Ryan Vento

9.3

I had the privilege of being able to polish off the final 8-or-so ounces of this deliciousness while completing yet another leisurely grocery shopping escapade at Central Market. — 6 years ago

with Krystal

Shay A

9.5

4th Friday of the month means Classic Wine Storage happy hour! Great wines, as always, today!

This was my contribution as I needed to make space for the revered ‘15s. My first time having the ‘14, and I’m glad I was able to wait a year. Still needed every bit of the 2hrs it was open. Incredibly plush...difference between that and silky. It coated every bit of the mouth, but had a softness to it. Blackberries, licorice, wet stone, graphite, and a finishing note of nutmeg. Impressive. — 7 years ago

with Mark

Mark Flesher

9.5

REALLY nice bottle of wine. This wine has a lot going on. Sourced from a 2.2 acre plot that is right across the street from Diamond Creek, the Dyers put love into everything they make. And it shows. This wine has a blackberry and floral perfume that is intoxicating. The nose was very reminiscent of Cab Franc and in a blind tasting that would have been my guess. The entry of this wine is delicately powerful. It has the blackberry power, the cassis of a younger wine, but the finesse in the middle with notes of graham cracker, grilled meats, herbs, pie spice, cola, and BRAMBLE....just a LOT going on here!! This wine is still very locked up, and takes a BUNCH of coaxing to get it out of its shell. Once it does, it does NOT disappoint. Very pumped about being able to spend some time with Dawnine and Bill in the next couple of weeks! — 7 years ago

Ian Blackburn

10

I believe this to be a perfect wine. Cliché to enjoy something so celebrated, I believe it's the reason it is celebrated. 96 was a great vintage specially for Pinot Noir this wine is so balanced and pure around texture but the long and the linear and it's Percision and focus. Kudos to the winemaking team able to taste this youthful high acid fruit bottled flawlessly not masked by wood or oxidation but focused on purity and drinkability. This wine won the popular vote which isn't always the critical vote but in this case I cannot be critical of something so perfect. — 7 years ago

James Lake

9.3

From 2000. Vary lucky to be able to try this. A regular just opened bottle of it in for us to try. — 8 years ago

June

9.1

Sweet and light and down able — 8 years ago

Thomas Hughes

9.4

I've had every vintage of this bottle from 2001 to 2008 (with the exception of 2002, which I'm not sure if they were able to produce). I've even sampled their 2010, which may rival their best vintages (1997, 2001, 2004, 2006). After an hour of decanting the deep cherry and blackberry fruit dominate this graceful glass. Sweet but not tart, the finish lingers with a subtle smile. By the vineyards standard, 2008 is a wonderful bottle. Cheers!! — 9 years ago

Noble Cloche

9.2

My favorite - and go-to - Chianti. Brilliant, expressive fruit with enough acidity to stand up to any tomato based sauce. If anyone knows where this may be available in Maryland, please let me know. I've only been able to find it in New York - and Italy. — 9 years ago

Zak Helmerich

9.6

Love an age able wine that's barrel fermented. Plus the winemaker is the absolute man! — 10 years ago

Carolyn Pursell

9.6

My dad and grandpa each bought a case of this wine 20ish years ago and this is the last bottle. So ridiculously delicious it's not even funny. Feel lucky to be able drink such good wine! — 10 years ago

Mark Quezada

9.1

Pleasantly surprised with my first try with Big Table Farm. This wine was fresh, bright, and very easy drinking! I would liked to been able to taste this wine with 5 years of age. @Adam Jesberger — 6 years ago

with Adam

Shay A

9.4

During the month of January, the Wednesday Wine Committee has a unique format...the sparkler, whites and dessert wines can be from any vintage and any location, but the reds must be from the 2007 vintage. It was my first time providing a wine for a lunch, so I was excited to see how it showed. As always, all wines were served blind.

