Sipping Fine Wine

9.6

Blend of mostly Tempranillo with about equal amounts of Garnacho, Graciano and Manzuelo, deep Ruby with a graceful bouquet of berry fruits, cigar box spice with fresh earthy tones, a traditional Rioja, still reticent. On the silky smooth palate, elegant with layers of flavors of ripe blackberry and cherry, tobacco, smoky cedar, dark fruit, vanilla spice, very well balanced with fine soft tannins and a clean structure ending with a nice long chalky earthy character. Delicious! Still has room to age. — 3 months ago

Conrad Green

9.3

Sift in the nose with light lime and limestone and floral notes. A nice integrated spine of acid. Great balance and delicious right now — 4 months ago

with Paul, BOT and 1 other

Douglas Braun

9.0

2019 - Vintage - (out of 375ml)dark red violet rim, big boysenberry fruit , currants, stone, subtle spice, nice oak integration 14.8% ABV definitely in the bigger style — 4 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.2

Medium garnet ruby , with garnet rim . Quite ripe dark fruits , with cassis , tobacco , spicy dark chocolate and cedar notes . On the palate quite strict and delicate , cassis , sous bois , grafite and tobacco . Nice acidity and slightly gritty tannin . Nicely balanced and good to enjoy now and over the next 6-8 years — 4 months ago

Lyle

9.3

Light, sweet fruit and a nice mildly dry finish. — 5 months ago

Timothy Eustis

Wine Director, Red Lion Inn

9.0

2003. But not the stewed fruit one might expect. Should have had some years ago. But it’s held up. Nice cigar box and dark fruit. — 5 months ago

Patrick Dolan

8.9

Nose of honeysuckle and white peach. Well balanced with taste hints of pineapple. Slightly acidic in finish. Very nice sipper. — 8 months ago

Vino Joe

9.5

Decanted and simmered for hours. By Hour 3+ this broadened into a deep and luxurious wine. Ripe fruit - currant blackberry. Nice mouthfeel with some mineral residue. Not a long tail on this but it did linger still. Not particularly fragrant. A bit inward overall but all the pieces good and bad kinda fit together and it was nonetheless quite enjoyable. — 3 months ago

Blair Campomizzi

9.5

Great minerality supporting the cab sauv/merlot/cab franc/pv blend. Nice subtle dark fruit with some tang from the currant. — 4 months ago

with Marilea

Paul J

9.3

1hr decant but probably could have PnP’d. Nice dark red color. Some cedar and dark cherries on the nose. Easy to drink. Nothing remarkable or off putting, just a solid wine. Fades pretty quick with medium depth and finish. — 4 months ago

with Brooke

Joe Santiago

9.2

Gorgeous Pinot. Well-balanced fruit, tannins, vanilla and slight oak. V nice! — 5 months ago

Jonathan Wall

9.4

Rating refers to the last glass, which was the best. Our foul… upon opening it was almost a little thin and flat. But as we swirled it got better and better until there was quickly none left. Last glass had bramble, earth, caramel. Nice 1998! — 5 months ago

Shelly Murray

9.6

This was really nice. Not too oaky — 6 months ago

Gina Puente

9.3

Young but absolutely promising. Drinks well now and will evolve even more in years to come. Fruit heavy, nice residual sugar mouth feel. — 7 months ago

Victor Hsu

9.0

Complex Zinfandel field blend, with nice interplay of flavors and textures—fruit, tannin, acid and earth, that evolves in the mouth. Perfumed and drinkable by itself. Fine example of Sonoma County Zin. Tasted the 2021 vintage at the winery. — 3 months ago

Diane Heyboer

9.0

Had the 2021 in February of 2024. Really enjoyed this one. Nice dark fruits with hints of spice. Fuller bodied and very smooth. Plan on getting this one again! — 3 months ago

with Matthew, Ethan and 2 others

Jan de Weerd

9.1

Yeah, what can I say. Nice wine for sure, but for some reason when I see the Silver Oak label my expectations rise. Realizing this is the Alexander Valley version. But 2011! Thirteen years old. Still rather single note, strong oak tannins still overshadowed what maybe underneath it. A bit disappointed I am afraid. We pulled it out with my first ever Tomahawk ribeye… so yeah. — 4 months ago

with Tammy

Jan de Weerd

9.3

Nice earthy complexity elevating the subtle red fruit. Fine grained tannins on the background balancing out the wine and giving it a lingering, satisfying finish. — 5 months ago

with Tammy

Tom Garland

9.5

2005 Wine Spectator wine of the year.

1 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment). A thrilling dark garnet with some bricking. Nose: beautiful aromatic notes with cherry, old leather, wet earth, floral, licorice. Taste: velvety smooth, creamy, balanced wine with dark berries, cedar, licorice, spice, espresso, dark chocolate, and a nice satin long finish. YUM! Just gonna sit back and enjoy the ride tonight. Paired with a Christmas prime rib roast dinner. Cheers! — 5 months ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

Exceptional quality for the price. Bright and deep ruby color. Intense aromas of vanilla, baking spices, black cherry/raspberry and fresh herbs. The same black fruit on the palate along with hints of caramel and chocolate. A nice and long finish. Tangy acidity. Beautiful balance. So much character. Time to stock up! — 7 months ago