Austin Hohnke

9.0

Grapes from Red Hills Lake County. Lots of structure on top of cassis, blackberry, licorice, and cinnamon. Great concentration and consistency for Cali Cab in this range. Might be too broad shouldered for your average fruit bomber. — 10 days ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.3

Maturing nicely, this is in the tertiary zone with pronounced dried red fruits, savory spices and roasted meats, with plenty of iron and volcanic soil notes. The tannin have resolved into a fine and elegant structure. Acidity is intact and well integrated. The flavor intensity is high, elegant, and persistent, very light on its feet as it sails into a long, mature finish.

This will pair perfectly with pasta and lighter fowl, gane or meat dishes. Pastas it will excel with red sauces, pestos or any lighter sauces that are savory with garlic and herbs at their core.

Drink now or hold 5 years more. — 5 months ago

Natalie Hicken

9.0

Great with steaks à la Paul — 2 years ago

Tom Garland

9.2

From 375 ml bottle...good things can come in small packages.

Double decant and pour. A still dark purplish garnet color with some bricking(decent chunky/fine sediment). On the nose: subtle brooding notes of dark fruit, currants, wet forest floor, worn leather, smokey grilled meat. Taste: creamy, elegant, balanced, savory wine with some dark cherry, earth, dark chocolate, cedar, tobacco, and a cocoa dried herb medium plus finish. YUM! — a month ago

Nicole Ocasio

9.2

Perfect for the Summer. If you're in the tropics, perfect for everyday. Light color, balanced in acidity, and with a hint of earthy volcanic undertone. — 6 months ago

Matt Perlman

9.2

Volcanic island wine! Juicy red fruit and saline—could pair with olives and cheese, melon and cured meat, grilled seafood — 10 months ago

John Tan

9.3

Sanshugong.

12% alc. Margalagua is a charismatic parcel of the Taganan vineyard comprising 100- to 300-year-old vines on a uniquely iron-rich seam of rocky volcanic soil. This treacherously steep vineyard site is planted with a mix of mostly indigenous red grapes, such as Negramoll and Listán Negro, with a small amount of Listán Blanco. This parcel is about elegance and depth rather than power: due to the silky character of the wines, it is vinified differently with a much longer (30- to 45-day) maceration and 100% stem-inclusion, yielding a darker, bolder, richer wine.
[Vintage 2018:] “This vineyard has been vinified and bottled separately since 2012 because it has a very strong personality, not surprisingly, because it's one of the most fascinating and exceptional vineyards I've ever seen in my life. . . This is a translucent bright ruby color, and it's aromatic, floral, spicy and mineral, expressive and super fresh, because of the year and because they have new cooler vineyards. It has lots of notes of violets and lilies. The flavors are pungent, precise, clean, symmetric and very elegant, with refined tannins and a tasty, somewhat salty finish. This is the best wine they have produced to date. Truly word-class.” WA 98 (Luis Gutiérrez) — 3 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.2

Piquant, some volcanic sulfur wisps, bubble-gum, stewed bean and bay, and really elegant Pinot- like fruit. Beautifully resolved and at peak. — 2 months ago

Mark Rosse

9.3

Great showing today — 3 months ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

I tasted this at cork pull and it looked & tasted a bit brickish. Waited to decant but it still needed a hour in the decanter. 97 a great Napa vintage. Well stored bottle bought from auction.

The fruits are lush, velvety & ruby; blackberries, black plum, plum pudding, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries & blueberry hues. Dark chocolate, mocha, salted caramel, malt balls on the long decant, black licorice, there is a touch of v/a-bandaid but it’s not spoiling and dissipates some in time, dusty to slightly moist top soil, olive tapenade, herbaceous notes, soft, dark spice, half used, dry tobacco w/ ash, sandalwood, moist, grey volcanic clay, limestone, dry crushed rocks, notes of black pepper, candied, liquid, fresh & mostly withering, dark, red, purple flowers, very round acidity and a very well balanced, tensioned, nicely structured and a smartly polished, round finish that lasts two-minutes.

Second wine to pair with/ Allen Brothers Cover Ribs. — 8 months ago