Tom Casagrande

9.4

@Delectable Wine This is the 2016 Ca’ Rozzeria Barbaresco “Single Vineyard - Nieve.”

This is Garagiste’s private label for “mystery” wines of excess inventory from actual good wineries. No clue who the actual producer of this beauty is, but damn! This is sooooo classic and packed. Color is old school in that it’s relatively pale, not saturated at all. Fragrant ripe rich macerated cherry on the nose, with spice, dried rose petals, crushed rocky gravel, rich mahogany furniture scents. So deeply fragrant. On the palate it’s deep and structured. Drinking well now but will last years. Both weighty and a bit austere, with great transparency. Deep flavors of dried cherry extract. Loads of powerful but fine grained tannin. Great acids and very nice length. I absolutely love this. — 2 years ago

Ryan Vento

9.3

I can always count on Del Frisco’s and their private label wines to really make an entrance. This Sonoma County Cab, made exclusively for the Double Eagle Steakhouse, was developed by Paul Hobbs and is produced/bottled at his CrossBarn Winery. This is a solid selection with loads of deep, brooding dark fruits, mint, Christmas spice cake, figs, molasses, dark chocolate, and coffee grounds. Great with a burger 👌🏻 even better with a steak, I imagine. — 6 years ago

with Krystal

Rob Sternthal

9.5

The Bear is out of hibernation. If you don’t own/buy this, then you’re just ignorant. @Anthony Biagi crushes his private label wines. Q. P. R. This is just luscious. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

I think this might be K&L’s first Kalinda Bourgogne Blanc. They have made their private label wines since 1984. I can’t remember one not being worth twice it’s value or more.

Jacques Bavard made this 16 for K&L. He is a small Negociant producer in Puligny-Montrachet.

On the nose, Meyer lemon, green apple, ripe pineapple, peach, white peach, touch of grapefruit w/ pith, lime, cream, soft vanilla, honey notes, hints of tangerine, waxy character, soft saline minerals, sea shells, spring yellow & white flowers.

The palate is full & lush. It’s big & creamy. Ripe pineapple, peach, white peach, green & golden apple, Meyer lemon, lime, grapefruit w/ pith, beeswax, honeysuckle, tangerine, cream, pear, hints of vanilla, saline, sea shells, elegant, soft chalkiness, beautiful round acidity and a finish that is well balanced, big structure, nice tension with excellent length and lasts minutes.

This $19.99 a bottle. Buy a bunch for everyday drinking and to impress. It’s very good and too easy to drink. Easily worth twice it’s bottle price. I’ll be buying more. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I kid you not, Charles Hendricks is likely the most underrated & under known Winemaker in Napa Valley.

If you have not had his wines, you are missing out on great wines & relative real value for Napa. He makes his own private higher end label-Hendricks, Hope & Grace and midway through the 14 vintage for; James Cole, Regusci & T-Vine.

There are few Winemakers that can make wines that drink well young & some that will age two decades plus stored correctly.

This Santa Lucia Doctor’s Vineyard is really good but, his private label Hendricks Pinot from Santa Lucia is off the charts. His 2008 Hendricks Pinot Noir is the highest rating I have ever given a Ca Pinot Noir, 98.

The 13 Doctor’s Vineyard is better than his 12 & is still a little early right now. It will improve over the next 5 years & hold there a couple of years before its gentle decline.

The nose reveals, ripe, well extracted & slightly baked; blackberries, stewed, deep, dark, black plum, black cherries, black raspberries, baked strawberries, dry pomegranate & cranberries with shades of blueberries. Dark spices, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanilla, touch of savory meats, anise to black licorice, black tea, wet clay, steeped black tea, touch of herbs dominated with Rosemary, rich, black, earth, dry stones, dry crushed rocks, fresh tobacco, leather notes, volcanic minerals, limestone with bright, fresh & withering florals that are; dark, red, purple, blue mixed in violets and lavender.

