Shay A

9.1

If you aren’t familiar with Brasswood, you should change that. A truly state of the art custom crush facility in St Helena (has housed clients like Bevan Cellars, Moone Tsai, Montagu, Modus Operandi, Dark Matter, etc), with tasting rooms, caves, a shop, bakery and a fantastic restaurant. On top of all that, they have their own label, which Angelina Mondavi consults on.

This is my first time trying their Chardonnay offering, courtesy of Brasswood’s Somm @Joshua Fisher . I was fortunate to follow this over the course of a few days. Day one had this showing very primary...down the middle type chard. Day two saw this increase in complexity...certainly true to Napa chard with a warm and soft profile, revealing lanolin, lemon cream, and even a cotton candy note on the nose. The palate has added notes of ripe melon, banana, and powdered sugar. Viscous but a line of acidity keeps this nervy. Thanks Josh. — 5 years ago

Mark Farrell

9.3

Deep ruby color with a nose of black cherry, vanilla, bay leaf, and fig. Nice, well-balanced mouthfeel, medium to full bodied with and excellent, well rounded finish of fruit, tannin, and acidity. Velvety tannins. Nice, long finish. — 6 years ago

Anthony Auger

9.1

Tamarind and black currant on the nose. Some barnyard upfront with a nice mango/papaya flavor. There’s heat and pepper on the finish. Surprisingly enjoy this one! — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.3

Day 2 of Napa in the books!

Quick lunch with my friend Jason Moore of Modus Operandi Cellars. He was Weston’s (of Montagu Wines) mentor and is a fellow Texan! He submitted his wines for review for the very first time last year after 10+yrs, and received multiple 92-97pt wines. This SB is so much better than expected...tropical and explosive. Not quite on Arkenstone or Aesthete SB level, but the richness and round texture are very similar. Kiwi, stone fruit, nectarine and a melon/cantaloupe finish. If you enjoy big style SB, not sure there is a better Napa Valley one at $40. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.3

Weekly Wednesday Wine Committee and this was a special treat as not only was Weston from Montagu Wines in attendance, but Jason Moore, owner and winemaker for Modus Operandi Wines out of Napa. Blind format as always. 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert.

I thought this was an older version of the Fonplegade. Very similar noses of sweet fruit and oak. Almost American oak like (coconut, dill). Very dark fruit dominant, but the finish on this was more red/rhubarb and cherry liqueur. Some tar as well. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.2

Weekly Wednesday Wine Committee and this was a special treat as not only was Weston from Montagu Wines in attendance, but Jason Moore, owner and winemaker for Modus Operandi Wines out of Napa. Blind format as always. 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert.

Every part of me, and most everyone else in the room, called this New Zealand SB. Never had a SB with so much grass and jalapeño pepper on the nose. More grapefruit rind came in to play later and it had a typical SB finish with acidic/stone driven notes, but what a nose! — 7 years ago

Luis Arguero (@winefromAtoZ)

9.0

Hoppy & orange. Cheers from the Denver airport! — 8 years ago

Jason Mcdonald

10

Wonderful wine. Rich and complex. — 9 years ago

EJ B

9.4

2011 vintage. An outstanding creation by Jason Moore at Modus Wines! A unique fuller bodied SB with great texture, great fruit! Home run here! — 10 years ago

Bob Harrison

9.2

Good fruit, smooth, a little pepper, vanilla notes. Great with steak & chocolate. Excellent !!!! — 11 years ago

Mark Farrell

9.1

Medium to dark purple with a nose of dark dried cherries, blueberries, and vanilla. Nice full to medium-bodied mouthfeel. Some fine grained tannins which will soften with time, but this is also nice to drink now. Finish is not as long as I would expect. — 5 years ago

Tom Garland

9.5

Wine Advocate BYOB Napa dinner...must be a Robert Parker +93 point wine....I brought the Quilceda Creek 99 point magnum and a Marcassin 2012....97 pt pinot. Wines I had at dinner:

2012 screaming eagle
2014 penfolds grange
2012 bevan wildfoote vineyard vixen block
2010 domaine de la Janasse chatauneuf du pape in magnum
2007 corton charlemagne grand cru magnum
2010 modus operandi collection..aged in some of the rarest French oak per owner who sat next to me.
2008 kapcsandy family cab
2005 Qupe bien nacido X block syrah in magnum
2001 quilceda creek cab..another aficionado was pouring the 01!!
More to come as my brain cells recover... — 6 years ago

with Brenda

Mark Farrell

9.3

Medium to dark ruby with a nose of blackberries, cloves, vanilla, and a touch of anise. Medium body with with a touch of excess acidity. Dry with a nice long finish. Fine grained tannins. A classy wine. Paired nicely with NY strip. — 6 years ago

Mark Stanley

9.5

Awesome 2 barrels from Santa Lucia highlands ! Really enjoyed this! — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.1

Weekly Wednesday Wine Committee and this was a special treat as not only was Weston from Montagu Wines in attendance, but Jason Moore, owner and winemaker for Modus Operandi Wines out of Napa. Blind format as always. 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert.

