Really big bad Napa Cab. Nose of black currant, cassis, spicy oak, and vanilla. On the palate, dense and extracted with black currant, spice, vanilla. Tooth sweater but sweet tannic finish. Should be better in a couple of years, but not for the long haul.

Nice nose of sour cherry and cloves. On the palate, bright cherry, Asian spice, hints of vanilla. Nice acidity on the finish.

Almost a carbon copy of the 09. Super nose with black currant, plum, spice, black raspberry and the unmistakable aroma of Rutherford dust. On the palate, rich and bold with black currant, cherry, blackberry, and spice. Long finish with stout tannins. Hold for a few years.

Another stellar Aiken cab. Nose of black currant, mint, sour cherry, and plum. On the palate, dominated by black currant, with hints of bright red cherry, plum, and oak. Long tannic finish with bright acidity. Hold for a few years.

Nice nose of gold apple, meyer lemon, with hints of toffee. On the palate, light bodied with apple and citrus flavors, balanced by a kiss of oak. Crisp finish. Very well made. A bargain at the sale price.

Nose of bright cherry, unripe strawberry and cloves. On the palate light bodied with nice tart/sweet cherry flavors with hints of spice. Nice finish albeit a little short. Drink over the shorter term

Nose of grass and bright citrus. Palate repeats nose. Very pleasant little SB, great for WTBG programs.

Nice nose of pears and ripe apple. On the palate, off-dry but tasty with apple and pear flavors. Nice acidic zing on the finish. Very good for the $$.

Nose of apple, fig, and citrus with some spicy oak. On the palate, nice flavors, apple, meyer lemon, bits of butter from malo. Crisp finish saves the package. Good buy.

A little surprised by this most Cali PG is really hollow, this is full-bodied with a nose of pears, saline, and quince. On the palate rich with pear, apple, quince. Shortish finish, but still very good.

Bright nose of sea air, lemon peel, and hints of meyer lemon. On the palate, bright citrus flavors with a saline quality that is very pleasant. Crisp racy finish. This just cries for fish.

Nice nose of grass, chives, and citrus flowers. On the palate, creamy from sur lie treatment with flavors of lemon grass, lychee, and key lime. Crisp finish. Well done.

Nice nose of strawberries, with hints of cherry. On the palate, unripe strawberry, raspberry, hints mineral. Nice clean finish.

Great aromas of black cherry, pie cherry, cranberry, rhubarb, spice, tea, and mushroom (aka pinot funk). On the palate dense yet weightless with bright cherry, red raspberry, rhubarb, cranberry, and black tea. Long finish with good grip. Although this is the best of the lot today, I believe the Sangiacomo will be better in a few years. I love the deft touch that Kerith uses to produce these balanced wines.

Great nose of clove, rhubarb, tea, orange peel, pie cherry, and cranberry. On the palate a little shy with tart cherry, spices, orange peel, and tea. Plenty of grip on a sneaky long finish. This has a lot of upside for future potential

Great RRV typicity with black cherry, pie cherry, and clove on the nose. On the palate, tart cherry, spice, hints of strawberry. Nice crisp finish. Probably need another year to integrate.

Again the deft hand of Kerith shows here, unlike many other overextracted fruit bombs from the Rockpile we get a nose of black raspberry, cherry, pepper, and blackberry. On the palate, black cherry, red raspberry, pepper, and hints of vanilla. Nice finish with the usual booziness of most Zins.

Great grassy nose of chives, citrus, and lemon grass. On the palate, tart with lots of zing, gooseberry, citrus, lemon grass, hints of lychee. On the finish, racy with lots of zing. Great bargain that would be good on a hot summer day.

Pretty little Pinto that definitely shows a sense of place. Nose of sour cherry and spice with hints of other red fruits. On the palate nice with cherry, cranberry, spice. Shortish finish but still very good.

Don't recall the actual blend but there was a good portion of Chenin and Riesling detectable. Nose of lemon oil, green apple, citrus. Palate repeats the nose. Nice clean finish.

