Matthew Frary

9.8

excellent- smooth finish- full mouth feel- costco find- gobble this up!!! — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

As I evaluate my wine purchases over time, I consider; quality, pleasure and the price of the bottle of wine. Specifically, how good is the wine vs. the price and others that I’ve had that are certainly better wines but cost over $70-$500 more? In this case, are they worth 3 to 14 times more money? I find the answer more often than not, no. I feel this way about the Heitz & Joseph Phelps regular Napa wines over their higher priced wines for sure. And, many other high end producers. This wine was under $35 and it’s delicious without having reached its peak.

On the nose, stewed; blueberries & black plum, strawberries, ripe black raspberries & dark cherries. Black cherry cola, black licorice, limestone minerals, vanilla, cinnamon, light clove & nutmeg, dark rich soil, understated mint with red, dark & blue florals.

The body is medium full, rich and elegant. The tannins are round, fine and nicely resolved. It’s seamless wire to wire. The structure, tension, length and balance are starting to really jell. stewed, ripe; blueberries & black plum, strawberries, ripe black raspberries, creamy raspberries & dark cherries. Black cherry cola, black licorice, limestone minerals, vanilla, cinnamon, light clove & nutmeg, dark spice, dry stems, used leather, tobacco leaf, graphite, touch of mocha & caramel, dark rich soil, understated mint with red, dark & blue florals. The acidity is near perfect. The finish is beautiful and last minutes. Still a lot of life in the 08...another 10 years plus.

Photos of; the side of their tasting room, transiting Winemaker David Heitz. Still disappointed a Napa pioneering family sold to a corporation. Tasting room terrace, old school basket press and a wide shot of the winery & Estate vines. — 8 years ago

Julie

9.3

Great find at Trader Joe’s! So yummy and wonderful depth of flavor! — 8 years ago

Paras Maniar

9.6

Still love it. So glad I was able to find a bottle earlier today. — 9 years ago

jake aziz

9.1

Needed a little air but ended up delicious. A steal if you can find it. — 9 years ago

Adam Knoerzer

9.0

Lots of secondary and tertiary aromas and flavors happening in this 9-year-old wine. Tobacco and toastiness are prominent, and the fruits have started to veer into prune territory over plums. Great find for the price. — 10 years ago

Greg Smith

9.0

Always like a nice blackberry hint. Went well with a weekend dinner. If you can find it go for it. — 10 years ago

Susan Sangiacomo

9.2

Big Opus One fan. So far I find most ‘07’s to not be as great as the wine reviewers predicted. Still very good though. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

One day wine sale today at all Northern California Whole Foods locations. 20% off all wine. 30% off any six bottles or more. Can’t find this any other place for $59. Knock em down! If you live in another part of the country, you just have to ask the wine department person when they do theirs. Tell the wine person to add you to his email reminder list for pre-order or just the sale date reminder. I believe they do it three times a year. — 8 years ago

Phil Gurin

9.6

This is singularly one of the most interesting delicious and spectacular wines I regularly drink. Beautiful complexity, nose, finish... simply amazing and every vintage works. Please find and drink this wine! — 9 years ago

Narun P

9.0

40th harvest. Bravo! This is a new find for me from my most favorite appellation in Central Italy. The 2012 packs everything I like about Brunello. Medium garnet color with fresh, vibrant hue of young Sangiovese. Relatively classic. Juicy with red cherry, wild strawberry, a bit of wild raspberry. It's seen quite a fair bit of new oak showing both scent and taste of baking spices, new leather, vanilla bean. Silky tannin backed up by med-plus acidity. You surely don't drink a Brunello young but this is tempting. Best around 2022-2035. 90+ — 9 years ago

Vijay Vaidy

9.8

Hard to find a better ambassador for 2001 Napa style. I'm not sure these wine makers ever surpassed this era ... Unfortunately a bit premium priced these days, but worth dropping some $$$ for, more than the average peer — 10 years ago

Jessica Sant

9.7

Love this. Find it almost anywhere — 10 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

Another find in the warehouse today. Perfect btl & fill. — 8 years ago

Ryan Vento

9.2

It’s almost like clockwork - if my wife & I have a white wine for dinner she wants to end off on a red wine. More often than not it’s an Italian red that she wants. She pulled this selection off of her rack and I must say, it’s struttin’ its stuff. On the nose dense, supple dark fruits with dried tobacco leaves, cloves, espresso, dark chocolate shavings mixed with shaved black winter truffle, and mild notes of fig. On the palate concentrated yet graceful, drinking more like a comparatively aged Napa Cab than anything else. The tannins are well on their way to integration with only a slightly astringent mouthfeel (which I didn’t find off-putting in the least bit). This is a good wine that I think is drinking above its price point. — 8 years ago

with Krystal

Seth Morgen Long

Broker • Arterberry Maresh / Winemaker • Morgen Long

9.3

Felt lucky to find this youthful and robust bottle. Extremely tight and backwards but revealing of what grace lies ahead. Some castelvetrano olives, Comte and rustic baguette helped tease out the beauty from this beast. — 8 years ago

John Van Trijp

9.7

I really love these classic style aged Napa’s! Difficult to find in Europe though — 8 years ago

Shay A

9.1

This was Decanter's 2013 Wine of the Year. Came across it fairly hidden at a local wine shop in town and got it for $40. Figured why not!

At 16yrs old, the color is still extremely ruby shaded. Don't really see any bricking around the edges. Floral nose of cherries, and a dirty/dusty element to it. Fairly thin at the front of the palate, but it has a nice weight in the middle and the finish is holding strong. Black peppercorn, faint leather taste and a rush of tart cherries. Reminds me of a 5-7yr old Sonoma Pinot. This is still "juicy", which to me is less in your face than "jammy". Fruit is giving way to secondary notes. Not WOTY for me, but for $40, a nice find.

Update: Much better after 45mins as well as at cellar temp. — 9 years ago

Louise Tardif

10

An intriguing wine. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what makes this wine amazing but it has a freshness to it hard to find in many wines. An amazing wine, that comes costly, but will leave lasting memories. — 10 years ago

Tim

9.1

Surprised this wasn't more tannic - thought it was very well structured with dark jammy fruits and bell pepper on the nose (actually didn't find the pepper notes unpleasant at all, which I typically steer clear of). Black fruits, charcoal smoke, cracked black pepper all hit high with some light hints of licorice and...jalapeño? All in all a pleasant wine to pair with a homemade Beef Wellington on this anniversary year of the Judgement of Paris. — 10 years ago