NAPA 2018 - Napa (6/28/2018-7/3/2018)
2018 Trek to Napa. Great wines, lots of great visits.
Buccella
Great visit with Gwen. Wines were decanted 60 min. Glad to see winemaking hasn’t changed overall with new winemaker. Didn’t taste 2016s but heard they are better than ‘15, comparable to ‘07 with more finesse.
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2015 Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
A buxom beauty. 1 hr decant. Dark and viscous, almost black. Explosive but young, red and black fruit everywhere, raspberry, cherry, dark cherries, candied cherries, really really long finish. Potential for 97-98. Was head and shoulders above the 2015 Katrina Eileen Cuvée, but outshone by the 2014 Katrina Eileen Cuvée. (95 pts.) -
2015 Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon Cuvée Katrina Eileen - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
Darkest of the wines we drank at Buccella and most restrained. Fruit was hidden by tannins but would peek out intermittently with great enjoyment. A lot of potential here, would like to try again in 5 years, significant upside on this one. (92 pts.) -
2014 Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon Cuvée Katrina Eileen - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
This was the most refined and streamlined of the Buccella wine. Red and black fruit profile with lovely perfume and floral notes. This is everything you want from Buccella. 2-3 more years and this will be a phenom enjoying a long drinking window. Reminded me of the ‘09 Katrina Eileen. Yes it’s expensive and yes it’s that good. (96 pts.)
Blankiet
Beautiful tasting room. Lots of great stuff going on at Blankiet.
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2015 Blankiet Estate Prince of Hearts - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
I keep hearing and reading that this is one of the super seconds in Napa. But, it doesn’t hit my palate in the way some others do. No specific notes other than it was the lightest of the wines. Clearly a well made wine, just not for me. No score. -
2015 Blankiet Estate Proprietary Red Wine Paradise Hills Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
Good not great. Seemed restrained almost in a dumb phase. The fruit is there, the structure is there, the potential is high. Just need it to all come together. Can’t wait to try again in 5 years and see that happen. (92 pts.) -
2015 Blankiet Estate Rive Droite - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
Hands down, the best Right Bank blend in all of Napa. Floral notes, rose petal, cherry, chocolate, yet still far away from being ready. Couldn’t stop smelling, tasting, and revisiting. Beat out William Cole’s Predecessor Merlot by a hair for best Merlot of the trip. Decant or hold a few years and you won’t be disappointed. I get The Vinous rating, think JD missed this one. (96 pts.)
Realm
Great visit with Ashley. Tasted some good library wines that had been decanted and were ready. Disappointed that no current releases other than Bard were poured. I get it though, hard to cellar stuff when you sell out of everything. A lot of stuff happenening at Realm, new sources, new construction, new plantings, almost a certainty that prices will continue to rise.
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2017 Realm Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Fidelio - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
Not as good as prior vintages, though a nice white with green apple and citrus notes, some grass. Nice way to clean the palate for the other Realms we enjoyed. (89 pts.) -
2008 Realm Cellars The Tempest - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
Beautifully aged Merlot, the way it should be. Rose, floral, chocolate on the nose and palate. Fruit cherry notes seem to be in early stages of fading and seemed stepped back compared to other notes. I love it when wineries serve library wines! (92 pts.) -
2010 Realm Cellars The Falstaff - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford (7/3/2018)
We seem to either be in the minority on this one or served a bottle with variation because this showed really well during our tasting at Realm. Drank black, pink edges, floral fruit deliciousness with tea notes and herbal mineral secondary notes starting to develop. (95 pts.) -
2015 Realm Cellars The Bard - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
Dark brooding beast. Big, explosive notes of red, black and blue fruit. The tannins and oak are holding this back right now. Wow will this be good in 3-5 years. Needs slumber to get it all together. 93 now with 96-97 potential, JD hit this spot on. (93 pts.)
