12/13/2023 - fussyeater Likes this wine:

Golden yellow. Sunflowers butterscotch and hint of vanilla on the nose. Quite full bodied, goregeous buttery mouthfeel, saline, very dry yet there is bright yellow fruit in an unfruity way. Good length on the finish and v moreish. 13.5% and sealed with Diam 10. Impressive.

1/28/2023 - Cabfrancophile Likes this wine:

Literally made my mouth water smelling it from the glass--Kalamata olive, smoked game, basil oil, white pepper, violet. The level of complexity is mind warping--as it opens up, roasted peppers, thyme, mulberry, and a sanguine character come into play. Mid-weight, medium plus acidity, rounded mid-palate, herbaceous finish. Ripe, but grippy tannins, with a mild bitterness on the finish that didn't shake fully with air.

I am increasingly thinking this vintage needs like 5-7 years to knit together, with the 'raw' flavors and ripping acidity likely to integrate. The finish held back this bottle a bit (and very well could improve), but otherwise this was like a M.C. Escher or perhaps a Hieronymus Bosch for the gustatory senses.

11/21/2022 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Deep garnet color with bright edges. Aromas of fresh violets and herbs, plum & blueberry, oolong tea, crushed stone and spices. Fresh and succulent blue and red fruit on the palate, with mineral, spices and floral secondary notes. Medium bodied with taut acidity and medium grain round tannins, finishing with dry zesty length. Very nice.

9/4/2022 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Light gold color, clear and bright. Aromas of lemon zest & white peach with floral and mineral secondary notes like honeysuckle, orange blossom and oyster shell. Fresh ripeness on the palate, showing lively tangerine & key lime fruit with wet stone minerality and hints of clove, marzipan and saltwater taffy. Opens rich and long through the mid-palate, with racy acidity and taut round structure reining in a cool zesty finish.

7/24/2022 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Decanted. Medium ruby color with hints of amber; with clarity and brightness. Aromas of fresh fig, cherry & pomegranate, with notes of orange blossom & rose petal, star anise, sandalwood & mushroom. Succulent zesty red fruit on the palate, vivid with integrated secondary depth of dried florals, wild herbs and five spice powder. Elegant middle palate, slightly angular with bright acidity and fine dense tannins, finishing with juicy dry depth and good overall length. Softened just a touch with time. Harmonious flavors, early secondary, with some resolution to the tannins yet still youthful in structure. Rated on potential and personal enjoyment but probably a 92 or 93 for PdB regulars at this stage.

6/6/2022 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Favorites - 2022 Wine Spectator Grand Tour - Las Vegas: Exotic aromas of cedar, leather, eucalyptus, currant, melted stone. Rich and round palate, with great elegance and precision. Expressive fruit with total secondary integration. Very finely structured and long. (WOTF-1)

5/8/2022 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Winery visit. Very complex aromas - flint, lees, wet soil, citrus zest, ginger spices, sandstone and white florals. Bright & vibrant on the palate, with seamless and round texture, vivid fruit with seamless secondary integration. Great acid tension, finely structured, with great depth and length.

1/8/2022 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Bright, light-gold color. Very mineral on the nose, aromas of oyster shell & slate, along with lime & orange flesh & zest, celery salt & white pepper, ginger powder, hazelnut and lavender. Lean and piquant on the attack, with juicy zesty citrus and depth of crushed stone, hazelnut, white pepper and hints of clove. Dense and fleshy middle palate, with taut acidity and tightly rounded edges towards a lengthy and mouthwatering finish.

3/21/2021 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Deep ruby color with clarity. Very vivid aromatically, black raspberry, red florals, start anise and fresh herbs. Bright and exhuberant fruit expression on the palate over a core of floral herbaciousness. Succulent, round and totally weightless structure, beautifully integrated high-tones acid and fine lithe tannins.

9/17/2021 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Restaurant service - classic aromas and notes of cherry & fig, rose petal, star anise and other exotic spices. A bit angular on opening, with expressive fruit. Rounded out beautifully over the course of an hour so. Bright acidity, round fine grippy tannins. Plenty of depth. Excellent bottle, needs a decant.

9/11/2021 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Clear bright garnet with light edges. Aromatics and notes throughout of fig & pomegranate, fresh hibiscus, brown mushroom, sandalwood, and five spice. Fresh, high-toned red fruit expression on the palate, with nicely layered secondary depth, showcasing its earth and exotic spice notes as it moves on the palate. Lean, with round middle density adding heft. Brightly integrated acid, finishing with fine supple tannins and moderate fruit-driven length. Showing very well.

