Nick Wolfe

9.0

Delectable, why do we even bother with the photo? This is the 2011 Ledson Napa Valley Petite Verdot. Plum, white pepper, spice, berries, coffee, toffee, vanilla, and sweet caramel on the nose. Palate adds something cedary and rustic while keeping balance. This wine shows huge promise for further aging. This is the last time I'm bothering with sure-fire always-misidentifying Delectable. Deleting the app. — 10 years ago

Nick Wolfe

8.6

This is the 2011 Winemaker's Reserve Gruner Veltliner. Grapey and peachy. It's a nice wine. — 10 years ago

Nick Wolfe

9.2

This is the 2004. Wonderful wine at a good time to drink it. It desperately needs a good 90 minutes minimum to breathe in order to bring out its beguiling aromas and flavors. Black fruit, tar, rose petals, cigar ash, spice, and rich black licorice are on the nose. Palate seems light until it finally opens up with a whole lot of breathing time. Color is mostly turned to a brick color. Finish is long...after it's been breathing for a least two hours. Better to let it breathe a lot more... — 10 years ago

Nick Wolfe

9.4

This is the 2005 Charles Cimicky Petite Sirah, just like it says in big block letters in the label. (Delectable, this is getting ridiculous.). This is a big, dark, brooding wine drinking beautifully now. Nose is powerful with spice, plum, black fruit, white pepper, tobacco, espresso, and sweetened dark chocolate. Palate is rich and mouthcoating with balanced acidity and rustic-but-sweet tannins. Finish is very long with cigar box notes shining through. Excellent wine. Drink this with savory, herb-driven dishes to bring out the sweet, brooding, port-like side of this wine. — 10 years ago

Nick Wolfe

9.0

This is the 2010 Paso Robles Tempranillo. A nice new world take on Tempranillo. Lots of black and blue fruit over spice and a thick texture. Tannins are strong but integrated with the fruit. Finish is long and keying on the spice. Alcohol may be just a bit hot, but it's hard to complain about that in such a warm-region, ripe-fruit wine. This wine was fantastic with the meal, and fantastic with cheeses and blackberries afterwards. — 10 years ago

Nick Wolfe

8.6

This is the Winemaker's Best Barrel 2010 Syrah. Nice spice, dry earth, and plum on the nose. Palate has black and red fruit, licorice, and leather. Everything is balanced, although the tannins actually seem a bit light. Still a nice wine. — 10 years ago

Nick Wolfe

9.2

This is the 2005 Edicion Limitada. Wow...big spice, black fruit, smoke, and earth on the nose. Palate is rich and mouthcoating with fruit, dark chocolate, spice, and very-fine-but-still-rustic tannins. Bright acidity that works nicely with the earthiness. Very long finish on this beautiful wine. Very sensual. — 10 years ago

Nick Wolfe

8.7

Thus sit he 2012. A nice southern Rhone village wine. This wine has an earthy and funky quality that I just love. There is plum and blackberries along with resonant spices. Acidity is just a bit bright and the rustic tannins work well with this flavor profile. Finish is long with leather and a garam masala spice effect. — 10 years ago

Nick Wolfe

8.7

This is the 2013 Sluice Box. I'm actually a bit disappointed with this wine. Past bottles were minerally tannic with lots of unique personality. Now this seems really grapey and without finesse. I hope this is just a shut-down moment for this wine. This winemaker is usually really outstanding... — 10 years ago

Nick Wolfe

9.0

This is the 2010, and it's a very pretty pinot. Color is light with a bit of salmon color and more of a translucent garnet. Nose has red fruit, white pepper, baking spices, sweet cherry, and smoke. Palate is nicely balanced with pronounced-but-very fine grained tannins. More red fruit, sweet spices, and vanilla come through on the palate. Finish isn't intense, but it is very pretty and actually it is long. With the right white-flesh fish, this would be an outstanding, talk-about-it-the-next-time wine. — 10 years ago