From 30 yr old vines; Typically aged in vats for 4-6 mos

N: Perfumed (almost smoky?) veneer to flowers slightly atop minerals

P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by a very slightly astringent acidity which PRETTY much retains its astringent acidity into & through the LONG, only ULT pleasant finish. Based upon at least this bottle, clearly needs food. IF the mid-P bitterness, resolves, my VG/VG+ would be low. [This vendor's $17.95 is $2 < wine-searcher's only currently listed posting.]

Note: For whatever reason, didn't show nearly as well as when tasted on 4/27 & 6/15/2019.

N: CLOSED; Kind of an educated "guess", but butter with notes of lemons?

P: Med, poss MF, body; Very RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish oak/frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) offset by a VERY slightly astringent acidity which PRETTY much loses its bitterness as it morphs into a LONG, tangy/swt finish with but a BIT of very, VERY slight bitterness. Not sure WHERE this is on its timeline. IF it is still improving, my VG/VG+ *would* be low, particularly with respect to QPR. [This vendor's $18.95 is $5 < the lower of wine-searcher's 2 postings!]

Note: 1st tasted on 1/26/19, when it also did not show well.

From Wagner family-owned vyds in Rutherford & Oak Knoll; Fermented in s/s, where most of it is also aged, "a smaller portion [being aged] in older FR oak barrels;"

N: A bit of cat pee, poss grass, with notes of toast?

P: MF body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (threshold R.S.?) counterbalanced by a slightly astringent acidity which only ULT shows a measure of pleasantness. A wine in search of an image/style? My VG-/VG, & I'd seriously doubt any poss improvement @ this stage of its evolution. [Check with this vendor if interested in their very COMPETITIVE price.]

Note: For whatever reason, a MUCH poorer showing than when tasted on 9/29/18 & 1/12/19.

Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.

N: Attractive notes of butter, but with complementing minerals, toast, & poss lemons?

P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by a crisp acidity which is QUITE the face of this wine that strikes me as needing at LEAST another 6 mos since I suspect it is still coming together. (While quite LONG, there's currently an edge to the finish that I feel time will resolve.) Currently my EXC-, but a GOOD bet for higher down the line. [Check with this vendor if interested in their competitive price.]

The main parcel is from Les Argillières, a lieu-dit that directly abuts Musigny on its northern border. The rest is from Les Maladières, Les Mombies, & Les Nazoires.

N: FRAGRANT vanilla with cranberries & notes of earth trying to fight their way through; Smoke with swirling? Intensity lurking

P: Med body; Rndish entry with NICE, almost swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which at least somewhat resolves by the LONG, balanced, very, VERY slightly tangy finish with a BITTER/swtness (60:40) to the very, VERY fine tannins. NEEDS through '22, I'm guessing, potentially to show what it has, though I'm not all THAT sure it's going to be "special" then. My VG+/EXC-, & at least SOMEWHAT disappointing overall, given that one will commonly pay upwards of $90 -- IF it can even be found. [This vendor's $81.95 is $8 < than wine-searcher's next lowest.]

FYI, an experienced fellow taster liked this CONSIDERABLY > than I.

"A blend of our P.N. clones: Dijon 777, 667, 115, & 114, Pommard, and Wädenswil, with Pommard being the dominant clone. Fermented with native yeast in s/s tanks & our oak fermenter, it sees full malolactic conversion during its 12-mo elevage period in 30-35% new FR oak, the remaining oak % being neutral. It was racked in July 2017 & kept in s/s for another 6 mos to gain extended time on lees & marry the blend before bottling in Dec 2017. 14% ABV, 5.8 g/L T.A., & 3.54 pH;" 4,800 cases made.

N: Smoke slightly atop blkberries with hints of crans? Intensity lurking?

P: Med, poss MF, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which transitions into a LONG, BALANCED, POSS very, VERY slightly puckerish finish with a bitter/SWTNESS (40:60) to the firming, but relatively unoffensive, dusty tannins. NEEDS/deserves through '21, then poss at least approaching its 10th? A fairly "big" style for those seeking such. My EXC-/EXC; 93 pts Vinous (Raynolds, 6/'19), 92 Suckling (11/'18), and 91 ea WS, WA, & WE (12/1/18) @ $50. [Check with this vendor if interested in their very COMPETITIVE price.]

