Gilbert Van Hassel

9.5

Very expressive dried fruit (raisins, cherries), medium body, oxidized style. My wife asked whether this was champagne. Indeed it is, but first and foremost it is a wonderful wine. — 4 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.2

Very dry, very savory. Viscous texture, even creamy; mineral and saline flavors first and foremost with fruit taking a back seat. Nose has dried flowers, dried herbs and wet stone / seashell and lemon, palate adds fennel, peach, grapefruit to the mix. Distinctive — 5 years ago

Gavin Baum

9.4

Really extraordinary Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay, drinking at its peak. Has started to take on wonderful secondary character, with lots of honeycomb, hazelnut, and toasty brioche showing on the nose and palate. That makes the wine sound a lot more decadent than it is, though. At its heart, like all of the Tyler Chardonnays, this wine is first and foremost a masterclass in focus and precision. Even at the ripe old age of 6, with its contours slightly softened and its flinty reduction tempered, this wine is still wonderfully, vividly alive, with copious lemony acidity and fruit that still leans more towards tangerine oil and grapefruit. That this is still so piquant and salty and mouthwatering and more-ish after 6 years in the bottle is a real testament to the quality and the substance of these wines. — 6 years ago

Bryce Wiatrak

9.5

Donelan continues to cement its place as one of California’s foremost authorities on Syrah. Boisterous yet savory and precise, flavors of quinine, thyme, black minerals, sweat and game meet a plumper backdrop of fruit. It combines a Northern Rhône sensibility with an undeniably Californian juiciness. Exceptional. — 7 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.0

Terrific Viognier with awesome acid. Lovely vigorous minerality and structure. Echoes and whispers of tropical fruit abound but this is about mineral first and foremost. Very very good. So different. — 8 years ago

Lee Hill

9.0

New world wine with an old world approach; nice ripe fruit first and foremost but well balanced with the earth and acidity. Fairly powerful for the money — 8 years ago

TheSkip

9.2

I'd like to thank two folks here. @Ron R foremost for the recommendation to buy this. And then @Paul T for teaching me some of the details of WineBid.

For the price, this is top shelf. At just over 10 years old, the tannins are superbly integrated. What was once in your face has evolved into an elegant, well balanced cuvée. A steal at $15!!! — 8 years ago

Daniel M

9.2

There is firstly apricot first and foremost. But then there are white flowers, a bit of lemon (?!) and honey and almost a petrol thing like you find in some riesling. Wow! And what a palate! It sweet, it's round, there is almost tannins in mid palate, you can have that apricot taste but the mouthfeel is almost the one of an apricot skin. 🤯🤯🤯. The finish is everlasting. These apricot notes, that dryness which could almost be tannins and it expands a little in the very end with almost a medicinal, herbal thing. Wow that's a great tasting experience. — 5 years ago

Simon Gilligan

9.3

85% Grenache (15% whole-bunch), 10% Shiraz, 5% Mataro. Great balance with the Grenache front and foremost, lovely fresh fruited, with soft tannin and a subtle spice and savoury turn to finish with. New label and new website - nice to buy direct with membership giving keen pricing. — 6 years ago

David Brown

9.1

First and foremost, Terry and Jen Hoage make fantastic wine. This vintage is still young at this time. Lighter and more fruit forward. This will change as it ages. Determining when to open a bottle Hedge depends on your palate and preference. There is absolutely nothing wrong with drinking this now, just know it won’t be a big, deep and as nuanced Syrah. — 7 years ago

Bryce Wiatrak

9.3

Charles Baker has swiftly risen to become one of Niagara's foremost authorities on Riesling. Grown from the Vinemount Ridge appellation, that stretches south overlooking the Niagara Escarpment, the 2014 hits all the marks of an outstanding Niagara Riesling - petrol, wet stones, apple skin, and chiseled mineral flavor. Clean, long and precise. — 7 years ago

Paul J

9.0

First and foremost, having this with dinner from the best restaurant (Sola) in Philadelphia with the most thoughtful, generous, and passionate owner in the world!! Thank you Brian!!!

