Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello 2004

Winter rains were scarce this year, and total rainfall down twenty-five percent. Budbreak came early, but bloom was late, delayed by cold April weather. Having set a small crop for the third consecutive year, the vines required little thinning. Harvest began on schedule; most parcels were picked in the first ... more

Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Hillside Select is aged a full four years prior to release (three years in Alliers and Tronçais oak barrels and one year in the bottle). While enjoyable today, this wine will gain richness and maturity with up to 20 years of careful cellaring. more

Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

The 2005 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon beautifully expresses the full aromatic ripeness of this exemplary vintage. It is full bodied and yet refined, and consistent in its color, aroma, palate and finish. It has a dark garnet color and a nose of black cherry, clove, cinnamon, lavender and licorice. It ... more

Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

The 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve reflects both an exceptional vintage and extraordinary quality fruit from several highly acclaimed Napa Valley vineyards. These vineyards, because of outstanding clones, soils, microclimates and cultivation techniques, consistently produce wines with great complexity, structure and aging potential. The wine explodes with rich aromas of cassis, ... more

Beringer Bancroft Ranch Merlot 1996

Smaller-than-normal yields and especially warm weather in August produced highly concentrated grapes and the especially rich blueberry and blackberry aromas and flavors of this wine. Bancroft Ranch Merlot has a quality I can only describe as all-around richness. Unlike some Merlots I've tasted, the wine from Bancroft has no `hole ... more

Flora Springs Rutherford Hillside Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

The Rutherford Hillside Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is perhaps our most elegant single-vineyard Cabernet, exhibiting wonderful complexity and flavors entirely unique to this hillside vineyard. The aromas of black cherry, cassis and cocoa flow into the palate and arebalanced by a good acid structure and firm tannins. It is flawless and ... more

Plumpjack Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1999

The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is heralded by aromas of sun-warmed tea leaves, fragrant dried lavender, semi-sweet dark chocolate and freshly grated sweet spices. The long and honorable heritage of this historical vineyard is classically stamped in the notes of intense black cherry jam and cassis which sound throughout our 1999 ... more

Peter Michael Les Pavots 2001

Fully saturated with ruby color, the 2001 Les Pavots reveals a gorgeous and intense bouquet of blueberry, blackberry, lavender, violet, black licorice and espresso coffee interspersed with nuances of tobacco (cigar box) and earthy notes (graphite). Rich and full bodied, this wine offers the same ripe fruit impressions on the ... more

Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello 1994

The '94 vintage followed the pattern of the last three years: spring rains and a late start to the growing season. Though the set was not heavy, we thinned rigorously to help ensure full maturity by harvest. Again, cool nights held acids high as the grapes ripened. We harvested from ... more

Peter Michael Les Pavots 1996

Aromas of cassis, blueberry, lavender and coffee interspersed with oak nuances of cedar and tobacco. Rich, ripe fruit impressions on the palate accentuated by silky, yet assertive tannins. The 1996 possesses a unique balance, full body, concentrated extract and a fine finish. The wine is ready for near term enjoyment ... more

Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1997

The Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is massive in fruit and tannins. more

29 Songs Syrah 2004

29 Songs is a wine with a definition of flavor and texture perhaps associated more with places like Cote Rotie than with California. It is charaacterized not so much by the weight of ripeness or tannin as by a mouth coating finish that is unmistakbly Syrah - one that keeps ... more