Aaron Tan

9.0

Firstly, merry Christmas to all!

Noticing that label variations exist for the Singleton 12, I became curious for why this is the case. Turns out Singleton is a brand (bottler?) that represents multiple distilleries. This is from Glen Ord at the edge of Black Isle peninsula in the Scottish Highlands.

To be frank, I've never been one to bat an eye when approached with Singleton - always seems to be the choice pour at bars in every corner of the world. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised by this offering - orange, honey, and caramel on the nose. The palate is wood and spice driven with a subtle minerally and gingery finish. I liked it. Smooth and easy to drink. — 6 years ago

Brent Bailey

9.1

Beautiful bourbon, nice amount of oak, brown sugar, vanilla and easy to drink. — 7 years ago

Orlaith Costello

9.9

Beautifully smooth, spice and pepper on the nose, full of cherries and berries! — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.7

Of the Napa wines I tasted over 4 days on this trip, the 16 Sinegal Reserve & the 13 Seavey Cabernet were my favorites. Both great wines but, stylistically very different. The Seavy big and bold and the Sinegal pure beauty & elegance.

The nose reveals very dark currants. Dark & milk chocolate. Blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum & plum, mocha powder, core of anise, beautiful dark spice, soft volcanic soils, some dry brush and lavender, violets and fresh dark red florals.

The body is full. The tannins are really meaty but, exceptionally soft, fine and meaty. Lots of dark spice with plenty of heat. The mouthfeel is gorgeously sexy with feminine elegance. Dark & milk chocolate. Blackberries, creamy black raspberries, black plum & plum, mocha powder, core of anise, beautiful dark spice, big sweet tarry notes, soft volcanic soils, some dry brush, lavender, violets and fresh dark red florals. The acidity is perfect. The finish is well balanced sexy and gorgeous. The structure, tension say this needs to cellar eight to ten years.

Photos of; tasting cellar area, modern stainless tanks, outside terrace tasting and or dining area and their grounds and lake.

Producer history and notes...Sinegal Estate was founded in 2013 with wines made from their 30 acre Inglewood estate in St Helena (not to be confused with the Inglenook Estate in Rutherford). This is not a new property, it was part of an original land grant and its more modern day history dates back to 1879 when owner Alton Williams purchased the property and planted the first vines in 1881.

The property has changed owners a number of times over the decades. At one point the Jaegers’ owned the estate, Bill Jaeger and his wife Lila lived here. These Napa Valley pioneers were in part responsible for helping establish Freemark Abbey and Rutherford Hill. Lila was also a gardener and established beautiful gardens on the property.

Owners, David (father)and James (son) Sinegal purchased the property in 2013. James was the co-founder of Costco and once CEO. David worked at Costco for 21 years.

After the purchase, David divided each of their vineyards into smaller blocks, picking selectively (30 times in 2013) rather than all at once, and adding technology to the vineyards so they have up to the date reports on a number of data points including temperatures, soil moisture and various barometric pressures. If they want to selectively water, say vine #67 in row number three, they can do so with their irrigation system. Extremely efficient!

Nine acres of vines are planted to various red varietals including; Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. They have some of the older Cabernet Franc vines in the valley that are 30+ years old.

The soils here are diverse and can vary even within small geographic ranges on the property. Some of their vineyards are planted on the valley floor – while their upper vineyards are hillside, on the edges of the Mayacamas Mountains.

Their landscape above the property is interesting and part of the Mayacamas Mountains. Visually, it appears drier than other parts of this mountain range and the vegetation reflects that with grey pine and more open natural vegetation rather than the thicker wooded vegetation more commonly associated with parts of Spring and Diamond Mountains to the north.

After purchasing the property, David created planned and laid out his vision to create a world-class boutique wine making operation. Many wineries in the Napa Valley can take years before they come to fruition, not so here. After only about 10 months, the existing winery was remodeled. 6,500 feet of caves were expanded and drilled into the hillside behind the winery and a new hospitality center was built. The hospitality center ties in very well with the winery. From the small tasting room, large doors open revealing the tanks.

A vegetable garden slightly under an acre grows just south of the winery building. Vegetables from this garden are sold to nearby restaurants.

A skeleton key appears on the labels of their wine and is prominently displayed on the outside of their winery building. This has historical significance. The original key opens the front door to the historic home on site and is displayed in the tasting room. With respect to the history of this property, this one key has already become iconic to the brand.

