Oak Hill Winery

St Innocent Winery

Temperance Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir 1999

Cherry cola, black tea, aged toasted oak, excellent acidity and balance, long, lingering finish, very fine aged Oregon Pinot to go with grilled Copper River (Alaskan) wild salmon!! — 18 days ago

Jim Powers
with Jim
Tom, Bob and 1 other liked this
Tom Casagrande

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Oooooo. Sounds great!
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

Oooooo. Sounds great!

Rutherford Hill

Napa Valley Merlot

Enjoying this oaky, chocolate, great tannins with my brothers in Visalia. — a month ago

Penfolds

Koonunga Hill South Australia Shiraz Cabernet 2021

Good but nothing great only buy the small bottles for mid week wines — a month ago

St Innocent Winery

Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021

Initially a bit closed, after two hours in the decanter this really opens up. Black cherry and sage come through on the nose and continue onto the palate with additional notes of cassis, bay leaf, and cloves. Has a persistent finish with herbs, spice, and black tea lingering on the palate. The herbal and spice flavors were really vibrant when paired with basil pesto pasta and mushrooms. Medium+ acidity, medium+ body, and medium tannins. This is the 2021 vintage. — 2 months ago

Tom, Neil and 7 others liked this
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

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@Joel Lara Nice write-up. This is consistently their most difficult Pinot offering to "figure out." Oodles of subtleties vs a few markers/demonstrative tendencies. NOT for the average Pinot Noir drinker.
Joel Lara

Joel Lara

@Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego that’s interesting because as I was drinking it I was thinking about how different it was to a lot of pinots I’ve had. The savory elements are not as loud as they are in other good pinots, but I still found them an intriguing backdrop to the beautiful fruit. The tannin really helped add some complexity on the finish too. I also bought a 2019 Temperance Hill, so looking forward to seeing how that compares.

Trefethen Family Vineyards

Oak Knoll District Cabernet Sauvignon

This is the 2022 Block 296 version of this vintage. Truly excellent. Sour cherries and oregano on the nose. Spicy! Sour cherries on the front. Medium to heavy tannic structure. Tangy on the mid palate. Long finish. Not your typical overpowering Napa Cab. — 3 months ago

J. Rochioli

Little Hill Pinot Noir 2018

We had a vertical tasting of 2018 and 2020 Little Hill Single Vineyard PN. Both have similar bouquets and palates. Black cherry and minerality. 2020 is a little more floral. 2018 has a more darker tone; and that is good. Both have nice mouthfeels with smoothed out tannins. 2018 is a little more velvety. Both very good. It seems these PN need more time in the bottle — 4 months ago

Vine Hill Ranch

Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

Big polished and showing a hint of heat. Happily the oak isn’t too pronounced. For me this baby needs time. — 6 days ago

Tom, Joel and 2 others liked this

Kistler

Vine Hill Vineyard Chardonnay 2017

Drinking wonderfully! — a day ago

Silver Oak

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1994

Over 30 years old. Has aged quite well. Did not have a decanter to deal with the sediment, but still a great wine to experience. Would be curious to see how this bottle compares to its counterpart from Alexander Valley. — a month ago

Chateau Montelena

Napa Valley Chardonnay 2023

Pear, apple, lemon, and light oak. Crisp but full. — a month ago

"Odedi", Sagee and 4 others liked this

Far Niente Winery

Napa Valley Chardonnay

Butter, oak, lime? — 2 months ago

Kumeu River

Hunting Hill Chardonnay 2019

This is the 2019 Hunting Hill, same vintage as the recently tasted Kumeu River Coddington. The Coddington remains the more opulent of the Kumeu cuvées. A mouth watering salinity. In this one. As Bob Campbell MW said, this is a Burgundian style (lacking the stone fruit of the Coddington). Although several previous vintages of Mates Vineyard have proved, at least to my palate, that it is the premium Cuvée. — 3 months ago

Somm, Andrew and 18 others liked this
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

@Bob McDonald, and this note looks like it posted without issue?? Maddening, hang in there!!
Bob McDonald

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@Doug Powers Yes I seem to be having a lucky run lately.

Caymus Vineyards

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Somm David T
9.4

I have written a few times regarding my tale of Caymus & Caymus Classic. Their vintages post 2011 and their vintages pre 2011.

I have at event tastings that Caymus was pouring, encouraged their staff to talk with Chuck to make both Caymus & Caymus Classic. Recently, I emailed them to pass on my thoughts to Chuck asking him to make both. If you liked Caymus the way it was, I encourage you to do the same. There is a dwelling amount of older, well preserved Caymus Classic vintages. info@wagnerfamilyofwine.com should you be so inclined.

