12/28/2023 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

What a beautiful wine of an eleven year old Pinot Noir from 2012. Perfect match of fruit and acidity with a wonderful pleasing finish; Westrey is not well known and they keep their wines longer before release. Buy more!

2/6/2024 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Monthly meeting of my Wine Group and the consensus was unanimous that it was perfect in all measures: balance, length, intensity, complexity. This is the second bottle of six that I purchased from Davis & Davis in Chicago. This vintage came directly from the chateau and the cork disintegrated when I removed it.

1/10/2024 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Outstanding wine even better the second day; balanced, with moderate intensity, a long finish; fruit was still alive mostly red berry with mild tannin.

1/11/2024 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Outstanding wine still after 36 years; opened with a three hour decant and returned to the bottle and taken to the monthly Wine Group tasting. It was really appreciated by the group many which do not have Napa Cabs this old in their cellars. It stood up well with other high end Napa Cabs.

12/8/2023 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Wow! Requires at least one hour decant. Lots of life left and what a treat. Equals any Red Burgundy Volnay or Vosne-Romanee.

1/2/2024 - smoothjazz wrote:

Outstanding example of an Old World White Burgundy from the New wprld

11/27/2023 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Only 5 years from the vintage and way too soon to drink it. I rated it a 95 based on the what I believe it will later become.

11/23/2023 - smoothjazz wrote:

Pinot Noir from selected barrels of Steve Mikami; excellent example of fine Willamette Valley Pinot. Nice balance of fruit and acidity with a long finish. This wine is only available at the Red Barn Tasting Room.

11/22/2023 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Wonderful dry-farmed Napa Cabernet far from its peak. Classic Bordeaux style wine. Great value for the price point.

10/19/2023 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Poured at our monthly Wine Group tasting after two hour decant. Just a well made wine that has no flaws whatsoever. Cameron does it right.

10/3/2023 - smoothjazz wrote:

2019 is a great vintage; buy more if available.

10/24/2023 - smoothjazz wrote:

Flawless wine from a great vintage; this wine is on par with any White Burgundy Gran Cru. I poured this wine at my monthly Wine Group. It was tasted along with a Corton-Charlemagne and the Cameron was preferred by my group.

11/20/2023 - smoothjazz wrote:

Wonderful Oregon Chardonnay with restrained minerality and nice fruit flavor. Exceeds most White Burgundy Premier Cru wines and one day this winemaker will be producing Gran Cru level Chardonnay. Yea!

11/19/2023 - smoothjazz wrote:

Even though 11 years old, this PN appeared and tasted like a very young wine. Wow, so much more life left. Balanced acid and fruit. No faults to describe.

8/1/2023 - smoothjazz wrote:

Superb Oregon Pinot Noir rivaling most Red Burgundy Gran Crus. Expressive fruit of raspberry along with medium acidity and a long and strong finish. At nine years, this vintage is still not at its peak. Certainly a vintage that will improve over the next five years and last another five afterwards.

8/1/2023 - smoothjazz wrote:

Outstanding Oregon Pinot Noir rivaling any Red Burgundy Premier Cru. Crisp stone fruit with balanced acidity and medium finish.

8/1/2023 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Excellent Oregon Pinot Noir with balanced fruit and tannins. This is a great everyday drinker.

7/23/2023 - smoothjazz wrote:

Superbly crafted Chardonnay from Oregon rivaling most Gran Cru & Premier Cru White Burgudy.

6/11/2023 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Excellent 5th Growth Bordeaux that is almost nine years old. Missing that distinctive Saint-Julien bouquet that stands out with higher ranked growths. Overall, very pleasing on the palette. This is an everyday drinker that at the time was a better value than similarly priced Napa Cabs.

6/3/2023 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

This vintage has reached its peak and is in decline although still interesting and pleasant. Stony Hill has always been Burgundian in style and still shows its character. The wine was I tense over-powering the fruit.

5/25/2023 - smoothjazz wrote:

Great vintage and great vineyard from a great winemaker equals a great wine. This wine was exceptional & flawless.