7/29/2021 - joraesque wrote:

Upon opening, it smelled corked—but it's got a plastic cork! It turns out it needed to breathe for about an hour; medium-full bodied, and the biggest St. Joseph I've had to date; marked by damp wood and bitter cherry liquor; the more oxidation it got, the more minerality it revealed, as well as some gunpowder on the finish. PH appears to be relatively high. Overall, I'd say this is a St. Joseph for the Robert Parker palate. 13.5% ABV.
89-91
Update: Not drinking so well 30 hours later.
89

4/17/2016 - MattMauldin wrote:

Chateauneuf-Du-Pape domaine visits: Tasted at the domaine. Aromas of black tea, sous bois, spice and cherry- complex. Silky texture, with spices, cassis, and black tea. Dense and rich middle, round tannins, nice finish.

3/28/2021 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Decanted. Medium brick-ruby color with clarity. Orange peel and cherry aromatics, with notes throughout of brown butter, summer soil, star anise, nutmeg and rose hips. Juicy and succulent palate, zesty red fruit with a round secondary core, lifted and cool with rich texture. Well-integrated acidity, with plush fleshy tannin and dry lingering finishing depth.

3/12/2021 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Two hour decant. Black olive color with tones of garnet. Warm and generous nose - red currant, blackberry, cedar/cigar humidor, allspice & clove, hints of red flowers and dried herbs. Broad, succulently ripe and savory palate - stately black and red fruit and quick secondary depth of anise seed, spices and cedar. Dense and compact, medium-bodied, fleshing out with air. Plenty of tension, very firm tannins, fine-grained. Ample stuffing on the finish. Early to mid-primary, but a good early look. Hold 5-10+ years.

4/25/2018 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Ruinart Challenge and Winemaking Lecture (The Battery, SF): (blind)
I don't know what happened here. I was struggling with a note I couldn't place - sort of faded green savory moldy coffee. Then my memory seemed to click - pyrazines with age, like an aged Chinon. Essentially I tasted aged pyrazines with no oak.

Structurally the low tannins, elevated acid, and medium body and alcohol seemed consistent with this.

Guess: 2007 Chinon
Actual: 2012 Paso Grenache
Analysis: I have no clue what happened here. This is not a fair mistake - I must have had a crazy sensory mistake, or else this is a very, very strange Grenache.

This is a bit unusual for Paso Grenache, structurally. From the producer website:

13.8% alcohol
pH 3.52
TA 5.8 g
100% whole cluster fermentation
24 months in neutral oak

Still, even if this is a lighter style of Grenache, it doesn't explain my olfactory hallucination of aged pyrazines. I need to try to find this.

11/21/2020 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Decanted. Medium-ruby color, lightens at the edges. Secondary aromas of worn leather, thyme, hints of clove, tea & pressed violet, with currant fruit. Lively pomegranate and raspberry fruit on the palate, with hints of balsamic reduction and integrated depth of bay leaf, dill and dried flowers. Medium-bodied and accessible, with alluring elegance and presence. Ample acidity, well-integrated, with plush rounded tannins, finishing dry and juicy with solid depth. Secondary stage, drinking very well. I would buy again and hold a little longer to see where it goes, but seems to be in its drinking window now.

6/13/2020 - MattMauldin wrote:

Tasting at Au-Bon Climat: Bright and lively aromas - lemongrass, citrus zest and crushed minerals. Rich and luscious fruit on the palate with a mineral and spice edge. Solid depth.

5/10/2020 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

A deep garnet color, bright at the edges. Complex Syrah aromas of blackberry, mesquite char, potpourri, pink peppercorn, nutmeg and cardamom. Elegant and refined palate, with expressive dark fruit and layered depth. Medium-bodied, with roundness and volume in the mid-palate. Succulent acidity, well balanced, with fine moderate tannins. Finishes juicy and dry with nice length.

10/3/2020 - srh Likes this wine:

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

≈100 min decant into a plastic, cylindrical pitcher which was then capped. Fair amount of sediment noted; Private Preserve after Day 1

N: Closed; REALLY tough to parse: RIPE berries, choc, tobacco, poss coffee?

