Napa - All my COVID finds

Napa
Tasted Thursday, April 29, 2021 - Wednesday, May 5, 2021 by Jbarryleonard with 481 views

Flight 1 - William and Mary (4 Notes)

Started off the trip with one of our favorite producers / people in Napa, Will of William and Mary. We were able to sample some of the '19s out of barrel and they were all unique and special. We went straight to Mending wall after landing and an early wake up so don't have great tasting notes. We tasted some Mending Wall wines as well but i didn't write down which they were.

Flight 2 - Roy Piper (1 Note)

Started the day off meeting with Roy Piper and had an incredible experience. He was able to offer so much insight on the wine industry and winemaking process and his goals for his own label.

  • 2018 Roy Piper Cabernet Sauvignon 98 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (4/30/2021)

    Pnp’d the 2018 and boy was it a surprise. I knew it was going to be good, but not from the first sip with no air. The balance is incredible, maintaining a great but not overwhelming fruit profile with minerality in the mid palate and a long finish. One of the best wines of the trip.

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Flight 3 - Mike Smith Wine Tasting (3 Notes)

Wanted to try the 2019 Myriad cabs but the were not available so we did a broader Mike Smith tasting with Leah. It was fun to try other MS labels (Bench, Steltzner) but Myriad, specifically the Dr. Crane stole the show.

Flight 4 - Vine Hill Ranch (1 Note)

Had an incredible experience where we walked the vineyards and learned the history of his family and the special place. It feels different here than anywhere else in Napa we have been. Almost remote.

Flight 5 - Wayfarer (6 Notes)

I will preface this next comment by saying I haven been intentional about my wine drinking for 3 years now and have mainly focused on California (broadly) wine so very new and still learning. People are sleeping on Wayfarer! This set of 2018 pinots are exceptional. Balance was the theme here and each wine was unique and beautiful.

  • 2018 Wayfarer Pinot Noir Wayfarer Vineyard 96 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview

    (5/1/2021)

    All these Wayfarer wines were incredible. Maybe a touch heavier than most pinots with dark cherry up front leading into some dark earth tones through the mid palate. Very smooth - not tart at all. I loved this

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  • 2018 Wayfarer Pinot Noir Golden Mean Wayfarer Vineyard 96 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview

    (5/1/2021)

    A touch brighter than the Estate pinot but still has all the same complexity. Was happily surprised as the Golden Mean hasn't always been my favorite of the Wayfarer lineup.

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  • 2018 Wayfarer Pinot Noir The Traveler Wayfarer Vineyard 97 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview

    (5/1/2021)

    A special bottle of wine. A very slight step up on the other 2 2018s we tried with more subtle fruit moving seamlessly into complex secondary notes. There is some tannin structure on this wine and can certainly improve with a few years of age.

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  • 2018 Wayfarer Chardonnay Wayfarer Vineyard 95 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview

    (5/1/2021)

    A great chard. I am slowly learning that I might not be the biggest fan of chardonnay, but I really enjoyed this. Very bright up front but has a slightly creamy, almost creme brulee finish that I loved.

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  • 2016 Wayfarer Pinot Noir Paige's Ridge Wayfarer Vineyard 96 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview

    (5/1/2021)

    Was really interesting to see what a few years of age does to the wine. Everything was slightly toned down but perfectly integrated. Depending on my mood I could go either way between the current vintage (2018) and this.

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  • 2020 Wayfarer WF2 Rosé of Pinot Noir Wayfarer Vineyard 92 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview

    (5/1/2021)

    Something good came out of 2020! I am not a rose fan at all but I enjoyed this one, and at $25, its a no brainer if you are going to purchase rose. It has some sweetness but certainly not a sweet rose, but has more depth than I am used to in my normal poolside pounder.

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Flight 6 - Greer (1 Note)

Great experience with Rob tasting the 2018 Greer. We tasted on the second floor of the barn in the middle of the property and the scene is epic. You sit this beautiful oak table with views of all of Rutherford out both sides of the barn.

Flight 7 - Maxem / Memento Mori (6 Notes)

Tasted through the full 2019 Maxem lineup and the 2018 Memento Mori blend and VHR. Two main takeaways for us was the clear Sam Kaplan style (which we loved) as well as how each wine was unique.

Flight 8 - Kinsman (2 Notes)

The hype is real.

  • 2018 Kinsman Eades Cabernet Sauvignon Rhadamanthus 98 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain

    (5/4/2021)

    This blew me away. I fully expect this to be triple digits in no time. Unbelievably complex and layered. Mouth coating soft tannin followed by dark chocolate (the slightly bitter kind, not sweet) covered dark fruit and almost spicy on the finish (I'm not sure if that is a thing but it was with this). Maybe some leather notes after that? I'm not sure. There was so much going on here. I could not get enough.

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  • 2018 Bella Oaks Vineyard Proprietary Red 95 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    (5/4/2021)

    Not much to add that hasn't been said in other notes. I definitely second the dark cherry/plum notes mixed with scorched earth on the mid palate. I found this wine really fun to drink.

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Flight 9 - Arkenstone (4 Notes)

Didn't know much about Arkenstone walking in as it was a last minute add but it was an awesome property. The underground winery was like a fortress that you'd never guess was there.

Flight 10 - Pott Wines (4 Notes)

It was so cool meeting Aaron Pott and drink wine with him. I felt like i was talking to one of the Godfathers of modern Napa. So much knowledge and a beautiful property on Mt. Veeder. A great way to end the trip.

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