Just gorgeous, this soft, plush, velvety wine is dry and smooth in tannins. Its dramatic tiers of flavors range from ripe summer blackberry to rich black currant, with a sweet, spicy jacket of smoky, buttery oak. Really beautiful for drinking now and over the next six years.
— S.H.
(12/31/2012)
From the famed vineyard in Oakville comes this dramatic wine. It will benefit from a few years in the cellar to let the tannins mellow, although it’s so good now, you can open it right away and give it a decant. Drinks sweet and lush in blackberries and black currants, with a rich overlay of smoky cedar.
— S.H.
(12/15/2010)
Top flight Merlot, brimming with ripe black cherry, blackberry, chocolate, smoke, sage, thyme, anise and pepper notes. It’s all framed in silky ripe tannins, smooth, sleek and lush. The finish is long. -J.M.
— J.M.
(8/1/2003)
From one of California’s greatest Cabernet appellations, a big, rich wine, ripe with blackcurrant, cherry and herb flavors wrapped in distinctively sweet, soft tannins. Reeks of class and elegance, with a cut of acidity that lends balance and firmness.
— S.H.
(8/1/2004)
Spicy, smoky new oak leaps out of the glass, like a blast of caramelized meringue, but the fruit is so rich that the oak is in balance. The underlying flavors of blackberries, licorice and chocolate are, in a word, delicious. Now through 2011.
— S.H.
(12/15/2008)
Very fine, dry and classic Napa in structure, with rich, sweet tannins framing ripe flavors of blackberries, black currants and smoky cedar. The finish is long and sweet in berry essence. Yet there’s a juvenile feeling to the primary fruit flavors, and the wine should age well beyond 2012.
— S.H.
(12/15/2009)
This beautiful Bordeaux blend is based mostly on Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s likeable now for the soft, refined texture and luscious flavors of tart cherry candy, accented with nearly half new oak. Shows real balance and flair, from a winery known for objective pricing. Now–2013.
— S.H.
(12/1/2010)