Dunn Vineyards

Sandler Wine Company

Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012

Six Pinots, all made by Ed Kurtzman, of August West and Roar fame who also consults to Freeman and Mansfield Dunn. Ed joined our tasting. More fruity, slightly reduced. My #2. — 3 years ago

Ron, Josh and 7 others liked this

Provenance Vineyards

Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Wow. Really good. We also opened a 2005 Dunn Family Wine. This 2017 was amazing compared to the Dunn that we love as well. For the money Provenance. — 3 years ago

Retro Cellars

Elevation Howell Mountain Old Vine Petite Sirah 2013

Howell Mt fruit, this comes from Mike Dunn, son of Randy. Whole different varietal from what his dad does but similar in that he makes both a Napa valley floor/foot hills and a mountain fruit version. I prefer the Howell Mt but that’s my bias. Ripe Black fruits, black cherry, meaty, sage herbal notes, firm tannins but I bet that they’d open up with a little time open. Would love to grab a few to age. — 5 years ago

Shay and Mark liked this

Long Shadows Vintners

Sequel Columbia Valley Syrah 2015

Shay A
9.5

A wonderful tasting put on by Classic Wine Storage featuring Long Shadows Winery. If you aren’t familiar with these wines, they are phenomenal WA state wines that are made by the likes of Randy Dunn, Phillipe Melka, Michel Rolland, John DuVall, and more.

This wine is made by John Duvall of Penfolds. Dark overripe berries, smoke, cassis, currant and some smoked bacon. Not the northern Rhône/Cayuse like funky Syrahs...this is more Napa Syrah that is rich, structured and voluptuous. Notes of violets and caramel. One of my favorites of the night.
— 6 years ago

Mark Flesher
with Mark
David, leon and 36 others liked this
Mark Flesher

Mark Flesher

@TheSkip definitely worth it. Held up the best after one day and was still quite vibrant.
9.4
TheSkip

TheSkip

@Mark Flesher i wonder what the differences are between this and the 14. Good price on winebid for it.
Mark Flesher

Mark Flesher

Both seem to have similar praise given. 14 seems to be meatier and 15 with less meat and more fruit.

Long Shadows Vintners

Saggi Vintners Collection Columbia Valley Sangiovese Blend 2015

Shay A
9.2

A wonderful tasting put on by Classic Wine Storage featuring Long Shadows Winery. If you aren’t familiar with these wines, they are phenomenal WA state wines that are made by the likes of Randy Dunn, Phillipe Melka, Michel Rolland, John DuVall, and more.

Dominant Sangiovese with some cab and a splash of Syrah. Rich style sangio wine. Sweet oak, dirty cherries, herbs, and a high percentage/bitter dark chocolate.
— 6 years ago

David, "Odedi" and 23 others liked this

Tommaso Bussola

Ca' del Laito Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore Corvina Blend

Mandi Speidel
9.5

G Dunn my BFF, angel face, brother and favorite human is back! — 6 years ago

Paul and Chris liked this

Azienda Agricola COS

Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico Frappato Nero d'Avola 2013

Mandi Speidel
9.4

Keb' Mo' this bad boy and G Dunn — 6 years ago

Paul liked this

Sandler Wine Company

Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2012

Six Pinots, all made by Ed Kurtzman, of August West and Roar fame who also consults to Freeman and Mansfield Dunn. Ed joined our tasting. I loved the meatiness of this and it was my #1. — 3 years ago

Ira, Ron and 8 others liked this

Retro Cellars

Chiles Valley Zinfandel 2016

I’ve stayed away from Zinfandel because whatever it is that they’re doing with it nowadays just isn’t for me. But this? This producer? Yeah it’s different. A somewhat subdued purple with a crimson rim. Fruit and spice on the nose with blue and black berries along with some black pepper. This nose just never stops. And you don’t want it to. Just the faintest hint of forest floor. How solid of a Zin is this? Even clocking in at 14.9, it’s never overbearing or anything approaching too hot. Wonderful balance and acidity, I can’t stop smelling it though, it’s glorious. Cranberry and boysenberry prevalent on the palette but there’s also with the right amount of spice. This is a beautiful wine and has single handedly restored my faith in Zinfandel. Mike and Kara Dunn make the single best Petite Sirah you will probably ever drink and they’re expanding. Get on board. — 4 years ago

Chris, Erik and 3 others liked this

Ladera Vineyards

Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

David T
9.3

Bottle enjoyed last night. Notes are from memory today.

