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

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

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

Rob Brobst III

9.3

A highly perfumed nose evokes fresh honeydew melon Meyer lemon pear nectar and white flowers and a smoky mineral nuance builds as the wine opens up. Sappy concentrated and incisive on the palate offering intense citrus and orchard fruit flavors and chamomile and saffron flourishes. A dusty mineral element adds vibrant lift and cut to the impressively long sharply delineated finish which leaves behind a suave floral note. — 5 years 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

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

Diana Gifford

9.7

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

with Blake

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

Kimberly Britton

8.9

Lovely Chardonnay. — 2 years ago

Yen Boubel

8.9

Slightly herbal, ripe berries, plum & clove with a bright finish. — 5 years ago

Mark Aronica

9.0

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

Eric

9.2

Massive and earthy. A little hot at first but it settled down after a bit. Big earth and Pisoni cola. That looker in the background is my bride of 14 years today. Love ya babe! — 6 years 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

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

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.1

2022 vintage. Medium/medium heavy body. Nice, initial draw and mid-palate kaleidoscope but a shunted finish. Started off nearly identical to the 2022 Gary's Vineyard same producer/vintage but lacking the epic, back end, guitar solo outro. Brand new so would like to retaste in 8-12 months. We all know how fickle the pinot noir grape can be. 04.02.25. — 9 months ago

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

Kristin the Wine Girl

9.1

The best sextant vintage of Pinot yet! Vibrant bright cherry, lively wine that evolves in the glass. Perfect thanksgiving wine, which is why I paired it with the delicate pork tenderloin tonight. Has enough racy acid to challenge the vinaigrette accompanying the couscous salad. Lovely! ‘Tis the season! www.freerunjuicewine.com — comment and tag me if you would like a discount code! Cheers friends! — 5 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

8.9

Vintage 2017 — 6 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