A very nice domestic sparkler! Definitely one of the better sparkling wines not from Champagne. Nose showed plenty of red fruit with some brioche and some slate. Palate was very expressive with red fruits, some pink grapefruit and some orange peel, followed by a nice chalkiness and touch of sweetness. Nicely put together 93-94 points and a tasty rose!

This is one of the better domestic sparklers I have tasted....a bit overpriced, but good enough to add to a collection of sparkling wines/Champagnes. This is only the second Ultramarine BdB I have tasted, and it has all the components to be a great sparkler, but, IMO, way too young right now. Plenty of yeast, hay, citrus and tart apple and limestone. The flavors still need to further integrate and the acidity needles to calm down slightly. Still very good now, but will be better with a few years of slumber. 93-94 now. Hope I get to taste more in the future!

Next to Marcassin, this is my favorite Chardonnay! This bottle did not disappoint! I always advocate 6-8 years of age on Aubert wines (Lauren is typically at the 8 year end). At 6, this wine is just starting to hit its stride. This wine shows a nice blend of stone fruit and tropical fruit, coupled with melon and pear and some citrus.....yes, this wine has it all going on! Add to that some river-rock and sweet toasted oak to compliment the acidity and you have one of the best Chardonnays out there! The only thing that stops me from rating this even higher, is I know it will still get better during the next few years! 96-97 now, with a positive upside.

See sfwinelover1 for prep. Way young, even with all the oxygen it received, but hey, it's Aubert! Even in its impetuous youth, Aubert manages to stand out in a crowd! I prefer these wines with 6-8 years of age on them, but I am not adverse to robbing the cradle with these wines! My second favorite Chardonnay of the night....not quite up to a 17 Lauren, but still pretty darn tasty! CIX is one of my favorite vineyards at Aubert (who am I kidding, I love em all!) Stone fruit...yada yada yada...creamy ... yada yada yada...good juice! 93+ to 94 but huge upside....don't touch these until 6 years old minimum....unless you are opening one for me!

Small pour.....think honey butter on toast, but with a citric streak! Second time I have had VVChard (other was a 19). This one is showing what a little age can do, and it's quite nice! Should continue to improve, IMO. Like the creamy pear and streak of chalky minerality. Solid 95 for my palate.

OK....so for those who know me or have followed me on CT, you know I have been less than enchanted by Lafleur....I have opened 5 bottles from various vintages and had a couple others people have opened for me...through all that, I have never has a great bottle! The day before this tasting, I had the privilege of tasting a 2004 and 2012 Lafleur, and neither of those changed my mind! In fact, I told a good friend, Marvin, who wanted to bring this bottle to the tasting that he should save it because it is too young. However, with my compounded horrible experiences with Lafleur, like a bad dream you cannot wake up from, I told him to bring it to this tasting. If I was not impressed, I was selling the few bottles of Lafleur I have left and chalking it up to this wine just not being in my wheelhouse! So he brought it!

2018 Lafleur - Now THIS is what I always expected from Lafleur! A great wine that not only tastes great now, but actually shows off its potential to get even better! I would fully expect this wine to hit three digits with some cellar time (at least 7-10 years). Full of black and red fruit, with plenty of graphite, bramble, chocolate and forest floor. This is sumptuous now, but no doubt will be even better later! 97 points and a big thank you to Marvin for restoring my faith in Lafleur!

As a side note, I think the fruit may fade faster with this wine than other wines, so I will likely drink them between 10 and 15 years old.

This wine is a testament to great grapes, great winemaking and lucking out into a great bottle! I sent this wine to Alex MacDonald quite a few years ago and he saved it! He knew I would be attending this tasting, and he brought this bottle to share with me and others!

This wine is pure elegance in a bottle! I refer to it as a 1994 MacDonald, because even though he wasn't making wine back then, his grapes make up the core of this wine! For those out there that want to get an idea of how MacDonald wines will age, I recommend seeking out a bottle of this!

The wine shows plenty of black and red fruit, old leather notes, earth and some spice and toasty oak. It strikes a nice balance between fruit and tertiary goodness I seek in a wine. Definitely a head-turner and not past its prime as CT suggests. A solid 95 for me and a pretty good value for a wine at almost 30 years of age!

