Conrad Green

9.5

What a gorgeously supple wine. Sweet fruit at the front. A lovely toasty and bready yellow-flowered middle. Good acidity and a long finish. This is really good but young and still has a long way ahead. We opened 4 hours before drinking. One for the ages — 5 years ago

with Bex and David

Shay A

9.6

An absolutely stunning lunch from @joe leatherwood today. 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine. All served blind.

Young, but a real joy to see how impressive this is currently and to imagine how much of a monster it will be in 20yrs. Intoxicating nose that oozes of honey roasted cashews, orange marmalade, and honey coated mango. Very dense and rich in the middle right now, but it has the classic minute long finish already. I waffled between this being either ‘01 Rieussec or mid-‘00s D’yquem. — 6 years ago

with joe, Dan and 1 other

Shay A

9.2

Weekly Wednesday Wine Committee. Incredible hosting by Joe. 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert wine, all tasted blind.

Bonus wines. My first time having this from Shafer, and it’s very down the middle. Epitomizes Cali chard. It’s not overly oaked, but certainly kissed by some. A crowd pleaser. Little bit of marzipan, lemon bar pastries and honey butter. — 6 years ago

DAL 9000

9.1

Big big bouquet of blackberries and plums. Dark fruit and plums that dry the mouth in the middle. The dryness continues at the finish. — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

Really still not able to be rated right now but would be solid at 94 (previous rating given here). This wine is so young that it was finally starting to show its character after being open for an hour and a half....but overall, still locked up. Nose on this wine is hawthorne, rose petal, and red fruits. The wine is medium bodied, red fruit dense, medium acidity to the middle, and finishes with anise and red clay notes among a floral and youthful red berry backbone. The proper thing to do with this wine is cellar it for another 5 years. Considering that I've now consumed 9 of 12 bottles purchased, that's not going so well. Will go another 10 years with ease. — 7 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

I haven’t had the 2005 Chateau Musar Rouge since it was released whilst living in the Middle East. Recently, I picked up a half case each of the 2005 Rouge and Blanc since it’s an anniversary wine for Holly and I. One thing is certain, no one could ever accuse Serge (and now Gaston) for making boring wines. Decanted for five hours prior to drinking. This had a crazy bouquet of grapefruit, brambles and strawberries, pipe tobacco, wild flowers, horse blanket. Delicious red fruit, spices and earth on the palate. Tannins are still present but much more integrated than when I had this on release. Examples like this bottle will continue to age gracefully for years to come. QPR is through the freaking roof. — 7 years ago

Cheryl

9.5

Great all around wine well balanced sipping wine — 8 years ago

Andrew Lohse

8.9

Fairly classic, down-the-middle Sonoma style if that’s your thing — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

Thanksgiving wine 2019. Red cherry licorice and a hint of cola. At first this wine was a bit acidic but needed about 30 minutes to work itself out. Graphite hits in the middle. Medium + bodied wine. Got a little brambly towards the finish bit definitely not in a bad way. Going to hold nicely for the next 10 years. Beautifully done. — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

Ready to rock and roll. Blackberry and red clay on the nose. Entry of black cherry and cola with acidic character. Middle is dark, smoky, leather, more blackberry and hint of cocoa. Still finishes with a young semi sweet baking chocolate and Rutherford dust! Black pepper finish is unmistakable with a ton of black fruit, and plenty of life left. Dang. — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

Opened tonight. And, I feel like a broken record saying that here is ANOTHER great 2011 considering the "damned vintage" that this one received press for being. I have 43 more 2011 Napa wines and I have a feeling that I'm going to be writing the same thing another 43 times. Not powerful, but these wines truly show the complexity that Napa cab CAN be. Nose of iodine, black licorice. Very front of this wine is sweeter black cherry giving way to an herbal infused middle (getting more dried basil with a hint of oregano and cumin). The red clay terroir is unmistakably present here through the middle and finish, which is usually more present for Ponente only at the very finish. The wine finishes with black cherry and black licorice dominated notes. I have a feeling that this wine is still on the way up. Has a few more years until it is at the top of the hill, but drinking OH SO WELL right now. — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

Gooseberry, bramble, violets, hint of sage. This is a full-bodied Merlot. However, the middle picks up a cola note but doesn't really go to a chocolate like the 2010 and 2012 had more of a tendency to do. This one really did not have a ton of acidity nor did it really have a ton of tannin to resolve. There was definitely enough tartrate in the bottle though! I really look for this one to continue aging quite nicely for another 10 to 15 years. But oh man, this one is drinking pretty darn nice right now. — 7 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

Wonderful Merlot. Nose of wild berries and bittersweet chocolate. The entry of this wine is dark. Brambly and blackberry and baking chocolate. The middle has a chocolate covered almond character to it. Hint of herb. Finished with toasted oak and nice acidity. I am 100% sure I will not have the willpower to hold on to my other bottle of this. I can also appreciate the 95 this one scored as well. Nice, nice Columbia Valley Merlot! Rolland and merlot are an excellent combo! — 7 years ago

Patrick Derdeyn

9.1

These are just starting to loosen up. Whether its the mountain fruit, the vintage, TRBs direction or all 3 with this wine they've taken a number of years to show much. Good with a 2 hr decant and improving for several more years. — 8 years ago

Shay A

9.5

November’s 4th Friday was a big hit. There is no way I’ll be able to upload all the wines, nor give them the reviews they deserve, but there were a few worthy of mentioning!

Wow! A stunner at this age, just as good as the ‘03 right now but with more in reserve. Powerful. Floral aromatics with a streak of yeast down the middle. Great mousse and extremely energetic on the palate. Lightly buttered English biscuits, powdered lemon bar, classic crushed limestone with warm fruits like golden delicious apples. Just beginning to open. Thanks @joe leatherwood — 6 years ago

with joe, Dan and 2 others

Mark Flesher

9.2

This is a big wine. Although it does not have the luscious fruit characteristic of the 2015, it has arguably more brambly young acidic raspberry fruit in the front and middle. As close to full bodied as it gets. A little bit of mint in the middle. Finishes with some oak and baking spice. This is a bit closed off IMO and still think these will benefit from time in the bottle. Really nice but still think I'm in love with the 15 vs the 16 or 17. — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.3

Nice, aged Cabernet. Debated opening this one. This started more on the plum and raisin side and a little muted. 15 minutes later? Fig and mushroom with basil and oregano, but not a whole lot of fruit. 30 minutes after that? Dirty black cherry, plums, seemed to find itself after a 31 year sleep. Rather substantial weight in the middle. Finishes with a gritty note. Tannins are definitely dropping here and this one is showing all it has. Good time to drink now! — 6 years ago

with Dan, Shay and 1 other

Shay A

9.5

Another Christmas wine from yesterday. I know this wine gets a bad rap, and its reputation has been a bit of a roller coaster. We were even a bit underwhelmed when we visited a few years back. All that to say, this was a welcomed surprise. It needed an hour+ in the decanter to blossom.

Superb aromatics of baked blackberries, saddle leather, bay leaf, violets and clay. A persistent battle between fruit and secondary notes. The palate was big without being overbearing. Silky. Just glides down the middle of the palate with dusty red and black fruit, vanilla pipe tobacco, pencil lead, and dark roasted plum.

Can be a tough price to pay based on other wines at similar quality and cheaper prices in Napa Valley, but this really is a gorgeous wine that is still years away from its peak. — 7 years ago

Bethany S

9.1

My go to cab. — 8 years ago

Jonathan Wall

9.0

Carmelized toast. Great with middle eastern lamb tagine. And it elevated my olives. — 8 years ago