Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.7

The nose reveals; dark currants, blackberries, heavy black plum, black raspberries, dark cherries and some blueberries. Black tea, expresso roast, anise, crushed dry rocks, big vanilla, clove, a little nutmeg, dry underbrush, sweet tarry notes, leather, woody notes with dark fresh & withering flower bouquet.

The body is big and lush. The tannins are big, meaty and tarry. Very dark currants. Blackberries, heavy black plum, black raspberries, dark cherries and some blueberries & strawberries as they open up. Black tea, expresso roast, steeped fruit tea, anise, crushed dry rocks, dry clay, big graphite, big vanilla, dark spice, clove, light dry herbs, a little nutmeg, dry underbrush, sweet tarry notes, leather, cedar with violets dark fresh & withering flower bouquet. The acidity is round, fresh and beautiful. The big, long, well balanced finish is excellent and look forward to having this in 15-20 years. This one will be a stunner!

Photos of, the barn where they make wine and hosts tastings, our private tasting area inside William’s old office. William desk and their outside terrace area.

Producer history & notes...Seavey Vineyard is located along Conn Valley Road in the eastern hills of Napa Valley, about 15 minutes from the valley floor.

This historical property was originally a cattle ranch. However, records indicate grapes were planted on some of the hillsides as early as the 1870’s. The stone dairy barn, still in existence, was built in 1881.

William & Mary Seavey purchased this property in 1979. The estate was originally founded by the Franco-Swiss Farming Company in 1881 which, closed down when Phylloxera destroyed their grape vines and the Volstead Act (Prohibition) went into effect. At the time of their purchase, they were a horse and cattle ranch. They quickly planted the slopes with grapes and initially sold their fruit to Raymond Vineyards. They have never purchased grapes, all their wine is made from estate grapes. Their vineyards are separated into 20 plus individual blocks.

Today, the property is about 200 total acres of which, 40 acres are planted to vine. Their hillside vineyards produce low yields of rich concentrated fruit. A small block of Chardonnay grows in a cooler lower part of their property. Besides grapes, they also raise cattle which are used to graze the hillsides. They feed the vineyard with the cattle cuttings. In 2003, they were one of the first Napa wineries to install solar.

Mary passed away in 2008 and William died in 2016. There daughter Dorie returned to the family business and now oversees the winery operations. Her brother Arthur also handles national and some small international sales, primarily to restaurants. However, most of their wine is sold direct to consumers.

Seavey’s first commercial vintage was released in 1990 a year after they renovated the stone dairy barn into a working winery. Today this stone building is the centerpiece of the property and is where tastings are hosted.

Since 2011, Jim Duane has been their day to day Winemaker. He’s worked at Robert Mondavi and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. It should also be noted that Philippe Melka Winemaker/Consultant has been with Seavey since 1995...one of Philippe’s two initial wine making jobs in the Napa Valley were with Seavey and Lail Vineyards.

Seavy makes about 3,200 cases annually depending on what mother nature brings. They make around two hundred cases of Chardonnay, slightly more Merlot and the rest is of the production is comprised of their Caravina and Estate Cabernets.
— 8 years ago

Marcus L

9.2

Smells like smoky grape big league chew. Rowdy acid races in then more body than I ever thought I'd taste in Beaujolais. Crazy always something new. — 10 years ago

mattswineworld

9.4

While drinking this, I thought it was quite different from the big, tight Nebbiolo I'm used to. Turns out it's from Nebbiolo Rosé, a related but different grape, which is lighter and very perfumed. Even though it's young, this is a beautiful, expressive, floral wine, with restrained tannins. I can only imagine it will get even better with time, but I had to open it... — 10 years ago

with Katie

Jenny Hanniver

9.0

My first Ripasso. Love it. Tart but nicely earthy, like an Amarone's little brother. Big and dark, stood up well to mustard-maple braised short ribs. Yeah, a little grape-y, but so is port. — 11 years ago

Riccardo L.