This was a treat for me to be able to serve. Tom Farella only produces this Alta bottle in special years. The ‘07 was his last one before he brought it back in ‘14. Cabernet dominated blend complimented by a bit of merlot from the famed Farella vineyard. Supremely balanced. Raspberries, plums and blackberries on the nose and palate, but the finish was plush. This is about at its peak and will stay here for another 3 or so years. Oak was almost fully integrated. Very happy to have two of these still sleeping. This was the group’s consensus “wine of the day”. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.2

Finally able to lock down reservations at Magdalena's. They have a unique set up in that they have a set menu that changes every week, and you are notified the week before if there are spots available...they sell out within 5mins! We were lucky to get on the list for their most recent "Supper Club" as they call it.

Based on the menu, we figured 1 white and 1 red was appropriate. After enjoying my favorite Sauv Blanc (the Addax SB), my buddy Luke (who is a big Pinot fan) brought this to expand our knowledge on pinots and see what Oregon has cooking. At pop and pour, this was delicious. Lots of cherries, leather and dates on the nose. The taste was very different than the aromatics. More leather, Bing cherry, cedar and a touch of rhubarb. A very "dusty" Pinot. — 7 years ago

with Luke

Joe Gillies

9.7

Ideally needs more time in the cellar but a long decant will do. Only able to decant a hour and still somewhat tannic and closed. A big cali wine. Very very good — 7 years ago

Emmy Zhang

Sales Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant

10

Emmy had this 8 years ago

Michelle Baker

8.9

A great buy for the price, not a lot of length but tasty/slurp able. Pairs well with Presidential Debates — 8 years ago

Gerry Schwartz

9.7

Liquid gold absolutely wonderful bottle everyone should be able to drink it at least once — 9 years ago

Robbie Ward

9.3

Joyous! Deep and a bit gritty, but fragrant and wonderfully smash it back able — 9 years ago

Anthony Lynch

9.1

Down able. No, bad spell check. Downable. — 10 years ago

Eric Dellinger

8.9

Full body, balanced, able to age further. — 11 years ago

Sage Shimoda

9.2

Opened a 2010 Napanook bottle. Wow, the strong alcohol was still prevalent after two hours. We were able to catch a glimpse of its potential, gorgeous dark fruits, cassias, chocolate and cedar with earthy notes after three hours. There are still many years of aging potential. Will try this again tomorrow.

ドミナスのセカンド、ナパヌークの2010年を開けてみました。これはパワフルなワイン。開けたては、アルコールを強く感じ、2時間経ってもその強さは変わりません。3時間経つころに、徐々に落ち着いてきて複雑な表情が出てきました。明日、もう一度、試します。まだまだ熟成する余地のあるワイン、もう1本は当分セラーに保管しておきます。

— 6 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

Barny

9.2

Hades-Version, geiler, fleischiger Lemberger, sehr lecker — 7 years ago

Chip Krotee

9.6

First off, fantastic label. We were able to drink the wine at its peak and it was fantastic. Exactly how I always thought a Chardonnay would taste. Citrus at the start. Deep honey and peach in the middle. Full bodied and a rich finish. Will exceed expectations as evidenced by the price to acquire such a gem! — 8 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.3

2004 vintage. At Harry's Bar with Jay. Medium lemon hue. Toasty with rounded citrus fruits, still very youthful and a touch closed in my glass. On the palate, medium plus acidity, refined bubbles - small and crisp. There's a slight creamy coffee note, some punch and concentration and great length. Quite approachable. Very enjoyable. Able to drink now - acidity profile makes this a Salon that I don't think will age as well as the 2002. — 8 years ago

Ira Schwartz

9.3

Open for business on the nose and the palate but very much able to age.
Waves of concentrated red fruit, a slight toast and acid. — 9 years ago

Adam Shobert

9.3

Well, what can you say? It's kind of an unfair fight whenever Hillside is involved. Beautiful fruit, incredibly rich, lots of chocolate and integrated oak and tannins. I'm very happy I've been able to taste this wine multiple times. A Napa classic. — 9 years ago

Tom Elliot

Founder Northwest Wines

9.0

If you like good Graves you might like this. Hades but not oaky. — 9 years ago

Frank Chounet

9.5

Old world, age-able, great with food - easy drinking med tannins — 10 years ago

David W Henion

9.0

A Kermit lynch selection that's really like able — 11 years ago