The body is full, rich, lush and gorgeous. The structure, tension, length and balance are just hitting their good phase. It is simply a beautiful & complex Pinot Noir. Nicely extracted & slightly baked; blackberries, stewed, deep, dark, black plum, black cherries, black raspberries, baked strawberries, dry pomegranate & cranberries with more blueberries than the nose. Dark spices that bring palate heat, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick & vanilla, touch of savory meats, peppery notes, anise to black licorice, black tea, wet clay, steeped black tea, touch of herbs dominated with Rosemary, rich, black, earth, dry stones, dry crushed rocks, fresh tobacco, leather notes, volcanic minerals, limestone with bright, fresh & withering florals that are; dark, red, purple, blue mixed in violets and lavender. The acidity is very good & excellent at containing the slightly higher ABV. The long, complex finish is, well balanced fruit & earth, polished and will persist until dawn.

Photos of; Their Doctor’s Vineyard, one of my favorite paintings that used to hang behind the bar in their tasting room & now hangs in Charles’ house (it reminds me of a Jackson Pollock), Winemaker-Charles Hendricks and the front of their tasting room in downtown Yountville.
— 5 years ago

Ryan Vento

9.4

Casual wine club with friends tonight over a steak dinner. My wife & I supplied the wines, our friends hosted and cooked.
.
Having sold its organically farmed grapes for 116 consecutive vintages, Napa Wine Company decided to set aside 15% of their crop in 1996 to produce their very own private label wine with. After approximately 20 months of aging in both new and used French oak barrels the wine was bottled and released. However, NWC withheld a small portion of their offering, thus relegating it to the secure confines of their cellars to lie & wait until the right time. Needless to say, the time is nigh. Produced under the masterful guidance of winemaker Randy Mason, this inaugural vintage of 1996 Cabernet from Napa Wine Company was sourced exclusively from Oakville's iconic Rock Cairn vineyard and is as classic as matured Napa Cab comes. This is a truly special bottle.
.
This opened up beautifully with a highly perfumed nose of saddle leather, mushrooms, cherries, Luxardo cherry syrup, licorice, mint, pipe tobacco, dark chocolate, and Christmas spices. On the palate very feminine, balanced, and downright elegant. So delicious. I was very happy with this. — 6 years ago

with Krystal

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Kalinda is K&L Wine Merchants private label. If you give it 5+ years in bottle, it’s one of the best, if not thee best value in Napa Cabernet. I think I paid $18.99 or $21.99 for this 09. I’d like to tell you who made it but, that’s the mystery of Kalinda, you just don’t know. They either buy juice from a quality producer or have them make a wine specifically for them. They’ve made a lot of great producer relationships over the 40 plus years they’ve been in business. Either way, dollar for dollar, it’s a steal. Name a quality Napa producer you can buy for $20. It’s a very short list. I buy six of more of these every year without even thinking about it. It’s simply that consistently good and always an exceptional value.

On the nose, it’s sweet, ripe, ruby nectar. There are some hints of fruit liqueur. Blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, black plum with hint of strawberries. Mocha powder, dark chocolate, light dark spice, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, whiff of nutmeg, crushed rocks, loamy dry top soil, some dark moist earth, dark fresh & withering floral bouquet.

The body is medium edging to full. It’s fresh, fruity, silky and elegant. The length, structure, balance and tension are in a perfect spot. There is nothing on the palate that bites back. The fruits are ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, black plum, huckleberries, blue fruit with hint of strawberries. Mocha powder, dark chocolate, light darker spice than the nose, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, whiff of nutmeg, dry crushed rocks, soft, round volcanic minerals, loamy dry top soil, some dark moist earth, dark fresh & withering floral bouquet. The round acidity is nicely executed. The long, well balanced finish is really nice and lasts minutes. This bottle just missed 9.2.

