Neil Valenzuela

9.0

Medium ruby color. Aromas of cherry, cranberry and hints of red licorice. Cherry and cola on the palate, with a black tea finish. Paired nicely with pulled pork sandwiches.

🏅91 Points - Wine Spectator — 5 months ago

Steve Rura

9.0

Not really a whisky drinker, but I can appreciate this Scotch. Very woodsy and dry. Cedar with orange bitters, and oaky vanilla bean. Clean fresh finish, with a long lasting Szechuan pepper tingle and wood chips towards the end. 14 yr single malt. — 8 months ago

Joe DAscoli

9.2

From a 5 liter bottle at Smith & Wollensky for WINE WEEK. What a deal and fun Friday afternoon

This wine had very good bright fruit flavors. Minimum tannins. A touch of acidity that was needed to keep it from being too juicy.

Ultimately quite enjoyable. — 8 months ago

sasha

9.0

Tasting really good right now. Less sweet than a non single vintage — 9 months ago

Ken Venezio

9.2

Virtuoso Syrah. Love the bright red berry fruits on the front end and the balance throughout. Nice silky tannins and a modest finish. A 30 minute decant made a world of difference. — 5 years ago

Mark Aronica

9.0

Bright and citrusy. Would drink again. — 6 years ago

Eric W Brown

9.2

Lots of cherry. Drinking well — 7 years ago

Ed Chin

8.9

Nothing about this says Syrah, an overripe Pinot maybe. — 6 months ago

Diana Gifford

9.7

This is amazing we have had this several times always amazing! — 8 months ago

with Blake

Stuart Pollack

9.5

Better than the other Kosta Browne Pinot Noirs I have drank and less expensive at $70. Intense cherry but not overdone. Smooth and elegant. — 8 months ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.3

Delicious Grenache. Fonsalette lite — 8 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

Ruby color, purple edges, with aromas of ripe fruits, floral and complex spice, aged for 16 months on French oak, 58% new, vineyard planted in 1991. On the palate concentrated flavors of strawberry and black cherry with orange citrus, herbs, vanilla and oak, soft tannins on well balanced structure. Full body, rich long finish, ending with fruit, vanilla, floral, spice and oaky tones. Very Nice! Will age! — 10 months ago

Marc Melser

8.9

We had the 2014 Vintage on 10/1-2/20. This is a good, full bodied, fruit forward Pinot Noir. The lead flavor on the bouquet and palate is black cherry. There is some oak and sweet spice. The tannins need to be smoothed with the aerator. I would buy more. — 5 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

Scott E. Becker

9.2

[Tasted on May 25, 2025 at The Optimist in Nashville with Jay]

Wine is from Pisoni Vineyard in Santa Lucia Highlands. Cherry, blackberry and red plum fruit, with baking spices, caramel and violets. — 7 months ago

Brit Young

9.4

Syrahs might be my new favorite. Deep, rich, velvety smooth. Shared with Adam and Amanda with their homemade pizza! — 8 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

8.9

Taking its name from the sea and sun – the two forces of nature that shape its character. Pale lemon, aromas of Stone and tropical fruits, with floral and sweet spice notes. On the palate flavors of apple, peach & apricot with lemon zest and toasty vanilla notes. Smooth long finish, well balanced, nice acidity, ending with fruit, vanilla oak and mineral character. Sip’s well now. Pair this with some fresh tuna! — 8 months ago

Norman

9.1

Balvenie Doublewood 12yr - the nose is light with a hint of wood. On the palate you get a bit more power and a full mouth warmth. Finish gives you more of that wood and heat. It’s a good, easy drinker. Won’t go out of my way to get but wouldn’t feel bad if given a dram. — 9 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2022 vintage. Will likely try to pick this up for the resto wine list again. Decanted but was pretty PNP from the get go along with surprising, back-end structure. Excellent effort and quintessential California pinot. 02.20.25. — 10 months ago

Colin Cahoon

9.4

A top notch vintage California sparkler. Fine bubbles, soft lees, nice minerality, with hints of citrus - the drinking experience builds to a sizzling acid finish. Take the two best grapes out of SLH and make a cremant style sparkler. Brilliant. — 6 years ago

with Claire and Susan