This wine is one of those expensive wines that is actually worth it! The Mag 7 offers tons of fruit in a seamless cocoon of plush, velvety pleasure. I wish this wine was more reasonably priced and more readily available so I could load up on it! The wine shows layers of black and blue fruit coupled with violets, some baking spice, and some bramble, all wrapped in tobacco and sweet toasted oak. This is not a wine for necrophiliacs! If you like wines dead as a doornail, go else where! While this embraces the "Go big or go home" philosophy, it has such an elegance that I cannot see anyone not loving this wine! Even in its infancy, it manages to show a maturity and pureness that captures. your heart and your palate! A magnificent wine now that will approach 3 digits with time, IMO. 96+ to 97 now and will definitely go up from there!

What can I say....it is Harlan and it is drinking quite well right now. No hurry to pop a bottle, but no reason to wait either if the occasion presents itself! I recommend opening this with just a couple close friends, as you will want a big pour (or a couple small pours) and the bottle will still go fast! Harlan just makes you want to keep drinking it!

For me, what separates Harlan from other wines is the balance and mouthfeel of the wine, coupled with the depth and purity of the fruit. I also think Harlans are meant to drink with a good amount of age, as for me, it takes quite a while to coax out the tertiary flavors, and thankfully, the depth of fruit makes this possible while still having plenty of fruit left after 20 years of aging the wine!

2001 Harlan - Perfumed nose, check..... purity of fruit (red, purple, blue and black fruit), check...tertiary goodness (old leather, earth, sweet tobacco, graphite and some tar), check....silky mouthfeel, check! One of the best wines I have ever had....check! 98 points and tied with the 96 Harlan, still a hair short of the 94 Harlan (which I wish I owned!)....yes, I am greedy!

As I read through other CT notes, not sure where some others are coming from re: dead fruit...I have thought lots of older wines were dead, even where others thought there was plenty of fruit, but I never imagined I would ever be on the other side of that table, unless it is just bottle variation. For me, this had lots of fruit, to the point I would say that it was fruit dominated, but there is a very nice balance here between fruit and the tertiary flavors I enjoy....in short, for me, this wine is in the zone right now where there is a great balance between fruit and tertiary flavors, and for me, this even leans slightly on the fruit side of the scale (which is perfect!)

2004 Unico - Nice nose with cherry, leather, earth and forest floor. Palate shows layers of red and dark fruit, with earth and mushroom, sweet tobacco and graphite, and some tar and toasted oak. The American oak is nicely integrated and the wine shows no heat and a plush mouthfeel that goes down oh so easy. I can't imagine this wine drinking any better than it is now for my palate, but should hold here for a few more years....another wine I would say to open when the situation presents itself, I can't imagine disappointment whether now or with the next couple years. For those looking for most tertiary flavors, you can wait another 5 years....for those who still want a fair amount of fruit, drink up within the next 1-2 years. Easy 97 for me!

This is yet another stellar wine that is in the "zone" right now! If you are a fruit whore, like me, but also like that tertiary goodness that comes from a well aged wine, then this will be right up your alley! It's Shiraz (Syrah, for those not familiar with Australian wine), so it is big and lots of fruit (think SQN here), but also has settled down and is showing lots of tertiary goodness.

2004 Grange - Fruit forward with lots of red and dark fruit, some eucalyptus, some forest floor, some anise and some earth all wrapped in sweet toasty oak. The wine is silky with a long finish that calls you like a siren's song, to take another sip...then BAM! it's all gone! Love this wine, wish I had more, can't wait for later vintages to mature! Solid 97 for me...no hurry on this either!

Tasting this wine reminds me of what a privileged life I lead sometimes! Unfortunately, I have tasted this twice, and while this is an awesome wine which I would thoroughly enjoy (and should enjoy) by itself, both tastings where I had the privilege of drinking this were marked with unbelievable wines. While it didn't get lost in the shuffle, it likely didn't get the attention and accolades it richly deserves.

