Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.5

This outstanding 100% Merlot was largely sourced from the Loess Vineyard (66%) with smaller portions from the Mill Creek Upland and their 40-year-old original block at the Leonetti winery. Needing a two hour decant to fully open, the 2018 Leonetti Merlot slowly unveils layers of toasty oak that are woven together with black cherry cordial, sagebrush and milk chocolate tones that all come together in the glass. The silky texture truly impresses, as the wine effortlessly glides across the mid-palate. Cocoa powder dusted red cherries greet you, while flavors of underbrush, damp earth and espresso bean all enliven the senses. A complete wine, the 2018 Leonetti Cellar Merlot will enjoy a long life in the cellar. Try to resist this stunning new wine for at least another two years. Drink 2022-2040- 95 — 6 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.5

The 2016 Figgins Red Wine is a stunning new bottling by superstar winemaker Chris Figgins. On the nose you can really smell the Petit Verdot undertones as this shows off gorgeous blackberry compote with blueberry pie, sagebrush and green pell pepper aromas that all build marvelously in the glass. The palate is gorgeous, showing a silky texture and wonderful sense of minerality. A bright beam of salinity runs through this beautiful wine, slowly unveiling bright black cherry and Turkish coffee flavors that collide with blueberry pie and Chinese black tea flavors. Polished and layered, this is seriously good in its youth but it will evolve well for decades to come. Drink 2020-2040- 95 — 6 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.5

A true stunner at now twenty years of age, the 1999 ‘Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon (WWB, 95) features fruit from the storied To-Kalon Vineyard which lies right behind the Mondavi winery. On the nose this shows wonderful floral tones with red rose petals masquerading with dark kirsch, sagebrush, and wild mushroom aromatics that all meld in the glass. The palate is viscous and silky smooth upon the attack with intense wild blackberry purée, Umami, white truffle shavings, and a beam of salinity alongside the dusty terroir. Overall, this complex and beautifully balanced Napa Cabernet is magical now and will continue to develop well for the next ten to fifteen years — 6 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.4

The ‘Old Vines’ Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from a host of great vineyards in the Columbia and Walla Valleys including their estate vineyard as well as the Sagemoor and Champoux Vineyards. Inky once in the glass, the wine shows creme de cassis, anise, sweet pipe tobacco and tar aromatics that fill the nose. The palate is plush, rich and downright seductive. Mocha, anise, sagebrush and blueberry compote flavors entice. While this is drinking marvelously right now, this will cellar well for the next two plus decades. If enjoying in its youth, be sure to give this beauty at least a two hour decant. Drink 2019-2040- 94 — 7 years ago

Timothy Lynch

8.9

Simply perfect pairing with spaghetti and sardines. Light as a daisy, and awash with mustard seeds/pomegranate/sagebrush. Debatably not worth $18 but a darn sight less expensive than the airfare to Genoa. (The most interesting red wine I've tasted this year. 2016 vintage.) — 7 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.1

This wine is medium dark in the glass, a bit more opaque than usual for Burgundy, a bit less than usual for Cali Pinot. The nose carries some really dark blackberry aromas, with not a hint of sweetness. There's a little black tea coming in beneath the earthy minerals. I get a slight note of bramble or sagebrush, too. Savory rules the palate, too, with tar, dark berries and earth all over the place. As I so often find in California Pinot Noir, I'm overwhelmed by the heft and depth of the wine. It may not be my style, but when the savory angle takes charge I can forget that it seems like I'm drinking Syrah. Bring on a ribeye steak for this one, or a porterhouse if you can handle it. — 7 years ago

Ryan Guy

9.1

Day 2... Smokey, sagebrush, herbal note are lifted and upfront. Plum, tobacco, and blackcherry show with time in the glass. Dark fruit dominates on the palate with a sweet cream, bramble berry midpalate. Spice and clove notes too. Finish is dry, shows a little heat, and persists with moderate tannins. This has integrated some, but could spend 5+ more years in the bottle easy. Drink now with a decant. — 6 years ago

Willie Carter

9.2

A pretty light purple color with a wide ruby rim. Vintage after vintage, this is about as consistent of a wine as I’ve found. It’s an odd blend, Nebbiolo doesn’t really need help but the Merlot and Cab do add body. On the nose, the fragrant red fruit is supplemented by sagebrush, cigar smoke, and dried roses. Well integrated tannins and very pleasant acidity. Beautifully structured and a very nice level of complexity. It takes time for all of the secondary characteristics to show but it’s more than worth the wait. The palate follows the nose with more smoke and roses. Lively cherries, tobacco, and exotic spices round things out. Not nearly as austere as the Italians that I usually love but this is still a fantastic Nebbiolo. — 6 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.7

Sourced from the Loess, Seven Hills, Holly Roller, Serra Pedace, Mill Creek Upland and Leonetti Old Block Vineyards, the red blend was aged for 22 months in French oak before bottling. The final blend is a smaller than usual portion of Cabernet Sauvignon (73%) and an unusually high portion of Malbec (22%) with just a touch of Cabernet Franc (5%). This wine needs a two hour decant before enjoying. Once aroused, this slowly unveils green bell pepper, blueberry compote, creme de cassis and sagebrush tones that fill this highly perfumed nose. The palate is decadent, revealing an exceedingly plush texture. With bright acidity and serious weight, the wine expresses copious dark fruits with sweet pipe tobacco, blueberry compote and dark chocolate shaving flavors. Seductive in its youth, this stunning new bottling will have an exceedingly long life ahead of it. Try to resist this beauty for at least another year. Drink 2020-2045- 97 — 6 years ago