Dakota Shy
Outstanding visit with Payton. The guys at Dakota Shy have it figured out! Always great to see good people succeed. Everyone hates a wine club, unless you can pick what you want and still get an allocation of the hard to come by stuff. No forced buying of stuff no one wants. What did I miss here? And, I got a hat!
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2016 Dakota Shy Sauvignon Blanc - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
A nice summer wine, good, but not a standout compared to other SBs. -
2016 Dakota Shy Cabernet Sauvignon Ten - USA, California, Napa Valley, Calistoga (7/3/2018)
Very impressive start to the reds at Dakota Shy. The lovely Mrs. loved it, I liked it—(no specific notes) but we both agreed it was outclassed by every subsequent red we had. -
2016 Dakota Shy Cabernet Sauvignon Custodian Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
Definitely great wine, definitely Pritchard Hill, finished second behind the ‘16 Cab Franc from Oakville Ranch. One thing that really stood out was the tannin management on this wine. The term “ninja tannins” was used to describe this by our host—-you know they’re there but can’t seem to find them. Well done, Dakota Shy. An easy buy. (93 pts.) -
2016 Dakota Shy Cabernet Franc Oakville Ranch Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (7/3/2018)
Clear winner, could not stop sniffing and revisiting. Walked out with a pair of magnums even though I hate magnums and avoid them if I can…so yes, it was that good. (95 pts.) -
2017 Dakota Shy Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
Definitely cab, but rose is not our thing. Nice way to open the tasting.
Bevan
Where to begin? Our favorite visit and favorite wine for the 2018 Napa trip. Visiting with Sharon and hearing the tales was a blast. A lot of laughs. Watch the tasting note videos if you haven’t. 2015 Tench was unbelievably good. Tasted through some barrel samples. 2017 Wildfoote and 2017 Saunders are eye popping good. ‘17 Wildfoote is best yet. Can’t wait to get my hands on the ‘17s after tasting from barrel.
A visit to Bevan will be on the list every year going forward. When Wine app, check it out.
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2017 Bevan Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Dry Stack - USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley (7/3/2018)
Great Sauvignon Blanc, consistent year on year. Citrus, grass without the usual sharp acidic cutting edge. (92 pts.) -
2016 Bevan Cellars Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (7/3/2018)
Not a Chardonnay fan, but this was good. Oaky buttery creme brûlée vanilla notes. No score -
2016 Bevan Cellars Pinot Noir - USA, California, Sonoma County, Petaluma Gap (7/3/2018)
A Pinot for cab drinkers. Dark and much thicker than most pinots, but that’s Bevan for you. Typical smoke and cherry notes. Not Pinot fans so no score. Can see why others would love this. -
2015 Bevan Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (7/3/2018)
JD hit this spot on. PnP with some air into the bottle via turnover. Black beautiful wine. Some oak on the nose but complimentary to the red fruit, lesser black fruit associated with the red volcanic soils of Tench and surrounding areas. Smoke, iron notes that get me every time. Simply outclassed every other wine we tasted over three days. Glad I have several bottles to see how it runs over the coming years. Can’t wait to see what 16 and 17 hold for Bevan—be very excited! (98 pts.)
William Cole
Great visit with Eric. Beautiful tasting area in the cellar, complete with blankets for the ladies. Nice touch. These are world class wines.
We also tried a yet unlabeled 2015 Predecessor Merlot that almost beat out the Rive Driote from Blankiet for Merlot of the trip, but lost by a nose. This is Merlot, but kicked up a notch. More intense and less focused than the Rive Driote, but outstanding in its own right.
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2008 William Cole Cabernet Sauvignon Cuvée Claire - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
Really good juice, decanted and ready for our tasting, but don’t know how long. This was firing on all cylinders. Really good juice, every piece and part in harmony—black fruit, lesser red/blue fruit, tannins and oak integrated. (94 pts.) -
2014 William Cole Cabernet Sauvignon Cuvée Claire - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
A well made good wine, but this is still an infant with baby fat left to resolve. Tannins managed very well here, but the fruit was hiding behind a wall of acid on this day. 91, some upside still. (91 pts.) -
2015 William Cole Cabernet Sauvignon Small Lot Series - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (7/3/2018)
No specific notes, PnP, but we really remember this smacking us in the face with flavor without overbearing oak or tannins. What a great surprise. A little sticker at $195 but still bought. (95 pts.)
