Jerry Raphael

9.3

Excellent Cab; mint, herbs, pepper and berries on the nose. Big Cab integrated taste, just loaded and drinking great. Last bottle, had one on release which seemed all veg and they just got better with time allowing other elements to come out. Very few Napa Cabs left, too costly to replace. — 10 years ago

with Barbara

Delectable Wine

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9.7

Perfect #DrinkNapa Labor Day BBQ wine! Equally delighted by the northern Rhone-esque beauty of this mountain Syrah and the news that Lagier-Meredith's barrel recovery has saved much of last year's vintage! — 12 years ago

Hirsch Vineyards

9.5

Finale to our wine dinner with Chef Steven Satterfield last night. — 12 years ago

with Jasmine, Vinny and 1 other

Sean Nelson

9.4

Gorgeous. Earthy, minerally, good acid. This will last a long time. — 11 years ago

Matt Wilson

9.9

My last glass. Perhaps for some time, as the 18 has become an endangered species. No longer available in my market.... the definition of balance. Dried fruit, honey and maple. Roasted walnuts, Christmas spices and tangerine zest. A tickle of smoke and a finish that will last the rest of my life. Farwell my friend. — 11 years ago

Kevin Sidders

President VinConnect

9.5

Last bottle. Not showing the concentration it has in the past makes me think this is on the downslope. Still very good though -- black cherry prominent, maybe some black pepper and clove. Improved and settled in with air. I say drink up... — 12 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

9.5

One of the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards in Sonoma and one of the best wines in its price range still way below $100! Black currant and cigar box spice along with loamy mineral highlights and a long finish. This wine is well built and should last a decade or more in your cellar. Finish 45+ most excellent — 13 years ago

Cherie McNett

9.0

Brought this back from our recent trip to Napa and shared with my dear cousin last night--it was wonderful. Definit — 11 years ago

Bernard Rethore

Owner, Fion Wines

9.1

Back in 2006, I had the good fortune to invest in a box of the Neal vineyard designated bottlings pre-release. They have been sleeping in my cellar ever since. Last night, Tony the Fish, who is a frequent contributor to these pages, arrived with a bottle of the 2010 Neal cab sav. It was a solid effort and Mrs Fish quite enjoyed it. As we finished the bottle I remembered I had some of the 2003 vineyard designated wines in the back of the cellar and figured it was time to check in on them. We started with the Second Chance from Atlas Peak. Generally I am a mountain fruit guy, and like the volcanic soil that yields low yielding structured wines. There was plenty of stuffing left after 11 years, and a nice contrast to the 2010 cab sav blend. We then moved to Chafen. Another mountain- Howell this time, slightly lower elevation vineyard. This wine was bigger than the Second Chance with mouthfuls of ripe cassis, berry fruit and coffee- almost a cocoa powder character to it. The final wine of the night - and best of show - was the Howell Mountain Estate. Dark rich tannins with intense velvety chocolate cake flavors. This was a fun night going from the 2010 blend to the all 2003 single vineyard designates. Most of us aren't patient enough or buy them as a group so you can taste them altogether at once. Everyone should do this from to time. It reminds me at least of how different climate and soil can be in the same year. It's even better with friends. Thank you Mr Fish for the inspiration. — 11 years ago

with Susan

John D

9.2

Our honeymoon wine originally had in 1994 at 45 South in Savannah. Found a bottle at a cellar broker last year. Initially opening - cork dry and broken, bad news. Filtered the wine and let it sit. First taste there was a bit of fruit but mostly an old dried wine. About 45 minutes of breathing and it came to life. A shard cheddar brought the fruit to the forefront and really brought back memories of this great wine. The lovely deep dark fruits came out even with the aged dryness. A surprise that so much fruit came to the fore and really became a lovely wine. Wasn't expecting a 27yr old to open up so well. Very happy :) — 13 years ago