Eric Urbani

9.1

In mag. 47% Cab 43% Petit Verdot and the rest Syrah. Classic Herman Story boldness and fun had by all. — 10 months ago

Jim McCusker

9.2

From Russell From of Herman Story. Love his wines. This is one we probably should have had a year or two ago. Still really good, but a lot of the vibrancy that makes grenache so spectacular has largely fallen away. — 3 years ago

with Vanessa

Parker Campanella

9.7

Light gold color. Best viognier I’ve ever had. Strong nectarine, honey, and buttered toast on the scent. Taste is tangy melon, followed by floral and earthy mineral notes, with a surprisingly spicy finish. So complicated. — 4 years ago

Kirk F

9.2

A richly textured wine aging gracefully. A slathering of almond, honeysuckle and tropical flavors coat the palate entirely. Still so delicious! — 5 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.4

A powerhouse - always delivers. Open/decant well in advance. — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.3

This is my second Herman Story wine. Normally, I’d sock my ‘16 Syrahs away for years, but I’ve seen reviews say this is so enjoyable young, so I decided to experiment. This is like rocket fuel...full throttle. BUT, it stops short of being out of balance/gloopy. These wines make me think this winemaker, named Russell, is like the Russell Bevan version of Paso Rhône varietals...big, bold, & delicious in style.

After only 30mins, this revealed some smoked meat, peppercorn, olive and underripe blackberry. Some sage as well. Massive on the palate...all sorts of dark, ripe fruit with a sweetened core. Bacon fat, roasted plum, and baked berry pie. This is hedonistic in style and not for the faint of heart, but it does a good job of restraining itself from where it could go. A fun wine. — 5 years ago

with Weston and Mark

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2020 vintage. 100% Grenache. Ripe, spicy biggie in need of a decade's worth of time or a serious decant. 4.19.23. — a year ago

Turd Ferguson

8.9

Considerably better with a few years on it. Spatlese level sugar with nice acid and decent complexity. Green apples. — 4 years ago

Allison Lyzenga

9.2

Medium pink; medium plus intensity aromas of ripe strawberries, raspberry, red currant, mushroom, forest floor, limestone mineral; dry, medium acid, high alcohol, full body, medium plus intensity flavors consistent with aromas; long finish, ripe red fruit and funky earthy perfume fills palate, big wine but well balanced, outstanding — 4 years ago

Miriam De Lyon

9.0

Needed to open up a bit, but finished nicely. — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.2

Today was my annual hosting of the Wednesday Wine Committee. There was 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert, all provided by me. Tasted blind, as always.

I served this blind as the first red out of four in a flight of all cab francs. Every person in the room guessed Pinot based on color, and it’s hard to disagree. Certainly more translucent in color compared to most dark Cab francs. Chinon like and as far as the style of the wine itself, I think it’s also Chinon at its core with just a touch of new world flare. Not sure I’ve had such a floral cab franc. Lavender and rhubarb and the finish did a great job of requiring you to get another sip to analyze. Nice complexity. Nothing vegetal or green about this. One of the lightest cab francs I’ve had, and pairs well with lighter style meats. — 5 years ago

with Dan, Andrew and 3 others

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.0

Clearly more weight than the 2016 Helluva. 14%. Drinkable right now too. I don’t think these wines need to be aged. More purple than the Helluva. Quite rich and spicy. More CA in style. Mostly dark fruit. — 5 years ago

Jake Rubash

9.4

This might be my favorite Grenache to date! Such a complete wine. 1hr decant — 6 years ago

J Chechik

9.3

Besides having a great, cool label - Herman Story wines are so spectacular. This is not your standard “red blend” & the Tempranillo/Petit Verdot give a great complexity. Easily paired w/ a huge range of food. — 3 years ago

S.S. Mandani

8.9

The three brothers — Shafeeq Chachu (RIP), Raju Chachu, and the eldest, my Dad — that made it possible for me to live a life of enough privilege to sit an enjoy a glass of wine. The immigrant story is the truest of American stories, embodying everything genuine and compassionate about our country. Anyone who doesn’t see that, unfortunately, by definition, historically, is chiefly Un-American.

Reminds me of mulling spices, cinnamon roiling in a boil of red wine and citrus, the fragrance of mulled wine combined with sweet leather and cloves.

Rich tannins, cherry, and sandalwood. Overall, hard to lockdown a linear taste profile — a woodsy quality. Medium to high acidity — a bit too much for this, IMO.
— 4 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.1

100% pure bred Mouvedre — 5 years ago

Tobin Trevarthen

9.3

Goldenrod in color. Honeyed cantaloupe. Velvety. Big bold flavors. Oh my. — 5 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.0

Oh my give it 5 more years y’all — 5 years ago

Ben Edwards

9.2

A replacement for the Pairing as a Marry Edwards regular bottle. Definitely sharper and less pronounced stone fruit, but nicely balanced and went well with all dinner courses. Bottles went too fast to see how they opened, so questionable still as a stand-alone (probably great); high marks for elevating the usual crisp white wine dishes. — 6 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.4

Aged for 16 months in 25% new oak barrels, this wine displays all the right notes of that exposure and is not overblown. Only three barrels of this wine were made - some 60 barrels - and it hits 12.9% abv. It is praised as an elegant wine, the kind Pinot Noir lovers love to love. Medium dark, this medium weight wine shows a nose of cola, black tea, orange peel and spices. The palate is smooth and almost silky. The tannins are just enough and the acidity is perfect. Tart berries, tea notes and spice flavors all play in harmony. The wine is smooth without laying down, exciting without being boorish. — 6 years ago