Neil Valenzuela

9.5

Bottle #3537 -

Somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. — 2 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

This wine IMO has matured and is in the ripe drinking window right now. This wine has some blackberry influence but a lot of the fruit in the front and middle seems to be boysenberry, black cherry, dates, and sweet plums. Compared to other vintages that I've had (they've all been more current in the last few years), they have all been darker for sure, but Aloft has always seemed to be a touch sweeter than the Charles Krug Cold Springs and has also usually had a bit more punch. I think this one is starting to show a tiny bit of age. I think it's been a while since I decided to open an 09 Aloft. Finished with some pepper notes and a little eucalyptus. Went well with a huge variety of seafoods in the fact that it wasn't a unidimensional blackberry bomb. Enjoyed on the last night of our beach trip. — 6 years ago

Arden Barnett

9.2

Continuing to work my way through the 2017 Turley lineup. Definitely the most drinkable bottle so far. The Mead Ranch still takes the cake for me though. Love me some mountain fruit Zinfandel! — 7 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.1

This tasted like whole cluster fermented Howell Mountain juice. I could have believed that this was 100% Cabernet Franc or 50/50 Franc/Sangiovese even. Rose petal perfume on the nose. Herbal raspberry preserves on the front. Almost had a black cherry bubblegum note in the middle. Finished a little wonky. As I was trying to find something about the makeup of this wine, for which I really found nothing, I came across the $200+/bottle price tag on numerous occasions.....umm....OK. Enjoyable wine, but QPR is a bit crazy. — 7 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.0

For a 2009 Howell Mountain Cab from Steinhauer Ranch, I expected more. The last bottle of this wine was bigger, dense, more "in your face" blackberry and blueberry cassis with some complexity. This one lacked in this department. The front still had black and blueberry influences, but not as intense and seemed be a little bit red influenced now. Middle is where fig and date notes kick in. Rather simplistic. Finishes with well integrated and soft tannin. Worthy of 90, but barely. — 7 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.6

Wow. This wine is READY. Pours very dark into the glass. Thick meniscus. Nose that is intense: blackberry, blueberry, pencil shavings, roasted almonds, oregano. Enters with ripe blackberries and blueberry pie immediately up front. Middle of roasted coffee bean, herbs, roasted almonds, mint, black tea. Very eclectic and powerful. Finishes with a graphite chalkiness and powerful and mostly blueberry finish with black pepper. Tannins are still quite grippy, although I imagine the edges were more jagged on this one 5 years ago. WOW. Drink. Now. !! — 7 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.2

Nice wine but wow this one doesn't seem to have six years of age on it. This wine is thick, dense. The nose is blackberry and spice. Entry is sweet, blackberry, iodine, red clay. Middle is spice, black licorice, again sweeter fruit with perhaps a sweet blueberry(?). Finish is toasted cedar tannin and a lot of pepper. The sweeter notes of this wine give it a more youthful profile. But I wouldn't say that it really contributes positively. Didn't get much of the classic Rutherford dust on this one. If I was served this blind, I would have guessed this was mountain fruit. Still QUITE a nice wine. — 8 years ago

Ted

9.3

Funny story. I took this bottle in my luggage to Florida. Bubble wrapped the heck out of it and it still broke. Lesson learned. Reminds me of some the middle to late 90 Burgundies that I have had but this is only 5-6 years old. Not sure how much life it has left but it’s good now. — 3 years ago

with Jeni

Tobin Trevarthen

8.9

Love their Merlot. A go to middle of the winner treasure. Consistent. Cherry cough drop, less the cold part. — 5 years ago

Clive McNish

9.3

Worked up a lockdown sweat wrestling with this one. Day one it was like trying to raise a teenager from bed on Sunday morning in the middle of a pandemic. Needed four hours in the decanter before finally revealing a nose and some flavour on the palate. When i left it later in the evening, some really nice complexity coming through with blackberry, cassis, green peppers and wood but not necessarily oak. Tannins are fine but a little drying in the first glass or two. This is a Bordeaux style Napa Cabernet, much more subdued and savoury than many of its neighbours. Day two this is really good, finally forgiven me for waking it up before 2030 and offering soft, dark fruit with, vanilla, chocolate and cherry flavours . Nice long finish with some sweetness creeping in.