5/14/2023 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Outstanding Napa Cabernet Sauvignon with much more greatness to come. Smith-Madrone is one of the few wines that are still dry-farmed. Intense fruit and balanced tannins that provide a lengthy palate refreshing finish. One of the few great Napa Cabs sold at a reasonable price point.

4/1/2023 - smoothjazz wrote:

Outstanding Oregon Pinot Noir that continues to evolve and please. More fruit forward with restrained acidity from my 2019 posting. Wine is approaching its peak over next 5-7 years.

3/24/2023 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Superlative Oregon Pinot Noir that rivals any Grand Cru Red Burgundy. Perfect balance of fruit and tannins that you would identify it as a much older vintage. Did not decant. Poured directly from bottle to glass with a sharp tannic finish. After 30 min in glass & open bottle, the wine showed its power & grace. Matched perfectly with Osso Bucco.

3/9/2023 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Great wine from the oldest vineyard in the Willamette Valley. Very Pommard-like with deep bold red tones; a muscular wine with decades remaining. Most likely another decade to reach its peak. Fruit a bit overshadowed by tannins which still made this a pleasurable bottle to enjoy.

3/9/2023 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Outstanding Willamette Valley Pinot Noir that rivals any Red Burgundy Grand Cru. This wine was stunning. Perfect balance of fruit and tannins.

2/4/2023 - smoothjazz wrote:

Classic Chablis-Billaud’s Les Grands Terroirs; vibrant fruit minerality all balanced perfectly. This was a top value at $32/bottle.

1/24/2023 - smoothjazz wrote:

Nothing that makes this wine a standout for the moderately high price. Tannins were balanced with the fruit, but nothing more to differentiate this wine from 1000’s of others

1/10/2023 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Needed decanting to fully open up into a stellar wine with balanced fruit & tannins.

11/19/2022 - smoothjazz wrote:

Superlative Napa Cabernet from an iconic vineyard made in Bordeaux-style with outstanding balance of fruit and tannins.

11/14/2022 - smoothjazz wrote:

Three hour decant; perfect structure and an amazing wine; excellent fruit with balanced tannins. This is how Silver Oak used to be long ago.

10/3/2022 - smoothjazz wrote:

First night I decanted one half of the bottle using the Coravin. Let the wine breathe for one hour before serving. Wine seemed to be flat with no distinction. On day 2, I removed the cork and let the bottle stand open for three hours. Wow! What a change from the first night. Cherry, raspberry fruit was powerful and balanced acidity and an everlasting finish. This wine has staying power and should evolve for another two decades if well-cellared.

8/26/2022 - smoothjazz wrote:

Extraordinary Oregon Pinot Noir that rivals most Grand Cru Red Burgundies. This wine shows great depth with still strong tannins. After one hour decant the fruit shown thru with grat balance. This wine should continue to age well over next decade. Currently, it is a long way off to its peak. I rated this bottle higher than June 2022 rating.

7/26/2022 - smoothjazz wrote:

Great Bordeaux from a stellar vintage. Classic Bordeaux style with raspberry and plum fruit and mellow tannins and medium finish. A real pleasure to drink. This vintage is reaching its peak; however, if well-cellared, should remain at peak for next decade.

7/21/2022 - smoothjazz wrote:

Excellent and classic Pinot Noir from an iconic vineyard. Restrained and not much bouquet upon opening. It quickly opened up in the glass after 30 minutes. Vibrant red stone fruit with medium acidity with a pleasing overall balance.

6/13/2022 - smoothjazz wrote:

Classic Oregon Pinot from an iconic vineyard and vintner. Restrained bouquet which didn’t evolve much over two evenings. Pronounced berry fruit with great balance of fruit with soft tannins. This stellar vintage may be in a flat phase; however, the structure is still in place to be a long-lived wine.

5/21/2022 - smoothjazz wrote:

Exceptional 36 yr old 2nd Growth Margaux from a highly rated vintage. Cork was still in good condition although extracted in two parts. Upon opening, the tannins were still present but subdued with tobacco and leather on the nose. Fruit was raspberry like. After two hour decant; this bottle was spectacular. Just enough acidity to complement a more pleasing cherry and blackberry fruit. I am always amazed at the durability of classified Bordeaux. This was a bottle near the end of a case purchased upon release and stood up well in my many moves to four different states and six different residences.