Note: Today & on 11/23/19 I noticed > structure than when I tasted it on 5/4 & 7/6/19.

“Clones: Dijon 777, 115, 113, 667, DRC, Bouzeron, UCD 5, Calera, Chalone, Mt. Eden, Jackson, & El Molíno (Swan selection) harvested @ 24.1- 25.2° Brix; 70% whole cluster fermentation in small, 1 ton, open top fermenters with 100% natural yeasts; Basket pressed to barrel via gravity for native malolactic & aging in 70% new Francois Freres oak; Aged 10 mos sur lie before being racked & blended, then aged for another 8 mos, totaling 18 mos of wood, then aged an addt’l 12 mos in bottle; 660 cases produced & released 4/1/18.”

N: Spice slightly atop plums, poss ripe cherries? Hints of leather?

P: LM body; Rndish entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent PUCKER which does lose the puckerish part as it morphs into a LONG, very, VERY slightly tangy finish with hints of spiciness & a bitter/SWT dialectic to the few, firming, but reasonably innocuous, very, VERY fine tannins. For now with food, & I can see it maintaining through '22. 14.4% ABV; My EXC- in a style that strikes me as being at least SOMEWHAT atypical for P.N. in this price range. [Check with this vendor IF interested in their very COMPETITIVE price.]

Note: 1st tasted on 9/21/19

60% C.S. & 40% Merlot from gentle slopes with soils of gravel atop smaller, quartz pebbles, then sand & limestone. Supposedly aged in 20% new FR oak; 6,667 cases made.

N: Vanilla slightly atop RIPE berries with hints of SPICE, minerals, & pyrazines?

P: Med, poss MF, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt fairly quickly met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it fairly seamlessly evolves into a LONG, balanced finish with already a distinct swtness to the dusty tannins. NEEDS through '23, I'm guessing, then drinking through '27 min? LOTS of substance for the price. My EXC, higher eventually? 94 pts Vinous (Galloni), 93-95 WE (barrel), 93 WA (Martin, 04/17), 92 ea Vinous (Martin, 01/19) & Suckling, 91 ea Dunnuck, Decanter (Anson), & Jeff Leve, 90 ea WS & Jeannie Cho Lee (4/15/17) , and 17/20 Jancis Robinson! [This vendor's $33.95 is now $1 < wine-searcher's lowest.]

Note: Also tasted 9/14, 11/30, & 12/14/19. While the scores are VERY ≈, my TNs vary considerably with respect to cellar time needed. :(

1,500 cased produced;

N: RIPE frt (plums?) with hints of flowers, poss earth?

P: MF, poss Med, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it transitions into a very LONG, BALANCED finish with a lovely TANGY/swtness to the firming, but relatively unoffensive, dusty tannins. Deserves through '20, then drinking into '24? My EXC, with at least a CHANCE of higher before all is said & done? 96-98 pts Dunnuck (10/31/19), 94-96 Vinous (Galloni, 9/1/19) & 92-94 WA (Brooks, 9/12/19)! [Check with this vendor if interested in their very COMPETITIVE price.]

Note: Also tasted on 10/5, & 10/19/19, + 1/4/20.

“87% Zin, 9% P.S., 2% Carignane, 1% Syrah, & 1% Mixed Reds from vyds in the Russian River, Dry Creek, & Alexander Valleys; The grapes were hand harvested and sorted as clusters & berries before being transferred to various fermentation tanks, with a breakdown of: 65% pump-over fermentation in closed-top, s/s with delestage through tub & screen; 25% small, open-top fermentation with hand punch-down cap management; & 10% s/s rotary tank fermentation. Fermentation on the skins took place for 7 - 12 days before being transferred to barrels to complete malolactic fermentation. Aged 9 mos in oak (70% AM [12% new] & 30% neutral FR); 14.8% ABV, 76,500 cases produced & released 9/’18 @ $26 sugg retail.”