Their post 2011 Caymus Cabernets are picked at higher brix and syrupy sweet. I get why Chuck changed. Many like sweeter Cabernets that drink easy young. That is not my wheelhouse.

In my intermediate wine days, I aged and enjoyed many pre 2012 vintages. This perfect bottle bought on the secondary market at around $70 is extremely well stored. The cork when I cut the foil looked slightly depressed, when I pulled it with an Ah-so was next to new.

I enjoyed this with a Ribcap, not the best wine for that steak but, ok. This 07 is more filet or NY Strip.

The nose shows; a very dark core of sweet currants. Ripe-lush-blackberries, black cherries, the blackest of plum to pudding, black raspberries, poached/slightly baked strawberries, circling raspberries, anise to black licorice, woven baking spices-cinnamon, clove, nutmeg & vanilla, caramel, dark chocolate, mellow dark spices, sweet tarriness & dark earth, dry crush limestone, moist, grey volcanic clays, dry top soil, dry tobacco, some sweet graphite, steeped black tea & withering/candied, dark, red flowers framed in liquid violets/lavender.

This bottle now nearly 18 years in bottle has not faded. It is at its precipice and will hold a few yrs. 2007 a grand Napa vintage. Decanted a little over an hour and enjoyed over the next 90-120 minutes. With this experience, another hour in the decanter is even better.

M-M+ velvety, rounded, tannins. The palate is round, ripe, lush, ruby fruits of; dark core of sweet currants. Ripe-lush; blackberries, black cherries, the blackest of plum to pudding, stewed plum, black raspberries, poached/slightly baked strawberries, circling raspberries with notes of liqueur overtones, anise to black licorice, woven baking spices-cinnamon, clove, nutmeg & vanilla, caramel, dark chocolate, black licorice, dark berry cola, distinct dark, Caynus Classic spices w/ palate heat, herbaceous notes, sweet tarriness & dark earth, dry crush limestone/rock, moist, grey volcanic clays, dry top soil, dry river stone, charcoal, notes of menthol, dry tobacco, leather, dry oak barrel shavings, some sweet graphite, steeped black tea & withering/candied, dark, red flowers framed in liquid violets/lavender, perfect, round acidity with an incredibly; balanced, well knitted-toned-structured, elegantly/smartly polished finish that goes on and on and long sets on beautiful earth & spice.

94+ This experience is becoming rarer & rarer.
— 4 months ago

Andrew, Rick and 9 others liked this
Joe DAscoli

Joe DAscoli Premium Badge

The 07 such a great wine

Liquid Farm

White Hill Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay 2024

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of 90min. The 2024 “White Hill” pours a pale straw color with medium viscosity. On the nose, the wine is developing with bright notes of star fruit, passion fruit, stone fruits, lemons, a touch of freshly struck matchstick, some white flowers and minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and slightly saline. I love the character of these wines. Really tasty stuff. Drink now through 2034+. — 6 days ago

Zach, Tom and 11 others liked this

Diamond Creek Vineyards

Volcanic Hill Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

Decant and pour. An amazing still dark garnet with bricking. On the nose: subtle notes of dark fruit, worn leather, herbaceous, pencil shavings, mint. Taste: savory, silky, elegant wine with some dried cherry/red plum, currants, tobacco, spice, earth, coffee grounds and a medium plus finish. YUM!!! Drinking beautifully for its age on this rain for an hour cool afternoon in Napa. — a month ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland
with Brenda
Tom, Dave and 10 others liked this

Chappellet

Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

hour decant(decent sediment).  A still dark garnet with bricking.   On the nose:  subtle notes of dark fruit, licorice, tobacco, forest floor, herbaceous, olive brine, mocha java.  Taste:  silky, layered, creamy wine with blackberry/dark plum, tobacco, baking spice, mocha java, earth, minerals, dried herbs and a long dry finish.  YUM!! — a month ago

Tom, Rick and 12 others liked this

Silver Oak

Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Yummy, smooth, flavorful, and not too heavy. Had at Josh's — 2 months ago

Iwan, "Odedi" and 1 other liked this

Stony Hill

Napa Valley Chardonnay 2023

Refreshing and good mouthfeel, it was lacking in depth, length and on the simple side. — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister, Hermes and 3 others liked this

B.R. Cohn

Olive Hill Estate Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

Great wine. Elegant dark fruits. Rich. — 3 months ago

Oak Ridge Winery

OZV Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel 2022

Wow, so big, so fruity, a bit sugary. It’s old school cool, like a true OG CA Zinfandel. — 4 months ago