Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

Happy Thanksgiving Eve. I wish you all a great Thanksgiving with family & friends giving thanks over some great food & wine pairing. 🍁🦃🍽

Coravined this last weekend as nightcap...it’s a pleasure getting back to it tonight.

The nose at the beginning broods ripe, dark fruit liqueur notes but, calms down in the glass after 10 minutes. It evolves into; bright, ruby, lush, dark, slightly candied floral currants/cassis. Ripe; blackberries, black cherries, blueberries syrup, boysenberries, olallieberries, black plum extract with poached strawberries & raspberries on the glass edges. Anise to black licorice, sweet tarriness, dark, mixed berry cola, mid intensity dark spice, dry crushed rocks, touch of incense, dry tobacco, leathery notes, wood shavings, dark chocolate, vanilla, light nutmeg & clove, dark, rich, turned earth, steeped fruit teas, mid, fresh herbaceousiness, bright, dark, red, blue slightly candied florals with fresh violets & lavender for days.

The body is full, round, lush & ruby. The fruits halfway to candied. The tension, structure, length and balance are in a very good place with another 8-10 years of good drinking ahead. The tannins are beautifully round, 55% resolved and still tarry, chewy with some teeth. Beautifully ripe; dark currants/cassis, blackberries, black cherries, blueberries syrup, boysenberries, olallieberries, black plum extract with poached strawberries & black raspberries. Anise to black licorice, sweet tarriness, dark, mixed berry cola, mid intensity darker spice on the long palate than the nose and show some heat, dry crushed rocks, volcanic minerals, limestone, touch of incense, dry tobacco, leathery notes, wood shavings, dark chocolate, malt in malted balls vanilla, light nutmeg & clove, dark, rich, turned earth, moist clay, steeped fruit teas, mid, fresh herbaceousness, bright, dark, red, blue slightly candied florals with fresh violets & lavender for days. The acidity is round and some of the best I’ve had in the 10’s I’ve had to date. The finish is delicious, ruby, lush, extremely well balanced and is the textbook definition of elegance. It persists several minutes with several nuances along the way. One of the very best 2010’s I’ve had as I am not a big fan of most 10’s. Get some if you can find.

Photos of; James Cole Winery and Estate vines, certainly one of my favorite Napa Winemakers-Charles Hendricks (FYI, has not been their Winemaker since midway through the 14 vintage), their outside patio lounge and the tasting bar. — 6 years ago

Nahja Martin

9.2

Very buttery yet crisp. — 8 years ago

Paul Weil

9.0

I needed to drink three bottles of this one before making a proper review. I think this wine will be somewhat divisive. It is one of those wines upon which one's enjoyment is, more than usual, predicated upon tasting order, food pairing or cocktail usage, and above all decanting (as it is still quite young).

There is a lot to like about this blend. It is a big wine with a solid yet complex tannic structure, with some dusty tannins right up front rather than in the finish. There is a healthy dose of caramel oak, but not so much that it tastes like candy (and this decreases with decanting, and, presumably, cellaring). The predominant flavors are those I expect from a Bordeaux blend - dark cherries and mocha -- but with the brighter acidity of a Zinfandel or Syrah.

Bottle number four will languish in my cellar for another year or two, so that I may give Bacchus his due 🍷😸 — 9 years ago

Alison Soberanis

8.9

Light and crisp with hints of fruit — 10 years ago

Francois Botha

8.9

Strawberry and spices on the nose. Plenty of ripe fruit with soft tannin. Medium -bodied. Good value. — 10 years ago

Sara Henson

9.1

Im not a Riesling drinker but this was tasty. Not too sweet and great crisp taste for a warm Texas spring evening. — 10 years ago

Pawel

9.0

Smaczne, delikatne, aromatyczne — 11 years ago

Carlos Mata

9.5

Brilliant ruby red, medium to full density where I can almost see my fingers through. Delicious and discrete funkiness, with exceptional vegetable aromas of tri-color bell peppers and black currant. Tastes like a young Bordeaux, very vegetable, V-8 flavous, carrot, celery, a little pommegranate. Nice flare from the middle on, showing elegant complexity, leading to a peppery finish. But quite deep and important finish, showing phenomenal balance between (commandable) structure, beautiful dark and meaty acidity, and bright fruit. Very, very educated wine, yet young. 94 pts — 11 years ago

Stephanie Giles Williams

9.5

In the meat of its prime. — 12 years ago

Eric Hammonds

9.9

Delicious. — 13 years ago

Alex

9.2

Amazing. Dark and inky on the nose. Palate of stone fruit, but not as baked as Napa cabs can sometimes get, which is good in this case. Manages to balance being fresh and bright with dark fruit. 100% would buy again. — 6 years ago

Ned Gray Creed

9.3

@Bryce Wiatrak here is another one. Is there someone else at Delectable that I should bother with these updates/fixes? Desire Lines Wine Co is the producer. Cole Ranch is the vineyard. The assistant winemaker at Bedrock and his wife started this project recently. Any help possible? — 7 years ago

with Tyson

John McCarroll

Sales Rowan Imports

9.0

Floral and chenin-y and cider-y and a bizarre af riesling but super nice — 8 years ago

Erik Barner

9.1

Our first time trying since the honeymoon... such a treat!
— 8 years ago

with Whitney

Paul DiCicco

8.9

It doesn't have a blast of flavor, but it's an easy drinking, light wine with great finish. — 9 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Consistently one of my favorites from James Cole. The 13 is no different. New Winemaker for the 15 vintage. We'll see if the style changes. Trained by Chuck but they've added a Wine Consultant. Interesting to see how new influences changes this wine. — 9 years ago

