1/14/2024 - jgreco Likes this wine:

I’ve always enjoyed Bruce’s wines. Vine Hill Ranch is *the* site of some the greatest Napa Valley terroir. Nose of creme de cassis, black plums, violets, mint, cocoa powder, vanilla, and leather. But yea, that vanilla, the new oak is going to take another decade to fully integrate. Tannins are still quite forceful and will take some time. Acidity a bit lower than expected for the vintage.

9/2/2023 - DAN BAILEY Likes this wine:

From magnum. Tangy, sweetness, meursault-like spice. Cool vanilla, buting spice, but of heat on the finish is the only nit.

6/6/2022 - jgreco Does not like this wine:

Pale yellow in color. Very tropical in flavor with melon, honey due, papaya. Great acidity. Long finish. Not sure I get the hype on this one.

12/30/2022 - jgreco Does not like this wine:

It’s all oak

3/12/2022 - jgreco Does not like this wine:

This is my first time trying the EABA Cuveé and I can’t say I enjoy it like I do the rest of the Andremily lineup. The red and black fruit is too ripe and overpowering. Have this with some fatty food or strong cheese.

7/26/2019 - jgreco Likes this wine:

The 2009 Vine Hill Ranch "VHR" is one of the most interesting Napa Valley cabernets I have ever had and an incredible effort for only the second year of VHR. Featuring a dark purple core with a clear rim, the 2009 has a nose of blackcurrants, bramble, and a hint of smokiness. Tannins are well integrated and the wine's texture is silky smooth. Tertiary flavors are just beginning to supplement the black cherry and cassis with coffee bean, graphite, and charred earth. This is drinking beautifully now and should continue to do so over the next decade.

From the label: Blocks 4, 6, and 7 picked in the first half of October.

5/29/2021 - jgreco wrote:

2018 Andremily Mourvèdre might be the single greatest bottle of Mourvèdre that I have had. Beautifully pure blue fruit, lavender, spice, and grilled meats. Very elegant and silky smooth with an all-day slow-ox.

4/5/2018 - jgreco Likes this wine:

Jonata's el Alma starts the evening with a nose that is a light and airy perfumed fragrance. Over the course of the evening though it gradually evolves into something more serious with musky red fruits dominating. I can still smell the wine a day later when I close my eyes. The Cabernet Franc welcomes you on the first sip, but the Cabernet Sauvignon provides needed structure and support mid-palate. It's remarkable how perfectly balanced this wine is with a wonderful interplay of red fruits, flowers, nuts, and chocolate. The 2013 is still a bit young with plenty of aging opportunity.

1/18/2021 - jgreco Likes this wine:

The 2017 Arterberry Maresh Maresh Vineyard is pale, limpid red in color. Lovely, light bodied, perfumed, red fruit with lots of savory characteristics lurking just beneath the surface. Soft and velvety texture. This is amazing now, but will be out of this world in 5 years time.

12/17/2020 - jgreco Likes this wine:

The 2018 Pezzato is a fantastic new wine from Michael Savaiano. no. 2 lead pencil, chocolate, dark cherries. With a 3 hour decant this was silky smooth to drink. And at $65? What a steal for Napa Valley.

2/3/2021 - jgreco Likes this wine:

I bought this bottle of 2013 Vine Hill Ranch VHR ex-chateau earlier this year and it was close to the perfect wine for me. Bosyenberry, blueberries, lead pencil, green olive, and spices waft out of the glass. This is not a huge ripe blockbuster wine that you might be accustomed to in 2013 or even some of the other VHR wines I have had. Instead is very elegant, almost Margaux like with its silky texture. This will continue to improve for a few more years.

9/7/2020 - jgreco wrote:

Heavy reduction in this bottle

3/21/2020 - jgreco Likes this wine:

Way to young to drink, but you may find it impossible to keep your hands off of it. Absolutely stunning wine. We bought a half case after drinking this.

1/31/2019 - jgreco Does not like this wine:

Wine Country; 1/31/2019-2/3/2019 (California): Tasted at the Bedrock tasting room in Sonoma. Difficult to pin down, the 2014 Under The Wire Pinot Noir Sparkling Hirsch Vineyard is entirely unique and unlike any Blanc de Noir sparkling you might have had before. The pale orange color, perfumed aromatics, grainy texture, and savory finish on such a young wine is compelling, if not exactly pleasurable. Tasted twice over the weekend with similar notes.

8/9/2020 - jgreco Does not like this wine:

The 2018 Turley Zinfandel Dusi Vineyard dark purple in the glass and has a a nose of blue and black fruits. Medium bodied, but unpleasantly sweet, and with sappy, syrupy texture. For such an easy vintage, the Turley house style is really overdone.