N: Plums, poss RIPE blkberries with notes of spice? Jam & pyrazines with addt'l swirling? Intensity lurking?

P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it works its way into & through the LONG, balanced finish with a TANGY/swtness (60:40) to the dusty tannins. NEEDS/deserves 12-18 mos, then drinking into, probably through, '24? A solid EXC- for this substantial style that MIGHT *well* be even higher down the line. 91 pts ea WS (Fish, 4/30/19) & WE (6/1/19), 90 ea Dunnuck (6/’19), CostcoWineBlog.com (4/22/20), & WA (12/’19), 87 & Bronze @ Decanter’s ’19 World Wine Awards, and the ff’ing ’19 Contest results: Gold @ ’19 Sunset Int’l, + Silvers @ S.F. Chronicle, TEXSOM Int’l, & CA State Fair. [This vendor's $19.95 puts it well within the TOP 1/3 of wine-searcher's postings.]

Supposedly: 78% C.S., 8% Malbec, and 7% ea C.F. & Merlot; Aged 22 mos in FR oak (75% new); 560 cases produced.

N: Vanilla (with a touch of smoke?) SLIGHTLY atop RIPE berries with notes of choc?

P: MF body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which QUITE resolves by the LONG, balanced finish with a tangy/swtness to the few, quite unoffensively firming, dusty tannins. For now with food, MIGHT improve a tad for 6-12 mos, then drink through '23. Nicely done in an approachable style, & with noteworthy QPR for *this* AVA! My EXC-; 94+ pts WA (Perrotti-Brown, 10/31/19). [Check with this vendor if interested in their *very* COMPETITIVE price.]

100% estate grown Shiraz, vines 23-122 yrs old, from the 53% Nuriootpa, 26% Greenock, & 21% Craneford Vyds; Aged for 24 mos in predominantly 2nd & 3rd fill AM oak puncheons;

N: RIPE berries (plums) with notes of pyrazines

P: Med, poss MF, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it fairly seamlessly transitions into a LONG, BALANCED finish with a delightful tangy/swtness to the firming, but UNOFFENSIVE, dusty tannins. For now with food, may improve for 6 mos or so, then drinking through '24? 14.8% ABV; My EXC-/EXC, the higher for QPR? 92 pts The Wine Front (Mattinson), 91 pts ea Wine & Spirits and 91 Suckling, 90 winealign.com (3/’19), and 88 WE (Pickard, 10/1/19) @ $27. [This vendor's $19.95 now puts it in the TOP 1/2 of wine-searcher's postings.]

John L., I can't thank you *enough* for sharing this FABULOUS wine with me! [P.S., please *do* leave a note here IF I've credited this to the WRONG producer of this vyd. If you could then list the proper producer, I'll fix it.] ;)

“The Dr.Crane Vyd, known for producing some Napa Valley ‘greats,’ was first harvested in 1858. It sits on a deep alluvial fan produced by Sulfur Springs Creek. The current vyd was replanted in 1998 by Andy Beckstoffer. A large cache of prestigious wineries produce wine from its fruit. We have selected seven rows of Clone 337 C.S. where we have ability to control the crop management & picking brix.” 150 cases produced.

N: SMOKE considerably atop RIPE berries with notes of choc & pyrazines pushing forward with swirling; Intensity lurking?

P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by a hint of astringent pucker which stays in contact with the init frt as it SEAMLESSLY transitions into a VERY LONG, *impeccably* BALANCED finish with an ELEGANT tangy/swtness to the few, but still firming, INNOCUOUS, dusty tannins. For now, & unless the frt is currently masking underlying structure, through '23? VERY stylishly done, & IMPOSSIBLE for me to disfavor even though it may already be @ its zenith, & I don't necessarily see it making "old bones". 15.1% ABV; My EXC+ (94,95/100 using that metric). 97-99 pts Dunnuck (1/’19) & 94 WA (Perrotti-Brown, 10/’19).

