David Kline

9.4

Soft, lovely, bread-y nose of black currant fur, licorice, light mint forcing upward, sprouting through potting soil. Cinnamon and blueberry warmly embraced by dark bread and small specks of black pepper. Fruit tannins thickly house-painted across your front teeth in a real sense. Muscle. Licorice-charcoal, bitters, blackberry, black currant, graphite-smoke halo, black cherry, oak and cedar, wound up and closed in places, but powerhouse lurking in the shadows.



#lajota #lajotavineyardco #lajotahowellmountainestate
#howellmountain #oakville #napa #napavalley #cab #cabernetsaugvinon — 4 months ago

with Courtney

David Kline

9.2

Cran-grape-blackberry sensibility with dark roast coffee undertones, milk chocolate, carnation, caramel, dried parsley, carrot purée. Palate is coffee coated black currant, chicory, dried blackberry, bramble, cedar, tight and green oak notes, violet, baseball glove, tart cherry, tart raspberry and raspberry reduction. Rich offering here to satisfy the lofty spirit, but needs time to coalesce.
Pair with warm fires.


#shafer #napa #napavalley #shaferonepointfive #onepointfive #stagsleapdistrict #shafervineyards #shafercabernet #shafercab #cab #cabernetsauvignon #stagsleapnapa — a year ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.0

I was pretty nervous about this #napavalley 1981 #cabernetsauvignon being able to go the distance. First of several 1981 bottles for my lovely wife’s 40th birthday. I’m an Ah So rookie so still managed to break the cork and drown the bottom half in the bottle. After an easy pour through a tea strainer into a decanter, let it sit for a while. Now past an hour it’s really opened up - no doubt it’s on a gentle glide slope decline but so many layers of tertiary aromas. Raisin notes, Medjool dates, maple syrup, some charcuterie notes on the nose. Not much primary fruit left at all - a bit oxidized on the palate but still robust acidity, leather, sanded-down tannins on a rapid finish. — 2 years ago

David Kline

9.7

Lovely, smoky, mushroom-funk with ethereal violet perfume emanating from lemon madeleines. Perfect expression of cassis and blackberries and black cherry, touches of sweet tobacco reveal a jungle of verdant herbs. Amazing cab franc with the full spectrum of textures.



#lajota #lajotavineyardco #lajotahowellmountainestate #howellmountain #napa #napavalley #cabernetfranc #cabfranc #oakville — 4 months ago

with Courtney

David Kline

9.0

2012 vintage. Chocolate brownie with dried raspberries and tie red cherries. Baked black currant, dried blueberry, moist banana bread, violet in bloom, blackberry, vanilla, cinnamon.
Nice entry weight gives way to rich dark chocolate, dried strawberry, Cuban coffee, blackberry reduction, dark baked blueberries, grippy tannins, big fruit and density with a lingering depth.

#opusone #napavalley #napavalley2012 #Napa #robertmondavi #baronphilippederothschild #oakville #napared — a year ago

David Kline

9.1

Warm nose with chocolate notes, clove, nutmeg, and coffee. Hazelnut brownie; earthy mushroom. Tart raspberry surprise inside, with licorice, cedar, bitter arabica and sharp tobacco notes, rosemary, tart bing and rich, ripe black cherry. Oak adding cinnamon and a ghost of vanilla. Peppercorn.
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#scottpalazzo #palazzo #napa #napavalley #napared #oakville #redwine #rosso #rouge — 2 years ago

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

8.9

I saw an interview owner/winemaker Malek Amrani and I felt sympathetic towards him and the trials and tribulations of the supply chain in this moment for bottles, corks and cardboard cases and workers. It’s actually a really nice wine at a decent price. #napa #napavalley #cabernetsauvignon — 2 years ago

David Kline

9.0

Chalky grape and balsa, blackberry, and plum nose with soft smoke and jasmine with a sweet petrol gloss. Soft mouthfeel turns bing cherry and underripe blueberries bordering green. Chewy. Big fruit tannins. A spicy pepper that always turns piquant-fruit. Young in every way, would love to see this chrysalis emerge.


#lajotavineyardco #laJotahowellmountainestate #lajota #howellmountain #merlot #napa #napavalley — 4 months ago

David Kline

9.2

Dark rye toast, blackest of currant, raisin and dried plum complement a nose of toasted sesame and maduro tobacco. Palate shows grill char, burnt brittle, toffee and resin knit into a rich and comforting blanket of espresso, bakers chocolate, black and red currant, blackberry, violet extract, cinnamon and Madagascar vanilla. At once a treat and a depth charge!

#cainfive #springmountain #napavalley #bordeauxblend #redblend #springmountaindistrict #estategrown #estatebottled #cainvineyardandwinery #sthelena — 7 months ago

David Kline

9.0

Blood ruby pushing purple. Black and red licorice wound around a core of dusty oak. Smoky, with smells of cigar boxes and dried violets, roses and a potpourri of others including heather and light lavender. Tight still with a bing cherry middle, red currant, tart blueberry and boysenberry. Baked plum unravels to the aforementioned oak with a cedar-cigar and pronounced oak exposure. Wound tight in some places, and unraveling slowly in others.


#mayacamas #mayacamasvineyards #mayacamascab #mayacamascabernet #cabernet #cabernetsauvignon #napa #napavalley #napacab #mayacamasmountains #mountveeder #mtveeder #californiawines — a year ago