Andrew Cullimore

9.5

Medium ruby still , with some light bricking on the rim . Surprisingly open when opened , tobacco with mixed red fruits , truffle , grafite , lovely definition , touch of blackcurrant and marine , oyster shell . On the palate good weight and mostly ripe red fruits , almost like a fruit jelly in style , but with great acidity and balance , noticeable rounded fine tannins on the finish . Good length , tobacco and mineral notes . Great now , gets better , really grows in the glass . Now and for the next 15 years I would imagine . — 2 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Prisoner Wine Company’s eponymous first wine was inspired by the drinkable “mixed blacks” made by the Italian immigrants who originally settled in Napa Valley. Fruit from vineyards in warm Oak Knoll and cool-climate Carneros with just a touch of Viognier. Pleasant aromas of stone and citrus fruits. Pale lemon with flavors of apple, pear and lemon zest, well balanced, vivid acidity, nice creamy mouthfeel. Long finish ending with mineral notes. Nice! But I will not buy this because the cork is exposed without a foil or wax seal!!! — 5 years ago

Ryan Keith

8.9

Lot to like about this wine. Very crowd pleasing in style. — 7 years ago

Fergielyn Hagadorn-Aranzazu

9.8

Dry start and finish. Alcohol "burn" is non existent after aeration. Earthy flavors mixed into the blackberry and ripe cherry palate. Leather on the nose. A bit of a meaty and tobacco aroma. Chocolatey on the finish with pleasant tannins. Excellent Old World wine!! — 8 years ago

Krista MacDonald

9.1

My go to Merlot — 8 years ago

Peter Gaston

9.3

Mixed with duck consommé. — 8 years ago

Leah Haskell

9.0

Light and sweet — 8 years ago

Shay A

9.4

I’ve been a fan of Realm for quite a while, but this was the first time I’ve opened their merlot driven wine, Tempest.

95% merlot, 5% Cabernet. Inky dark red/black in the glass. Fresh baked mixed berry pie notes jump from the glass along with espresso, dark chocolate and baking spices. Astoundingly silky and elegant on the palate. While this is certainly a bigger expression than most merlot, it still has classical merlot notes at the core…black cherry with beautifully lifted profile. Rich red, blue and black fruits, cocoa, and graham cracker. The finish has great acidity and fine grained tannins. A very sexy expression of merlot. Fantastic! — 3 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Inspired by “mixed blacks” first made by Italian immigrants originally settling in Napa, blend of Zinfandel, Cab Sauv, Petite Sirah, Syrah & Charbono. Deep Ruby aromas of berries and complex spice. Aged 30% on new oak, combo of French/American barrels. Palate shows big flavors of cherry, blueberry & raspberry, bold spice lively acidity, vanilla & cedar notes, good balance. Fine tannins, long finish. Nice, cellar this for a while. Note, ‘17, bigger & bolder than ‘16. — 6 years ago

Stephen Pierron

9.0

Mocha, cinnamon, mixed ripe berries, smoke, and dried raisins. A little too sweet for my liking, but definitely a crowd pleaser type of wine. — 7 years ago

Neville Weston

9.7

Super concentration of Blackcurrant that lasts for a lifetime mixed with a silky smooth texture.... — 8 years ago

with Marta

Angelo Casagrande

9.3

This is really good. At 15% and a hot day, I was worried this would be too big. But it is so well balanced , no problem. Nose of chocolate. Nice round berry on the palate, easy finish. Great with grilled steak- great after. — 8 years ago

Maria James

9.0

I paired this wine with a vegetarian lasagna I made. The nose reveals essence of berries and chocolate. The wine is silky and has a long finish. — 8 years ago

with Cordon

Cole Butaud

9.6

Few wines have hit me like this one hit me: the wonderful complexity of it stems from the sweet notes of plum and strawberry mixed with herbal spices, complemented ever so ironically by just a tad of smoke — 4 years ago

paul custer

9.1

fresh squeezed grapefruit on the nose and palate upon opening. tightly wound out of the bottle but opened up after an hour in a decanter. time reveals a kiss of cherry and an underlying salinity mixed with a trace of iron. light to medium body and color. not a cocktail wine, but EXCELLENT with food. paired perfectly with black pepper chicken. definitely a go to for weeknight meal pairings. — 5 years ago

JJ Lumia

9.2

The wine by @Hall Wines; the dog by Sullivan, named after @Sullivan Vineyards.
Big, chewy, and unctuous. Slightly different notes than last tasting. Blackberry jam mixed with mocha, vanilla-laced oak, and licorice flavors. A bit more fruit-forward than last vintages, this packs a punch. Such a steal - Costco usually has it and it’s only $40. — 7 years ago

Kyle Groombridge

9.1

Mmm this is gunna be good. It's tight and shut down at the moment, but this has a dark purple hue to it - way more color than previous vintages of d'Armailhac that I've had. Some cedar and graphite mixed with herbs and black fruit on the nose. Palate isn't as tannic as expected, but definitely needs more time to hit its stride. Very well-made however - I bet with a 3-hr decant it'd be fab. Good value as most of the '14's have been. — 7 years ago

Ken Z

9.2

Tasted 1/20/2017 At UGCB 2014 Vintage tasting in Miami. At the Biltmore.

Mixed black and red fruits on the nose, with a firm palate of cassis, earth, and and some wood. Nose a little more subdued, and lacking some of the richness of the Beychevelle at this stage, but this seems built to age and will likeley develop with time.

3/22-23/9/4/4 + 50= 92-93 pts — 8 years ago

Renee fini

9.4

Julio delivers once again! Bring me some toast for this jam! Oh yes! — 8 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.3

Tasted side by side with the 2013 Lineage. Tough battle but bottle age has definitely helped this bottling. Mix of deep garnet and ruby red. Straight from opening there were lots of savory elements mixed in with red and black berries. Some floral notes too like roses. As it opened up over the two hour period there was petroleum, dark cocoa and cinnamon. Over the evening, additional notes of dark ripe fruits and even more spices, even slightly savory ones. So balanced for how young this is. Started out with heavy tannins (8/10) but mellowed and rounded out to a solid moderate tannins (6.5/10) over the two and a half hour decant. Rounded medium plus body that will develop further with time. Started off with some darker cherries and light greenery with a bit of leather. Even a bit of spices. Great acidity giving this strong backbone and a semi-dry long finish. This will be singing given another five years and drink will over the next twelve. Tons of potential and very surprised by this caliber of wine coming out of Livermore Valley. Great job Steven! — 8 years ago

with Sean and India