Simple but ultra tasty Bordeaux blend of CF, CS, Merlot, and PV. Nose of bright red fruit, sour cherry, and tobacco. On the palate, rich cherry and currant flavors. Nice finish. Really good for the $$.

Blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mouvedre, and Viognier. Nice nose of blueberry, raspberry, hints of funk, pepper, and bacon fat along with some nice florals. On the palate, very clean with the red fruits, blueberry, pepper, and hints of smoke. Nice grippy finish.

Talk about bang for the buck. Nice nose of cherry, tobacco, and cedar. On the palate, bright cherry, cedar, tobacco, and mint. Long finish with plenty of grip. Very well made, I would have thought this to be from the Loire if I didn't already know. Tremendous wine, great bargain.

A little off dry but not overtly sweet. Nice nose of apple and pear with a hint of citrus peel. On the palate, apple and pear flavors repeat with a nice whack of fruit. Nice acidity balances the finish. The big fruit makes it appear sweeter than it is. Would be a great compliment for spicy dishes.

Would not have pegged this as a Chardonnay but it is very nice with lemon curd, bright tangerine, and lemon zest on the nose. On the palate very clean with nice citrus flavors and hints of salinity and some herbal quality. Nice finish.

Beautiful nose of flowers, black cherry, pie cherry, mushroom, black tea, and clove. On the palate, bright red cherry and pie cherry dominate along with hints of clove, mushroom, and orange tea. Long finish with nice grip, great effort. Highly recommended.

Great steakhouse style red with a nose of black and red fruits with hints of spice. On the palate, tons of fruit and great cherry, plum, and blackberry notes. Nice finish with decent grip.

Always a treat, classic Merlot nose of plum, black cherries, coco nibs, and vanilla. On the palate, plum, black cherry, red currant, and nice spicy oak. Long finish with substantial grip

Very well done for the vintage. Rich but not overdone with a nose of black currant, red currant, and sour cherry. On the palate, blackberry, sour cherry, red currant with hints of cassis and spicy oak. Substantial tannins on the finish bode well for long term aging.

Nice cab with a nose of red and black fruits and spicy oak. On the palate, chewy with black currant and sour cherry with spice. Nice finish.

Nice grassy crisp SB with nose of citrus and lemon grass. On the palate, grapefruit, chives, and lemon grass. Nice clean finish.

Great nose of grapefruit, citrus peel, and fresh cut grass. On the palate, clean and crisp with citrus, lychee, and chive flavors. Long finish with plenty of cut.

Nice nose of unripe strawberry, red raspberry and spice. On the palate strawberry, melon, spice, and raspberry. Clean finish. Nice summer sipper.

This winery has upped their game a few notches since I last sampled their wines and this one was stellar. Great nose of bright cherry, blueberry, blackberry, and currants along with some spicy oak. On the palate rich yet light with big currant and sour cherry flavors along with some spice and vanilla from oak treatment. Long finish with a lot of grip. Lots to love here, one of the top wines at the event.

Classis CF nose of bright cherry, leather, and tobacco along with some black cherry to let you know it is definitely Cali. On the palate, rich with lots of cherry and herb flavors along with hints of leather. Long finish with nice balance. A little heavy on the alcohol but everything else is spot on.

Another stellar offering from Delectus. Nose of plum, black cherry, mocha, and currants. On the palate red plum, black currant, black cherry, with spicy oak. Nice long finish, everything in balance.

Citrus dominated with a nose of lemon zest, key lime, and a great saline quality. On the palate, lemon, lemon zest, chives, and mineral. Long crisp finish. Unusual but very good.

Nose of fresh cut hay, chives, citrus flowers, earth, and lime zest. On the palate, bright citrus, chives, lemongrass, and earth. Nice finish.

Nice nose of sour cherry, cassis, with hints of spicy oak. On the palate, rich with black currant, bright cherry, and spice. Painfully young right now but lots of upside.

I am actually a little disappointed with this one. It really could be from anywhere. Nose of plum, vanilla, black fruits, spicy oak. On the palate, plums, mocha, vanilla, pepper, dark berries. Lacks structure and definition. None of the telltale Rutherford markers can be detected.