You only need to look inside of the winery to see that their wine making team is focused on quality. Each of the small lot tanks have built in pumps which can be controlled and programmed to do pump-overs anytime of the day or night. In addition, these tanks have multiple points at which the temperature can be controlled. These tanks do not necessarily handle all their fermentation’s. They also ferment small lots in puncheons and barrels as needed. Control across the board is the key here and it is the control of the details in wine making that is is so integral from when the fruit first arrives through to when it is bottled.

2013 was their inaugural release. The focus is currently on two primary varietals, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2013 Sauvignon Blanc were sourced from the estate but, then it was determined it was growing in an area better suited for red varietals so it was torn up and new plantings were made in the back of the property. While not far from these original plantings, their new home for their Sauvignon Blanc features different soils and is growing in a cooler part of the property.


The wine making team has been experimenting with the style of this varietal since 2013 with subsequent vintages seeing more oak. Especially, using the slightly longer cigar shaped barrels , which have extra surface area for maximizing complexities including textural feel imparted from aging the wine on the lees in these particular barrels. Maceration on the red wines is often 8-10 days and sometimes up to 20 days.

Most of their sales are direct to visitors or through their mailing list. However, they do have some distribution outside California in Florida, New York and Washington. Primarily to restaurants. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

The second vintage of Beau Vigne. On the nose; dark currants, burnt ambers, blend of blue fruits; blueberries, boysenberries, huckleberries & olallieberries. Dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, dry brown soil, dark minerals, anise, dark fruit liqueur notes, cinnamon, clove, tree sap, a whiff of mint, herbaceous characteristics and decayed dark flowers. The body is medium full and rich. Tannins are 65-70% resolved. The structure is not their best, but, the length, tension and balance are quite nice. The blue fruits explode onto the palate. Blueberries, boysenberries, huckleberries & Olallieberries. They set a little syrupy. Dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries/cola, raspberries come on late, dry brown top soil, palate grippy dark minerality, graphite, dark fruit liqueur notes, soft, medium, dark spice, mocha powder, cinnamon, clove, light vanilla, tree sap, a whiff of mint, herbaceous (bay leaf) characteristics, lilacs, violets and decayed dark flowers. The acidity is round and nicely managed. The long finish is velvety, ruby, rich and beautiful. Shows a little alcohol but it’s tamed from the tiger I bet it was young. Still has another 5-7 years of good drinking ahead. Photos of; their vineyard and antique truck, Yountville tasting room, Owners/Winemaker Ed Snider and wife Trish. Producer notes and history...Beau Vigne was founded by Ed Snider in 2002. They are a small, family winery with a production of about 4,000 cases annually vintage dependent. They are primarily known for their Cabernets. Their vineyard goes by the name of Stags Ridge and is the benchmark and centerpiece of Beau Vigne. Stags Ridge Vineyard & Ranch are located on the Eastern edge of Napa, situated in appellation of Atlas Peak at the very top of Soda Canyon Road overlooking Pritchard Gap, Haystack, and Stagecoach Vineyards. They began with only a few acres in 2002. Stag’s Ridge is now comprised of nine acres, eight of Cabernet Sauvignon and one of Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot. As the Beau Vigne brand has grown, they’ve sourced from some of the best vineyards on the North Coast and Napa Valley such as Bacigalupi, Dutton Ranch, and Lewelling. Beau Vigne’s philosophy to winemaking hasn’t changed since their beginning. They are a boutique winery; which is generally a good idea to maintain very high quality. The family roots run deep in the Napa Valley. Martin Garzoli, Ed’s grandfather, arrived in the Valley in 1913. He was a Swiss Italian who, learned winemaking in Italy. Martin worked the Hayfields of Napa and Sonoma during the day and made wine in an old barn at night. Nearly 100 years later, Beau Vigne Family is still carrying on in the family tradition. — 8 years ago

Laura Purdy

9.7

I’ve lost track of what day we’re on... this is beautiful. Chocolate and caramel with a smooth finish. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

Beautiful, perfume, florals interwoven with the fruits. Blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, haunting blue fruits, leather, strawberries, cherries and dry cranberries. Understated vanilla, mild clove, light cinnamon, dark rich soils, light graphite, dry crush rocks, fresh tobacco and fresh, dark florals with violets and just a hint of lavender.

What a round, ruby, body with ghostly tannins. It’s all beauty. Blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, haunting blue fruits, leather, strawberries, cherries and dry cranberries. Understated vanilla, medium clove, light cinnamon, some of the most beautiful dark spice I’ve had in a wine, dark rich soils, light graphite, dry crush rocks, dry top soil, fresh tobacco and fresh, dark florals with violets and just a hint of lavender. The acidity is perfect...like a rain shower. The finish is really amazingly balanced, elegant, floral and persistent for minutes. The 2016 Proprietary Blend will stun in 10 years plus in bottle.