Mark Eastom

9.0

Great for the price. Violets, cherry, mushroom, sagebrush, crushed rocks, great acid. Drinking above it’s classification. — 7 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.3

Mocha and crushed mint with sagebrush and blackberry cobbler all combine on the nose in this beautiful Columbia Valley AVA Cabernet Sauvignon. The palate shows a wonderful elegance and purity of fruit. Red and dark fruits connect with chocolate and coffee flavors alongside earthy undertones. Downright delicious now, the combination of balance and weight suggests this will cellar well for the next fifteen to twenty years. Drink 2019-2033- 93 — 7 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.6

This wine has rounded out since being released in 2008. The grapes were chosen from the Seven Hills, Loess, Mill Creek, Upland. Pepper Bridge, as well as Bacchus-Dionysus and Wallula, both located in the Columbia Valley. It is a blend of 76% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Carmenere and 4% Petit Verdot, having the highest percentage of Carmenere that I have seen for this wine. This vintage was characterized by an early bud break and a hot summer which led to ripe fruit. The wine opens with aromas of milk chocolate, Turkish coffee, sagebrush and black cherry. This leads to rich flavors of black cherry, anise, sage, blackberry and mocha. There is a silky mouthfeel and wonderful viscosity, despite the wine being nearly 10 years old. This is drinking beautifully, one of the best of its kind. 2,723 cases of this delicious wine made. Drink 2019-2035- 96 — 7 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

At the family GSM tasting/get together. All wines tasted single blind.

Complex, high-toned nose. Sagebrush, cherry, in a leaner style, nice acidity, will last several more years. Would be great with pasta. — 7 years ago

with Angelo

Adriana Fabbro

9.3

Too young, but still one of my favorites from the flight. Tart, taut red and black brambly fruit. Dried tea leaves. Spice. Sagebrush, red clay, dry creek bed and other such wild earthy notes. — 6 years ago

Adriana Fabbro

9.2

My love affair with Atlas Peak Merlot continues. Much lighter and more brick red / ruby in color than expected which is fitting for this more rugged, rustic expression. Red vines, brambly things, gravel, sagebrush, dusty tannins, beautiful acidity (thanks to that iron rich volcanic soil maybe?). Drinking nicely today, but would want to revisit in 5, 10 years. — 6 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.4

The 2011 ‘Gran Reserva’ Rioja by Marques de Caceres is up there with the best Gran Reservas I have sampled from this storied winery. This beautiful wine was sourced from 35-50 year old vineyards with some sections in the Rioja Alta region being 65-85 years old. The grapes for this wine were cropped at a mere 2.4 tons/acre, as the wine is largely sourced from higher elevation sites that are set on limestone and clay. The wine was then aged for 24 months in French oak and then aged for four years in the bottle prior to bottling as the final blending is largely Tempranillo (85%) with smaller parts Graciano and Garnacha. Needing more than an hour in the decanter to fully unwind, the wine slowly unveils black tea and black cherry cordial aromas that mingle with shades of sagebrush and leather, with citrus rind undertones that are all marvelously brought together in the glass. The palate is deep and seductive, showing a wonderful texture and tension that runs through the wine. Exotic spices and chocolate shavings mingle with suggestions of hoisin sauce, peat moss, wild blackberry cobbler and cran-orange flavors. Complex and highly gratifying at the eight year mark, this exotic ‘Gran Reserva’ will cellar well for decades — but is very hard to resist in its youth. Drink 2019-2040- 94 — 6 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.5

The 2016 ‘John Lewis Reserve’ Syrah by Gramercy Cellars is another scintillating effort from the superstar winemaking team of Brandon Moss and Greg Harrington. Entirely sourced from the Les Collins Vineyard, this wine underwent 100% whole cluster fermentation. It comes off initially quite reticent as this is needing at least a one hour decant to fully evolve,. Once aroused the wine slowly unveils exotic spices that collide with the fresh herbs, black fruits and dusty terroir that all settle in the glass. The palate evokes a wonderful feeling of elegance, as this shows off brilliant sagebrush, blood orange peel, cigar ash, pomegranate seed and shades of huckleberry that give this serious range and an exotic edge. A nice beam of salinity also runs through this wine, as the mouth-watering acidity adds to the enjoyment. If enjoying in its youth, be sure to give this stunning new wine at least a one hour decant. Drink 2020-2035- 95 — 7 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.2

The 2015 Dunham Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon is a fantastic effort from this warm vintage. The wine shows toasty oak that wraps around blackberry cordial and smoked meats with sagebrush undertones on the nose. The palate is soft, delivering a silky mouthfeel. Light tannins connect with copious dark fruits and chocolate flavors. This is simply delicious now and should continue to drink well over the next handful of years. Drink 2019-2029- 92 — 7 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.4

The nose shows cherries and currants surrounded by cedar, cinnamon and white pepper. Flavor is plentiful, with those cherries again, bolstered by ripe cranberries. There's a leathery, sagebrush note that screams about the old west. The rusticity plays well with the overriding elegance of the sip, and it all melts into a long, savory finish. — 7 years ago

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.3

I thoroughly enjoyed this #californiawines #calicabernet #napavalley #cabernetsaugvinon it has complexity on the nose and on the palate. It has this, sagebrush almost citronella type herbal dusty quality about it. Full body. Long finish. Excellent — 8 years ago