Bob McDonald

9.4

This is generally regarded as the best example of Shiraz Viognier in Australia but recently I tried a 2015 Serrat Shiraz Viognier which was the equal of Clonakilla if not better. As per previous Delectable notes this bottle had the trademark dried spices, cloves a trace of pepper and dried meat. Barely medium weight and always a joy to drink. My last bottle. — 2 months ago

Eric L.

9.5

Beautiful wine. Still very fresh and vibrant. Dark fruits, cocoa, and plush tannins. Drinking beautifully now, but has many good years ahead. — 3 months ago

Thomas M. Bozzuto

9.4

Superb. Had with duck — 3 months ago

Randall Hopkins

Winegrower Co-Winemaker and Owner Corvus Vineyard and Corvus Cellars

9.4

Well balanced and aged beautifully. Did this in a blind tasting and guessed 2007-2009 as the fruit was still so prominent and pronounced but in a nice way. Tannins were so well integrated and there was still nice structure. Crowd pleaser! — 5 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 — 6 months ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.1

Beautiful and light on its feet. Dry - very well made! Fantastic fruit. Very fresh. Honey. Meyer lemon, mandarine, just a faint touch of 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene (TDN) aka Diesel. Touch bitter on the back palate. As a chemist i just had to bring this up. At 24 suns in Oceanside. 2 Michelin Chefs cooking. Grab this bargain before it is gone!!!!!! — 9 months ago

Paul J

9.5

Awesome as always! Make sure to give a long decant. Filled with dark fruit and chocolate. Tannins were bigger than normal. — 2 months ago

with Brooke

Crispin Glymph

9.5

Really enjoyed this DM — 2 months ago

Robert Stackowiak

9.4

At 6 years old, smooth and reflective of the volcanic terroir. Dark cherry, tobacco. September 2025. — 3 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.0

Gratifying Oak Knoll #napavalley #merlot - medium plus body, calibrated acidity, some vanilla and toasty oak notes so it’s pretty young but well executed Merlot. My hot take - Merlot at the $50 retail mark will outperform Cabs at this price point. — 6 months ago

Jason Phillips

9.1

Dark ruby with purple edges. Great nose, full bodied, good oak. — 6 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. — 6 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

8.9

Deep garnet with terracotta . Quite rich concentrated nose , slightly roasted spicy , oaky nose, cassis , dark plum , quite rich and dense. Slightly sweet on the palate , but with red plum , spiced orange rind , cassis , cacao . A bit alcoholic on the palate too. Quite rounded , but gritty tannins and just balanced acidity . Slightly Foursquare on the finish , with spiced cherry , cacao . Drink now and over the next 5 years or so . — 10 months ago

Edward Nelson

9.2

Rocco’s takeout and a nice bottle. Not a bad Saturday night. Bonus that the wife is letting me call the ball after dinner. — 2 months ago

Kim Bonnet

9.5

It’s been a while since I’ve rated or ranked anything. Pulled this out of the cellar and it is absolutely incredible!!!! 2011 vintage. — 2 months ago

Joe Flo

9.5

Realm seems to have figured out the difficult 2022 vintage. — 3 months ago

Steven Lee

9.4

blue fruit. mineral and chalky. — 4 months ago

Brian Hearty

9.3

2007. Big, rich, dark fruits and oak! Great on its own, but I liked the Red Cap a little better. — 6 months ago

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. — 6 months ago

David Walser

9.5

I bought some corked bottles and some screw cap bottles. This is for the corked one. At 13 years old it’s tasting great! I’m expecting the screw caps to be just as good. — 7 months ago