Norman Gennaro

9.4

No age statement (NAS) on this one but it still has a rich and full finish. It not one that lasts super long but is complete and great. Didn’t think I was a fan of Tamdhu but this changes that.

Official commentary - The distiller does so by bottling the Cigar Malt unchillfiltered at 53.8% ABV, which the distiller’s notes show the whisky to mimic the spice, aroma, and mouthfeel of aged tobacco leaves.

Sandy McIntyre, Tamdhu’s distillery manager, explained that Cigar Malt II has a balanced, creamy nose that gives way to crystallized ginger, golden syrup, and hints of sherry oak. It tastes of winter fruits soaked in sherry with a thick mouthfeel, followed by a malt loaf and vanilla cream.

The finish is lingering and brings a hint of sherry, with honeyed apricots and toasted nuts. — 8 months ago

Kyle Bloudoff-Indelicato

9.0

Soft tannins, fruit forward. Delicious — 3 years ago

John Hagood

9.2

Per Dave McIntyre, WF Feb 2018. Had 2015 on 11 March with Cooks Illustrated coq au vin (cheap Rhône). Bright tannic hit with alcohol at first. Fresh ripe but firm washed cherries. Fruit not herbs. Mid-palate more cherry than ever. L gets cherry at front, plum midway and cassis at back. The perfect GSM. — 7 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.1

What I want of a cool climate but new world pinot. Perfectly ripe fruit cheers-ing licorice and lilacs. — a year ago

Frank B

9.1

Very nice. Liked the single vineyard McIntyre and some of their clone specific bottling better. But still very good. — 3 years ago

Jake Hajer

9.2

Bold fruit, while still crisp and bright. Good acidity. Tart, yet rich apple. Chalk and apricot. Brine. Best bottle of bubbly from a non-traditional/winery that doesn’t specialize in bubbly that I’ve had. — 6 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

They should have called the Winery Floral Springs based on the nose. Beautiful; blackberry, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries, dry cranberries and plum floral fruits. Nice spice, vanilla, touch of clove & cinnamon, used leather, dark rich soil, crushed volcanic minerals, black fruit tea, black raspberry cola and dark fresh florals with violets. The tannins are 95% resolved. The body is lush & ripe. The length, tension & structure are nearing the end. Just a few years left of being worthwhile. However, the balance is stereo tuned. The fruit on the palate shows even more elegant & ripe floral fruits than the nose. Blackberry, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries, dry cranberries and plum floral fruits. Nice spice, vanilla, light clove & cinnamon, used leather, dark rich soil, crushed volcanic minerals, black fruit tea, black raspberry cola and dark fresh florals with violets for days. The acidity is like a waterfall. The beautiful, long, elegant finish is a little lean yet has a nice richness. Beautiful wine that just missed 9.2. Photos top to bottom and left to right. The Winery; which is separate from the other tasting room only on Hwy 29. The tasting room on Hwy 29 in St. Helena, Flora Spring caves and the front of their tasting room along Hwy 29. Producer notes and history...the stone winery on the grounds were built in 1885 by two immigrant brothers from Scotland, James and William Rennie. They were in construction, built the winery and planted 60 acres of grapes. The brothers had some bad fortune when phylloxera consumed the vines, and then a fire in 1900 destroyed their wine press and cooperage. In 1904, they sold the winery and fifteen years later Prohibition started. The winery was then closed until 1933. That year, Louis Martini, looked into their magic eight-ball and saw Prohibition collapsing and bought the Rennie property. They built a new stone house and also made a reserve wine from the hillside vineyards. However, the old winery remained empty until the Komes family bought the property, 325 acres, the old farm house, the newer stone house and 60 acres of vineyards. The son thought he’d persuade his dad to restore the old winery and proposed to call it Chateau Jerome. Although it had been designed by Hamden McIntyre an architect of several other classic 19th-century Napa wineries, by 1977, the place was a wreck. The tin roof of the building had so many holes in it. They called it the starlight roof. His father looked at it and stated, “I’ve worked all my life for my good name. I don’t want to squander it now.” John’s mother, Flora, however, sided with her son on the potential of the property. Carrie Komes suggested they could name the winery for her mother-in-law. Combined with the abundant springs on the land, they decided the name would be Flora Springs. It was a sure way to their mom’s heart and father’s wallet. Komes put his construction expertise to work on renovating the old winery, which still had scorch marks on the walls. So skeptical was his father about his son’s wine-making project, they divided the winery building. John rented half where he put his first fermenting tank, which he named R2D2. He invited a couple of friends from his wine-making class to help make wine at the new place. He also hired Mary Ann Graf, who in 1965 had been the first woman to graduate from the viticulture and enology department at UC Davis to help manage the project. She told John, “if you don’t hire a winemaker, I’ll quit.” He did and the 1979 Flora Springs chardonnay won a gold medal at the Los Angeles County Fair. In those days, it was fairs, not ratings. This was his first lesson in marketing as they sadly sold all the wine before they won the medal. Fairs were the big news instead of ratings as Parker had not yet risen to fame as he was the only one to call the grand 1982 Bordeaux vintage correctly. They submitted their 1981 Cabernet to eight fairs and won seven gold medals. From there, the winery just kept growing. They were the 67th winery in the county. Over the years, they had their ups and downs, but kept growing. One of their highlights was the creation this wine, Trilogy. It was one of the first Meritage blends in the valley. By 1984, they planted all the Bordeaux varietals; Malbec, Merlot, Cab Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. They wanted to create a blend “by taste”, not by formula for a nice smooth wine that goes deep into the palate. They worked with a little of this and little of that. The first Trilogy was Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc. It was dubbed as velvet in the mouth. A lot of what they do is taming the tannins. One man who bought Trilogy by the case said, “it’s the only red wine his wife would drink young.” From the leftovers, they began making single-varietal estate wines. Another highlight was the discovery of a unique clone of Sauvignon Blanc in vineyards his father bought in Oakville. UC Davis could identify nothing like it in their vast library of clones. They were a bit ahead of the times, but this clone showed Flora Springs how different in that time period what Sauvignon Blanc could be like as it took all the grassiness out of Sauvignon Blanc. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

Not overly familiar with the producer apart from the fact that Kate McIntyre MW is part of this family owned winery, but I love the district in the Mornington Peninsula as excellent for Pinot Noir Chardonnay and Shiraz. Pale to mid Ruby in colour. Dried cherry on the nose, toasty oak,with decayed plant matter. Great palate intensity. A good Pinot with several years in front of it. — 2 years ago

Paul J

9.2

Very nice. No overwhelming characteristics but was tiled towards a White Burgundy or a White Rhône. Lovely texture, but could have used more aroma, fruit, and crispness. Medium finish. — 5 years ago

with Brooke

Mickey Huang

9.3

Deep red purple, medium + tannin, on the nose is herbaceous, stemmy, bright lifted & peppery blackcurrent juice! Such a complex Shiraz! Had it with grilled steak and it is absolutely perfect! — 8 years ago