8.9

Some other guy said he smells engine oil and rubber and bacon on this.... yeah... I smell rubber... and maybe even bacon. Nice pluck. But the engine oil??? Anyway, it's delicious. A hybrid grape that's comparable to some big time wines I've tried in the past. Impressive! — 11 years ago

V M

9.3

Is it a rose or is it a white?? Who technically cares!! It is a rare and super delicious varietal. Big aromatic nose of honeydew melon, candied apples, and wet stones with a delightful palate of pear, melon, and lightly charred balsam bbq wood . Dry crisp finish . Awesome wine try it. Great job done with a complicated grape!! — 11 years ago

Jean-Marc Troadec

9.3

Chocolatey ripe red fruit—cassis, wild strawberry, notes of thyme and garrigue. Soft round tannins and enough acid to keep it balanced. Big-boned and self- confident, this is another easy-drinking hedonistic fruit-forward wine from Eric Solomon, @Philippe Cambie and Gilles Ferran. Sunny and friendly, it feels like the South of France in a glass... 15% alcohol (though drinks like 13%) Pricier than I'd like for an everyday wine, but at $28 a nice treat! More please... — 11 years ago

Aaron Means

9.1

2013 Verso Salento Rosso. Big and fruit forward. Chewy but soft grape skin tannins that aren't astringent. Paired perfectly with jalapeño and bacon wrapped doves with bacon jam sauce. — 12 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

8.9

A very good budget California Cabernet Sauvignon. Big cherry fruit, mushroom and cola on the nose. Smells a bit hot. Same basic flavors on the pallet. Light on the oak. Good Summer Red as it can be chilled. QPR friendly. — 8 years ago

James P Grover

9.1

Cassis and black currant fruit, with lots of graphite minerality. The tannins are there, but don’t come across at first. There’s a fair amount of alcohol on the palate, but the finish is nice and lingering. I’m not usually a big fan of Merlot, but this is a good example of a Merlot dominant wine. The second grape in this is Cab Franc, which is one of my favorites. Cab Sauv is less than 10% according to the label. This is a really nice blend. — 8 years ago

Hugh O'Riordan

9.2

Alban is a big favorite of mine. This was a dry modestly fruity wine. Long finish with lots of creamy favor. Reminded of the Roussanne grape . — 10 years ago

Doug Hengel

9.0

My big discovery from trip to the Finger Lakes. Bold and elegant. Made from the Amur grape which is grown along the Amur River that forms much of the Russia/China border. So cold hearty. — 10 years ago

Ryan Guy

9.1

Sweet, fresh plums, garrigue, grape candy, laced with limestone minerality. Soft, fresh, dark berries on the mouth feel. Nice acidity. Finishes cool, with dry tannins. A big, bold rhone red. — 10 years ago

Spencer Raymond

9.7

Great grape-ness up front. Easy. Big but totally manageable. Great taste. Smooth finish — 10 years ago

Brad Latson

8.9

Good rose, on the big side, slight tartness makes it food friendly. — 11 years ago

Jesse Pender

Assistant Winemaker Delicato Family Vineyards

8.9

Big and bad for this grape. Plenty of tannin, oak and fruit. Maybe a touch over the top to take it putt of balance. — 11 years ago

Rx Wine Lab

9.0

Banyan is a label belonging to Hobo Wine Co meant to introduce a line of wines that pair more friendly with Asian cuisine. Gewürtztraminer (spicy Traminer) is a pink grape that makes an aromatic, opulent fruity wine. Expect the Monterey county fruit to provide more texture and ripeness than its Germanic counterparts.
#Gewürztraminer #banyan #hobowineco #california #wine — 11 years ago

with Fred

The fly

9.3

Love me some Nebbiolo grape. This is a bossman wine. If you're not a bossman, do not bother drinking this. BIG grape and strawberry on the nose. Big strong tannins, like a bull market, but the wine version. — 11 years ago

Todd Abrams

9.2

2012. The rare Spanish grape, Prieto Picudo. This is what the kids in NY and San Francisco are going to be talking about in the next few years. Smells like flowers and 12 berry pie. Big plum fruit, nice acid, incredibly drinkable, you're going to need two bottles if you plan on sharing. — 11 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Located just east of St. Helena in Napa where Conn Creek flows out of Howell Mountain. Their 26 acres of vineyards are in the heart of this 40-acre grape-growing paradise. Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Petit Verdot. A big wine with complex fruit and spice aromas. Juicy black berry fruits, with underlying smooth sweetness combined with smoke, spice and oak. Well structured, tannins still tight, gave in after 90 minutes, ending with earthy pepper character. Enjoyable now but let it sit in cellar. — 8 years ago