Lokoya
Beautiful elegant tasting room, outstanding view of the valley. Brian did a great job walking us through the line up. Great job of pairing small bites with the wines as well. Great wines with some lovely selections from the cellar that made this one of our top visits. Lokoya is pricey, yes, but wines are quality.
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2014 Cardinale - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
Outstanding beauty tasted at Lokoya. Would be a buy, but for the price and price increase over 2013. Sticker shock forced a walk away on this one. That being said it was #1 for us at Lokoya. (96 pts.) -
2014 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain (7/3/2018)
Might have gotten a higher score if not for the Cardinale in the same tasting. Nose and palate tell you this is definitely Howell Mtn. Definitely a well made wine. These are pricey but boy do they deliver year after year after year. (95 pts.) -
2014 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (7/3/2018)
The most approachable and ready to drink of the 2014 Lokoya wines. Full bodied, intense red berry fruit profile. Loved it. (94 pts.) -
2014 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder - USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder (7/3/2018)
AG nailed this right now, JD hit the potential. The second most restrained of the wines we tasted but also the most going on—-this has the most upside of the 2014 Lokoyas. Earth, forest floor, minerals, pine notes, red fruits (for me, the typical Mt Veeder profile). The intensity is there but asleep at the moment. Give this 5-7 years for maximum reward. (93 pts.) -
2007 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder - USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder (7/3/2018)
This is what the 2014 wants to be when it grows up, but seemed to be missing a link—-haven’t put my finger on what was missing just yet. More focused and streamlined, intense with oak, acid and tannins in the background. Red fruit and earthy forest notes dominate- far less of the pine notes found in the 2014. (95 pts.) -
2010 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain (7/3/2018)
A great surprise served blind at the end. Showed significantly better than the 2014 … no surprise there. I nailed the source but made a wrong guess after correctly narrowing down between ‘05 and ‘10. Showed intensity of red fruit from a hotter vintage. Will look for some of this on the secondary market. (94 pts.) -
2010 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain - USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain (7/3/2018)
Most restrained of the 2014 Lokoyas we tasted. Wasn’t giving up much so not much to write. Will be good if it goes the way of the 2010 we tasted which was really good. (91 pts.)
Freemark Abbey
Gary was a gracious host and fit us in on a custom tasting on very short notice. We tasted through 10 wines, all reds. Three stood out.
2013 Sycamore (best of the tasting, great fruit and integration of everything)
2014 Cab Franc (we started with this and kept going back to it) -Beautiful floral nose with continuing floral and fruit notes on the palate, no sharp edges.
2014 Mount Veeder - nice $60 wine, standard Mt Veeder profile. Would be a good restaurant buy.
Spoke with several others who mentioned the upper end reds at Freemark Abbey are making a comeback but seem to get lost in the fray of the wide variety of offerings. Without mention of which ones we liked the Sycamore and Cab Franc came up in discussions.
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2013 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Sycamore Vineyards - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford (7/3/2018)
This showed really well though needs more time. Restrained red/blue fruit melded nicely with the tannins and oak, definitely a 2013. We really liked it. (94 pts.)
Barnett
Wine tasting the way it should be, with a view, peace & quiet, and great wine.