Dick Kliner

9.2

2012 with broiled salmon.
Great present from neighbor. — 10 years ago

Steve Martinelli

9.1

Really enjoyable Malbec. Ripe blueberry with some nice oak that does not overpower. Delicious. — 11 years ago

Rebecca Barkmeier

10

This is an amazingly good Chardonnay — 11 years ago

David Racich

9.1

Extremely unique with a taste that you would not expect out of a California Chardonnay! Finding this is not easy - hard to find and extremely unique. — 12 years ago

with Ashley

doug williams

9.9

The whole flight is distinguished and unforgettable but we came back to buy a bottle of this. It tastes like an angels breath mixed with rose petals. — 12 years ago

with Carolyn

Zach OConnor

9.0

Dad’s favorite wine — 7 years ago

Paul Weil

9.1

Unoaked Chardonnays are usually quite good, allowing the fruits to shine. This one is exceptional, refreshing and balanced with no cream or butter. What a great Summer Wine! It sports peach and honeysuckle flavors, with just a touch of lime.. Here’s to more tree-free wines! — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

On the nose, ripe, ruby, fruits of; mulberry, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, plum, black cherries, blueberries & creamy raspberries. Vanilla, hints of sweet tarriness, black licorice, whiff of spice, soft understated limestone minerals & crushed rock powder, fruity black tea, hint of fresh herbaceousness, rich, black turned earth, fresh dark floral bouquet and fields of lavender & violets.

The body is rich, ripe & full. The tannins are a little sticky but well softened, round and a touch chewy. The structure, tension, length, balance, tension and balance are very close to perfect and harmonious. Fruits are; mulberry, huckleberry, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, plum, black cherries & creamy raspberries. Vanilla, hints of sweet tarriness, black licorice, whiff of spice, soft understated limestone minerals & crushed rock powder, fruity black tea, hint of fresh herbaceousness, rich, black turned earth, fresh dark floral bouquet and fields of lavender & violets. The acidity is round and rains like a waterfall perfectly over the palate. The very long, ruby, rich, well balance lasts minutes and is absolutely heavenly. Gorgeous, elegant, stunning wine.

Photos of; the vertical tasting we attended of all Hendricks Cabernets; 04, 05, 09 & 12 at the time w/ one of our favorite paintings in the background, Charles Hendricks working in the cellar, very old rootstock from the Stag’s Leap Vineyard where the fruit to make this wine normally comes from and a wide shot of the Stag’s Leap Vineyard.

Producer notes and history...Hendricks Cabernet Sauvignon is consistently sourced from a few of Napa Valley’s finest vineyards. In those near perfect vintages, Charles only makes a small production wine of around 250-300 cases. Charles only produces it when he has exception fruit. He’s made Hendricks Cabernet in; 2004, 2005, 2009, 2012 & 2014. Notice he didn’t make Hendricks Cabernet in a great vintage year like 2013. He wasn’t happy enough with his fruit in 2013 to put his name on it. That says a lot and maybe all you need to know about his standard for quality. I do know what wine his 13 fruit made as I’ve had and it’s an unbelievable wine for far less money.

Charles also makes a fantastic Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands that is really quite amazing. Especially, if you give it 5 or 6 years in bottle. All his wines are sold exclusively through the Hope & Grace tasting room in Yountville as he is also the Hope & Grace Winemaker.

Charles graduated in 1982 from UC Davis in viticulture. He was also able to tailor his own curriculum and was one of the earliest to integrate winemaking and viticulture course work. Having knowledge of both viticulture and enology forms the basis for his well-rounded winemaking.

Over the years Charles has worked in both Napa and Sonoma Counties, gaining hands on experience in all aspects of winemaking. He has a strong reputation for excellence. In his career, he’s been a consulting winemaker for many wineries; Viader, Barnett Vineyards, Paoletti Vineyards, Regusci Winery, James Cole, T-Vine and Tamayo family Vineyard.

I asked Charles, “how does he make wines that are amazingly good in their youth but will age effortlessly for 15-20 years?” His answer was simply this, “its not that hard, you just have to know the perfect time to harvest fruit.” I would agree with that to a degree. But, you also have to know how to gently guide fruit onto it’s path into the barrel and not get in the wine’s way or overwork the process. — 8 years ago

Cayla Dee Porter

9.5

A nice elegant zin with intense dark fruit and a soft palate. — 10 years ago

Gustavo Martin

8.9

Nice and robust cab from William Cole! Lot of black fruits and huge tannins, great for pairing with red meats... — 10 years ago

JDR

10

Amazing Sauvignon Blanc - crisp, tropical grapefruit with zesty lime and refreshing minerality. — 11 years ago

Kate Bycroft

8.9

Had at a wine dinner. Good wine. — 11 years ago

V M

9.6

What a unique and once in a lifetime wine. This is a blend of ten years worth of barrels from 2000 through 2009. Wine maker bill balentine kept one brl from each of these ten harvests and then blended them together and created this wine. Tiny production and extremely special this wine is so complex as it progresses across the palate. Cherries, berries, cedar, vanilla and Caramel all make appearances in this very unique explosion of flavor. So special. — 12 years ago

Jason Mallia

9.0

Really good! — 13 years ago