Kari Milhofer

9.6

Low tannins, dark juicy fruit. Yummy yummy. — 10 years ago

Teresa G

9.0

Pretty good. Not a normal Pinot noir fan but this has a great flavor — 10 years ago

with Kimberly

Gigi Pan

9.1

I like it a lot. Medium low tannin with strong aroma and red fruit flavor. (at Alta) — 11 years ago

with Alan

Rory Pugh

9.9

Low in acid (in the best way), jammy (in the best way), fruit bomb (in the best way) — 10 years ago

James Pendergrass

9.7

This wine continues to please the crowd. Fruit forward and low tannins. — 11 years ago

David Kline

8.9

With a nose like a damp cistern full of river plants, pepper and dried prunes, this black cauldron of fruit and iron mineral magic swims with reptilian potential. Tail of Newt. Becomes somewhat stemmy and tannins seem grainy in the glass long after the witchcraft, but still worth its weight in broomsticks despite the wart on its chin. Oh, and only cost me a low and lucky 13.99! — 11 years ago

with Courtney

Troy Tonyan

9.9

Our Ferrari-Carano Cabernet Sauvignon comes from mountain-grown fruit in Alexander Valley. Delicious, ripe blackberries, blueberry pie, cassis and cedar aromas delight with a smooth and harmonious mouthfeel that boasts flavors of Bing cherry, boysenberry syrup, graham cracker and milk chocolate. Velvety tannins generously coat the palate while the finish is supple and long with vanilla and caramel notes from French oak aging.

Vintage Notes
Our mountain vines are dry farmed in shallow, rocky, low-vigor soil that adds impressive depth and concentration of flavors to the wine. Record rainfall in the spring was followed by a mild summer; July being the coolest it’s been in 50 years. The mild weather led to grapes with higher acid levels at maturity, and which display fresh, vibrant, hand-picked-off-the-vine berry character. Harvest began early October, about two weeks later than normal, with the last grapes being picked in late October.
Winemakers Notes
This wine is composed primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with small amounts of Syrah and Petit Verdot. The hand-harvested grapes enter the gravity-flow winery and are hand sorted, then whole berries are gravity fed into tanks for fermenting before pressing. Individual lots are moved to barrels for malolactic fermentation, then blended and barrel aged for 18 months prior to bottling, allowing for the perfect balance of fruit, tannin and oak.
Appellation Alexander Valley
Blend: 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah, 4% Petit Verdot
Cooperage: 40% new French oak, 60% older French oak
Release Day: August 2012
— 12 years ago

John Paul

9.0

Low acidity, soft tannins, clear fruit. — 10 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. — 10 years ago

with Susan

Addison Dee

9.6

So darn good for $8 1.5L — 11 years ago