Ken Venezio

9.6

Just stunning. All the benefits of bottle age, complexity and finesse make this a superb Howell Mtn Cab. Loads of up front mountain fruit, a nice floral nose and balance through the mid palate ending in a long romantic finish. Touché to the older days of Ladera. — 3 months ago

Tom Kohli

9.2

With Scott & Amy at Washington Inn — 4 months ago

David White

9.2

Deep ruby colour with lighter crimson rim, nose of red/black fruits with savoury notes.
Smooth and silky tannins and really well integrated at 9 years.
Beautiful on palate with good aftertaste and a lingering finish. — 5 months ago

Charlie Tapp

9.7

Exceptionally vibrant 18 years later.

My favorite zinfandel on the planet. — 5 months ago

Doug Powers

9.6

Sweet dried redfruits and oak aromas, soft tannins, sweet fruit on palate as well, very fine acidity and depth, seems close to fully mature, but should last 3-5 years at least, kudos to Patrick Campbell, who made a lot of outstanding LG Cabernets back in the 1980s and 1990s, excellent Sonoma Mountain Cabernet!! — 7 months ago

with Jim

Sarah Blaker

10

Juicy and delicious — 8 months ago

John Van Trijp

9.5

World greatest Chardonnay blind tasting — 6 years ago

Mike Davila

9.2

Better than I hoped for, would have been fun to taste blind. Drinking great, but ready to drink. — 9 years ago

Robert Rothfield

9.5

Favorite Howell Mtn cab — 10 years ago

Petra Thieriot

Owner/Importer Dee Vine Wines

10

Ernie, the genie, prepared the entire 5+ course meal for 18 guests and convinced all of us that South African Pinot can taste like premium Burgundy! — 12 years ago

with Andrew, Dade and 2 others

Mark Osmers

9.1

Consistently excellent Bordeaux-style red blend
(Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc)
Fruit forward cherry, plum, blackberry, with a nice oakey finish
— 3 months ago

Nathan Renfro

9.5

Drinking very well now. Really enjoyed it. — 3 months ago

Kristin the Wine Girl

9.4

So full bodied and rich, we paired it with crisped caramel chocolate blocks - yum! — 5 months ago

David Shaw

8.9

67/33 blend of Syrah and Mourvèdre. Good acid, bone dry, mineral finish — 6 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

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 — 7 months ago

Jon Hoke

9.5

WOW really good — 9 months ago

Michael Seely

9.0

Quite drinkable — 7 years ago

with Joe

Molly McNary

9.0

Good, but two bottles are preferred (@Ethan Karas) — 10 years ago

with Luke and Joe

Mike Kovacs

9.2

2012 vintage — 10 years ago

Patrick Dolan

9.7

Aroma of rich berries. Smooth and slightly sweet with a sour note. Very good. — 12 years ago

Anne Holmes

9.6

Dinner @ Trabuco Canyon — 3 months ago

with Thomas

Austin Hohnke

9.3

Great now and will age beautifully. Typical Muscat florals, but I love the balancing act of sugar concentration and acidity in this vintage. Elderflower and bruised stone fruit. Wonderfully fresh. 👌🏼 — 4 months ago

Brandon Boesch

9.7

Really great. Needs about 3 hours of air. So well balanced. A lot of cocoa, blackberry, garden dirt, some tree bark, some chocolate cherries, but very dark, some menthol in the background, long finish, almost coffee and cocoa, some fruits as well. Outstanding! — 5 months ago

Donald Williams

9.3

Bit by bit, the case is dwindling. Every bottle has been really excellent. — 6 months ago

with Bonnie

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.1

2022 vintage. Last year's vintage more than justified the pricing. This one, not so much. 06.11.25. — 7 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.0

2022 vintage. Good, not great. The 2021 with more intensity/grip and life. 06.11.25. — 7 months ago

Tree Kilpatrick

8.9

Light color. Rusty red. Smells like rosehip tea and hibiscus. Flavors a pretty complex and intriguing. Has a bit of a citrus (blood orange) side. Fine and full finish. This is a complex and nice balanced rule of red. — 10 months ago

Michael Ochsner

9.2

Warm can, got it all. Boom. $20 btg wg — 8 years ago

Jordan Gianelli

9.6

1998 in 2016! Drinking like an absolute dream. Soft but lively and all kinds of delicious. — 10 years ago

Michael Retter

9.7

Great fruit. Soft tannins. Really well balanced. Great bottle of wine. — 12 years ago