2002 Insignia - 2002 was a stellar vintage and Joseph Phelps makes some stellar wines! Insignia is a wine that when it is on, is one of the best Napa wines, and this bottle was definitely on! Dark, brooding fruit and a nice earthiness and leathery palate all in perfect harmony, together with some spice, toasty oak and tobacco and throw in some creamy dark chocolate and you have a stellar wine! Wish I could just sit down with this bottle and enjoy it for the delicious wine it is! Don't bring this wine to a tasting, rather open it for a dinner or just with a friend and sit back and enjoy the ride! Solid 96....slightly better than last bottle! In a great place right now, IMO.

This wine reminds me that while I think 2015 will be a great vintage, wines from that vintage seem to age at a glacial pace, and this is no exception. Couple that with the fact these wines are made for aging, and you have a wine still in its infancy. The fruit is totally the star right now! Pure and deep, with lots of blue and black fruit and a little cherry peering through periodically. You sense the tertiary flavors, but right now they are masked by gobs of fruit with some anise and spice. This is Verite's Bordeaux blend, which, with their Merlot, should be the most approachable wines....and don't get me wrong, the fruit is very remarkable and approachable, but definitely wait on this one! 95 now, but loaded with potential to gain a couple points with some additional cellar age...would wait at least another 5 years on this, and at this rate, perhaps longer.

Probably the best Northern Rhone I have tasted. This wine exemplifies everything you look for in Northern Rhone, and is in a zone right now, bridging the gap between fruit and tertiary flavors. In a perfect spot for my palate, although those who place a higher value on tertiary goodness may want to hold off on opening this for a few more years, or give it a good decant (2+ hours). For me, this was still tipping on the fruit side of the spectrum (black and red), but showed some blood, earth, leather and bacon fat, as well as a healthy dose of spice. Totally different animal than SQN or Grange. This is a wine that would be nice to sit with alone....it commands your full attention, and will reward you with awesome tasting experience. Hopefully someday, I will be able to do that! 97 points and the highest I have rated any Northern Rhone and ties the highest I have ever rated a Syrah/Shiraz.

Note....my friend who provided this wine thinks they should be drunk young....I say good things come to those who wait! In short, if you have a palate that favors big Napa wines, stick with SQN! On the other hand, if you enjoy elegance and complexity, and a wine that you can sit back and just enjoy life with, then this wine is for you! Since I am in both categories, I would be happy with either one!

Lovely wine, but wayyyyy too young! Don't get me wrong, I will drink mid-90 point wines all day long! And this certainly is in that category even at this young age! However, just knowing it will get even better would pain me if this were my bottle. Of course, this is one of those "matter of preference" wines....some like em young, others a little more mature! My feeling on these wines, based on past experiences with SQN in general, is the fruit is in no danger of fading for more than a decade, so why not wait even if you're a fruit whore (which I am sometimes). The wine will metamorphosize into something even more special that will contain all the fruit and add some tertiary and secondary character...so again, why not wait? 94 points now for layers of use fruit and its silky texture, but huge upside with another 7 or so years of slumber.

This was served blind. Pegged new world and cabernet, but thought California....never even considered WA....would like to think it was because I drank too much, but who am I kidding? I really would have never guessed WA anyway (although after the reveal, it certainly made sense...but hindsight is 20/20!)

Delicious wine that didn't get lost amount a group of superstars! While I will say that this tasting (both day 1 and day 2) was the best tasting I have ever had the privilege of attending, the down side is that all the superstars had to share the spotlight, even though each one deserved their own spotlight! This wine was no exception!

2008 Quilceda Creek - A very nice Cab that could pass for Bordeaux blend, as it has the dark fruit of a cab, but also seems to have the chocolate covered cherry you often see in Merlot (I did peg it for Cab, but in retrospect, I wouldn't have been surprised if it was a blend). The oak was well integrated and the wine showed notes of earth, bramble, anise and spice. The wine is very solid and would be a standout wine on its own...a nice and humbling blind wine that could stand proud with wines costing two to four times as much! Definitely a great QPR! Solid 94 for my palate, and that may be slightly conservative.