Easy to pick up the semillion in this. Felt fairly sure it was early 90s Sauternes. Alas, I was wrong. Looking back, it misses the sweet caramel/honey finish that separates Sauternes. Had a more dry, dusty finish. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.0

Weekly Wednesday Wine Committee and this was a special treat as not only was Weston from Montagu Wines in attendance, but Jason Moore, owner and winemaker for Modus Operandi Wines out of Napa. Blind format as always. 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert.

Very good, but more guessed left bank Bordeaux. Could tell this was the oldest wine on the table. It held up well, and had lovely notes of oiled leather, plum, dried cranberries and even a black truffle note. Outdone by red #2 though. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.2

Weekly Wednesday Wine Committee and this was a special treat as not only was Weston from Montagu Wines in attendance, but Jason Moore, owner and winemaker for Modus Operandi Wines out of Napa. Blind format as always. 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert.

My first Hanzell Chardonnay I believe. I was convinced this was a white burgundy, most likely Chablis. So little acid and oak in this. Very surprised it was west coast. Great fruit profile and finish of limestone, slate, honeyed almonds, but thrown off my the fairly light mid palate. — 7 years ago

Silvia's Wine

Founder, V&N Cellars - Barcelona

9.2

Rare to find a 100% Graciano in Rioja. But even more if it is organic and vegan. Delicious too — 8 years ago

Fraser Reid

9.3

Hop madness! A wee bloody belter. — 10 years ago

Mike Spielvogel

9.0

Really nice. Maybe at its peak though so drink up. — 10 years ago

David Schoonover

9.6

Collection Cab; story is next level on the origin of this wine — 5 years ago

Mark Farrell

9.1

This is the Farella Vineyard Cab. Deep Ruby to deep purple in color with an explosive nose of blackberries, black cherries, black pepper, and cocoa powder. Very powerful nose. The aromas fill the room. Flavors are a bit tight on this. It is a 2016, so it may open up after a bit of aging. Medium to full bodied. Bone dry. I think this needs a bit of time to develop. — 6 years ago

Mike Finfer

9.5

beautiful tart sicilian — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.2

Decided to do a little comparison before @Shay A 's dinner and wine, and wish I could have stayed!! Tasting alongside a 2017 Rutherford SB from Modus Operandi. By comparison, this one was sourced from the Southeastern border of Rutherford whereas the Modus was on the northwestern region of Rutherford. This one definitely had more rounded edges, less tropical notes, more peach which increased as the wine sat and warmed up to room temperature. I would say that the nose of the Modus was a little more distinct than the nose of the Quivet. But, I think that more of the volcanic type soil characteristic of the Silverado Trail definitely showed here in the finish, even in an SB. Hey grade head-to-head comparison, with a very slight nod to the Modus. I think this is a slightly different food wine than the Modus which is probably a little more capable of standing on its own. — 6 years ago

with Shay

Shay A

9.2

Weekly Wednesday Wine Committee and this was a special treat as not only was Weston from Montagu Wines in attendance, but Jason Moore, owner and winemaker for Modus Operandi Wines out of Napa. Blind format as always. 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert.

En mag. Firing on all cylinders. My guess was left bank Bordeaux based on color (still fairly dark) and tannic structure. Lots of blackberries, cassis, and herbal dominant notes. More full-bodied than red #1. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.3

Weekly Wednesday Wine Committee and this was a special treat as not only was Weston from Montagu Wines in attendance, but Jason Moore, owner and winemaker for Modus Operandi Wines out of Napa. Blind format as always. 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert.

I feel like I’d drink more Kistler if it was more consistent. When Kistler is on, it competes with the best of them, but I’ve found a few examples of where it falls on its face. Today, it was ON. Sweet lemon cream, lemon tart, honeyed hazelnut, smoky cashew. Great balance. Drink! — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.1

Weekly Wednesday Wine Committee and this was a special treat as not only was Weston from Montagu Wines in attendance, but Jason Moore, owner and winemaker for Modus Operandi Wines out of Napa. Blind format as always. 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert.

One of the more crisp sparklers I’ve had. Had the chalky minerality through and through, but after a while, it gained a bruised pear note aside from the typical Granny Smith apple tartness. This will age nicely. — 7 years ago

David Kline

9.4

Funky artisanal vinegar and a sour cherry, violet, heather and oak nose. Delicious push and pull of oak and bourbon expectations that turn to pecan and apricot sour funky bunches of raspberry and pickled beets. This is just delicious sour beast bits from the forrest just outside of Funkenton. — 9 years ago

with Courtney

Ophelia Woo

9.6

"2011
Petite Sirah
$50 retail, Two Barrels Produced: This wine is BLACK and has powerful and deep aromatics of soft lavender, crushed violets, creasote, and wet river rock. With loads of black fruit and grippy yet refined tannins, the wine is more approachable than most Petite Sirahs." — 10 years ago

Renee Bourassa

Sommelier/Wine Director Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn

9.5

A convincing brew... This I can do! — 11 years ago