NicoleRGN

9.6

I love Aglianico and this was amazing. Red and black fruit, terroir tobacco and notes of old books. Smooth tannins - enjoy. — 5 months ago

Bill Mowry

8.9

Vanilla nose with some acid and minerality. Lemon and citrus flavors paired well with salmon. — 7 months ago

with Cristian, Lou and 1 other

Monique Blanchard

9.4

Great nose. Smooth throughout — 9 months ago

John Knudsen

9.0

Decanted for 2 hours. Still big, no signs of fading. Did not drink enough before it was consumed to review properly, but seemed a touch sweet. — 3 years ago

Michelle M

9.4

Blackberry bramble, baked black cherry and plum, hints of maraschino, mint and menthol, bell pepper and geranium, cedar, tobacco, and bakers vanilla with whiffs of aged leather jacket on the nose. Blackberry, cherry, juicy raspberry, vanilla extract and weak black tea on the palate with a medium heavy body but a medium short finish. Overall a great wine for pumpkin pie brunch on Christmas morning (no it’s not too early). Merry Christmas! — 4 years ago

Maddie Fromell

8.9

Listening to fado in Lisbon — 7 years ago

Scott Rowe

9.2

Tooo smashable but at the same time easy to savour the endless red fruit spectrum. — 7 years ago

Nico J. Snyman

9.6

Tried the '90 recently, spoke of how amazing a producer of Californian Cabernet it is, but just needed a little more time, this '85 is well & truly on point, everything is in balance, there's fruit intensity yes, but the development/complexity/layers are really shining through, outstanding stuff. — 9 years ago

Michael Washabaugh

9.1

Paired well with a lamb, eggplant purée, fava beans, piquolo pepper. Would also pair with a medium rare magret duck or other game. — 10 years ago

John Kemper

9.9

A dense glass-staining purple, the '06 Charles Smith Syrah 'Royal City' is a monumental wine. Big, pungent aromas of game, truffles, black olives and dried fruits exploded from the glass. Complex, but still seamlessly balanced. The tastes stayed on the palate for a seemingly infinite length of time. Simply wonderful! — 12 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.2

Blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Aromas of ripe red fruit, rose petals, dried red flowers and eucalyptus. Red and black cherry/raspberry and boysenberry fruit on the palate along with additional notes of chocolate, toffee, savory spices and mint. Well integrated oak on the long and slightly chewy finish. Rustic, well balanced and beautifully aged. Thanks for sharing this one, Ron B! — 5 months ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.3

Very peculiar spectrum of aromas. Freshly cutted pineapple and pear. White peach and grapefruit. Very nice and long finish.
A bit flex on the mid palate but lingering pleasant finish — 8 months ago

Nagib Nasr

9.3

Just what the doctor ordered — 10 months ago

John W

9.6

Very good, consistent amarone. Review from 30 weeks ago is accurate. — 4 years ago

PM

9.2

I think it’s delicious. Smooth, full bodied, with some character. — 6 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.4

Outstanding Italian White. Remarkable balance of minerality, acidity and fruit. Very pure. Apples and pears. Wine is bright and fully open right out of the bottle. Best white of the year so far. Nice!! — 7 years ago

with John

North South Wines

10

Full bodied and spicy. Great with grilled ribs — 8 years ago

Paul Costigan

Founder Courtier Wines

9.5

1973: Beautiful bottle. Wines like this make everyone stop and take notice. The color was clear and light. Arresting nose full of plums and roasted beets. The depth of flavor and long finish was in contrast with the appearance. Really a fine experience, only second to the few times I had the 1952 Mont Real. — 10 years ago

with Barry

Emily Richey

9.0

Loved this. Not too rich, and yet still distinctly "chard." — 10 years ago

Natsuko Nishimura

9.6

カベルネソーヴィニヨン嫌いなアタシでもスッと飲める！かなり好みかも。 — 12 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

After reading the story of this producer, I inspired to try it. Especially, at $59.99 for a quality Napa Cabernet. These two brother’s are true pioneers of the Napa Valley. They do their own thing. Don’t follow trends and are not aggressive with their bottle price, nor do they really wish to. More rare than common in today’s Napa Cabernet market. I have a lot of respect for that and Napa Pioneers.

This also drinks pretty well for a young Napa Cabernet. I was expecting bigger/bolder based on write up. Not that this won’t benefit from cellaring.

The fruits are nicely ripe; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries, cherries & blueberry hues. I was expecting more teeth. Think it is showing the finesse & balance of most 21’s I’ve had. Dark spice, grilled meats, light black pepper, barrel dust, dry tobacco, leather, savory herbaceousnes, moist clays, dry crushed rocks, cola, flower bouquet of red, blue & purple fresh flowers, rainfall acidity with a well balanced, softly structured, elegant finish that lasts just over a minute and lands crushed rocks and touch of spice.

It will be interesting to see if this shows more in 5 years.

Photos of; Smith Madrone vineyards and brothers Stuart and Charles Smith — 6 months ago

Tom Swennes

9.0

2008. Borderline port, but delicious in its own right. — 8 months ago

Carter White

9.4

Juicy dark beery fruit, healthy spice, balanced. — 10 months ago

Brian Nickerson

9.2

Mike Smith should be knighted. — 4 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

So great. Loads of ground, smoky sandstone, ripe blackberry, maple syrup. Rich, structured, so good, so balanced. My favorite Zin plot of land. — 6 years ago

Liz Bird

9.2

Really light refreshing delish! — 7 years ago

Robert A. Manchester IV

9.1

Stands out with its finish. Fruit forward nose that tails into lingering notes. — 8 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.2

Any wine that can shine from a plastic cup deserves extra kudos. Mistook for a Northern nebbiolo with its structure, detail, & balance, but the fruit is pure southern, pomegranate & black currants. Eye opener (esp for 30$ list). Want to re taste in proper stemware. I think 80% nero di trioa 20% montulpiciano — 10 years ago

with Owen

Gary Westby

Champagne & Sherry buyer K&L Wines

9.7

Our K&L Redwood City staff party at LB steak was fantastic- nothing smaller than magnum allowed! This double mag has been in our cellar since release and has hardly moved at all! Big, powerful, Mountain fruit! — 12 years ago

Mike Fiorello

8.9

One of the best wines for the price. — 13 years ago