Scott E. Becker

9.1

[Tasted on November 21, 2022 at City House in Nashville with Michael and Rachel]

Purchased wine at winery during visit in September 2022. Fruit sourced from Pope Valley. Wine aged in 75% new French Oak with Medium to Medium+ toasting. Blackberry, black cherry and ripe raspberry fruit, with graphite, mocha, cocoa, caramel, toffee, toasted marshmallow and cinnamon. Darker fruit profile than 2017 vintage. — 3 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.5

Had this at Bern’s Steak house. Often referred to as “Baby Grange,” ‘16: blend of 51% Cab Sauv & 49% Shiraz, aged 12 months in American oak, partly in previous-vintage Grange casks. Dark Ruby with aromas of ripe black fruits, sweet and complex spice. On palate juicy blackberry flavors with notes of tobacco, cacao and toasty spices. Well balanced with acidity, fine ripe tannins, long finish ending with smoky spice, fruit & well integrated with oak, went well with my 19oz Strip Steak! — 3 years ago

Roger Ray

9.1

A wine with a rich purple hue. "Blackberry, raspberry and dark cherry dominate the aromas with complementary notes of anise mocha and tightly vanilla oak" — 5 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Angelo Gaja, owner of Gaja Winery, began a new venture - Ca'Marcanda, Piedmontese term for “house of endless negotiations”-Blend of 55% Merlot, 35% Syrah & 10% Sangiovese, aromas of berry fruits and sweet oak and floral notes. On the palate fresh red berry fruits with a smoky oak character. Fine tannins, lingering, ending with fruit and oak character. Nice! Tasting Sample! — 7 years ago

Simon Weston

9.1

Small batch rum, fruit nose, dried fruit with vanilla and oak to taste, dry & not especially sweet compared to other rums. Sits above Eclipse but below XO IMHO. — 8 years ago

Thomas Bennett-Stroud

9.1

Vibrant, expressive, feminine. Superior biodynamic quality of fruit, not masked by oak. — 8 years ago

Tom Inners

10

much like walking into a record store and picking up that album with the wild cover art that calls your attention, Fela Kuti + Saxophone + Beer = going home with me. Impulse buy turned raving fan. This beer fucks. Best beer I've had all year, hands down. Definitely now attuned to Shady Oak and their continued brewing — 8 years ago

Luis Arguero (@winefromAtoZ)

9.0

School House Vineyard ’Mescolanza Syrah Blend’ 2012: Medium-full bodied. High acidity. Fine tannins. Bold dark fruits. Plum. Vanilla. Spice. Earth. Oak. Smooth fruity dry finish. Consisting of a mixed black blend of Syrah, Grenache & Mourvèdre, this mountain wine packed a lot of subtle but powerful fruit. For me, this was a pleasant representation of a Rhône style blend from the Spring Mountain District of Napa Valley. All in all, great depth, complexity & tremendous QPR! Happy weekend to all! Cheers🍷 — 3 years ago

"Odedi"

9.0

This is a very nice and easy drinking Pinot Noir from Carneros.

Showing red and black fruits with oak, licorice, light vanilla, tobacco, chocolates, coffee and peppercorn.

Medium bodied with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate, soft and smooth. Fruit forward and fresh.

Good right out of the bottle and good by itself or with food. I gave it a light chill and paired it with light appetizers.