Ryan Key

8.9

Heavily extracted. Strong vanilla. Jammy grape aroma. Big. — 9 years ago

P A

8.9

A quintessential Piedmontese wine from the Nebbiolo grape. Big, smooth, earthy and well balanced wine punching well above its price point. Perfect with a salad, sausage and pasta. Cheers from the north 🍷🇨🇦 — 9 years ago

Jason MacLean

9.0

The maker of this wine worked for Antoine Luyt, and he's in the same region, Caquenes. Still a naturally made wine, this is more approachable and food-friendly but a bit more tannic than the Luyt I had yesterday. And much less funky. But the 14% alcohol is potent and doesn't work as well. 6 grape blend including #pais. Great steak wine though. Good thing I had steak with it. Very enjoyable. — 10 years ago

"Odedi"

9.3

What a nice Turkish delight this is.
Beautiful color of dark ruby/inky core with a purplish rim.

The nose is similar to a Napa Cabernet. Lots of vanilla and oak that drown all the fruits. Some chocolates, licorice, cedar, coffee, cola, smoke, blackberries, black currants, black pepper and spices.

Full bodied and bold, Smooth and elegant with medium plus acidity and gorgeous legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with oak, vanilla, blackberries, currants, sweet cherries, dark chocolates, cola, figs, raisins, tobacco, coffee, peppercorn and spices.

Long finish with full, firm tannins and black pepper.

A great Single Vineyard red wine. Big, bold and beautiful. At a Blind tasting I would call a young Napa Cabernet.
Balanced and Enjoyable by itself or with food. I Paired it with a Turkish lamb dish, and it held its own nicely.

This 5 year old needs some additional bottle time and will be even better in 3 years.
Needs 2 hours in a decanter.

Fun fact:
Okuzgozu, the grape varietal, means an ox eye for being the largest among the grape varieties grown in Turkey.

14.5% alcohol by volume. — 10 years ago

Byron C Mayes

8.9

Deep red garnet in color. Big bosomy nose of red fruit and fig. Full mouthfeel. Balsamic cherries and red apple peel on the palate. Medium plus acidity puts it squarely in the food-friendly column. Piemontese fare, American lamb, or a lighter cut of steak (veal perhaps). And all this right in my backyard! — 11 years ago

Mason Balistreri

Sommelier, International Wine Guild; Balistreri Vineyard; Sales, Joy Wine and Spirits

9.0

Reminds me a bit of Beaujolais… it’s not quite carbonic but it has some bubbly fruit and a touch of pepper. Very friendly and interesting from a grape and region that people overlook too often. — 11 years ago

Jeanine Qasim

8.9

BFG Barbera - light, easy, 'warm weather' Red — 11 years ago

Shana Wall

9.4

#2005 #LaGeynale #Cornas #RobertMichel My favorite grape, #Syrah from my favorite region, #NorthernRhone ❤️ The Deep, dark purple/red color seduces you before your lips even touch the glass. "You had me at Hello..." (is what I may have said out loud actually) 😊. This wine is like a tall, sexy, brooding man with all the right moves😗😘. Once you taste it there's really no turning back... Savory, lightly spicy, rustic yet refined at the same time... This is a very unique and gorgeous bottle of wine. Unlike any other Cornas I have tried. Touch of funk dancing gracefully with the big tannins and perfectly round dark fruit... Such a smooth ride. I feel sorry for any other wine trying to win you over on the same night as him... & he will only get better with age👌😉 #Betony restaurant #ThirstyThursday #HappyGirl #Cheers 🍴🍷 — 11 years ago

Bruce K

9.1

Really like this and most Long Flat...crisp nicely tart with a green grape taste — 12 years ago

Birk Voss

9.3

Big and friendly — 12 years ago