joe mama

9.0

Hits above its price point..it has nice balance and minerality with great mouthfeel.will be a goto when i see it — a year ago

Shay A

9.2

Earlier this week, a rep for Crown Point wines hosted a tasting to show off a few of their newer releases. New to me, they are out of Santa Barbara and have the duo of Adam Henkel (former assistant winemaker at Harlan for 8yrs) and Philippe Melka (who came on starting with the ‘15 vintage) making the wines.


This wine is their Estate Selection, which is 73% cab, 16% malbec and 11% merlot. I believe this was the first vintage for this wine. It sports a very soft profile and is made in a riper style. Aromatically it smells of baked boysenberry, fig and mixed berry pie with milk chocolate chips. The ABV is around 15.2% and it shows here. Extracted on the palate with chocolate covered dark fruits, baking spices, nutmeg and Andes mint. — 6 years ago

with Clare and Weston

Stephen Dixon

9.7

Pay $30. Awesome — 8 years ago

TheSkip

9.2

Wow. I don't know what happened in the interim since I last had this, but it really turned the corner. The winemaker is Adam Henkel, formerly of Harlan, who seems to have really crafted a sleeper. Wonderfully integrated tannins! Dark cherry and some other red fruits on the palate. Excellent finish. — 8 years ago

Andy Lacayo

9.0

Some pretty decent fruit. Paired well with brisket. — 9 years ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.2

Mount Eden clone. Supremely delicious! — 9 years ago

with Elena

Cameron Porter

9.3

2013. Great example of Santa Maria Chardonnay. Lemon zest, just-ripe peach, and green apple overlay a pronounced impression of minerality. Deft use of oak that lifts the aromatics and texture rather than overwhelming it, adding subtle notes of toast and cinnamon to the finish. Singularly Santa Maria; stands head to head with something like Hanzell or Mount Eden but never sacrifices its strong sense of place. — 10 years ago

Norman

9.6

Inky, dark, rich. I’m saying the Harlan by a mile and then Colgin — 2 years ago

with Mark and Gunja

Christopher Taylor

9.5

Great food and wine paired beautifully — 6 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.2

One of our favorites from Melville year in and year out...but not tonight. This is good - no doubt about that - has a wonderful elegance with hints of dried strawberry on the nose with a medium-bodied mouthfeel and a surprisingly persistent finish despite having a lot of weight in the mid-palate. But, surprisingly it is not in the same league as the Mount Eden Selection we had a while ago. All that being said, my feeling is that the 2011 Melville pinots are drinking perfectly right now, so pop ‘em if ya got ‘em! — 7 years ago

with Vanessa

Jamelle Legaspi

8.9

This is a solid wine at the $25 price point. Let it breath for about 20min and it should open up. Although thos was good, I still mich rather prefer a regular Mount Veeder Cab that is right around this price point. — 8 years ago

Eric Manago

9.0

Medium bodied. Balanced acidity. A good amount of oak, but not too heavy. Startling depth for the age and price. — 9 years ago

Andrew Hunter

9.1

Heavier pinot than I'm used to, but huge back. Spice. Pretty cool. — 9 years ago

Maxwell Cromwell

9.1

Beautiful all around very glad this wine was brought to my attention. — 10 years ago

with Mariah, Nathaniel and 2 others

Shay A

9.3

Earlier this week, a rep for Crown Point wines hosted a tasting to show off a few of their newer releases. New to me, they are out of Santa Barbara and have the duo of Adam Henkel (former assistant winemaker at Harlan for 8yrs) and Philippe Melka (who came on starting with the ‘15 vintage) making the wines.

The difference between this wine and the previous two is that this is their Cabernet (92%) with just a dash of merlot, petit Verdot, malbec and cab franc. Similar to the ‘15 Estate Selection in how this is big and dense but still harmonious. Rich and dark fruits with graphite, cassis, and mocha. Big tannins with a dark and compact core...blackberries, underripe blueberries, violets, and dusty cedar. — 6 years ago

with Clare and Weston

Al Shikoh

9.3

Dark ruby in color with aromas of black cherry, lavender, cloves, and caramel. Nicely concentrated red fruit and gravelly minerality are evident on the palate with firm acidity and moderate fine grained tannin evident on the finish. Josh Jensen made this from 100 % organically grown Pinot Noir sourced from vines planted in 1975, fermented with native yeasts, then aged 18 months in 30% new French oak. Consumed from a 375 mL bottle, this wine has the fruit and balance to enjoy now and the structure to allow it to go 15 years or more. 14.3% ABV. $88. — 6 years ago

Ashwin Muthiah

9.3

Beautiful fruit on the nose. Medium bodied with bright acidity. Notes of vanilla on the finish. — 8 years ago

David Refuerzo

9.2

We joined the Calera wine club 4 years ago after tasting this and other wines from the 35th Anniversary vintage. Wow, today it's bold, fruit forward-dark fruits- and a mouth coating wine which is unusual for a Pinot Noir. This is their pay-the-bills wine while the Mount Harlan wines age a little before release. Spectacular Wine! Glad that we have 3 more aging in the cellar. — 8 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

From the Mount Eden vineyard, bright golden color with aromas of exotic fruits with hints of floral notes. On the palate, the wine shows sweet buttery fruits, floral with gentle acidity. The wine tastes like a little Semillon was added, but it's 100% whole cluster Chardonnay aged in neutral oak. The finish is long and perfumed. Well crafted but not a favorite style. Tasting Sample. — 9 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.5

Wow. Absolutely terrific offering from Brewer-Clifton. At 11 years, this has an incredible nose of spiced rhubarb, dried strawberries, and a sagebrush undertone that adds terrific complexity. Has the classic spice one picks up from the Melville Verna's pinot, but is much more subdued and integrated into the wine, adding to its complexity. Wonderfully balanced, this wine probably has several more years of life left but is drinking beautifully right now. Probably the best Brewer-Clifton I've had. — 9 years ago

with Vanessa