A very nice Colgin, and provides some insight as to how these age. This is in a pretty good place right now for my palate....not sure if it is the style, winemaking or vineyard. Always a treat to taste Colgin as I don't own many (at this price range, you need to pick and choose, and I chose Harlan wines, i.e., Harlan, Promontory and Bond...yes, I know a couple of those are more expensive than Colgin). Anyway, this was delicious and in a much better place than its siblings (Cariad and IX) even though those will likely be better wines with more age....Ironically, the 2005 IX seemed way WAY younger than this wine, despite only being a year apart.

2004 Colgin Hertb Lamb - plenty of red fruit and black raspberry couples with some earthy notes, forest floor, pencil lead and leather notes. Very elegant....this wine is not about power, but elegance, which it pulls off effortlessly. In a great spot now! 94 and should hold for another year or so.

Wow....that was my first impression after following the 2004 Colgin Herb Lamb with this wine. Only a year younger, but more complex and still way too young! If you enjoy robbing the wine cradle, then this wine will be right up your alley now. Yes, I mean you, Prison King.....and Chris :)

2005 Colgin IX - See sfwinelover1 for bottle treatment. This is a nice wine, very fruit dominated right now. Tertiary flavors can be coaxed out, but lie very deep in the background. Dark and red fruit takes center stage, with some earth, coffee and tobacco notes peering out periodically. Also, a little heat coming through, which always bothers me. I wonder of the heat will go away or become more pronounced with additional age....my gut says it will dissipate, but I do not have enough experience with these types of wine to comfortably judge. 94+ now, but upside potential with additional tertiary notes, and huge upside potential if the tertiary notes become more pronounced and it loses the heat from alcohol. Hope I get to taste another one of these in a few years!

Way young! Has the stuffing to be great, but all about the fruit right now. On the plus side, there is plenty of fruit to cover alcohol at this stage. I feel this wine will will benefit from sacrificing some of its glorious fruit for some tertiary/secondary character. If I owned bottles of this wine, I would not touch them for at least another 5 years, minimum. Not even sure if that will be enough. For those who are all about fruit, go for it....you won't be disappointed. My personal feeling is that when you get into this price-point, you really want to drink the wine when it is showing it's best side! Of course, when that is, is palate dependent...so for those who are100% about fruit, it is drinking well now....plenty of dark red and black fruit to satisfying any fruit crave! Also, not quite as linear as I am painting, i.e., there are hints of other things going on, including some anise, graphite and forest floor, but those take second seat to the fruit. Good now, but should be great in a few more years! 93+ now, with tons of potential to gain a few points with time....

I had never had a scarecrow before, that I could recall, so when asked if there were any bucket list CA cabs, I replied I wouldn't mind tasting a Scarecrow! This is an example of the adage, it is nice to have friends! Bryan volunteered to open one of his, and he brought this wine to the tasting because it was his oldest one and because 2012 was such a good vintage and drinking quite well now!

This wine did not disappoint! Chalked full of pure dark fruit, this wine is in the zone! May improve, but so good now. This is a wine that is both power and finesse at the same time, showing both the purity of the fruit and some earth, tobacco and toasty oak with a twinge of spice. The wine has a silky mouthfeel and a long finish. I am glad I was able to taste this....thanks Bryan! 96+ to 97 easily! Wish I owned some of this, and wish I could have spent more time with this wine....a stellar wine amongst a lot of stellar wines!

Another baby, but fun to taste! Yes, this has all the stuffing to be great, and I would expect nothing less. More fruit forward and pretty darn tannic (probably the most tannic wine of the night, or at least the most noticeable tannins) This wine is very good from an academic standpoint, and pretty darn good from a tasting standpoint, but only showing vague glimpses of what is to come (based on other tastings of older Hillsides). I know there was a change in ownership, but I still expect similar performance to past vintages, and seeing how 16 was a pretty stellar vintage for Napa, I fully expect this to take its place amongst the best Shafer HSS!

2016 Shafer HSS - Mostly red fruit with hints of darker fruit looming in the background. Already showing hints of cocoa, earth and lots of toasted oak. This wine is good now, and fairly complex, but it should be a blockbuster in coming years. More closed down (IMO) than most 2016s. 94 now, but should flirt with perfection in the future.