Very peculiar spectrum of aromas. Freshly cutted pineapple and pear. White peach and grapefruit. Very nice and long finish.
A bit flex on the mid palate but lingering pleasant finish — 6 months ago
Juicy dark fruit, complimented by black pepper, rich. — 10 months ago
Blackberry bramble, baked black cherry and plum, hints of maraschino, mint and menthol, bell pepper and geranium, cedar, tobacco, and bakers vanilla with whiffs of aged leather jacket on the nose. Blackberry, cherry, juicy raspberry, vanilla extract and weak black tea on the palate with a medium heavy body but a medium short finish. Overall a great wine for pumpkin pie brunch on Christmas morning (no it’s not too early). Merry Christmas! — 4 years ago
Chocolate lover as a beer! Cheers 🍻 — 6 years ago
Blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Aromas of ripe red fruit, rose petals, dried red flowers and eucalyptus. Red and black cherry/raspberry and boysenberry fruit on the palate along with additional notes of chocolate, toffee, savory spices and mint. Well integrated oak on the long and slightly chewy finish. Rustic, well balanced and beautifully aged. Thanks for sharing this one, Ron B! — 4 months ago
Super fancy amazing Côtes du Rhône at alley light (substitution) - WOW — 9 months ago
In a great spot after an hour of air. A fantastic complement to lamb chops. Bravo, @Mike Smith! — 3 years ago
Mike Smith should be knighted. — 4 years ago
Saving this for a big juicy steak night soon. March 5, 2021 found the moment to open with s dear friend and a lamb leek mushroom cottage pie. Fabulous. — 5 years ago
Bandol: pink or white.
It’s a slight culture shock as a moron gringo in the South of France when wines by the glass are identified not by producer or even by grape but simply by place. Bandol didn’t mean much to me as a place, I drove through it en route to Toulon from Marseille but that was about it. Probably it was the fact that it was a vague homonym for bandit drew me to it — which is admittedly kind of lame, but the wine seemed to deliver. Any more than the progeny of any other Mediterranean town would have? Je ne sais pas. But this wine right here is a phenomenal rosé.
50% Mourvèdre, 40% Cinsault, 10% Grenache from Bandol. — 6 years ago
After reading the story of this producer, I inspired to try it. Especially, at $59.99 for a quality Napa Cabernet. These two brother’s are true pioneers of the Napa Valley. They do their own thing. Don’t follow trends and are not aggressive with their bottle price, nor do they really wish to. More rare than common in today’s Napa Cabernet market. I have a lot of respect for that and Napa Pioneers.
This also drinks pretty well for a young Napa Cabernet. I was expecting bigger/bolder based on write up. Not that this won’t benefit from cellaring.
The fruits are nicely ripe; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries, cherries & blueberry hues. I was expecting more teeth. Think it is showing the finesse & balance of most 21’s I’ve had. Dark spice, grilled meats, light black pepper, barrel dust, dry tobacco, leather, savory herbaceousnes, moist clays, dry crushed rocks, cola, flower bouquet of red, blue & purple fresh flowers, rainfall acidity with a well balanced, softly structured, elegant finish that lasts just over a minute and lands crushed rocks and touch of spice.
It will be interesting to see if this shows more in 5 years.
Photos of; Smith Madrone vineyards and brothers Stuart and Charles Smith — 4 months ago
Juicy dark beery fruit, healthy spice, balanced. — 8 months ago
Opens up super nicely, immediately pleasant on the nose. Plummy and buttery, classic example of a good Napa cab. — 4 years ago
I think it’s delicious. Smooth, full bodied, with some character. — 5 years ago
Very nice rose, very flavorful — 7 years ago
Dave
Haters gon' hate. This is one of my go-to grocery store picks. It's super cheap ($12), and it tastes like Merlot.
Smashing some burgers and listening to the Cranberries. — 4 months ago