Photos of; the winery and tasting room shot on a sunnier day than this visit. The cellar walk to the doors of their barrel room, private tasting room with library wines and their Estate vines on a beautiful Napa sunny day. — 7 years ago

Roman Sukley

9.8

2008 Next of Kyn (Sine Qua Non) "Cumulus Vineyard No. 2" Central Coast Syrah. Pictured next to the inaugural vintage box, and documenting my disturbing inability to remove the cork in one piece, let’s begin with a quote from Manfred regarding the genesis of the brand: “The name is in reference to the fact that it is the next closest relative to SINE QUA NON, yet it is separate and different, and with its own personality, character and style. Implied is also a dose of hopefulness, of wishful thinking, that one of our five kids will someday take it over as his or her own.” (Unless my reverse adoption petition is granted, fingers crossed). The wines all emanate from Cumulus Vineyard, the Krankls’ first true estate vineyard. Most of the Syrah is planted on own-rooted, head-trained vines. The first three vintages were essentially Syrah-based, with some Grenache and Roussanne, all done with fully destemmed fruit. The wine spends around 30 months in French oak, with around 50% new oak. This particular vintage, which might very well be my favorite, is absolutely firing on all cylinders right now on its 10th Anniversary. So good in fact, that I will be looking to pick up a few more asap. 4 hour decant. Midnight black in the stem. Darker even than the 17th Nail from a week ago. Gorgeous bouquet of freshly baked, smokey blueberry pie cooling on the windowsill next to a vase of violets and lavender. Pleasing palate of sweet black cherry compote, licorice and Asian spices with just a hint of bacon fat. Lengthy, spicy finish. Beautiful structure. Lush and concentrated. I may need to add this to my guilty pleasures list as I don’t believe this was a critical standout. At least not by Manfred Krankl standards. Maybe the experts need to revisit?


— 8 years ago

D Scher

9.1

2014 vintage. Beautiful Merlot-driven blend from Santa Barbara County. Bordeaux influence with New World boldness. 13.6% ABV. — 8 years ago

Michael D

9.0

Dark, rich , robust. Beautiful Corvina blend that tantalizes your taste buds. My wife and I drank this a few weeks back. I wish I could remember what we ate with it. For a wine of this calibre I would definately have paired it with something suitable for the occassion. Hmm...thinking maybe pasta bolognese...florentine style steak? Anyways this full bodied Gem will make you a believer of the Zenato brand. Dark rich fruit..plums and cherries. Hope to find this one again.👍🍷 — 8 years ago

GabWine

9.5

Color : White
Wine estate : Billecart-Salmon
Designation : Champagne
Name : Brut Sous Bois
Country : France
Vivino : 5/5
Note : I think Billecart is my favorite brand of champagne. At each tasting, a treat and wonder! With this "Blanc de noir", we have a character related to its passage in oak barrel which gives a beautiful complexity. A bright yellow robe with its fine bubbles, a nose of citrus, butter and toast. On the palate, the expression of his character with notes of toast, brioche. Just perfect.
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Je crois que Billecart est ma marque de champagne préférée. À chaque dégustation, un régal et de l'émerveillement ! Avec ce "blanc de noir", nous avons un caractère lié à son passage en fût de chêne qui donne une belle complexité. Une robe jaune éclatante avec ses fines bulles, un nez d'agrumes, de beurre et de toast. En bouche, l'expression de son caractère avec des notes de pain grillé, brioché. Tout simplement parfait. — 8 years ago

Rob Moose

9.1

A beautiful drinker. Signature brand stylings PYCM. Lit up! — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

This is another brand from Charles Smith of K Vintners. 50% of the Frenchmen Hills spends 9 months in concrete and the other 50% spends 9 months in neutral oak. On the nose, Meyer lemon, lime, green apple, touch of sulfur, cream and yellow lilies. The palate is fresh and transitions to slightly sour. Fruits of; lemon & lime zest, overripe pineapple, grapefruit, touch of green apple, a little cream, honeycomb, body is a touch oily, yellow lilies, minerality is powdery but crisp, the acidity bright and round with a rich, slight creamy beautiful finish. I certainly like this more than the "Uncovered." — 9 years ago

Gor

9.3

Very aromatic Riesling from Alsace. Melon, white flowers, orange peel, even hint of ginger on those nose. Beautiful deep yellow, almost gold color. Mouth watering acidity with a persistent finish — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

Wow! This comes right out of the gate fantastically. This is magical this early for 2010. 2010 is a great vintage but, built for elder years and children.