13.8% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$25. — 4 years ago

Ron from VA

9.3

I might have reviewed this at the time of purchase, but I follow up review to say that it is still all that and a bag of chips! Sincerity and purity of flavor, just enough oak and texture from its aging, and length and width to be world-class!  — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Grabbed a bottle to close the Summer on Labor Day weekend. Blend of 40% Chardonnay and 60% Pinot Noir this wine was rich and complex. Pale yellow, vibrant bubbles, Crisp fruit aromas, apples and pears. Palate shows generous mineral and toasty oak notes integrated with the fruit. Absolute a must on your list, a true house staple for me. Great Champagne value. Overall nice summer, a tad wet back east! — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Our second course was Hedy's Cauliflower Cured Spinach w/ Crispy Croutons. That’s her with her husband Jeff. Thank you hosting the event at your fabulous house and this amazing soup. My initial thought was to do white Burgundy with this creamy soup. However, when I found out it was accented with cured spinach, I switched the pairing to this Davis Estates Chardonnay. I don’t drink many CA Chardonnay’s as so many are over worked or over oaked or both. This is gently worked and oaked because at the heart of it is beautiful fruit. I still like my whites for their fruit and not hammered with oak & butter. This is a very well made Chardonnay and very fairly priced. — 8 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

In 1912, Andrew James Symington became a partner in Dow's and today, five members of the fourth generation Symington family own and manage this historic house. 10 Years" indicates an average age – this Aged Tawny Port is a blend of older wines, matured in oak casts. Amber color with aromas of sweet dried fruits, citrus and nutty notes. On the palate sweet ripe fruit, vanilla oak, ending with fig and cacao notes. Smooth, Nice value. Tasting Sample. — 8 years ago

Leslie Miller

9.5

Liked it, no oak, a little funk. — 8 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

Ruby in color with a wide reddish/brick rim.

Pretty nose of black currants, black cherries, raspberries, spices, light earth, light oak, wild flowers, tobacco leaf and black pepper.

Medium bodied and elegant with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with cherries, sweet raspberries, earth, light oak, spices, tobacco leaf, dark chocolates and black pepper.

Long finish with very little tannins and sour cranberries.

This 12 year old Pinot Noir from Napa Valley is delicious now. Showing nice complexity with a soft mouthfeel.

Actually, it feels more like a Burgundy Pinot Noir. Interesting stuff.

Easy drinking and good right out of the bottle. Nicely balanced and good by itself.

This Single Vineyard Pinot Noir is peaking now. A great sipping wine.

Thank you Scott for sharing this with me.

I had the 2014 a year ago, and this is even better. Delicious wine.

100% Pinot Noir grapes were aged in French oak barrels for 18 months. Unfiltered and unfined.

13.4% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$210. ($65 current vintage). — 3 years ago

with Scott

Gabby

9.0

Cab sauv at Kenlee’s house with jens and Palm. Ate with Lagnaa. Spicy bold mid tannins mid acidity on the dry side; plum/prune/oak/chocolate — 5 years ago

Sam Agami

10

Wow, old school perfection! California wine from a forgotten age. Pure Italian-American greatness. Reminds me of the wine my childhood landlord would make from the vines that grew behind our house just upstate from NYC. Dark fruits abundant, soft acidity and tanins, nice touch of oak, without obscuring the graps as so many California wineries are obsessed with doing for some reason these days. Found this at a random liquor store on a road trip, will seek it out now. Even better than the Cribari Chianti or Coppola Rosso, which were my previous favorite in this genre, the wonderfully underappreciated "backyard" wine... — 7 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.4

First wine for Chops Grille House. Decanted for five hours and definitely helped with the heat. Deep and dark ruby red with a touch of garnet. Layered nose with volcanic ash, dark raspberries, oak, dark cocoa and dark spices. Medium plus tannins (7/10) and full bodied. Lush and rich palate with red mountain berries, dark sweet spices, a bit dusty and a little anise. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2027. — 7 years ago

with Sean and India

Scott E. Becker

9.0

[Tasted on December 9, 2017 at Marsh House in Nashville with Jay]

Brimming with ripe Russian River Valley fruit. Black cherry, raspberry and strawberries, with oak and tobacco. Lush and well made, but not my personal style of Pinot Noir. Extracted and a bit too hot for my palate. 14.8% ABV. 90 cases produced by Tuck Beckstoffer Wines. — 8 years ago

Jason Sliwa

9.3

A house favorite!! Long and textured. Well integrated oak. A winner at Weygandts. — 8 years ago

with Vicki