Will Rogers

8.9

Lamb dinner at home — 3 years ago

Flyingfish55

9.2

Thought this was great! — 4 years ago

Emily Golden

9.2

Great, easy drinking red. Smooth with brambly fruit and a bit of cherry, finishing with a smooth spice note. Really crowd-pleasing. — 5 years ago

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. — 6 years ago

Shelby

9.9

Absolutely great with a terrific Italian dinner! — 7 years ago

Joshua K Hall

9.5

Fantastic. Smooth even after just poured — 3 years ago

Deborah M

9.2

I wanted something nice tonight. This was perfect. Winemaker Kurt Venge offers a Burgundian style to Sonoma. Red fruits and plush velvet finish. Definitely worth seeking out this off the beaten path wine. — 4 years ago

Veronica Castro

9.0

Destroys all other 1L Gruner Veltliners in its path. Sunny, crisp, lemony. High-toned. Downright delicious. 12.5% abv. — 6 years ago

Severn Goodwin

8.9

No. 2 on off the beaten path varietals tonight, just getting some air now...
Interesting for sure, mild smokey bacon, dried autumn leaves and some acidity lingers, looking forward to the evolution on this bottle, I think. — 6 years ago

Neal Schaffer

8.9

Ripe tropical fruit and fresh squeezed lime juice; takes me down that margarita path. Light, light snap pea. Juicy and quenching on the palate. Saline minerality dives into the finish. Holds together tight. — 6 years ago

with Dana

Marc Alciati

9.1

Night in Rome. Off the beaten path in a tiny alley near the train station. Great find at the kitchen Culinaria. Jammy. Similar to a Pinot Nior. — 7 years ago

Arnaud Namer

9.8

2014 Puissant et rond 2 bouteilles pour $30 à bevmo — 7 years ago

Stephanie Carnegie

8.9

Pretty good for the price, dry with dark fruits — 4 years ago

Scott

9.2

Buttery. Vanilla. Lemon. Smooth. Very good — 4 years ago

Amy Yan

8.9

Good job James! Off the beaten path but delicious. I don't normally gravitate towards wine with minerals but this one was nice. — 6 years ago

with James

Mark Seeber

9.0

A treat, paired with Colorado beef tenderloin, wilted chard, mushrooms, and parsnip purée. Big, brash tannins that stood up to the charred edges of the steak. A lot of dark fruit with a touch of (good) funk. Off the beaten path for sure...need to go find some more — 6 years ago

John Kanellopoulos

9.1

No comment if life’s path allows you to enjoy this be happy! — 7 years ago

Conner Esworthy

9.1

Somewhat off the beaten path winery near Napa - always delivers. — 7 years ago

Justin S.

9.9

Excellent off-the-beaten path Portuguese wine. Cider and pizza dough notes. — 7 years ago

Anton G.

9.0

Next day review. Gentle floral nose, nice acidity and good balance. Long finish, quite dry and acidic. Blend of Pommard and Dijon clones. Only 250 cases made, great finding for under 20$. — 7 years ago

with Alexey