Nils Johnson

9.3

(My portfolio). Still cruising along with its powerful self. Black licorice and blueberry jam and a smokiness to go along with that Howell Mountain herbal back note. — 9 years ago

David L

9.5

10' Bevan Sugarloaf . Cabernet Franc & Merlot blend... I also think a little CS? Super dark purple in color. This is a beast out of the bottle. Poured a very small glass & decanted the rest of the bottle for an hour +. I get chocolate, tar, tea, spices. The black fruits I get towards the front/middle/back of the palate...very , very good!! Nevertheless a lasting impression with a smooth & long finish. Another wine I would love to try again in 2/3 years. Drinking over the next 10 years. — 10 years ago

Michael LoRusso

9.6

2007 Vintage V - pulled it from the cellar and shared with colleagues on the plane ride back rom San Diego Friday night. Simply spectacular. I think that Mike Lamborn and family may have picked up a few more customers! — 10 years ago

Rick Phillips

9.5

One of the few bottles remaining. This wine has been discontinued but we were lucky enough to buy some of the few remain bottles. Smooth front to back. 2005 — 10 years ago

with Letha

Corrie Lyle

9.6

Smooth and lovely. Just like me. And back at the sheriffs tower x-Tina. Aka Claudia. — 11 years ago

with Sue

Brian Koncius

10

Love the back label! See previous for thoughts on wine. — 12 years ago

Trish Barry

9.4

So wish that I could have brought more of this wine back to Australia. It's superb! — 9 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.2

Napa wines are where I got my start and '97-'02 was my playtime, it's great to taste an excellent wine like this 15 years later when people back then said Napa would only age 6-10 years tops. Many like this one can go 20, or in some cases 30 years. Cheers to the #oldschool which seems to be the #newschool. — 9 years ago

Steve Cade

9.0

For the price a very good wine. $16.99 at Costco-Nov 15
I went back and bought six more — 10 years ago

David L

9.0

11' medium bodied. Middle and back of the palate are showing. Fruit & some light oak. Blueberries, ripened fresh strawberries. Complexity is lacking :$).Can't wait to try the 12' # wife enjoyed it. @ Ka'ana kitchen, Maui — 10 years ago

Cherie McNett

9.0

Brought this back from our recent trip to Napa and shared with my dear cousin last night--it was wonderful. Definit — 10 years ago

Chris Garmon

9.2

Still going strong with dark fruits on the front and a little spice on the back end — 11 years ago

Bernard Rethore

Owner, Fion Wines

9.1

Back in 2006, I had the good fortune to invest in a box of the Neal vineyard designated bottlings pre-release. They have been sleeping in my cellar ever since. Last night, Tony the Fish, who is a frequent contributor to these pages, arrived with a bottle of the 2010 Neal cab sav. It was a solid effort and Mrs Fish quite enjoyed it. As we finished the bottle I remembered I had some of the 2003 vineyard designated wines in the back of the cellar and figured it was time to check in on them. We started with the Second Chance from Atlas Peak. Generally I am a mountain fruit guy, and like the volcanic soil that yields low yielding structured wines. There was plenty of stuffing left after 11 years, and a nice contrast to the 2010 cab sav blend. We then moved to Chafen. Another mountain- Howell this time, slightly lower elevation vineyard. This wine was bigger than the Second Chance with mouthfuls of ripe cassis, berry fruit and coffee- almost a cocoa powder character to it. The final wine of the night - and best of show - was the Howell Mountain Estate. Dark rich tannins with intense velvety chocolate cake flavors. This was a fun night going from the 2010 blend to the all 2003 single vineyard designates. Most of us aren't patient enough or buy them as a group so you can taste them altogether at once. Everyone should do this from to time. It reminds me at least of how different climate and soil can be in the same year. It's even better with friends. Thank you Mr Fish for the inspiration. — 11 years ago

with Susan

Sarah Milsow-Guenther

9.3

Definitely would drink now. Decanted for about 3 hours. Still has a bit of a kick on the back end. Starting to taste a little raisin-y though. Still a nice wine though. Quite smooth. — 9 years ago

Evan Carlson

9.3

Fabulous black fruits with savory notes. Fine tannins and acidity. Just keeps u coming back for more. — 10 years ago

Jonathan Wall

9.2

California Duck migration North. Duckhorn's Washington State adventure looks promising. Full, meaty, and smooth. And taste True to Washington. For their 2nd bottling a great effort and one I expect would get deeper and open with a few years in the bottle because it feels to be holding back from its full potential. Tasted over two nights. — 10 years ago

Julie D

9.7

Plumpjack wine tasting today & brought bottle back to hotel to enjoy! — 10 years ago

Deb K

10

Full bodied wine layered with cooked black fruit and a smooth back spice. — 10 years ago

Jim Walsh

9.0

This wine gets better with age. Very refined, bold fruits. Full bodied and silky smooth finish. Don't rush - just sit back and enjoy the complexity. A wonderful experience! — 11 years ago

Mark Hicken

9.0

Tasty and a dialled back style for Napa , could use slightly better oak integration, but lovely, looking forward to pairing with a rib-eye. — 12 years ago