P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays in contact with the init frt as it seamlessly, fairly quickly works itself out & into a very LONG, BALANCED finish with a decidedly elegant swtness & very, VERY slight tanginess to the still firming remnants of its innocuous tannins. Drinking VERY well right now, & it could well continue into '25 min as there is incredible depth to this. Plus, went quite well with the night's Chx Hollenbeck Burrito (take out), the entrée's spicy "hotness" not at all intimitading THIS wine.
// Day 2: Notably > open, but can't parse out beyond saying the berries are blkberries; P very ≈, other than noting > firmness on the finish, though that might have even been an asset with the night's revisited Grn Bean Stew/Sausage/Beef [HmMd]. Nonetheless, this held < well than I'd expected, Day 2's added firmness on the finish being of SOME concern. Drink with hearty fare (BBQ?), safely through '23, though could well endure longer. QUITE a LOVELY wine in a substantive, full flavored style! 13% ABV; My EXC/EXC+ (92-95/100 using that metric). [As of early Nov '20, wine-searcher still shows 3 sources @ 78, 99, & $100].

8/14/2020 - MattMauldin wrote:

Pale lemon color. Peach blossom, orange zest, petrol, slate, white pepper aromas. Expressive palate, crisp and fresh with well balanced flavors and good acidity. A little linear in the middle, with decent roundness and depth on the finish.

9/13/2020 - Will Hansen Likes this wine:

Another beautiful wine from Tribute to Grace. Medium ruby color. Very fresh nose. Great light berry flavor, moderate, intregrated tannins and good acidity. A hit with everyone at the table, getting repeated compliments.

4/25/2020 - rmalloy Likes this wine:

Tasted and reviewed double blind. Very likely pinot, very likely Burgundy. Aromas of red cherries with savory accents of soy sauce, dark sesame oil, and freshly mown grass. A little more blood orange on the palate, but not tart. Relatively thick mouthfeel with relatively substantial tannins (assuming this is Burgundy). My guess is ~10 year old Burgundy, maybe Premier Cru or lower-end Grand Cru. I don’t have enough knowledge of Burgundy appellations to go beyond that. Rating 92. Drink over the next 10 years?

4/19/2020 - BigTex22 wrote:

Only 8 barrels produced. This had some funk on it which eventually blew off. High toned cranberry, with medium fruit. A bit of a tart finish. Not overly complex, but drank younger than an eight year old wine, at least for me. I have one bottle left and will hang onto it for another few years to see if anything interesting develops.

8/31/2019 - mathwonk wrote:

I differ (at my ignorant peril) with the other reviews. To me this is a light, delicious, fruity wine, with no depth, complexity, or long distance potential. I surmise that this is the future of climate change wine at their best, delicious but uninteresting. But I like it a lot. Yes I woud prefer an interesting wine, but at this price point ($50) I don't expect that today, and am quite happy with delicious.

To be specific, this is clearly more enjoyable than the Ridge estate cab that I bought for $17 more at a higher priced store last week.

edit: In August 2020, I am again grateful this is available locally, as it is still delicious, and still fruity and uncomplicated. Hard still to imagine any significant depth developing, but well recommended as highly drinkable now.

11/28/2019 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:

Piedmont II - better and learnings; 11/23/2019-11/29/2019 (Barolo, Alba, others): First wine in one of our tastings this week that has floored me. This wine is special. Should underline and bold and all of that. This was a wine that made me take notice and I'll be on the lookout ever hereafter. It's pretty. Whole cluster fermentation which is of course very unusual in barolo but more usual for this cru. Elegant. Gentle. Sweet red fruits. Spicy. And did I mention beautiful? There's something about how this is pulled together where that is just the perfect word for it. Absolutely beautiful.

11/13/2019 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Clear ruby color. Aromas and notes of fresh plum, dried blue florals, hints of clove & paprika spices, and hints of stone. Vivacious and bright fruit on the palate, with subtle secondary floral and spice depth, adding darker earth notes and hints of star anise. Gains richness and texture in the middle with air, with medium-plus acid and round smooth tannins. Peppery spice and crushed stone on a lingering finish. Very nice - reminds me at first of Etna Rosso with a softer Pinot Noir-like structure, but gains structure with air.

10/14/2019 - JOsgood wrote:

Tasted at the Cantina in Verduno. A superb vintage for this wine. Super expressive with big aromatics and big cherry notes on the palate. Such a unique and memorable young Barolo.

4/26/2019 - Cabfrancophile Likes this wine:

Modern/riper styled Barbera, but doesn't lose the varietal character. Earthy cherry, some dried, some fresh, herbs, pleasant bitterness, like a cherry pit. Mild tannins, good acidity. Almost like a high-quality Zin.

6/22/2019 - MattMauldin wrote:

Blind Tasting of Central Coast Syrah with a ringer: Notes of plum and mulberry, root spices and iron. Ripe and fruit-driven palate with secondary spices and mineral depth. Well-balanced, straight-forward in style, supple in structure. Decent supporting acid, round tannins. Not overly complex, but drinking well.