Spent about 2-1/2 hrs in a sm tasting glass before I got to it

A blend of P.N. & Gamay; Noted a BIT of browning on the rim

N: Closed; Berries (red rasps?) with flowers (violets?) coming on;

P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by the barest hint of astringent pucker which DOES manage to hang around into & through the LONG, balanced finish with a lovely tangy/swtness & OCCASIONAL *glimpse* of very, VERY slight bitterness to the UNOFFENSIVELY firming, very, VERY fine tannins. For now & with the acidity/swtness to last through '22, I'd imagine. (As I felt 4 wks ago, this strikes me as being ≈ to a mature Cru Beaujolais.) My EXC-/EXC, the higher certainly IF one gives credit for something that is quite outside of what is NORMALLY seen. [This vendor's $29.95 is $5 < the lower of wine-searcher's 2 listings.]

Note: 1st tasted on 12/14/19

José & Torben, THANK you for making my tasting of this possible! :)

Decanted, then in a small tasting glass for a "couple" of hrs before I got to it

N: EARTH atop vanilla with notes of roses, poss tar?

P: LM, poss Lt, body; Rndish entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish met by an astringent pucker which stays in contact with the init frt as it fairly seamlessly evolves into a LONG, balanced, very, VERY slightly puckerish finish with an enticing (& still burgeoning?) swtness to the dusty tannins. Just starting to hit its stride? For now (with food), & guessing it will still be vibrant in '28? My EXC+, higher eventually?

THANK you for sharing this SENSATIONAL Chard, Dr. Tom! :)

N: Attractive hints of butter™ (but in NO way over the top) with notes of minerals, POSS lemons?

P: Med, poss MF, body; RNDISH entry with very NICE, ALMOST swtish oak/frt beautifully offset by an acidity which subtly, SEAMLESSLY extends its influence into & through the quite LONG, *beautifully* BALANCED finish with EVERYTHING in place. For now & (guessing) through '22, but since I can't IMAGINE it drinking BETTER, why wait? 14.25% ABV; My EXC+/Exceptional- (94-97/100 using that metric). 96 pts Vinous (Galloni, 10/1/15), 89 John Gilman (9-10/’16), & 16.5/20 Jancis Robinson (Hemming, 3/16/18). [As of mid Jan '20, wine-searcher still shows 3 sources from $45-$55].

However, as malolactic was apparently inhibited?!? Also, VERY likely from the same bottle as Vinnut on 1/11/20.

I *do* appreciate your generosity in allowing me to taste this, Chuey! :)

Typically, “75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, + 10% Mourvèdre & Cinsault; Wine is produced from grapes grown on 32 acres in several different parcels including Mont-Redon (Grenache), Les Cabrières (Grenache), & ‘Les Pialons’ (Syrah). The ave age of the Grenache vines is 85 - 95 yrs old. Usually one of the last to start harvesting their red grapes, which are harvested manually using buckets & small clippers. Once the fruit has arrived at the cellar, it is either destemed (if necessary) or passed directly onto an elevated rolling carpet that carries the grapes to the top of 1 of 6, 50 hl tanks where the grapes & wine will remain for ≈3 wks. Only 1 or 2 tanks will contain a single varietal...Grenache. The rest are a combination of 2 or more that will ferment & macerate together. Pumpovers & Releases occur a handful of times, varying ea yr, over the course of vinification, after which it is pumped downstairs into foudres ranging from 2 yrs to ‘very’ old, where it is left to age from 18-20 mos.”

N: GARRIGUE with notes of earth, ripe berries way underneath? Intensity lurking?

P: Med body; NICE, almost swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it fairly seamlessly works its way into & through the quite LONG, BALANCED finish with an already elegant tangy/swtness to the fairly innocuous, yet firming, dusty tannins. Drinking VERY nicely right now, + I can see it holding (poss even improving for 6 mos or so?) into '25? IMPRESSIVE stuff! 14.5% ABV; My EXC+ (94-95/100 using that metric). 94 pts Wine & Spirits (2/1/16); 93 (2x), 92, & 90 winealign.com (9/’15), 90 WS (11/15/15), 18/20 ea La Revue du Vin de FR (6/1/15) & Jancis Robinson (10/11/14), and 4*/5 drinkrhone.com