4/25/2020 - jgreco Likes this wine:

I am not a huge rose drinker, but the Bedrock Ode to Lulu has always been a favorite of mine. It defies the archetype of the California Rosé, which is far too often watered down sugar. This is more like a Bandol. Pale salmon in color. Nose of perfumed flowers, cantaloupe, melon, and an underlying vegetal note. Lots of black fruit. Great minerality. The Mourvedre really shines here giving it a firmness and a bite that you do not frequently get from rose. At $19 this is a steal. If you are willing to give up a little of the brightness, you will not be disappointed cellaring this a year.

5/17/2020 - jgreco Likes this wine:

I lost my tasting notes, but the 2016 Domain Courbis Cornas Les Eygats was remarkable and a total steal for $50. I particularly loved the purity of the black and blue fruit. It is still a beast though and needed a 4+ hour decant.

4/23/2020 - jgreco Likes this wine:

First up, the 2018 Dirty & Rowdy Skin and Concrete Egg Fermented Semillon. I have not had a lot of Semillon outside of sweet wines from Sauternes, but I would drink a lot more if they tasted like this. Skin fermented, the wine takes on a dark yellow/orange hue. Featuring primarily savory notes of crushed wet rocks, brine, orange, lemon extract, herbs, celery, and wild brush. At 11% alcohol this is light, refreshing, and perfect for summertime drinking. I would like a little more bite from acidity, but I would definitely order this again for the uniqueness. It drank well on second day.

3/21/2020 - jgreco Likes this wine:

The 2014 Gallica Soberanes Vineyard Syrah is an absolutely stunning example of what can be achieved in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Featuring pure blue fruit, star anise, iodine, and candied orange nose. Soft and plush fruits that makes this so enjoyable to drink after an hour decant. Can't believe I picked this up for $20.

12/27/2019 - jgreco Does not like this wine:

Mild reduction on the nose. Not giving up much else at this stage. Tastes like a 1-dimensional generic California Syrah. I'd give this a few more years to see if it opens ups. Not a good value.

11/21/2019 - jgreco Likes this wine:

2017 Turley Ueberroth Vineyard is insanely good in it's youth. It is black and red fruited, perfumed, and peppery with a hint of mild reduction that blows off with time in the glass. Delectable bramble fruit is paired with high acidity and finely grained tannins. Terrific energy.

Day 2: Much more perfumed red fruits. Licorice on the finish. The finely grained tannins are much better integrated. Excited about popping another in 2-3 years.

9/19/2019 - jgreco Likes this wine:

Tastings; 9/19/2019-9/20/2019 (Napa): The 2016 Anjea Sleeping Lady Vineyard is an absolutely stunning debut for Kinsman Eades. Gorgeous and layered with red and black currants, perfumed flowers, red cherries, and cocoa. Deeply structured with coarse tannins. You are going to need to be patient, perhaps 5-7 years, before this is ready to drink. Tasted with Shae and Nigel at Long Meadow Ranch.

5/4/2019 - jgreco Likes this wine:

36th Birthday (Noreetuh): Wine #2. This is my second time trying the 2016 Lingua Franca Bunker Hill and it has changed a lot over the past six months. The apple, lemon and sea salt are still there, but gone are the crushed wet rocks and flint. The precise flavors and intense minerality have been replaced by smoother transitions and rounder textures. It is still enjoyable, but far less unique. I do not think this will benefit from aging and I would drink these up over the next couple years.

4/21/2019 - jgreco wrote:

This bottle might have been flawed. There is a tin metal taste underlying everything.

12/27/2018 - jgreco wrote:

Wow, this is a big wine with deep concentrated black fruit! Nutmeg and Licorice round out the flavors. The finish is elegant and sweet, with the merlot in the blend taking center stage. Like almost all of its contemporaries in the 2013 vintage, this has the legs to develop for another decade or more.

11/10/2018 - jgreco wrote:

Wine Advocate: Grand Walkabout Tasting (NYC): Majority Cab with 10-15% Merlot. The 2014 is so elegant even at this early stage. Utterly captivating. Chocolate flavors on the palate extend into a long finish. One of the three wines of the tasting for me along with Spottswoode and Dana Estates Lotus. Great company to have. This should drink well with only a few more years of cellaring.

11/17/2018 - yaCellar Likes this wine:

Thanksgiving 1.0 “pleasure bomb”. I effectively popped and poured and I’d advise a decant. The aromatics were incredible but the wine otherwise seemed closed. I also didn’t notice bacterial taint as noted by others.