5/5/2019 - Cabfrancophile wrote:

Quaffable white Rhone. Fresh and nimble, likely due to the co-fermentation of the two varieties with different typical harvest dates. Pear, a bit floral, but not overtly aromatic. Really like the weight and balance on this.

5/26/2019 - chablis28 wrote:

Yep, I'm smitten with Smith Madrone Cabernet! I love this producer on many levels. Old school Napa Cab done right and fairly priced, which is so rare in NV. So happy it largely flies under the radar while so many Napa Cab lovers can't wait to shell out $100+ for latest mailing list darling. Tonight's blt saw little air out of necessity as my '79 Beuna Vista no showed. Served in a Riedel BDX glass this didn't skip a beat and rocked. Exceedingly well balanced and elegant. Sturdy but charming. Focused & super fresh with a; minerally earthiness,red fruit, cedar, spice and lead pencil. How do you beat this for $45??? Great with cast iron seared steaks. Founded in 1971, this wine likely comes from old vines by most Napa Valley standards. SM is also one of best stops in wine country if you don't mind a low keyed, no hype, experience. 93pts+

9/13/2018 - rocknroller wrote:

Burgundy, Rhone, Provence Trip; 9/3/2018-9/15/2018 (Burgundy, Rhone, Provence, France): Tasting pour at the Domaine. Medium red color. Complex nose of red berries, earth, and dried spices. The palate has cherries, spices, garrigue,violet, cigar wrapper, sleek and tangy, very pretty with a soft texture and great tannins. My kind of vintage.

8/31/2018 - Matt Scott Likes this wine:

Marvelous concentration and layers, with a wide range of profiles, this Russian River Valley goddess extenuates all things Pinot. Ripe cherry, salty pebbles, teak chest, potpourri and dried hay. Long and the acidity adds so much delight, with this being quite approachable and new world. Drink now - 2029.

6/3/2018 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Sonoma County May 29, 2018: Aromas of tea leaf, fig, smoked paprika and lavender- nicely complex. Succulent and snappy red fruit palate with secondary layers of mineral, earth and florals. Finely elegant weight and tannins and very good depth on the finish. Excellent.

3/26/2018 - tomoem wrote:

Just ok, I feel that the merlot's from Calluna wines let me down. Nothing particular special. Mild flavors

12/10/2017 - YankeeRobio Likes this wine:

Anyone who is a lover of Syrah and has not tried this (or any other Donelan Syrah) is truly missing out. Spectacular wine that has a polished entry, notes of blueberry, blackberry and marionberry. Subtle licorice and and a little pepper on the finish. Bravo!!!

10/3/2017 - MyWine2009 wrote:

Now I understand BdM better. DRY! Very tannic. Unripe fruit. Better with food. Would be interesting to taste high-end producer, then perhaps give it another go. If you love dry reds, this is a nice choice. The wine seems well-crafted. I would probably choose this over a Cali Cab for a pasta pairing or something that required a tannic, structured dry red. I must admit I'm very limited on Italian varietals.

8/22/2017 - oldwines Likes this wine:

Tasted at the winery. I found this single vineyard a little less complex and less earthy and more fruity than the Outcrop Vineyard which I tasted right before, though another reviewer noted it was quite complex and layered. It is a similar light to medium ruby color to the Outcrop with mostly roses, strawberry and violets on the nose and palate. Good acidity, again it seems less structured than the Outcrop, though it is still age worthy and a very fine wine.

9/4/2017 - tomoem wrote:

This was quite closed more than the 13'. I also found this to be more aromatic than the 13'. Bright fruits and a slight bell pepper finish. Short(ish) finish.

6/11/2017 - RayT Likes this wine:

First bottle of Smith-Madrone cab. This was ruby in color with a nose of lavender and spice and a touch of alcohol. Tried on the pnp and then decanted 2 hours and drank over another 2 hours. This drank pretty easy as a pop and pour. Weirdly the tannins got stronger as this gained air instead of softening. This was actually a good thing in my opinion as this provided more structure and drank more like a mountain wine. This lacked the intensity of fruit of most mountain wines and the mid palate was just average. This did have a long finish though. This was a medium bodied wine tasting of boysenberry and chocolate. This is an elegant styled mountain wine which seems to be an oxymoron. While not necessarily my cup of tea as I like big and bold wines this was still well made and worth the $35 I paid for it.

3/18/2017 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Blind Tasting of Paso Robles Red Blends: Paso red blends blind tasting- ranked 1 of 6. Dark ruby color. Really nice savory notes on the nose- saddle leather, earth, spices, dried lavender, along with cherry and fig fruit. Nice lift and energy on the palate, showing red fruits, tea leaf and spices, florals, cedar and sandalwood- very nice complex layers of flavor. Medium-plus acid, medium grain tannins, very well balanced. Nice complexity and length on the finish. Excellent.

