top Tues Dash w/Rebate....super deal of $5.99. Deep Dark Cherry w/low tannin ending. — 7 years ago
Jones Family Vineyard
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1997
I have posted a number of older vintage Jones Family Cabernets. Many 20 yrs and older. Three to four 97’s…none better than this one. I give few wines a score above 96. This is different. It is so close to perfect. Some might give it a 100. I struggle to give a wine a perfect 100. I have only done it 4 times in an estimated 25k wines tasted or bottles I’ve enjoyed. One was a port made before 1886 and tasted in Oporto at Taylor Fladgate’s tasting room in 2015, it was their Scion. Only sold there and at the time 5k at bottle. You end up there purchase the Scion taste regardless of the current cost. They put on a tasting show for you. I am half tempted here to give out a 100 but will refrain.
I am not sure what to add to that but will attempt to do so.
The nose is a beautiful, perfectly evolved Napa Cabernet. Nothing overpowers any of its singular components. I think the word I am looking for is harmony. Lush, plush, ruby dark currants/cassis. The best, mid, subtle/gentle/soft, dark spice box I certainly can remember, lush blackberries, both plums, dark, not quite liqueur cherries, a mix of subtle purple fruits, poached to baked strawberries, some light hints of raspberries, dark sweet tarriness, melted dark chocolate, anise to black licorice, steep fruit tea leaning into black tea, sweet/soft leather, moist tobacco, sandalwood, dark, rich forest floor, sweet graphite, hints of dry twig, a flutter note of eucalyptus, dry, withering & slightly candied florals that are; dark, red & blue & framed in light lavender with more pronounced liquid violets.
The palate wire to wire is even & stupidly, gloriously, grand. It mirrors the nose very closely. Lush, plush, ruby dark currants/cassis. The best mid, subtle/gentle/soft, dark spice box w/ some light palate heat, best I certainly can remember, lush blackberries, both plums, dark, kirsch not quite liqueur cherries, a mix of subtle purple fruits, poached to baked strawberries, some light hints of raspberries, dark sweet tarriness, melted dark chocolate, anise to black licorice, steep fruit tea leaning into black tea, beautifully layered baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick & vanillin, caramel, sweet/soft leather, moist tobacco w/ a hint is ash, sandalwood, dark, rich forest floor, dry, crushed rock powder, dry top soil, crushed limestone powder, sweet graphite, hints of dry twig, a fluttering note of eucalyptus, dry, withering & slightly candied florals that are; dark, red & blue framed in light lavender with more pronounced liquid violets, perfect, rainfall acidity, extremely well balanced, even & subtle tension-structure that stands up on the long set, refined elegance with a finish that goes on and on and eventually lands on spice & beautiful, refined earthiness.
What a bottle! 98 that leans into 99. I paid somewhere between $80-$90 on the secondary market for this bottle. — 7 months ago
Château Pontet-Canet
Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2002
Domaine Coche-Dury (J.F. Coche Dury)
Meursault Chardonnay 2000
Light gold color, youthful. Cochey nose. Notes of match stick and petrol, citrus fruit, some gravel and dry dirt, and some tan spice. Rich and glycerol in the mouth. Lots of fruit and acidity. Missing a little in the mid palate but overall great stuff. — 5 years ago
Emilio Ramirez Envinate
Benje Tenerife Tinto 2019
Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com
I love this wine. So much ground pepper and chimney smoke on the nose. It’s like walking around on a rainy or snowy winter day and smelling the sweet perfume of your neighbors chimney. I almost totally dislike the white Listan Blanco Benje. I find that tired and lacking acidity and just tired. I prefer this wine to the more expensive Migan. Migan had more reduction and ethyl acetate on the nose and okay okay it’s more Pinot Noiresque but I don’t need a wine from the Canary Islands to be like a Pinot Noir. #listan #listannegro #canaryislands #spain — 6 years ago
Echeverria
Limited Edition Central Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Very smooth. Long finish, yet tannins don’t seem to stick to your tongue. Rich flavor bit doesn’t overpower seafood. Excellent flavor for price point — 6 years ago
Sea Smoke
Southing Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2010
A longtime friend visited us today at our rental property. We have an annual Christmas tradition of me giving him a bottle of Pinot and a coffee cake (homage to my mother’s Christmas coffee cake) and he shares his allocation of Sea Smoke. He gave us this bottle awhile back and a 2015 Southing today. In honor of our tradition, we are enjoying this 2010 tonight.
The nose reveals; mulberries, boysenberries, plum, dark cherries, blueberries, fresh & dry cranberries, poached strawberries, raspberries hovering on the edge of the glass, steeped fruit teas, touch smoke & soft grilled meats, subtle, sweet, tarry notes, dark, rich soils, dark chocolate, limestone, crush, dry rocks, understated caramel/mocha notes, bay leaf, soft sage, dry stems, dark, fruit licorice, light, dark spice, clove, nutmeg, hints of vanillin, barrel char with fresh & withering, slightly candied, dark, red, blue & purple flowers.
The body is round, full, lush and velvety. It glides beautifully over the palate. The 2010 is around its peak with 5-8 years of good drinking ahead. She is an elegant beauty. The tension, structure, length and balance are in a great place for many but, I think even better in 2-3 years. Mulberries, boysenberries, plum, dark cherries, blackberries, blueberries, fresh & dry cranberries, poached strawberries, raspberries haunting the secondary fruits, steeped fruit teas, touch smoke & soft grilled meats, subtle, sweet, tarry notes, dark, rich soils, dark chocolate, limestone, crush, dry rocks, understated caramel/mocha notes, bay leaf, soft sage, menthol, dry stems, dark, fruit licorice, perfect, dark spice with just the right amount of palate heat, clove, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, hints of vanillin, barrel char with fresh & withering, slightly candied, dark, red, blue & purple flowers. The acidity is nearly perfect & holds back the slightly higher ABV. The long finish is a darling, elegant, sexy, beauty with great balance & polish polish for days that slides into a spicy, round & drier, tarry, tannin presence that persists minutes.
Photos of; two of their single vineyard Pinot’s, branded barrel and Winemaker- Victor Gallegos. — 7 years ago
Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7
Just bought a mag of 2012 TEN, not sure what to do with it🤷🏼♂️ save or open?
Jody Scharf
well balanced well valued blend...I'm always a buyer.... — 2 months ago