5/11/2022 - smoothjazz wrote:

This is Stoller’s Wine Club Members Selection. Superb example of a classic Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. At ten years old, the wine has reached its peak; however, it lacked a bit of liveliness from previous bottles. Great fruit of cherry and raspberry with balanced acidity. Finish was shorter and not as intense from a previous bottle four years ago. Stoller makes great wine at a value price point.

4/30/2022 - smoothjazz wrote:

At ten years old, this bottle has reached its peak showing a bit of decline even though perfectly cellared since purchased directly from winery upon release. Overall, a classic Stony Hill that reminds me of many Premier Cru Puligny Montrachet’s.

4/30/2022 - smoothjazz wrote:

39th Wedding Anniversary bottle always in my many cellars since release in 1986. Classics St Julien nose of leather & tobacco. Fruit very expressive raspberry & blackberry with just enough acidity to deliver a long palette refreshing finish. Required a ninety minute decant to fully reach its peak. I am always truly amazed at the staying power longevity of classified Bordeaux wines. I purchased this case upon release and have moved my cellars over seven different residences in three states. Other than the cork being too soft for a Coravin and an upper shoulder fill, this wine was a joy to drink.

3/2/2022 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Excellent example of what Napa Cab should be like and benchmark for others. Still a bit young, but opened up beautiful after two hour decant.

2/2/2022 - smoothjazz wrote:

Was expecting a lot more from this wine. Too much fruit forward such that it was like a Riesling. Possibly needs more time in the bottle.

12/26/2021 - smoothjazz wrote:

Superb Pinot from an iconic vineyard. Very pleasing black cherry fruit with balance acidity and medium lasting finish. Scott Paul is no longer in business and this may be one of his last Maresh Vineyard vintages. I do believe the overall outstanding wine this is is mostly due to the iconic vineyard. I am keeping bottles of similar vintages from the Maresh Vineyard from three different winemakers to blind taste test against each other.

12/7/2021 - smoothjazz wrote:

At eight years old, this wine is entering its perfect drinking window. If well-cellared, this vintage should maintain its prominence for another decade or more. Perfect balance of fruit and acidity that shows off the dark berry fruit and moderate tannins that creates a great and pleasing finish. Hats off to Stoller.

12/7/2021 - smoothjazz wrote:

Perfect White Burgundy style Napa Chardonnay from an exceptional vintage. White wine doesn’t get much better than this. Sad to see that Stony Hill has now changed owners twice from original founders. Unfortunately, the big business owners have raised the price so high that the overall value (quality + price) is greatly diminished.

11/29/2021 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Superb example of what all Napa Cabs should aspire to be. If in Bordeaux, this would be a first growth. Although six years old, this wine is still in its infancy. Upon opening the fruit was forward on the palette, but overpowered by the tannic finish. After two hour decant, tannins mellowed and great balance of fruit and acidity. Smith-Madrone is one of only a few Napa Cabs dry-farmed. What a wonderful change from the irrigated and overpriced fruit bombs that dominate Napa.

11/23/2021 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Floral nose; cherry, blackberry nuances with spice undertones; great balance between fruit and acidity; soft tannins; lots of staying power still with legs; should be drinking over next decade.

11/3/2021 - smoothjazz wrote:

Classic St Julien still showing deep ruby red still very opaque with mellow tannin allowing fruit to stand out; medium finish that lingers. Still much life left while at peak.

10/16/2021 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

38 yrs old Bordeaux from 1983 which was a decent vintage for the decade. Bouquet of tobacco, leather and dried plum. The wine showed deep purple almost opaque without any oranage rim. Color was of a younger wine, not 38 yrs. Velvet smooth blackberry fruit with medium long finish and subdued tannins. From a case purchased upon release by me in 1986 and cellared for these long years.

10/14/2021 - smoothjazz Likes this wine:

Superlative OR Pinot Noir from a stellar vintage; dark & opaque like a very young wine although nine years old;perfectly balanced between all components; lush raspberry/blackberry nuances, subdued tannins, prolonged finish. Well cellared this vintage should remain at its peak for another 8-10 years before declining. Last bottle wish I had more to enjoy.