1/27/2017 - Seafoam Manor wrote:

At face value, this is a wine with medium intensity on both the nose and palate, medium body, alcohol, acid and tannin, but it is so much better and more elegant that. Despite having a fruit profile than spans more deep red to black, this has a bit of a rustic Burgundy feel. Very complex and it is at times floral, but also showing a bit of green stemminess, which isn't unlike unsmoked pot. There are cherries and blackberries, but also notes of olives, pepper and anise. There is a bit of spiciness, but no oak notes to speak of. This has an absolutely silky mouthfeel. If you're aiming for a ripe California or Aussie Shiraz style, take a pass on this. This really straddles the fence of elegance and rusticity. This was great right out of the bottle, but did open up a bit over the course of an hour or so. This will hold for several years, but I wouldn't hesitate to jump in now. A total steal at $35.

11/25/2016 - Frank Murray III wrote:

My final bottle of this wine, was opened yesterday and am using the final pour today for this note. This is chilled, allowing it to warm to get a broad look. This bottle, whether it be the amount of air I gave it or bottle variation, maybe both......this bottle tastes different than the bottle last month. This has plenty of lemony acidity, saline, really terrific texture, little creamy pineapple. It does have the toasty quality of the previous bottle but it does have a cool slate, saline cord which shows delicious. I assume this will age well and evolve nicely.

11/13/2016 - acidqueen wrote:

Crisp, mineral, lemon with floral. Light yellow. Lots of acid and brightness but good flavors developing. Needs way more time but promising. Much better than the last AG review of 88 would indicate. And what is with that AG review? A year earlier this was 92-94 and now it is an 88. Why should I listen to anything he has to say about this? Despite his latest comments, this wine is certainly not "soft and easy going".

9/27/2016 - Lakewood Cellarmaster wrote:

The most confusing wine of the evening. I was really excited to try this Russian River blend. It was rated 95 by Wine and Spirits and the tasting notes indicated that I would love it. I found "chalk" to be the most apt descriptor as that was the texture I noted from the heavy tannins and mineral offered by this wine. There were flavors of plum, and a hint of spice, but mainly I kept coming back to the heavy tannins. After going back to the review, I did note that the author stated that it became much fuller and well-rounded after airing out for a couple of days. It's possible that it just needs some time to mature. Members agreed for the most part, ordering just a few bottles. I would like to see what it's like a few years from now.

4/14/2016 - chablis28 wrote:

How does a producer this good, with such interesting & fairly priced wines, manage to mostly fly under the radar??? Made from 40 year old vines which is often key. Wonder how many times I drove right by this place on my way to Pride Mt up on Spring Mt? If, I ever get back to Napa again, a stop at Smith Madrone is on the list. PnP in Reidel BDX. Drank around 58-60 degrees. Dark Ruby / garnet color. This smelled great from the get go and my first sip was perfectly balanced and ready to go. Decant might not hurt but certainly not necessary. The balance here is exceptional. Tobacco, creosote and spice on the nose carry over to the palate. A complex layered array of dark chocolate, licorice, cherry, other berries and tobacco delivered on a mid weight energetic but placid frame. At the end of dinner, I stared down one last sip in the glass and found myself longing for one more glass to savor afterwards :). 14.2% Alc but feels more like 12.5%. Paid $45, easily drinks more like $75+ Better grab a few more for prosperity. This is one CA Cab that fits squarely in my old world dominated cellar.

12/18/2015 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:

Ruby color- medium dark. Secondary/tertiary aromas- notes of anise, dill, leather, vanilla, mineral, along with boysenberry fruit. Richly layered red and dark fruit on the palate, with emerging sweet spice and earth, consistent with the nose. Medium-bodied, elegant, with medium acid and fine silky tannin, and a clean moderate finish. Very nice- ready to drink.

10/27/2015 - gsquireh Likes this wine:

Can you believe, getting better? Decant for an hour or less, and drink a marvelous Margaux bought in 2006 for $49.00! Gone is the forest floor and replaced by a spring and then summer garden. The cassis, blackberry, dewberry, and black currant are one, all balanced for a singular impression, a super smooth mouth feel. Elegant and delicious, the dark purple, concentrated tannins have gone to heaven, rich and textured, licorice, rose and hibiscus, sweet dark chocolate and clove, the beauty drinks like a first growth. Transporting to wine wonder.

8/8/2015 - Trolson wrote:

I was disappointed: little body and rather bland taste. Drank like it was at end of drinking window rather than at start.