Deb Hollander

9.1

Loved the hint of cherry and the balanced tannins. — 3 months ago

Ted

9.1

Herbs, cinnamon and hints of incense. Light color. Pretty damn good. — 4 months ago

with Jeni

Beth Novak

9.3

Delicate, a kiss of sweetness with an herbal note. Minerality, of the warm earth, a beauty and elegance, still very much alive. Texturally and structurally beautiful. For this vintage, he hit it out of the park! — 4 months ago

Peter van den Besselaar

8.9

Vintage 2022 | Chardonnay typicity, vanille, minerality, prominent bitters, dinnerwine — 6 months ago

Dmitry Teytelman

9.2

The wine opened up quite a bit after decanting for an hour or so. Great tawny color, notes of sour cherry and raisins, long aftertaste. Will integrated tannins. An awesome bottle! — 8 months ago

with Eugenia

Jane Nuss

9.3

Plum, oak, vanilla, pepper, cherry. Bold palate with ripe dark fruits. Blackberry, fig, prune. Silky tannins.
— 2 years ago

SK

9.3

Fabulous table wine. The Australian version of The Chocolate Block. Affordable too. From Wine Rack in Belsize. — 6 years ago

Julia Indik

9.3

Opens with currants, red apples, carob, vanilla, laced with smoke and earth. Tannins are tight and rich with moderate acidity. — 3 months ago

with Robert

Bob McDonald

9.6

Often the Grosset Polish Hill doesn’t live up to its billing as perhaps Australia’s finest dry Riesling but with this 2017 it probably exceeds expectations. It is simply fabulous. Some ripe lusciousness to the mid palate amid lime and lemon notes, but finishes bone dry. My first of 4 bottles so I will enjoy the journey over the next 5+ years if I can keep my hands off it. HH said it is shaping up as one of the greatest Polish Hill Rieslings. — 4 months ago

Jan de Weerd

9.0

We had the battle of the Shiraz at our family gathering over Christmas. A Shiraz from South Australia and South Africa. Both 2016. This Shiraz, despite from the Adelaide Hills where I think it is a little cooler, was very rich, very bold and broad and a slight jammy note on the edge perhaps. People liked it, but all the votes when for the Shiraz of Cederberg from South Africa. Fun!!! — 5 months ago

with Tammy

Doug Powers

9.6

Intense red fruited aromas and flavors, a little less tannic and structured than the 2007, but this shows bracing acidity at the present time, long, lingering finish, which the incredible acid backbone lifts and lengthens, another wine to ideally drink from 25-30 years after the vintage! — 7 months ago

with Jim

Tom Garland

9.1

Decant and pour. On the nose: Terrific nose of stewed plum, eucalyptus, herbaceous, smoke, black olives, and mushroom. Taste: smooth, creamy, dry wine with blackberry, pencil lead, dried herbs, smoke, dark cherry, earth, and a medium finish. — 2 years ago

with Brenda

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

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.0

1996 vintage. Decent fill. Open with a Durand and, even so, the cork was an absolute mess. Had to dig out the funnel and screen. Light-medium body. Excellent dark color. Started a bit flat but picked up a little steam after 15 minutes. This example was a little long in the tooth. 2.12.26. — 3 months ago

Beth Novak

10

Earthy, wild/native California herbs, touch of iron, beautiful, sense of the earth, stunning, salinity and depth and richness and complexity. Texturally beautiful, long, so complete, great balance. So good!! — 4 months ago

Tegan Marriott

8.9

Santa Barbara highlands radiance in a glass! Yo, I'll pretend I'm rolling through da Wine Ghetto! — 6 months ago

TwiLea Fletcher

8.9

07.1125
Quite quite nice. — 10 months ago

Seiichi Kurumizawa

9.1

伊勢丹ワイン　ピノノアール
カルラ — a year ago

Peter Marks

Master of Wine, Educator Constellation Brands

9.2

Inky and rich with dark cherry and sweet plum. Intense throughout, concentrated with firm yet well integrated tannins. Finish is at least a minute long. Fantastic now and will hold at least a decade. — 6 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

2016 vintage. Rambunctious. Decant if possible. A little chunky and needs some time to knit together but all the components are there. Power in spades. — 6 years ago