Nice nose of meyer lemon, green apple, and hints of tropical fruits. On the palate, creamy with flavors of lemon curd, apple, hints of pineapple. long crisp balanced finish with a kiss of oak.

For the money, this is simply wonderful. Nose of blackberries, plum, black raspberry, and mocha. On the palate, blackberry, plum, cherry and hints of spicy oak. Finishes with smooth tannins. Not built for the long haul but still tasty.

This was a very unusual cab. Nose of sour cherry, bell pepper, earth, and tobacco. On the palate, ripe but lean at the same time with flavors of bright cherry, bell pepper, tobacco, and spicy oak. Great mouthfeel. Lots of tannic grip on the finish. I would like to hold a few of these and see where they go. My guess is that they will improve with age.

Deep garnet color. Nose of dark berries, espresso, sour cherry, tobacco, and vanilla. On the palate, blackberry, plum, cherry, espresso, spicy oak, cherry, tobacco, leather. Lots of grip on the finish. Good promise here.

Nose of black raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, vanilla, hints of plum. On the palate, rich with blueberry, vanilla, black raspberry, and pepper. Slightly hot on the finish but not overwhelmed by alcohol. Very nice.

Nose of cola, black cherry, and clove. On the palate, black cherry, cola, clove, sour cherry. Bright acidic finish helps.

Nose of blueberry, black fruits, green olive, great florals, and black pepper. On the palate, blueberry, blackberry, black olive, cracked pepper, and a hint of anise. Nice long balanced finish. Felt more like N. Rhone than Cali.

Big nose of blackberry with tons of spice, especially black pepper. On the palate big and fruity with blackberry, blueberry, pepper, herbs, olive, and nice kiss of spicy oak. Finishes with sturdy tannins. Borderline alcohol but still very nice. Will reward short term aging.

Nose of meyer lemon, spicy oak, apple, and butter. On the palate buttery with lemon, apple, and hints of pineapple. Finish is a little soft. Feels overdone, or I may just not love wines of this style any more.

Really solid with nice nose of lemon zest, green apple, and citrus flowers. On the palate, citrus and green apples. Lots of zing on the finish, great match for seafood.

Nose of cherries and clove. On the palate, cherry, cranberry, and spice. Shortish finish.

This can be from nowhere but Chile. Nose of sour cherry, black fruits, earthy loam, mocha, vanilla, and menthol. On the palate, black currant, sour cherry, mocha, mint. Long finish with lots of grip. This needs 7+ years to really integrate and sing, but it is darn tasty right now. Definitely in the top 5 of the day.

Nose of dark berries, anise, and pepper with a nice floral lift. On the palate, Juicy with blackberry, blueberries, cocoa nibs, and cherry. Long powerful finish. Shows great promise.

I was pleasantly surprise by this. No doubt that it is a Riesling with a nose of slate, pear, citrus, and juicy apple. On the palate, dominated by citrus with hints of apple and pear with a nice mineral streak. Long racy finish. Really well done. I would have guessed Australia if served blind.

Very boozy on the nose with aromas of blackberry, blueberry, bourbon, and vanilla. On the palate, blackberry and vanilla with hints of blueberry. Overwhelming alcohol on the finish. Just can't do these alcohol bombs any more.

Nose of blackberry bramble, blueberry, vanilla, and cherry. On the palate, blackberry, black cherry, spice, vanilla. Short finish but overall very tasty.

Great nose of black currant, raspberry, earth, and spice. On the palate, big flavors of black raspberry, sour cherry, hints of spice. Decent finish. One of the better value wines of the day.

Nose of blueberry, blackberry, bell pepper, tobacco, and cherry. On the palate, very nice with all of the varieties mixing well with blueberry, olive, bell pepper, sour cherry, and black fruits. Long finish with lots of grip. Should drink very well for quite a while.

Grassy nose of citrus, grapefruit, and citrus peel. On the palate, grapefruit, lemongrass, chives, and lime zest. Crisp finish.