While 2010 is not my favorite Napa vintage, it was not bad. In many 2010’s I’ve had, the structure, texture and body are just not quite all there. However, Howell Mountain wines, for me, faired better.

There are a number of good Howell Mountain producers, Dunn being one of my favorites. I think Ladera Vineyards is one of the more underrated Howell Mountain producers. Especially, at a Costco price of around $45.

The blue fruits that shine in Howell Mountain wines are always unmistakable. Blueberries, mulberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, blackberries, raspberry cola, light spice, soft leather, saddle-wood, lavender and violets. Beautiful acidity. The structure is good. The body round and elegant. The length, tension and balance just now coming into its own. Still needs a few more years to hit its peak. The finish is soft, round, elegant and beautiful. Lasts full two minutes.

Photos of; the winery and beautiful grounds, outside terrace, special event tasting & dinning room and their Estate vines.
— 6 years ago

Craig, Kimberly and 16 others liked this

Long Shadows Vintners

Chester-Kidder Columbia Valley Red Blend 2014

Shay A
9.3

A wonderful tasting put on by Classic Wine Storage featuring Long Shadows Winery. If you aren’t familiar with these wines, they are phenomenal WA state wines that are made by the likes of Randy Dunn, Phillipe Melka, Michel Rolland, John DuVall, and more.

Approachable red blend. To me, this is the pop and pour wine out of the lineup. Very plush. This reminds me of Flora Springs Trilogy Blend out of Napa with a bit more fruit on the finish. More milk chocolate than dark. Boysenberry, blue and black fruit medley.
— 6 years ago

Mark Flesher
with Mark
David, "Odedi" and 24 others liked this
Mark Flesher

Mark Flesher

A cab that wants to be a syrah. Black fruit dominant front, some weediness in the middle, but then rounds out rather nicely on the finish. Has a lot of black pepper on the end. Still showing some tannin here, and even a little bit of heat on the finish. I respectfully disagree with the 94.6 average on CT, as IMO this wine is a bit too unidimensional, but perhaps it is just because it's young. It echoes a previous experience I had with this wine a few years ago.
9.0

Long Shadows Vintners

Poet's Leap Columbia Valley Riesling 2016

Shay A
9.1

A wonderful tasting put on by Classic Wine Storage featuring Long Shadows Winery. If you aren’t familiar with these wines, they are phenomenal WA state wines that are made by the likes of Randy Dunn, Phillipe Melka, Michel Rolland, John DuVall, and more.

Supposedly this is the number one Riesling in WA state. Dry style. Petrol on the nose. Honey, apricot, bright acidity with a slate finish.
— 6 years ago

Mark Flesher
with Mark
David, "Odedi" and 33 others liked this
Bryan Kesting

Bryan Kesting Premium Badge

@Shay A: I have not had this particular Wash state Riesling however I will say the last one I had was bone dry and had a nose of petrol. I wonder if it’s a characteristic of these wines?
Shay A

Shay A Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@Bryan Kesting : Seems to be. On day 2, it was very similar to day 1 with a slight decrease in the petrol but it is unmistakable. I wouldn’t say this is bone dry, but it’s definitely an off dry style. Very nice.
Mark Flesher

Mark Flesher

I consumed the leftovers. So, Shay had a bit of a different experience. There is a bit of green apple here, but quite a bit more petrol. I can imagine there was more acidity, more green apple and less petrol than yesterday but this wine is still quite enjoyable and RATHER easy to drink. For the sub $20 price point, it is a solid wine, but if you pop the cork, drink the entire bottle. At $18/bottle, you shouldn't have any left over.
9.1

Hokusetsu Shuzo Co.

