John Farrell

9.5

Incredibly smooth cab. Had the good fortune to visit the winery when I was in Sonoma. They are very good at producing this wine. Good job !!
— 10 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

V M

9.9

Perfect fruit. Beautiful aroma and palate of crushed berries with hints of earth, roasted meat, and flowers. Beautiful balance and silky smooth tannins. The wine continues to evolve in the glass. This is simply a stunning wine and worth the small fortune if you like California cab sav dominated blends. Wow — 12 years ago

Ellen Shaughnessy

9.3

Lovely Pinot, plus it has a wonderful story, + hand-drawn label by a passionate wine maker that we had the fortune to meet on a trip years ago. There is white pepper and super-subtle fruit: cheers! — 10 years ago

with Edward

Sina Bahram

8.9

The cherry punches you in the face, in a very good way. Also, this is definitely a wine that you want to have open for at least 30 to 45 minutes because it starts out being exceptionally closed. I had the fortune of tasting it after it had been open for a few hours before picking up a couple of bottles and could really determine the difference once I opened the ones I had purchased. Also, there's A significant earthiness to complement the fruit, mainly cherry, as well as a reasonable amount of tannin. Others that I was with thought that the tannins were a bit on the high side — 11 years ago

with Tom

Jimmy Bagenstose

9.0

Dry Rose... Very delicious. You can taste the blackberry. — 12 years ago

Erica Golden

8.9

Cava tastes a lot more like champagne than Prosecco, so if you don’t want to pay a fortune for your NYE wine, this might be your preference. Where Champagne is bread-dough yeasty, this is as well, but it is BOLD in its yeastiness. There are in yo face aromatics because this is edgy and harder than the other options here, which makes the smells bounce out of the glass. Want a big start to your new year? This is what I would toast with. Repeat after me: THIS YEAR WILL BE MY YEAR! — 11 years ago

Karen B

9.7

A fabulous wine enjoyed with friends. — 11 years ago

Kaethe Sullivan

9.5

Mineral, lively. — 11 years ago

Cathy Corison

Owner/Winemaker Corison Winery

9.0

Arrived at Sorensen's in the Sierras in time for dinner. Great fortune to find this on the list. Perfect with ribeye and roasted potatoes. — 13 years ago