The nose is deep, dark mulberry and fresh-turned black earth. With a couple of hours decanting the wine opens beautifully, espresso-tinged mulberry on the attack, unsweetened chocolate and eucalyptus on the mid-palate, with the chocolate and black fruit, and lavender far in the background, lingering on a long finish. Tannins
The 2007 vintage Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is the inaugural wine from Guarachi Family Vineyards. Great choice. The wine showcases what a great winemaker, Paul Hobbs, can do in one of Napa's best years. The color is opaque, nearly black. The eighteen months it spent in new French oak show
The nose is full and sweet, with blackberries, boysenberry, and a drop of caramel. The palate is filled with a melange of dark fruit, from deep mulberry to crisp blackberries. A hint of smoke peeks out on the palate, blossoming into a bite of espresso and unsweetened chocolate on the
One of the most controversial topics about Californian wine—and thus, one of the most widely discussed by wine lovers—is how much Napa Cab has changed over the years, or whether it has truly been altered. Every time I go to Napa and Sonoma with a group of wine writers, we
Two weeks ago I returned home from The Symposium for Professional Wine Writers, held at the Meadowood Napa in St. Helena the week prior to Premiere Napa Valley. I’m kicking myself for not accepting the invitation to stay for Premiere – the Napa Valley Vintner’s annual “bake sale,” as NVV
A baby that shows every sign of being a great grownup when it fully matures. Deep purple with a seductive nose of blackcurrants, chocolate, and rosemary. Great gobs of blackberry fruit and pistachios on the palate, with balanced tannins. Finishes beautifully and languorously. This has not yet been released at
How many of us haven't, at some point, fantasized about leaving it all to go run a winery? This dream always seems to entail lunch shared with friends and family, a light dish accompanied by a bottle of one’s own red wine, eaten al fresco and overlooking breathtaking views of
Opened for Open That Bottle Night 2012. Premiere Napa Valley is a special event, an annual fund raiser and auction. Wineries produce special bottles in tiny lots, 5-10 cases, for auction, available that one time and never again. This particular bottle was Lot No. 49, bottle 22 of 60, a