This is a complex wine, deep colour and character and it needs time. Well worth the effort and it goes without saying this will age for many years before reaching its peak. Fine sediment, needs filtering. — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

Has been 3 years since I opened one of these and this is really coming into a nice spot right now. This wine is dark, deep, and full bodied. Black cork with tartrate on every square mm. Poured black, inky to the glass. Nose of spice cookie, cinnamon, nutmeg, blackberry cassis. Entry mimicked the same with a graphite and shale note to the middle. This wine finished with good acidity, softened but toasted cedar tannins. Now wishing that I had kept this one another year or two, but drinking at the very top of the hill right now in my opinion. I think this one will have another 5-7 years before it needs to be consumed, but I'd say that if you want to be treated, open this now! — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.3

This was actually my first Napa Valley Dunn as I’ve normally enjoyed their Howell Mountain. Definitely more approachable...blackberry, fig and pipe tobacco aromatics with a darker/charcoal like streak down the middle of the palate. Finish has some dark cocoa dusted dates and a touch of bayleaf. — 7 years ago

with Dan and Weston

Mark Flesher

9.4

Opened tonight. And, I feel like a broken record saying that here is ANOTHER great 2011 considering the "damned vintage" that this one received press for being. I have 43 more 2011 Napa wines and I have a feeling that I'm going to be writing the same thing another 43 times. Not powerful, but these wines truly show the complexity that Napa cab CAN be. Nose of iodine, black licorice. Very front of this wine is sweeter black cherry giving way to an herbal infused middle (getting more dried basil with a hint of oregano and cumin). The red clay terroir is unmistakably present here through the middle and finish, which is usually more present for Ponente only at the very finish. The wine finishes with black cherry and black licorice dominated notes. I have a feeling that this wine is still on the way up. Has a few more years until it is at the top of the hill, but drinking OH SO WELL right now. — 7 years ago

heidi schlegel

9.9

Lovely stone fruit, minerals in the middle and a dry finish. Unusual to get a Reisling from Napa, but this is nicely done. — 3 years ago

Tor Kenward

9.1

1985. I picked the grapes on this wine with Ken and friends. Still hanging on with some bright acidity. Edges tawny. Middle dark for Pinot. — 5 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.5

Full ruby to the rim. Superripe, deep scents of cherry, mocha and gravel. As fine-grained and suave as the last two but enters the mouth with more obvious definition and mineral firmness, giving the middle palate more energy and thrust. Finishes with unmistakably powerful yet suave Howell Mountain tannins and outstanding slowly building length. Unlike the other two 2010s from Dana Estates, this very large-scaled wine really still needs a couple more years of patience. Good minerality and structure here, but still plenty of alcohol at 15.7%. Finishes with outstanding length and excellent lift. (Stephen Tanzer, Vinous, May 2020)
— 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

Last time I opened one of these was back in 2012....what a difference six years has made! This wine has come to full maturity. Drinking at the very top and showing everything it has. Dark black mulberry, balckberry, figs and sweet roasted plums. Middle goes dark and gritty. Espresso bean, while still retaining an overt sweetness. the finish of this has great balance, nice acidity, resolving tannin, roasted black fruits and black pepper. Dang. Happy 4th of July everyone! — 7 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.2

He really nice interpretation of this vineyard's fruit. Didn't really know much about this but saw that it was from one of my favorite vineyards. The nose was more of a roasted fig, blackberry, blueberry. Entry was definitely dark. A little more brambly, with hints of dark chocolate and baking spices to the middle. started to show some of the red clay towards the finish. The tannins on this wine or not nearly as stiff as I had imagined. Definitely toasted, good fruit backbone, and definitely feel that this wine will continue to evolve over the next five to seven years. Overall, still prefer Mia Klein's interpretation (IMO of course). — 7 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.6

Incredible bottle. In its PRIME right now. Youthful nose and front palate of blueberry, blackberry, cassis, cinnamon. The middle is black fruit dominated, showing a tiny hint of age but is quite integrated and soft. Finish is powerful blackberry, blueberry, hint of bramble. Toasted, sweet cedar tannin with quite a youthful finish. In 750, this bottle is both youthful yet integrated, shy yet powerful. Dang. Still have 1 more of these left! 96 easy...almost a 97. Cheers! — 7 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

Thanksgiving wine number 3. The first wine of the meal, decanted about 3 hours ahead of time. This is a blackberry and black licorice monster, with hints of blueberry and pie spice. Even despite decanting, the amount of tannin here is incredible. Young oak tannicity is very present on this wine. Turns dark and smoky to the middle and finish. Full bodied and definitely complemented a majority of foods here. But.... along comes Dyer to steal the show. I believe this wine will be a lot better in about five years. But, still not a bad showing whatsoever with a solid 94 presentation today. — 8 years ago