Nobu The Sake Junmai Daigino

Mandi Speidel
10

Gardner Dunn full of fun Back in Chicago for the first time since Feb 2020… Yikes! The Windy City sure missed you. Kicked it off with a little Nobu Sake to Me, Sushi & Sunshine Laughs. — 3 years ago

Josh, Aravind and 2 others liked this

Von Strasser

Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1999

Deep purple color and a brilliant nose with a nice finish. A slightly lighter cab compared to the 93 Dunn but still great for the age! — 3 years ago

Uma Rani IyliAmit Srivastava
with Uma and Amit
Amit, Eric and 3 others liked this
Eric

Eric Premium Badge

Awesome pull

TOR Kenward Family Wines

Old B Beckstoffer To Kalon Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Spectacular. This won’t last anywhere near as long as the 2010 Dunn, but is in a superb spot right now. Great Cab profile and extremely smooth with about three hours of air. A beautiful To Kalon example. — 6 years ago

Tony, Shay and 16 others liked this

Long Shadows Vintners

Pedestal Columbia Valley Merlot 2015

Shay A
9.4

A wonderful tasting put on by Classic Wine Storage featuring Long Shadows Winery. If you aren’t familiar with these wines, they are phenomenal WA state wines that are made by the likes of Randy Dunn, Phillipe Melka, Michel Rolland, John DuVall, and more.

This wine is made by Michel Rolland. Large and in charge merlot. Mocha, sweet pipe tobacco, and a lot of ripe blackberry. Nutmeg and cinnamon. Cab lovers merlot.
— 6 years ago

David, leon and 30 others liked this
David T

David T Influencer Badge

I also liked this quite a bit.
Eric

Eric Premium Badge

They don’t make a bad wine at LS. Dig the whole lineup.
Ken Venezio

Ken Venezio

Shay, We need to connect at the next Classic Wine tasting. I do most of the Southlake events with Clare. Cheers.

Long Shadows Vintners

Pirouette Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2015

Shay A
9.5

A wonderful tasting put on by Classic Wine Storage featuring Long Shadows Winery. If you aren’t familiar with these wines, they are phenomenal WA state wines that are made by the likes of Randy Dunn, Phillipe Melka, Michel Rolland, John DuVall, and more.

This is made by Melka and is Cab dominant with merlot, petit Verdot and Malbec to round it out. Possibly nose of the night! Smells of sweet, rich Cabernet without being jammy. This is all finesse. Red and black fruit pie, and cocoa. Great texture.
— 6 years ago

Mark Flesher
with Mark
David, leon and 28 others liked this
Mark Flesher

Mark Flesher

Poured rather dark as this one came up to room temp. The nose on this wine is displaying quite a bit more red fruit. The front end of this wine is red clay and dried fig. A little acidic middle and finish. The end of this wine is almost a little bit tart. Not a bad expression of Columbia Valley fruit with makeup 65CS, 21 Merlot, 11 PV, and 3 Malbec from Melka. I would honestly guess that this one would be best enjoyed in 3-4 years. I have a feeling this one could be as high as 93-94 at maturity, which is definitely not now.
9.2

Lucchetti

Mariasole Lacrima di Morro d'Alba

Mandi Speidel
9.3

G Dunn Back in town!! Italian is clearly our first stop — 6 years ago

Paul liked this

La Jota Vineyard Co.

Anniversary Release Cabernet Sauvignon 1993

We opened this after the 93 Dunn with the hope of another spectacular wine. It didn’t quite live up. Pretty wine, but fell apart mid-palate before it’s tannins reappeared at the finish. — 6 years ago

Berg
with Berg
Shay, David and 9 others liked this