Simple nose of plum and cherry with vanilla. On the palate, plum, cherry, vanilla, oak. Shortish finish. Decent for the money.

Bright citrus nose, on the palate tart citrus with a bit of biscuit. Needs food. Good.

Great nose of peach, pear, with hints of flowers. On the palate, pear flavors dominate, nice sweetness. Tart finish cuts through and balances the wine on the palate. One of the better Moscatos I have tasted.

Nose of lemon and other citrus. On the palate oily with lemon dominating. Shortish finish.

Nice nose of sour cherry, earth, plum, and vanilla. On the palate, tart with cherry, earth, and raspberry. Nice earthy finish. Could definitely see drinking this out of a tumbler at a café in Florence.

There were a lot of SBs tasted today and this one was one of the best. Great nose of lemongrass, grapefruit, white flowers, citrus zest, and fresh cut hay. On the palate creamy with grapefruit, citrus, chives, lemongrass. Long finish.

Nose of bing cherry, black plum, flowers, mocha, and mint, On the palate, cherry, plum, mocha, tobacco, menthol, spicy oak. Terrific finish. This is drinking well right now and should for the next few years.

Nice nose of dark berries, bright cherry, and plum. On the palate, rich and full with blackberry, sour cherry, plum, and hints of spice. Finishes with nice soft mouthfeel and a dollop of sweet oak. Drink over the next few years.

Nose of black cherry, tapenade, roasted game, blueberry and vanilla. On the palate like drinking velvet with black cherry, blueberry, anise, black olive and vanilla. Long smooth finish. Borderline alcohol but the rest of the package is great. Definitely in the top five of the day.

Nice nose of lemongrass, chives, flowers, citrus, and grapefruit. On the palate grapefruit with chives and lemongrass. Long finish. Excellent.

Nice nose of red and black fruits with a hint of mint. On the palate, dense with black fruits dominating, along with sour cherry and hints of spice. Long finish with sturdy tannins. Drink with a long decant or hold.

Nice nose of red and black fruits with the signature mint of the vineyard. On the palate, walled off by tannins with lack fruits peeking through. Long finish with sturdy tannins. Not scored, hold for a few years to allow it to integrate. Gut impression 92-94.

Nose of apple and pear with the same on the palate. Short simple finish. Good.

I have been digging NZ Pinots lately and this one is no exception. Great nose of cherry, clove, and pinot funk. On the palate, cherry, tea, spice, with hints of cranberry. Long finish with good grip.

This could be from anywhere. Nose of black cherry and cola with hints of clove. On the palate, black cherry, spice. Short finish. Good.

Slightly better than the Matahiwi that preceded it. Simple flavors of apple, pear, with hints of quince. On the palate, apple and pear. Short finish. Good.

Improved since the last taste two years ago. Nose of black currant, mint, sour cherry, and plum. On the palate, dominated by black currant, with hints of bright red cherry, plum, and oak. Long tannic finish with bright acidity. Hold for a couple more years. One of the top five.

Best wine of the day. Great nose of peach, apricot, lemon zest, white flowers, white pepper. On the palate, big but weightless at the same time with apricot, peach, lemon curd, pepper, with hints of lychee. Terrific acidity on the finish. Drink now or hold a few years. This will stand with the best from Condrieu. Outstanding effort.

Very nice Rhone blend. Nose of lemon oil, pepper, jasmine, citrus, and white peach. On the palate, oily with lemon, peach, pepper, and unripe pineapple. Long finish. Nice stuff that should age well.

Nose of black raspberry, blueberry, olive, sage, leather. On the palate, blueberry, olive, anise, sage, blackberry. Nice long finish. Very good to excellent.

Nose of red raspberry, leather, and black cherry. On the palate, rich with raspberry, black raspberry, cherry, and leather. Long finish with plenty of grip. Another solid effort.

Nose of black cherry, black raspberry, pepper, bramble, and blackberry. On the palate almost claret like with black cherry, blackberry, pie cherry, blueberry, and pepper. Nice balanced finish. Alcohol kept in check. Excellent stuff.

