Randy Fuller

9.3

This Monterey County Pinot Noir is fairly dark and very fragrant in the glass. Aromas of black cherry, black tea, licorice and cinnamon put together the kind of display that makes me think of the holidays. Dark fruit dominates the palate, and a full set of tannins accompany the juicy sip. The Los Angeles-based Riboli family recommends pairing their Highlands 41 Pinot with grilled sausage, pasta primavera, baked salmon or roasted duck. I would toss in turkey and ham as excellent pairings. I had mine with lemon and honey Wensleydale cheese, and it was beautiful. — 4 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 Stewart

9.2

One of the best bottles of domestic Syrah I’ve had in some time. Beautiful savory peppery quality. Bright and everything I love about Syrah. Would love to compare this next to Alain Graillot and may do so next round. — 8 years ago

Mark Zwagerman

9.0

Nice one - velvety. — 9 years ago

Frank

8.9

Perfect match with Bree and cranberry. Rich color and nice on the palate needs one more year to blossom — 9 years ago

Brandon Boesch

9.4

Still one of my favorite roses this year. Amazing on 95 degree Montana day. — 9 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.4

A lineup of 10 August West and Roar Pinots, 2007-2011, all made by wine maker Ed Kurtzman, who attended our tasting! This one was meaty and elegant, my #2 of the group. — 4 years ago

Anthony Lombardi

9.4

High toned. Cranberry & pomegranate lead to some richer raspberry notes. The nose shows similar character, but adds a spiciness as it takes on air. She is truly a Grenache whisperer. Love it in every vintage and this one delivers beautifully. — 5 years ago

JeremyC

9.2

First thought was if the color "purple " had a flavor this would be it. Got a bit more complex as we went further. Some delicate mineral type notes. Label says 13.6 alc and at first I LOVED the balance but the alc crept up later so now I wonder if a little BS on the alc . I like this wine and I'll also say its the first syr I've dug in a looooong time and makes me want to hv another. This is one of my last btls from the first bottling run at Roar in 2014. — 6 years ago

Patrick Derdeyn

9.2

Not as open for early drinking as the las madres. Every halcon syrah i’ve had regardless of producer has been intensely structured and slow to unwind. This is no different. In spite of the 100% wc on the las madres this one seems like the longer ager of the two. — 7 years ago

JJ Lumia

9.1

TJs strikes again. Rich and velvety, full of bing cherry and spice, with hints of dark chocolate. Massive QPR. Just picked up, on the recommendation of one Steve Haro. There were boxes of it but this won’t last long, especially with Turkey Day upon us so stock up pronto. No doubt this would finish high in the pack in a Pinot blind. — 8 years ago

Erik Brown

10

One of our favorite Testatossa wines. This one is from the Gary Pisoni vineyard in Santa Lucia. Consistently good year after year. — 9 years ago

Colin Cahoon

9.2

If you like an oaky Chardonnay, this Morgan SLH fits the bill. Straw colored with oak and a little charcoal in the nose. More oak, minerals and spice on the palate, but well balanced and smooth, not like it's trying to hide anything. Moderate acid finish with some citrus. SLH does two wines exceptionally well, and this is a great example of the white one. — 9 years ago

with Susan

Eric Urbani

9.3

We had fun coming up with the descriptors of the nose on this one. Twizzler, cherry cough drops, you get the idea. typical of very ripe picking that Roar is known for. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Charles strikes again.

I said weeks ago, I’d rather drink Charles Hendricks Pinot in futures @ $75 vs. the 09 Marcassin we had two weeks back @ $150+ winery or $225+ on the secondary market. This 14, while still young, proves that point and will only continue to get better.

It’s about as luxurious as Ca Pinot gets. Just supple, soft & elegant as body gets. Candied, floral fruits of ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, blue fruits, lean purple fruits, dry cranberries, strawberries, plums, delicate but darks spices, cinnamon stick, vanillin, nutmeg & touch clove, salted caramel, mocha powder, limestone & grey volcanics, dry crushed rocks hints of peppered grilled meats, fresh & dry tobacco, dry stems/twigs, sage dominated dry Provence herbs, splash of mint/eucalyptus, tree sap with bright candied, fresh & slightly withering florals of; dark, red, purple, blue set in a field of violets & some lavender. The acidity is perfect. The long finish is; extremely well balanced & polished, elegant, fresh, just the right amount of candied with a long, dark spice finish in the long set.

The 14 really started to excel after an hour plus in the decanter.

Photos of; the outside of the Hope & Grace tasting room in downtown Yountville where you will find Charles Hendricks wines. He makes Hope & Grace wines as well. One of my favorite paintings that used to sit behind their tasting bar but, is now in Charles house. It is very Pollock like! Winemaker/Co-owner Charles Hendricks and a vineyard in region of the Santa Lucia Highlands. — 5 years ago

John

10

One of my all time favorites. — 7 years ago

Paul H

9.1

It is funny how things work. Some people have comfort foods, I have comfort wines. This Lucia Syrah just makes me happy. I love the spice, leather and dark berries in this wine. It is one of things in life you need to get you through some times. — 8 years ago

Kirsten Michener

10

Delicious — 8 years ago

with Deb

Taj Ubom

9.7

Soft on the palate. One of the best!! BUY ASAP. Hints of cherry. Drink this wine with a gorgeous girl and your night is set — 9 years ago

Dana Giammaria

9.3

Hands down one of my favorite wines. We had it before dinner with cheese and fruit. I didn't want the bottle to empty. — 9 years ago