Lush and powerful, yet balanced and elegant, too. This wine offers a core of rich, ripe plum, black cherry, blackberry, chocolate and spice flavors that course gracefully along the palate. It’s plush, full-blown and long, with a velvety finish.
— J.M.
(10/1/2004)
A beautiful wine, just what a Napa Petite Sirah should be: Dark, dry, tannic and muscular, showing leathery, meaty flavors, with hints of blackberries, chocolate and violets, and a sprinkling of pepper. Great now for its full-bodied richness, and should develop interestingly over the next decade.
— S.H.
(7/1/2011)
An obviously pedigreed wine, lush and delicious, grown in St. Helena. With soft, velvety tannins and deep flavors of blackberries, chocolate and sweet oak, it’s a real crowd pleaser. Drink now.
— S.H.
(7/1/2011)
Rich, thick, heavy and sweet in oak, this Cabernet is made to appeal to fans of this ripe style. It’s a fancy, plush wine, but too obvious, lacking subtlety and complexity. Drink now.
— S.H.
(7/1/2011)
Offers huge, lush flavors of blackberries, cherries, chocolate and sweet oak upfront, flattering with richness. Unfortunately it falls off in the middle, failing to deliver after the initial promise. Drink now.
— S.H.
(12/1/2011)
The inaugural release of this wine is semi-sweet and pleasant, with citrus and apricot flavors finished with a soft, honeyed oakiness.
— S.H.
(12/1/2011)
A clumsy Zinfandel, hot and high in alcohol, and yet strangely showing unripe, vegetal flavors. Zinfandel clusters are infamous for uneven ripening. The problem seems to have been at the sorting table.
— S.H.
(7/1/2011)
Suffers from unripe, green fruit, which gives vegetal and minty tastes. It’s odd, because the official alcohol is 15.5%, and is possibly higher. A strange, disagreeable wine.
— S.H.
(7/1/2011)