Jeffrey Howell

9.1

Delicious, well balanced — 2 months ago

DCH

9.4

Really impressed.
St. Innocent’s consistency of style lets terroir shine through their single vineyard series. Like a controlled experiment. 2021 Temperance Hill shows incredible levels of complexity and spice, while maintaining a great degree of balance and approachability. Put simply, it tastes great.

I haven’t had a chance to taste 2021 Momtazi, but this wine has similar levels of depth to prior vintages if memory serves, while being more easily appealing. I’ve tired 2021 Shea, but not side-by-side with this. While the Shea is an excellent wine, for my taste this is more expressive and interesting. — 4 months ago

Martin Mazner

8.9

Lovely wine but could pass for a hearty sauv blanc — 5 months ago

with Naveen

John Malcolm

9.2

Lovely wine. Bright red cherries, and a bit of chocolate and spice. Fine tannins. Paired beautifully with salmon. — 9 months ago

Adam Gäfvert

9.8

Fantastic cult wine that I’ve had the pleasure of trying a couple of times now. Lives up to the hype. Amazing in all aspects. Big but super pretty and just keeps rewarding you with greatness every time you return to you glass. — 10 months 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

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.....
— 9 years ago

with Joe

Natsuko Nishimura

9.6

カベルネソーヴィニヨン嫌いなアタシでもスッと飲める！かなり好みかも。 — 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

Peter van den Besselaar

8.9

Vintage 2022 | Chardonnay typicity, vanille, minerality, prominent bitters, dinnerwine — 2 months ago

Paul T HB

9.5

Needs a little air, great recommendation from @Somm David T
First mag of two — 4 months ago

Ana Bumgardner

9.3

2018 vintage with homemade pizza on 7/11/25. Really really good wine!! — 6 months ago

TwiLea Fletcher

9.1

05.28.25
Scandalous! — 7 months ago

K L

9.2

Staple. Always great. — 2 years ago

with Matt

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

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

Randy

9.5

Surprisingly good — 10 years ago

Puerto Rico Wine News

9.3

Really nice stuff — 13 years ago

Mary Perrotta

9.3

Light sweet and crisp more of a spring time wine than a fall but would definitely get again! — 2 months ago

Tom Garland

9.1

Pop and pour. A splendid light straw color. On the nose: subtle notes of lemon, grass, Asian pear, brioche. Taste: lean, chalky wine with lemon, grapefruit, minerals, and a sour lime finish. Works with all the fresh fish tonight. — 4 months ago

with Brenda

Paul T HB

9.7

California’s version of White Burgundy. Great older bottle from recent auction. — 4 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

After reading the story of this producer, I inspired to try it. Especially, at $59.99 for a quality Napa Cabernet. These two brother’s are true pioneers of the Napa Valley. They do their own thing. Don’t follow trends and are not aggressive with their bottle price, nor do they really wish to. More rare than common in today’s Napa Cabernet market. I have a lot of respect for that and Napa Pioneers.

This also drinks pretty well for a young Napa Cabernet. I was expecting bigger/bolder based on write up. Not that this won’t benefit from cellaring.

The fruits are nicely ripe; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries, cherries & blueberry hues. I was expecting more teeth. Think it is showing the finesse & balance of most 21’s I’ve had. Dark spice, grilled meats, light black pepper, barrel dust, dry tobacco, leather, savory herbaceousnes, moist clays, dry crushed rocks, cola, flower bouquet of red, blue & purple fresh flowers, rainfall acidity with a well balanced, softly structured, elegant finish that lasts just over a minute and lands crushed rocks and touch of spice.

It will be interesting to see if this shows more in 5 years.

Photos of; Smith Madrone vineyards and brothers Stuart and Charles Smith — 7 months ago

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

Nicolas Duchesneau

9.1

Super beau en ce moment. Au nez, tabac, cafe, epices et fruits noirs. Dans le verre le vin montre une légère évolution, en bouche c’est tres bien l’elevage est bien assimile, tabac, cuir, eucalyptus, mine de crayon. Tres proche du profil bordelais mais un petit coté vanillé qui nous dit clairement que nous sommes à Napa... — 5 years ago

North South Wines

10

Full bodied and spicy. Great with grilled ribs — 8 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. — 10 years ago

John Kemper

9.9

A dense glass-staining purple, the '06 Charles Smith Syrah 'Royal City' is a monumental wine. Big, pungent aromas of game, truffles, black olives and dried fruits exploded from the glass. Complex, but still seamlessly balanced. The tastes stayed on the palate for a seemingly infinite length of time. Simply wonderful! — 12 years ago