I get that the idea is to drink this on the more 'now' side of things while your precious big daddy Promontory are resting peacefully in some dark corner of the world somewhere, but right out the…
Who doesn't love a glass of Dom right before you head off to the Promontory library to enjoy some of the best Cabernet in the Valley? Typically I gravitate toward Cristal and Krug when I'm reaching…
Surely the best of the bunch in terms of concentration and depth, the Reserve Cabernet offers that extra layer of density and breadth befitting a reserve designation. Powerful blackberry, black…
The powerhouse of the three SVDs, the Alluvium elbows past the partygoers and shows its upfront opulence and swanky luxury. Ripe blackberry is encircled with a bit of booze on the initial cascade of…
Comparatively darker and chewier than the Red Hen, The Ceniza rolls out the blackberry, ash, bitter chocolate, pulverized granite, pencil lead, and wet cave flavors with a gothic and semi-serious…
Dark and deep, with ripe blackberry, purple plum, and red and black raspberry notes almost immediately landing on the mid-palate with a perfect dollop of savory goodness, but also with red currant…
If you have $85 burning a hole in your corduroys and don't know what to spend it on, might I suggest the La Pelle Napa Valley. This is a total bang for your buck wine. You can drink this now and not…
Salty and funky on the nose, with an instant cool climate aura that makes you wanna stick your face further into the glass and pretend you tripped and fell in a blackberry field off the coast of…
I'm tellin' ya, Maayan is just destroying it with these whites, and this Chardonnay, which I've had a number of times from the previous couple of vintages, is totally my style all the way around.…
Though I'm sure this 2020 will age in similar fashion at its four-year-older sibling, it was admittedly difficult to go from the captivating 2016 to this spritely 2020. True enough, this shows a…
Ok, so I'm gonna own up to the fact that I rarely find pleasure in aged Sauvignon Blanc of any style from anywhere. Be it Sancerre, New Zealand, or here in the states, I want my Sauv. Blanc full of…
The one thing I was curious about with this sample was the integration of the Viognier element. Past infant Sumos have been overridden by the floral component put out by the Viognier, masking what…
Iron, earth, black raspberry, muddled red raspberry, and plum notes fill the mouth with superb purity. The bit of age the Caldera has received in bottle has helped broaden the span of flavor. This is…
I used to drink the 2013 vintage of this wine back when it was an inaugural release. I loved it then and I find it just as interesting now. The 2014 is a more rounded delivery and less intense than I…
I've ripped through a number of versions of VHR from most of those producing wine from this site and have found them to vary quite a bit depending much upon what I believe to be the winemaker's…
95% Cabernet Sauvignon/4%Cabernet Franc/1% Petit Verdot. More earth and darker fruit mark the Oakville relative to the RBK served beside it. Once again, the elegance and purity of fruit are on full…
75% Cabernet Sauvignon/25% Cabernet Franc. A burst of floral, iron, and bright red berry elements rocket across the palate, but are quickly tamed by riper expressions of black cherry and red and…
The Donna's is much more of a Funky Cold Medina compared to its fraternal twin Block 45 sibling. Less floral as well, the Donna's smells more like a 2011 Napa Cabernet (or maybe a 2011 Cornas) than a…
100% Syrah from Block 45 of the Bien Nacido vineyard, the Gratus Amico leads with a bouquet of roses and a red berry fruit basket, followed by red raspberry, red and black cherry, and faint stone…
85% Viognier/15% Chardonnay. Strong grapefruit, lemon juice, and rock notes. A vibrant and high-riding yellow citrus white, finishing with a slight pucker factor but also incredible purity. Previous…
Quick math question for you. What's 2018+2019? If you answered 4037, then you should definitely think about taking another stab at community college and reapplying for that cashier position at…
I don't want to fall in love with 2017s. I don't even want to fall in like with 2017. In fact, I want to love 2017s as much as I love 2020s, or even 2011s for that matter. If I have to hear one more…
Though this checks in as a zero dosage Champagne, there is a touch of sweetness (from full malo perhaps) that launches off the front end and makes for a more party house bubbly, which of course - all…
Poured alongside the Adamvs wines just for a fun comparison. The Fonplégade is of course a bit of a different animal, both in terroir and price point (most vintages of Fonplégade can be had for…
After having the earth-shattering 2016 Adamvs, it is admittedly a tad more difficult to "academically" assess its 2018 sibling. Ironically, I catch a little old school profile here, with grandpa's…
