Impressive, delicious, a tremendous wine in every respect. It’s powerfully smoky, with spiced oak everywhere, rich in buttered toast and vanilla, but such pretty fruit underneath, it’s easily able to support it. Mangoes, pineapples, peaches, ripe Bosc pears, loads of dusty spices and a rich, full creamy texture.
— S.H.
(8/1/2005)
Refined and beautiful. Made with a splash of Cabernet Franc that gives it a cherry pie filling richness, it’s dry and full-bodied, with thick but sweetly ripe tannins framing a Sauvignonesque core of cassis. Finishes with a wonderful, grounding tug of herbs and coffee. A major achievement at this price.
— S.H.
(4/1/2010)
Firmly in the style of Newton’s unfiltered Merlot, but a shade richer and deeper, and oak plays a more apparent role. It is a very fine wine, and had it been from a better vintage would be near-classic. Flavors of blackberries and cherries, chocolate and herbs mingle in a package that is dry and smooth. The tannins are gorgeous.
— S.H.
(12/31/2003)
A beautiful Cabernet, dry, smoothly tannic and impressive for its volume of flavor. Shows a complex range of blackberries, black currants, minerals and oak, with a long, spicy finish. Elegant and powerful at the same time, it should develop in the bottle over the next decade.
— S.H.
(3/1/2011)
This is a very fine wine, Merlot-based with a splash of Syrah, and it proves you don’t have to spend a lot to get a great Napa red. It shows rich, complex flavors of black and red currants, licorice, cola and sandalwood, in an elegantly silky structure that’s light and refined.
— S.H.
(4/1/2010)
Balance is the key here. Acids and tannins get equal billing with fruit, but there’s no shortage of blackberries and cassis, not to mention oak. The result is polished and elegant, a gorgeous food wine.
— S.H.
(7/1/2007)
Very dry, a lean, austere Chardonnay currently marked by aloof flavors of lemons, limes and oak. Yet there’s something going on. As the wine warms in the glass it becomes richer, showing hidden pineapple tart, macadamia and crème brûlée. Firm, minerally acidity is there throughout, making for a mouthwatering cleanliness. Drink this streamlined, Chablis-like wine…
— S.H.
(3/1/2010)
Soft, slightly hot and peppery in alcohol, but very dry, this Merlot shows intense flavors of cherry marmalade, blackberry essence, dark chocolate and cedar. It’s a rich wine to drink with grilled steak. The tannins will balance out the meaty richness.
— S.H.
(3/1/2011)