Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2008 vintage. Had never come across the "Little Hill" until today. Light-medium body. Decanted and was fairly musty for 2-3 minutes before it started to blossom. Some blue fruit/menthol/eucalyptus throughout the experience. Demonstrative spice component on the back end. Could really only ding this on being slightly "watery" on the front palate. Otherwise, this is kicking now and has plenty of life and love to give. 5.27.23 — 3 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I kid you not, Charles Hendricks is likely the most underrated & under known Winemaker in Napa Valley.

If you have not had his wines, you are missing out on great wines & relative real value for Napa. He makes his own private higher end label-Hendricks, Hope & Grace and midway through the 14 vintage for; James Cole, Regusci & T-Vine.

There are few Winemakers that can make wines that drink well young & some that will age two decades plus stored correctly.

This Santa Lucia Doctor’s Vineyard is really good but, his private label Hendricks Pinot from Santa Lucia is off the charts. His 2008 Hendricks Pinot Noir is the highest rating I have ever given a Ca Pinot Noir, 98.

The 13 Doctor’s Vineyard is better than his 12 & is still a little early right now. It will improve over the next 5 years & hold there a couple of years before its gentle decline.

The nose reveals, ripe, well extracted & slightly baked; blackberries, stewed, deep, dark, black plum, black cherries, black raspberries, baked strawberries, dry pomegranate & cranberries with shades of blueberries. Dark spices, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanilla, touch of savory meats, anise to black licorice, black tea, wet clay, steeped black tea, touch of herbs dominated with Rosemary, rich, black, earth, dry stones, dry crushed rocks, fresh tobacco, leather notes, volcanic minerals, limestone with bright, fresh & withering florals that are; dark, red, purple, blue mixed in violets and lavender.

The body is full, rich, lush and gorgeous. The structure, tension, length and balance are just hitting their good phase. It is simply a beautiful & complex Pinot Noir. Nicely extracted & slightly baked; blackberries, stewed, deep, dark, black plum, black cherries, black raspberries, baked strawberries, dry pomegranate & cranberries with more blueberries than the nose. Dark spices that bring palate heat, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick & vanilla, touch of savory meats, peppery notes, anise to black licorice, black tea, wet clay, steeped black tea, touch of herbs dominated with Rosemary, rich, black, earth, dry stones, dry crushed rocks, fresh tobacco, leather notes, volcanic minerals, limestone with bright, fresh & withering florals that are; dark, red, purple, blue mixed in violets and lavender. The acidity is very good & excellent at containing the slightly higher ABV. The long, complex finish is, well balanced fruit & earth, polished and will persist until dawn.

Photos of; Their Doctor’s Vineyard, one of my favorite paintings that used to hang behind the bar in their tasting room & now hangs in Charles’ house (it reminds me of a Jackson Pollock), Winemaker-Charles Hendricks and the front of their tasting room in downtown Yountville.
— 6 years ago

Mike Beltran

9.2

19 yrs old and still stunning late harvest CHARDONNY... Complex with vibrant fruit and acidity. Only two barrels made. The finest late harvest CHARDONNY I have ever had.... Lush and balanced. Only have one bottle left. Very lucky to have a few bottles.....
— 10 years ago

with Joe

Randy

9.5

Surprisingly good — 11 years ago

Puerto Rico Wine News

9.3

Really nice stuff — 13 years ago

E D

9.0

Nice version of this variety. Rich grape. Quite dry and acidic on the tongue. — 5 years ago

Ming L

9.0

A tropical fruit filled chilled SB with jumbo stone crab in a summer like day.
Life goes on! — 6 years ago

Dylan Thomas

9.0

With halibut cheeks, dandelion greens, sand dab fillets from west port farmers market, g-town — 6 years ago

Marc Stubblefield

Wine Sales at Vino Carta and Kogod Wine Merchant

9.2

A savory juicy textured herbal food pairing champ. Like cooking sous-vide with an immersion circulator, what was once a geeky oddity has found a permanent home on our table. Not a universal solution, but really the right tool for the job in certain situations. Like pan seared halibut with fennel or spring vegetable risotto. — 8 years ago

Stephanie Losee

9.4

Drank a 35-year-old Rutherford Hill Napa Valley cab while getting our hearts broken last night. One good memory on a devastating night — 10 years ago

Meln

9.1

Smoky, spicy, fruits, good balance! — 10 years ago

Arian Ashworth

10

Matt keiser selection — 12 years ago

Patrick Dolan

9.3

Slight vanilla and crisp smell. Some pear too. Taste has some bitter and sour notes but malactic makes it a little smoother. Minerally. Better with food. Had butter garlic clams. — 13 years ago

Leo Gentile

9.4

Delicate pale straw color. Tart Gala apple and pear. Crisp with balanced acidity true to the vineyard and deftness of the winemaker. This wine can keep going for years to come. Drank over three nights and final glass was no less, perhaps more enjoyable than the first. — 5 years ago

SK

9.3

Fabulous table wine. The Australian version of The Chocolate Block. Affordable too. From Wine Rack in Belsize. — 6 years ago

Andy Hock

9.1

Wow delightful and refreshing. Lemon/rind and mineral. Get some! — 7 years ago

Renee guillien

9.6

Just balanced thread of Shiraz pepper and velvet consistency on the tongue. Will age very well, but very good now also. — 9 years ago

Marc Stubblefield

Wine Sales at Vino Carta and Kogod Wine Merchant

9.3

I love this wine. I love this wine because it exists all the way at the 'painstakingly clean and precise' end of the skin-contact spectrum. Don't get me wrong, I love the super-natty wild and wooly and of the spectrum too. But this. This is so purely and exactly what it sets out to be. And I love it. — 9 years ago

Michael Mendes

9.2

Run, don't walk. They leave just a hint of RS. This wine could lay down for decades, but fantastic now. — 11 years ago

Trish Barry

10

Nothing more to say about this wine except for AMAZING!!! — 12 years ago