The nose reveals, slightly steeped, ripe & ruby fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, strawberries, blueberries, cooked pomegranates and cherries. Slight liqueur notes, toffee, caramel, mocha, melted chocolate, steeped fruit tea, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, dry, crushed rocks, limestone, dark spices, soft leather, light fresh tobacco, dry stones, graphite, expresso roast, dark, rich soils, with candied, fragrant, bright, dark, red, blue florals set in violets.

The body is round, elegant and ruby beautiful. The tannins are; dark, tarry, spicy, rounded and chewy. The structure, tension, length and balance live up to every bit of hype the 2010 was given. Slightly steeped, ripe & ruby fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, strawberries, blueberries, cooked pomegranates and cherries. Slight liqueur notes, toffee, caramel, mocha, melted chocolate, steeped fruit tea, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, dry, crushed rocks, limestone, deep dark spices with incredible palate heat, soft leather, light fresh tobacco, dry stones, graphite, expresso roast, dark, rich soils, with candied, fragrant, bright, dark, red, blue florals set in violets. The acidity is perfect. The seriously elegant finish is; ripe, slightly candied, brightly floral, polished and persists endlessly. Beautiful wine now and for the next 35 years.

Photos of; arial view of Chateau Haut-Bailly-fortunate to have spent two nights there, dinning room that I was fortunate to have dinner in, artful perspective of the Chateau and their brand glass doors that lead into their barrel room. — 7 years ago

John B

9.1

This little-known, small-production white wine from BRAND Napa Valley is a blend of four Italian varietals: Ribolla Gialla, Fiano, Coda di Volpe and Arneis. A nice juxtaposition to the common Napa Sauvignon Blanc, this has peach and other stone fruit aromas and flavors, a slightly savory finish and beautiful minerality. — 8 years ago

Kurt-Inge Eklund

9.4

This is a wine made in a unique style amongst all overripe Napa wines of today. Beautiful backbone of mountain tannins and acidity that promise longevity. Great aromatics from the fruit that is somewhat reflects valley floor style. Keep your eyes open for this new brand ! — 8 years ago

with Henrik and Leo

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.7

On the nose, deep, dark cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, dry cranberries, some blue fruits with baked strawberries on the edges. Black licorice, cinnamon, vanilla, clove, dark spices, smoke, softer leather, dry stems, dry rich soil and fresh & withering flowers.

The body is much fuller than the 14. The fruits are also darker. The tannins are big, firm but nice rounded. dark cherries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, dry cranberries, creamy raspberries come on as it opens open and coats the palate, some blue fruits with baked strawberries on the palate edges. Black licorice, cinnamon, vanilla, clove, caramel, dark & milk chocolate dark spices, mint, expresso roast, tobacco, cedar, smoke, softer leather, dry stems, dry rich soil, tarry notes, crushed rocks and fresh & withering flowers. The structure, tension are more like 13 vintage. The length & balance is beautiful but, will take time to flush out. The finish is big, rich, elegant, glorious and lasts minutes.

Their Winemaker is Aaron Potts. Small production wine, under 500 cases.

Photos of; the several ton Artwork stones that they use as their logo & brand. The seven stone pieces are held together by gravity. Human relaxing art piece on the grounds, painting in the winery and the view from the Estate. — 8 years ago

Jeff D.

9.7

Just beautiful...big fan of Jennifer and this brand, full of life and a silky smooth finish! — 8 years ago

Shay A

9.3

Lovely story here at Reverie II. Grant Long, winemaker for Aonair, Blue Oak, Jack, and others, purchased the original Reverie label/brand from Diamond mountain after the owner sold the property. All current grapes and barrels were theirs and they moved their estate on the other side of 29, just down the road from Hunnicutt and re-branded as Reverie II. BEAUTIFUL new spot! Views are amazing. Part of the Aonair team left to now run this, so we knew before we showed up that it would be a great time.

Reverie II focuses on some unique wines...their white is a Marsanne Rousanne, and their reds are Tempranillo, barbera, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv and a special Reserve Cab Sauv. While all were enjoyable, this barbera was incredible. Totally blown away. Pinot-esque with the cherry and cedar notes, but the finish had the smallest hint of blackberries and blueberries. Acidic and wonderfully balanced. A must stop visit, if for the views only! — 8 years ago