Randy W

9.7

Decanted at home for 2 hours then at the restaurant for an hour was amazing really opened up after 3+ hours. First earthy then more fruit. — 4 years ago

Steve Belmonte

9.7

Amazing vino — 4 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

On the nose, amazing perfumed red & blue florals fruits of; dark cherries, blackberries, cherries, blue fruits and strawberries. Tree sap, vanilla, soft medium spice, dark rich soil, caramel, mocha, crushed rocks, gummy bears and dark, fresh floral bouquet.

The body is medium full. Tannins are soft and sticky. Perfumed red & blue florals fruits of; dark cherries, blackberries, blue fruits, strawberries, cherries, tree sap, vanilla, soft dark spice, crushed rock powder, soft leather, some dry & fresh herbsdark rich soil, caramel, mocha, crushed rocks, gummy bears and dark, fresh floral bouquet. The acidity is near perfect. The texture, tension, length and balance are quite stunning this nice this young. The long, soft, well balanced finish is really beautiful and lasts two minutes.

Photos of; the Carter winery & tasting room, Winemaker Mike Smith who stopped by to say hello during our tasting, our tasting line up and wine aerator during pump-overs. — 6 years ago

Tetsu Nakazawa

9.2

Molto delizioso. E gigondas che non ho una volta di assagiare anche ha una reputazione brava. Sarebbe in grade alto, ma per fortuna ho una volta di provare. Garnet wine aveva il sconto. Grazie garnet wine! — 6 years ago

Geoff Troup

Sales Eder Brothers, Cellar Fine Wines

9.2

And 2 years later this wine is even more complex. Tannins are still prevalent, raisin and roasted meat mid palate, finish is all sandpaper and tobacco ash. Incredibly ashy throughout. Quite a wine for the price. — 6 years ago

Jeanette Bangs

9.0

Pub ashtrays, Tapas and sunshine. Fortuna-te to be heading to sunny Spain 🇪🇸 soon, Y Viva España! — 7 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.2

Block 5 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Deep ruby red. Lots of oak influence on the nose, notes of toasted almonds, charred cedar, cinnamon and vanilla. Moderate plus tannins (7.5/10) and full bodied. Tons of layers on the palate starting with cedar in the attack followed by baking spices, dark berries, purple floral notes and a little gravel in the finish. Long and lingering finish. Drink till 2029. (92+)

All fruit from the Fortuna Vineyard. — 7 years ago

with Sean and India

Antonio Galloni

Founder, Vinous

9.4

A blend of fruit from Weitz (which they call Leopoldina) and Fortuna. Dark, rich, sumptuous and so inviting. A great example of the year and a superb value by Napa standards. Tasted during the Vinous Learn Oakville seminar 💥🤪😍. — 4 years ago

Tetsu Nakazawa

9.1

Era sconto per cyber lunedi. Penso che e’ molto value. Spero che mia moglie piace.
E’ veramente buono come e’ autentico bourgogne. Per fortuna a mia moglie piace molto, significa e’ buono veramente. E’ bingo! Sono felice. Magari che abbia comprato piu molte botteglie allo sconto. — 4 years ago

Eric

9.5

Top 3 Merlot for me. Inky tobacco and great fruit. Bring yer wallet. — 6 years ago

Doug Benson

10

Plum beer. Smells and tasted wonderful — 6 years ago

Mary Morley

8.9

Excellent! — 6 years ago

Dave Schneider

9.2

I wasn’t sure I would like this as much as I did. Lots of dark inky purple texture ( as expected) but really nice and well balanced. — 7 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.3

2014 Frias Family Cab Sauv PRADO
Medium purplish ruby red. Love the nose on this bottling, deep and dark berries with a little black cherry liquor. Some graphite and floral notes too. Heavy tannins (8/10) and full bodied. Thick dark red fruits on the palate with undertones of dark cocoa and sweet tobacco. Needs some time to balance out. Long and lingering finish. Also from the Fortuna Vineyard. Drink till 2030. (93+) — 7 years ago

with Sean and India

Jeanne Heavner

8.9

Very good! — 7 years ago

Tetsu Nakazawa

9.0

Aspettiamo questo molto perche il chateau. L’ho avuto a sconto per fortuna. L’ho aperto per l’annivercita di nostro matrimonio. Mia moglia ha cucinato il marzo bourgonese con vino rosso. Sarebbe perfetto con questa botteglia. A mia moglia piace questa botteglia, sono contento anche. Ha un’attaca sofice, ma i gusti complicati. Dopo una settimana, era ancora buono. — 4 years ago

MaJ CappS

9.0

The subtle nose of roasted hazelnuts and heel worn church stone staircase.

Bright, fresh berry, tart, Rainer cherry, good tannic structure, the acids break free and throw their charms right up in your face.
More acid than I have ever had, from an IGT red wine. An excellent tipple.
Buona Fortuna!
— 5 years ago

Jason and Jennie

9.6

96+ This is the bomb. This has delivered every vintage for me starting in 2013. So much structure. The piedras la bam is very dense and cant wait to try that at home after some time. The three kings again suits my palate. It's more elegant and structured than the sweet fruit of the grand daddy. Both are dynamite but I prefer the clone 7 over clone 4. The hossfield coliseum is a great value merlot. The fortuna is fruity and soft, but i personally am paying more for the weitz. — 6 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

My last bottle of 03 Alder Springs. I still have one bottle of the 02 Fortuna (better). Bottles from the earlier days of Behrens & Hitchcock. They’ve gone from B&H to Erna Schein to Behrens Family Winery. Back in the day when we first acquired these wines, we had to open them the night before, decent and put them back in the bottle overnight and re-decant the next evening in order to drink them as they were monsters with huge alcohol. 13 bottle years later, it’s more complex, rounder but still a big wine. While the alcohol has tamed some, it’s still hot...just not unbearably hot. This wine still has a ton of life in it. The nose still shows alcohol and is starting to take on a dark fruit liqueur/Port style. Blackberries, dark cherries, raisins, prunes, dates & blue fruits. Anise, black cherry licorice, a little eucalyptus/mint, dark chocolate, black tea, layers of baking spices, dark, sweet, rich, turned earth and fresh, dry crushed rocks and decayed dark florals. The body is full, round, lavish and lush. The palate also shows a dark fruit liqueur/Port character. Ripe, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, stewed plums, raisins, prunes, dates, blue fruits, anise, black cherry licorice, a little eucalyptus/mint, dry sage, medium, dark intensity spice that heats up as it rises off the palate, dark chocolate, black tea, layers of baking spices, chocolate pudding, well used leather, cedar, dark, sweet, rich, turned earth and fresh, dry crushed rocks, decayed dark florals and fading violets. The acidity is nicely rounded, the length, tension, structure may outlive some people 55+. The finish is; big, round, well balanced but just a little hot. After a couple hours in the decanter, it really rounded out and the alcohol decreased quite a bit. Photos top to bottom and left to right; the latest incarnation of the winery, workers in the Alder Springs Vineyard, Owner/Winemaker Les Behrens and their tasting room; which is actually a restored 1947 Westcraft trailer. A quote on Les’s philosophy on winemaking, “We let the vineyards steal the show and the wine speak for itself.” They are also well know for some of the coolest wine labels. One of my favorites was, “The Heavyweight.” — 6 years ago

Rich Friedland

9.0

Chewy and textured. Pungent brie rind. This thing is so interesting. Pair this with something simple like pasta. This glass is the main dish. — 7 years ago