Bryant Family Vineyard
Proprietor Grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Kosta Browne
Kanzler Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006
2006 vintage. So much power. Decanted and tasted after 45 mins. Medium-heavy body STILL!! Big fruit, big oak, big everything as is the old Kosta Browne style. Things dialed down slightly in recent vintages. Showing well tho for this style and looks to do so for the next 7-8 years before dropping weight/fruit. There was enough acidity/tannic structure to propel this along throughout. 12.24.24. — 4 days ago
Domaine Drouhin-Laroze
Bonnes Mares Grand Cru Pinot Noir 2012
2012 vintage. Opened and decanted. Tasted 45 mins after decanting. Medium-heavy body with tremendous power. Nose not giving up much at that point other than nebulous, dark fruits. Flavors of spearmint, watercress, rhubarb and ash. Needed at least another hour of lounge time in the decanter to unfurl those wings somewhat but three hours woulda been better. Two bottles left so will opt for a 6 hr decant next viz if possible. 12.25.24. — 2 days ago
Spottswoode
Family Estate Grown St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
2002 vintage. Nice fill, good cork. Decanted with a respectable amount of powdery sed. Smelled great during decanting. Tasted 1.5 hours after opening/decanting. Expected light body with delicate tendrils. Medium body with a light palate footprint. Holy shazzbaat. This was absolutely firing. Like top of the pops, straight up to number one. Exceptional knitting and in a perfect spot now. Go all the way back to the inaugural 1982 vintage with this winery’s cabernet…thought my all-time fave was the 1991 altho the 1986 and 1987 were special. The 2020, picked early, thus avoiding the fires, is phenomenal as well. This was on another level and have had approx 150 bottles of Spottswoode Cab in the last three + decades. It was probably the best out of all of them. Difficult to imagine Napa Cab better than this. Power and finesse on display. Not improving but can hold this intensity for another 4-5 years. 12.24.24. — 4 days ago
Olenik Vineyards
Joseph Andrew Black Walnut Pinot Noir 2021
2021 vintage. Light bodied with plenty of spice components to back the effort plus some earth accents. Sustained finish. Old-school Oregon stylings. Left as a sample without any pricing...if it is $25 a btl or less cost to resto, I'll pick up 2-3 cases for the list (OR Pinot has been hot hot hot how you feeling?! last 3 years). If more than $25, pass. — a day ago
Sine Qua Non
Dirt Vernacular Grenache Blend 2016
2016 vintage. Decanted and tasted immediately. Bigg. Heavy body. Phenomenal and smooth but tight and leaning on you like a predator creditor. Came back to those after 8 hours lounging in the decanter. Now, medium-heavy body with more spices than Marco Polo ever dreamed of. The SQN wines, both white (better than the reds) and red, are eff you wines. They are ridiculous and defy norms, values and expectations. This has 30+ years of top-notch drinking. Great for lamb, turkey, wild game and…yah…boring beef. 12.25.24. — 3 days ago
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego
2005 vintage. Tasted after being open for approx two hours. Emperor's semi-new clothes. I get that people dig this fruit bomb style but the lack of tannins/acidity leave it rather one-dimensional. The single dimension is really nice, yet not enuff to overcome needed Napa Cab balance. Ditching structure and attempting to reinvent the wheel has obviously pulled plenty of people into this producer's orbit. To each their own-orbit. 12.27.24. — a day ago