Thank you also to some of the most generous, caring, and supportive friends who gave us this bottle. Thanks Steve & Chris!!

Our twins are luckier than they know right now for having these people in their lives.

Okay, sorry, onto the wine. Deep, dark purple color in the glass. Big cherry and strawberry tones on the nose. Smells like Valentines Day. The flavor is disappointing. Maybe it needs more air or age, but rather tame and average. Great texture and easy to drink, but leaves one unsatisfied at the price level. Solid wine, with nice fruit, but isn't differentiated at all from other Napa Cabs yet alone a single vineyard of the quality of Stagecoach. Have 3 more bottles so we'll see how they progress. — 8 years ago

Ryan M

9.1

Very surprising for only $35. Took about 30 min to open up and another 30 let out the flavors. Ruby red, sweet oak, bing cherry, cassis, vanilla, light body with similarities to Rutherford style. I could see this showing well for another 5 years and hello to the high alcohol %!

Jamieson Ranch Vineyards is the southernmost winery in the Napa Valley, one of the world’s foremost winemaking regions. The estate’s more than 300 acres of gently rolling hills and terraced vineyards benefit from the cooling fog and breezes from the nearby San Pablo Bay, climatic conditions that favor the production of exceptional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

The unique architecture of Jamieson Ranch Vineyards is reminiscent of a majestic western mountain lodge, replete with soaring ceilings, seating around a cozy fireplace, an observation gallery overlooking the barrel room and production area, and a spectacular wraparound veranda that affords sweeping views of the Napa Valley and San Pablo Bay. — 8 years ago

with Larissa

Dawn E.

9.2

First and Foremost my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone that has suffered loss in the California wildfires. Many wineries suffered and I was especially saddened to hear of the damage at Hourglass..it is a personal favorite and was actually the first higher end wine that I sought to purchase (per my budget).
Irony...sometimes strange. I heard about the loss at Hourglass this morning. After work I visited my local Hyvee Wine Dept and they have a lot of their SB..different Vintages..not normal in this area!

Yes! So the wine..this 2016 has evolved so amazingly! I am getting lemon..grassiness..
Honey..soft flint..kiwi..and a hint of cheese rind! Fantastic wine Hourglass! 🙏🙏🙏😪 — 5 years ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.4

Stunning! This was misplaced alongside the “stickies” at our local purveyor (pusher?)—big mistake. This is first and foremost a great food wine. Sweetness tempered by acidity. Great nose of botrytis, wildflowers. Palate is true to type—pear, orange flower, honeysuckle, botrytis, with spicy finish. Buy buy buy... — 6 years ago

with Alsu

Matt

8.9

Hard to find a Stony Hill that I don’t connect with. A great terroir coupled with a cellar stuck in time = a unique side of Napa that very few miss. Foremost a wine of texture, fine extract that adds a powdered rock element across the palate, offering a slight grip. Melon skin, green apple, oro blanco pith, sweet tarts, starch, lemon balm, talcum, wet clay. It’s weight and power really emerges as it breathes and warms up. — 7 years ago

Patrice Conxicoeur

9.3

A good example of what truly high end champagne should be: first and foremost a very good wine, with a fine balance of fruits and acidity, and fine bubbles which add to the tasting experience. Love it. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

Pale to mid Gold. At the Yalumba tasting. They are probably the foremost exponents of the Viognier grape in Australia and have been working with it for many years. Notes of apricot and quince. A mouth filling unctuous middle palate finishing with a refreshing Grapefruit bitterness. Will cellar. I would say up to 7 or 8 years. — 8 years ago

Fredrik Finn

9.1

Trademark Vin Jaune layered scent with foremost pistachios, walnuts, yellow apples showing in the foreground of a smoky minerality. Good flavor intensity and a serious length with a good stamina makes this example qualify as a good wine. However, for a chateau Chalon I am expecting more. 9,1 — 8 years ago

Todd Abrams

9.3

A glass is bursting with aromatics, the foremost a heady floral component reminiscent of Chambolle-Musigny. Alongside are fresh berries, red licorice, and baked stone. A sip is simultaneously concentrated and spry, with a long, energetic finish. — 8 years ago