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2017 Barnett Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Dry Creek Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley (7/3/2018)
Stood out from most other SBs we had, on par with Bevan’s SB. More on the tropical side of the fruit spectrum, which our wheelhouse. (92 pts.) -
2016 Barnett Vineyards Pinot Noir Anderson Valley - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley (7/3/2018)
Poured like a Pinot, smelled like a Pinot, tasted like a Pinot. The 2015 RRV was better. No score, no specific notes that stood out. -
2015 Barnett Vineyards Pinot Noir Tina Marie Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Green Valley of Russian River Valley (7/3/2018)
Tasted at Barnett. Better than 2016 Barnett Anderson. No specific notes. -
2015 Barnett Vineyards Merlot Spring Mountain District - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (7/3/2018)
Not bad, not great, but nothing special here. Suffered from outstanding competition on this trip. (88 pts.) -
2015 Barnett Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Cyrus-Ryan Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
Needs rest. Valley floor fruit. Earthy, mineral notes, small intense red berry fruit, but still very tannic, which surprised us. (90 pts.) -
2015 Barnett Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Rattlesnake Hill - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (7/3/2018)
PnP and still killed it, which shocked us. A few weeks ago, we had a ‘12 that neede 3 hours to open. Simply outstanding. Red and purple fruit, dark and concentrated. Tannins are there but not as pronounced as the Cyrus. Plenty of upside here with a decant or time in the cellar. (94 pts.)
Vice Versa
Great tasting in the cellar with Meghan. Got to see some of the personal collection of the owners, which always an interesting insight to see if what they own matches the profile of what they sell. Wines were all decanting when we arrived, forgot to ask how long. These are all dark concentrated big boy wines. More opulent than Bevan, yet still not overdone.
We also tasted yet to be names/released Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Not a fan of the Chardonnay, but the Pinot was the best we had for our palates—and we don’t generally like pinots.
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2015 Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
No score as this seemed shut down and did not show well today. A barrel sample of the 2016 VV CS blew this away. -
2016 Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/3/2018)
Barrel sample. Dark, viscous, black, beautiful. More on the black fruit profile with some red and blue fruit poking through. Blew away the 2015, but can still taste the parts, will be fun to see how the blended vineyards integrate with time. (92 pts.) -
2016 Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (7/3/2018)
Barrel sample, black delicious and concentrated. Outstanding potential here, but hold for a couple of years if you have the patience. Typical LPV mineral profile with some fruit jumping in, mint from the oak is showing, but not overly distracting. (94 pts.)
Turnbull
A new one for us, decided to try based on collection of vineyard sources. Thomas was a great host and was able to drive the tasting toward our palates. Great lineup with reasonable pricing, Turnbull will be added to our buying list.
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2017 Turnbull Sauvignon Blanc Josephine - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (7/3/2018)
Nothing special, more on the green apple spectrum. (87 pts.) -
2013 Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon Fortuna Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (7/3/2018)
A clear step up from the 2014, no question. This is a bully of a wine, simply put. Smoke iron blood notes along with the red fruit and blackberry plum notes. This wine reminds me why I love Eastern Oakville. (94 pts.) -
2014 Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon Fortuna Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (7/3/2018)
Lots of potential here, I like where this is going if the 2013 is any indication. This will be good and might have been better if not served next to its older brother. (90 pts.) -
2015 Turnbull Cabernet Franc Fortuna Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (7/3/2018)
We had this last at Turnbull, but it showed really well, even with tired palates. Floral and fruit notes that along with the tannins and acid need time to meld and play nice. We liked it enough to add to our buy list. 94-96 potential in 5 years. (92 pts.) -
2015 Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (7/3/2018)
Struggled on the score here but 92 for now with 96-97 potential. This one really surprised us. A little restrained right now and you could feel all the parts fighting against each other, including the vineyards. A teenager with pimples and braces now, potential beauty queen in 5 years…I hope. (92 pts.)
One more
Hall
Jumped into Hall for a quick 30 minute tasting. Won’t go into details but will never go back or recommend any who enjoys reds visit. Our server was nice and knowledgeable, but I felt sorry for him. We drank through five cabs all served somewhere 75F or above, including the Kathryn Hall and Jack’s Masterpiece. I honestly can’t tell you if those wines are good or not. They had plenty of alcohol—particularly that warm. Seemed to have potential, but why would you serve your great stuff so warm. My wife and I were stunned at the lunacy of it.
Great trip, three days is our max. Time to dry out.
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