Photos of, the K&L tasting bar in SF, floor shot of racked wines and beautiful shots from the Napa Valley.
— 7 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Attended a Parallel Wines private tasting last night. Very nice and classic in style. Didn’t realize how small their production is...less than 600 total cases. This is their 20th year and Melka has been with them from the beginning.

My favorite red of the evening. This is their reserve label, and it changes names each year. Very smooth. Showing the whole fruit spectrum...red, blue and black. More herbs de Provence here with some savory smoked meat too. Dark chocolate shavings, cherry wood and ripe, sweet fruits. — 5 years ago

P A

10

I am enjoying this wine tonight in celebration of the life of an Canadian wine giant Harry McWatters who passed earlier this week. Harry possibly more than anyone else put the Okanagan wines on the map. Sumac Ridge is his first winery and label. Harry understood the market and brought us enjoyable wines targeted to various levels of sophistication and quality. He lobbied to get us the VQA designation, wine sales on Sunday and the use of broader distribution. Often called the God Father of the Okanagan wine industry, one that loved life and great wines. I say that he is a 10 that will be missed. Cheers and thanks to you Harry 🍷 — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

We have been working on our South Africa and Egypt trip for months. Diligently doing research and talking about it daily.

One of our stops will be a week on the Western Cape or as many define it, Stellenbosch. It has always been on my wine region bucket list for its wines and beauty. One of my goals was to find some excellent producers of Pinotage.

This Beeslaar is the private label of the Winemaker at Kanonkop, Abrie Beeslaar. Abrie makes a black label Kanonkop that sells retail at $200. That’s right, $200! It must be deliriously good if they can get $200 for it.

I found this 2016 Beeslaar at K&L for just under $37. It’s the 1st Pinotage that has my eyes wide open as to what can’t be done with this difficult varietal in the right hands. If his private label is this good, I hope to visit Kanonkop and taste their black label.

The nose reveals; dark chocolate raisins, dark eastern spices, plum and black cherry, blueberries, baked strawberries, blackberries, black raspberries, black raisin currants, smokiness and grilled meats, black pepper and a touch of white, some green vegetal notes, cinnamon, dark chocolate mocha bar, dark fruit steeped tea, gravely schist, touch of coffee grounds, dark fruit roll-ups, leather, tobacco with ash with fresh, dark red & blue florals.

The body is full, thick and rich. There is a dark, tarry, dusty tannin structure. This will benefit from 3-5 years plus in bottle but, it is crazy good. Sound, firm; structure, big tension, long length and very good balance. Dark chocolate raisins, smokiness and grilled meats, dark eastern spices that brings pronounced heat to the palate, black plum, plum and black cherry, blueberries, baked strawberries, blackberries, black raspberries, raspberries, black raisin currants, dark berry bubblegum, black pepper and a touch of white, tree bark with a touch of sap, some green vegetal notes, cinnamon, dark chocolate mocha bar, dark fruit steeped tea, gravely schist, dry stones, touch of coffee grounds, dark fruit roll-ups, new un-smoothed leather, tobacco with ash with fresh, dark red & blue florals. The acidity is round and splendid. The elegant, rich finish runs ripe fruits to dry tannins with dusty earth and shows an even tug of war with its fruits and earthiness.

It drinks like a combination of; Grand Cru Gamay, Shiraz and Northern Rhône.

I will be getting more of this and forgetting about it for 5 more years. Can’t wait for that moment and noting the changes.

This wine raises my excitement level for our trip with each sip.

Pinotage is a grape variety made from a cross of Pinot Noir & Cinsaut that was created in South Africa in 1925 by Abraham Izak Perold, the first Professor of Viticulture at Stellenbosch University...making it one of the youngest grape varietals.

Photos of; a shot of just how beautiful Cape vineyards can be, Winemaker-Abrie Beeslaar, Pinotage fruit near harvest and field-hands harvesting their very tall vines. Beeslaar has no Cellar Door currently. — 6 years ago