There are 750 cases (which means good yields for John, although any normal person would call 1.5-1.75 tons per acre financial suicide) of the 2012 Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard, and it's a terrific vintage for this cuvee.... Read More
The 2019 Syrah Rosella's Vineyard is a stunning 100% Syrah made with 20% whole cluster, aged in 20% new French oak and harvested just before the 2019 Kincade fire started in Sonoma County on October 23. Opaque ruby-purple... Read More
Hestan Vineyards' 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, which emanates from their 56 acres of Bordeaux varietals, is aged 20 months in new French oak and bottled without fining or filtration by proprietors Stanley and Helen Cheng.... Read More
The 2014 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard, from the northern part of the appellation, is also the most refined of the three Kosta Browne Pinots from the Santa Lucia Highlands. Expressive floral, citrus and mint notes give the... Read More
The top wine in 2013 is the 2013 LC Red Rising Tides Proprietary Red. Made from 40% Syrah, 32% Grenache, 18% Mourvedre and a splash of Cinsault, it offers a gorgeously sweet nose of black fruits, bouquet garni, pepper and plenty... Read More
The extraordinary 2001 Pinot Noir Le Moulin Rouge continues to remind me of ripe vintages of the DRC Richebourg or La Tache. It is 100% destemmed, whereas those wines include 100% stems, but its extraordinary floral, wild mountain... Read More
The 2013 Pinot Noir Moulin Rouge looks to be the stronger wine, with plenty of raspberry and black cherries again, but more forest floor, earth, and violets. It is lush, ripe, and best drunk over the next 8-10 years. - Robert... Read More
Not made since 2006 and described by Kevin as the ultimate expression of the vineyard, the 2013 Pinot Noir Alpine Hillside Vineyard was a cellar selection (done blind) that ended up coming all from the same block of steep, east-facing... Read More
Not made since 2006 and described by Kevin as the ultimate expression of the vineyard, the 2013 Pinot Noir Alpine Hillside Vineyard was a cellar selection (done blind) that ended up coming all from the same block of steep, east-facing... Read More
A ripe, layered effort that took plenty of air time to come together (I followed all of these wines over two days), the 2012 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard offers gorgeous cherry and raspberry-like notes to go with ample spice-box,... Read More
This steep, south facing parcel always yields a mineral-style of wine and the 2013 Pinot Noir Horseshoe Vineyard lives up to expectations. Currants, rose petals, forest floor and crushed rocks all emerge from this medium to full-bodied,... Read More
Rhys' 2013 Syrah Horseshoe Ranch Vineyard is a downright peppery, gamey, olive and bloody meat-scented Syrah that offers more than a touch of Cornas-like character. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully concentrated and balanced,... Read More
The 2002 Monte Bello Proprietary Red is a blend of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot. It tastes as if it hasn't changed since I first sampled it in late 2003 and then again in bottle two years later. The... Read More
One of the smallest crops to be included in the Ridge Monte Bello, only 32% of the production made it into the 2003, which is largely Cabernet Sauvignon (85%) and the rest Merlot and Petit Verdot. Out of barrel as well as post-bottling... Read More
As it approaches age twelve, the 2006 Monte Bello is still quite reserved on the nose and on the palate, unwinding in the glass with a bouquet of cassis, cherries, pencil lead, dark chocolate, cigar box and dried rose petal. On... Read More
The 2009 Monte Bello ,72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot is simply magnificent. Layers of dark red fruit, flowers, spices and graphite are all woven together in this utterly impeccable wine. The 2009 is an... Read More
At this early stage, the 2015 Monte Bello is all about potential. I followed a bottle over several days and only witnessed improvement. The wine unfurls in the glass with a rich bouquet of cassis, ripe plums, espresso roast, black... Read More
At this early stage, the 2015 Monte Bello is all about potential. I followed a bottle over several days and only witnessed improvement. The wine unfurls in the glass with a rich bouquet of cassis, ripe plums, espresso roast, black... Read More
Incorporating more Petite Sirah than normal, and the first time there's been less than 50% Syrah, the 2013 Syrah Broken Stones is made from 48% Syrah, 22% Petite Sirah, 17% Grenache, 6% Mourvedre the rest Tempranillo and Roussanne.... Read More
The 2012 Heart Stone Vineyard is 43% Syrah, 41% Grenache and 16% Mourvedre that was aged mostly in concrete (the '11 was aged 100% in concrete) yet also saw some new and neutral puncheons. Fermented with 40% whole clusters,... Read More
The 2017 The Hexe is a blend of 58% Grenache, 27% Mataro, 11% Petite Sirah and 4% Tempranillo. It has a medium to deep ruby-purple color and scents of jammy blue and black fruits with touches of fruitcake and sweet spices. The... Read More
A much bigger, richer Pinot Noir, the 2012 Pinot Noir Ten is a cellar selection chosen with the focus on structure and richness. Brought up in 65% new French oak, it has sensational purity and depth in its sweet black raspberry,... Read More
The 2014 Syrah Capo dei Putti saw an amazing 38 months in fully 94% new oak, and it was showing superbly when I tasted it, unfurling in the glass with brooding aromas of blackberry preserve, cherries, bay leaf and a remarkably... Read More
The 2014 Syrah Capo dei Putti saw an amazing 38 months in fully 94% new oak, and it was showing superbly when I tasted it, unfurling in the glass with brooding aromas of blackberry preserve, cherries, bay leaf and a remarkably... Read More
The outrageously rich 1999 The Marauder (100% Syrah from the Alban, Stolpman, and Bien Nacido vineyards) is tightly-structured, but crammed with blackberry and cassis fruit infused with subtle notes of camphor and licorice. Full... Read More