Nose of red cherry, tobacco, bell pepper, and black cherry. On the palate, medium bodied with sour cherry, tobacco, bell pepper, and black raspberry. Long balanced finish with a bit of grip. Excellent.

On the nose, black currant, dark berries, bright cherry, with hints of earth and spice. On the palate, displays great purity of fruit with tart cherry, currants, blackberry, spice, earth, and hints of leather. Long finish with sturdy tannins and great acidity. Very well done.

Perhaps the best Cab of the day. Full rich nose of black currant, red currant, sour cherry, mint, spice, leather, vanilla, and espresso. On the palate big and rich, yet dances across the tongue with bright cherry, black currant, red currant, blackberry, spice, with hints of menthol and spice. Long finish with present but smooth tannins. A great effort.

Nose of black fruits, sour cherry, spice, and tobacco. On the palate black currant, sour cherry, spice, tobacco. Long sturdy finish. Needs a little time.

Normally, I don't like 100% Pinotage that much but this is very nice. Nose of smoke, red fruit, pepper, tar. On the palate, bright cherry, black cherry, dark berries, tar. Nice finish.

Nose of cherry, white plum, raspberry and toast. On the palate, crisp with strawberry, white plum, brioche, and unripe raspberry. Extremely tart on the finish.

Nose of hay, grapefruit, chives. On the palate, grapefruit, lychee, chives. Decent finish.

Nose of citrus, apple, slate, lychee. On the palate lots of tension with lime, apple, mineral. Long finish.

Nose of cherries, clove, cranberry. On the palate, red cherry, Asian spice. Tart finish.

Nose of plum, blueberry, pepper, and vanilla. On the palate, blueberry, black cherry, pepper, vanilla. Decent finish.

Good for what it is, a simple red blend. Nice nose of red and black fruits with the gamy smell of Pinotage peeking through. On the palate bright cherry, blackberry, tar. Shortish finish.

Nose of blueberry, black raspberry, pepper, olive, sage. On the palate plum, blackberry, blueberry, pepper. Long finish with plenty of grip. Excellent.

On the nose, earthy funk with red and black fruit along with blueberry and mineral. On the palate, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, mineral, earth. Long finish with a ton of grip and great acidity to balance it out.

Upfront rich blueberry nose. Full bodied with a rich, chocolate-infused and fruity palate. Smooth tannins and a grippy finish

Nose of grapefruit, lychee, hay. On the palate, grapefruit, lemon peel, lychee. Nice balanced finish.

Nose of black fruits, cherry, spicy oak. On the palate, black currant, sour cherry, spice. Nice balanced finish with plenty grip. Good value.

Nose of black currant, cherries, spice, mocha. On the palate, blackberry, plum, cherry. Good finish.

Nose of black cherry, pie cherry, clove, cranberry. On the palate, pie cherry, black raspberry, clove, rhubarb. Nice sweet-tart finish.

On the nose, blackberry, cola, spicy oak. On the palate, ripe blackberry, raspberry, spice, cola. Very sappy mid palate transition. Lots of tannic structure on the finish. Really good stuff.

Dusty nose of sour cherry, tobacco, leather, flowers, and earth. On the palate, sour cherry, tobacco, leather, earth. Long grippy finish. Really nice CC.

Nose of bright cherry, dried flowers, earth, leather. On the palate, sour cherry, leather, earth. Nice long finish.

Nice value CC. Nose of sour cherry and earth. On the palate, sour cherry with earthy notes. Nice finish.

Nice simple table wine with nose of red fruits. On the palate, red fruits, leather. Short finish.

Simple rose with spicy red fruit nose and palate. Short finish. Interesting little wine.

From the color and nose, this has some obvious oak treatment. Nose of pineapple, grapefruit, with hints of spice. On the palate, creamy with pineapple and grapefruit flavors. Nice finish but the oak detracts a little.

Unlike the great 2007, this one falls a little short. Feels overly manipulated with nose of vanilla, spice, black fruits and cherry. On the palate, dominated by oak with vanilla, and mocha with cherry and blackberry. Finish is dominated by oak. Drink over the near term before the oak dries out.