Napa Valley

• Atlas Peak
• Best of Napa
• Calistoga
• Conn Valley
• Diamond Mountain
• Howell Mountain
• Mt. Veeder
• Oak Knoll
• Oakville
• Pope Valley
• Rutherford
• Spring Mountain
• St. Helena
• Stags Leap
• Yountville

This is a 50/50 blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Purple in color, shimmering bright.  The nose is dusty with black cherries, cassis, and some char.  Full bodied.  Soft texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is tight but complex.  It unwinds slowly.  Black cherry fruit with some spice.  Good finish.  This is drinking well and will work well with many foods.  Certainly, it would be nice with Rotisserie Chicken.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.   

Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, slight blueberry, cedar, spice and nice minerality.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is still youthful.  Vibrant cassis with minerality and light char.  Long finish.  This is not a bold wine, but has a lot of energy.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  It is very nice on its own and will work with bigger foods.  It went well with roasted peppers stuffed with rice.  

This is the basic Cabernet and for a wine made by Thomas Rivers Brown, this is one of the better values out there.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, cigar box, spice and slight vanilla.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is still primary.  Cassis with some char.  Deep.  Delicious.  Long finish.  This is drinking nicely but will get better with some time in the cellar.  Drink over the next fifteen to twenty years.  Best on its own at this point, but with age it will be nice at the dinner table.  

Beautiful wine.  Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is excellent.  Cassis, slight vanilla, blueberries, spice and char.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, cassis, blueberries, tobacco and spice.  Deep.  Tight complexity that unwinds in the glass.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now, but will continue to develop as it ages.  Good now, good then.  Drink over the next fifteen to twenty years.  Great on its own, this would be a nice accompaniment to primer rib or a steak.   

This vineyard was sold recently and as soon as the wines are also sold, they will retire.  That is a shame as they make very nice wines for very fair prices on top of Mt. Veeder.  Purple in color with a thin ruby lip, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, roasted meats and herbs and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is not a bit wine, but plenty of black raspberry fruit along with some char.  Good finish.  On the young side, this should drink well for another ten to fifteen years.  It worked very nice with Palak Paneer.  

This is their basic wine but it less expensive and almost as good as their single vineyard designate Cabs.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, cedar, sandalwood, char, and sour cherries.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great acidity.  Crisp yet creamy texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Cassis, black cherries with spice and char.  Long finish.  This is young and should improve with another five to ten years of cellaring.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  It would be a nice wine with a hearty eggplant or vegetarian lasagna.  

This is a household favorite every vintage, but this one may be the best yet.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is big with cassis, cedar, slight leather and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is young but accessible.  Big fruit but not overblown.  Good energy.  Cassis, leather and spice.  Long finish.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  Great on its own, this would be nice with grilled Portobello Mushrooms.

This is the top wine from the historic Trefethen winery in Napa.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, cedar, slight leather and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, cassis with a touch of leather and smoke.  Long finish.  This is a pretty classic cab from good not great vintage.  It is drinking well now and should continue for another ten to twelve years.  Nice on its own, this would work well with Lamb chops.  

This wine is half the price of Bevan's single vineyard wines and almost as good.  It is expensive but vis-a-vis the quality it is worth buying a bottle or two.  Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is great with cassis, leather, cedar and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm but smooth tannins.  On the palate, juicy cassis with some cedar, tobacco and char.  Long finish.  Delicious if young.  This drinks well on its own and would be at home at a Steak House.  Drink over the next twenty years.  It will still improve with good cellaring.