KellyJo Smith

10

Corkbuzz NYC. — 6 years ago

Steven Beishuizen

9.3

These wines are incredible and the 2010 is no exception. Again, a good depth of dark fruit with a solid backbone. Maybe a touch less licorice this time around, but enjoyable all the same. — 7 years ago

with Anita

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Went to a tasting and they were featuring Chalk Hill, winery now owned by Bill Foley, of Foley Family Wines, who continues the traditions that Fred Furth, who founded CH in 1972. Had this ‘16 about a year ago. Rich deep straw color with aromas of stone and tropical fruits and citrus notes. On the palate ripe apple, sweet melon and lemon flavors with gentle vanilla toasty oak. Well balanced on lingering finish ending with oak and mineral notes. Aged well. Tasting Sample. — 7 years ago

Matt Forester

9.1

2015. Sangiovese with a California twist. Please check this out. — 8 years ago

Edmond Bordelon

9.6

Nine Suns and their favorite son, Sam Kaplan!
Sam and his lovely wife, Nancy were kind enough to take time out of their Florida vacation and stop by our house for a great Tasting Event of his big 3 Wines,... Arkenstone, Memento Mori and Nine Suns. And then he pulled out his latest project, soon to be released in the fall, Maxem! (Named after his two children, Max and Emma.) Not to compete with his huge red blends, his Maxem line is Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, both from the famed UV Vineyard in Sonoma. (Think Aubert Pinot Noir😃). I will try to review the Maxem wines later, but back to the amazing Nine Suns red blend from Pritchard Hill. We had the 2012 recently and were blown away by how much it has improved in such a short time. The 2013 needed some more time, but you can already sense the greatness to come. Already balanced feel and long finish. I decanted it for 4 hours to ensure we were doing justice to this deep purple stunner. While I liked the 2012 better, this 2013 was still lush and had blueberries as the major fruit up front and dark cherries on the back end. Sam talked about Nine Sun's amazing Houyi Vineyard, calling it the Rodéo Drive of Napa with all of their big neighbors. 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec, 8% Petit Verdot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot. Robert Parker gave it a 96, and I am in full agreement! — 8 years ago

with Beth and Katherine

Willem Boshoff

8.9

Let's put it down to a poor vintage. Expected a lot more for $70 — 9 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Had another bottle to try. Wow wine seemed to pop. Light ruby color with red fruit aromas, currants and a touch of floral. The palate shows ripe sweet black cherry and raspberry with vanilla and toasty oak in a smooth mouthfeel. With lively acidity, the finish displays some spice and has long length carrying the fruit to the end. — 9 years ago

Gunja Gargeshwari

9.5

And in the end - we got to wines from Pritchard Hill. Some consider these over the top but the flavor explodes on your palette and the finish lasts forever. It’s truly a magical place in Napa. Cheated a little here since this is a blend - 55% Cab Franc and 45% Cab Sauv. — 6 years ago

with Amit and Norman

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Purchased not long ago by Bill Foley of Foley Family Wines, who will continue traditions that Fred Furth began in 1972. 2015 was a perfect year for Chard. Aromas of tropical fruits, spice and citrus. On the palate melon & apricot, tad creamy with some citrus zest and toasty oak notes. Smooth and lingering, well balanced, nice acidity, ending with fruit and spicy oak. A Fav! Good value! — 7 years ago

Palmer Emmitt

Owner/Winemaker Judge Palmer

9.3

Love these wines. Very elegant expression of the Chalk Hill terroir. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.3

Weston hosted Friday group today and was it definitely a can’t miss tasting. Wow! Absolutely knocked it out of the park with heavy hitter after heavy hitter. Similar to Wednesday group, all wines are tasted blind.

English sparkler ladies and gentlemen! Coming on the scene hot. Most guessed French NV. I wondered if it was possibly high end west coast like an Ultramarine. Loads of apple here. Little yeast and chalk. Great texture and bubbles. — 8 years ago

with Weston

Marc Stubblefield

Wine Sales at Vino Carta and Kogod Wine Merchant

9.3

I love this wine. I love this wine because it exists all the way at the 'painstakingly clean and precise' end of the skin-contact spectrum. Don't get me wrong, I love the super-natty wild and wooly and of the spectrum too. But this. This is so purely and exactly what it sets out to be. And I love it. — 9 years ago

Linda Marshall

9.4

Very big fruit. Very smooth finish. Smoky front Good spice. — 9 years ago

Mike Diliberto

9.0

Very good. Full of flavor and still smooth. — 9 years ago

with Michelle

Al Shikoh

9.0

Light golden hue. Aromas of lemon peel, lees, white flowers, chalk, and a bit of smoke. With good acidity and absence of prominent new oak, it leans more to the Burgundian end of the spectrum than California. Made from a blend of fruit from Rita’s Crown and Bentrock Vineyards aged in 500 L barrels. 13% ABV. — 7 years ago

Steven Lee

9.2

Crushed stone and earthy. Liquorice, wild berries and raspberry and blue fruits. Silky and fine tannin and no harsh edges. Some wild flowers and quite elegant. Overall light and anit savoury and some bitter finish. Chalk and powdery. Hunter spice came out at the end.
Chinese winter soliciate 2018 celebration. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.0

Surprisingly, I liked this a bit warmer than most sparkling wines. Would have blinded it as high end west coast sparkler. Little yeast, not much chalk or limestone, some reductive/bruised pear on the finish. Granny Smith Apple on the nose and mid palate. — 7 years ago

with Mark, Benjamin and 1 other

Ryan M

9.3

Yes 93. Extremely smooth and dark purple. Cherries, Blackberries, clove, wet moss, cedar, pine, and tobacco. Resembles an $80 bottle from the mountains.

Winemaker Notes
Dark and rich, the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon offers aromas and flavors of blackberry and ripe plum, with hints of clove and earthiness. Notes of brown spice and vanilla enhance the palate for a lusciously full mouthfeel, culminating in a long finish. 7% Petit Verdot, 1.5% Petite Sirah, 1.5% Cabernet Franc.

Since 1978, William Hill Winery has produced wines from the cool southern regions of Napa Valley, including the Silverado Bench and the Carneros districts. The winery specializes in Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, producing Reserve and Napa Valley bottlings. Chardonnay grown in the cool climate and well-drained soils of Carneros typically offer brighter, more intense flavors and higher acidity than grapes grown in the richer soils and warmer temperatures at the upper end of the Napa Valley. The result are Chardonnays that are highly complex and multi-layered with crisp, bright flavors. — 8 years ago

with Larissa

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Recently purchased by Bill Foley of Foley Family Wines, continuing traditions of Fred Furth who founded Chalk Hill in 1972, which encompasses 280 acres of vineyards. A blend of 84% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Sauvignon Gris and 6% Sauvignon Musque, the latter 2 adding an interesting dynamic to the wine and distinctive aromas. One of the few SB's to see some oak giving this wine complexity. Peach, herb and earthy tones, well balanced with acidity, smooth yet robust on a lingering finish ending with citrus notes. — 9 years ago

Neil Walsh

9.0

This time Emma Bekkers. More delicate balanced style than the Grimley. Prefer this style. — 9 years ago