The 2010 Cappella, ( 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot and Merlot) reveals a dense purple color, and even greater aromatic and flavor dimensions than the 2009. Notes of sweet creme de cassis,... Read More
Always the most backward and structured of John's three Syrahs, the 2010 Syrah Seymour's Vineyard is no exception. Possessing brighter acidity and more tannin than either the Reva or Lorraine, this big, full-bodied, backward... Read More
The 2010 Solaia puts on an incredible show that hits all the senses and keeps your unyielding attention for as long as there is wine in the bottle. There are various ways to describe the bouquet. First, is the wine's sweet... Read More
Humming with energy and life from the very moment you put your nose in the glass, Marchesi Antinori's 2010 Tignanello shows magnificent aromatic layering and an enormous capacity to peel back and reveal itself in beautiful... Read More
The 2010 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard blossoms from the glass with tangerine, lemon, spices and butter. It shows gorgeous minerality and freshness that balances some of the wine's more overt tendencies. Crushed rocks, lemon peel... Read More
The 2010 Chardonnay Lauren Vineyard brings together all of the elements of the house style. Layers of fruit emerge effortlessly from this textured, totally beautiful Chardonnay. Despite its richness, there is more than enough... Read More
The 2010 Ausone struck me as another brilliant, potentially perfect wine, which should come as no shock to people who have been following Vauthier's work over the last decade or more. Backward and intense, this wine offers... Read More
The 2010 Ausone struck me as another brilliant, potentially perfect wine, which should come as no shock to people who have been following Vauthier's work over the last decade or more. Backward and intense, this wine offers... Read More
A dense red, evoking cherry and raspberry flavors, with earth and mineral accents. Tightly wound, offering dusty, well-integrated tannins and a lingering finish of spice and red fruit. Best from 2015 through 2028.-BS
A blend of 70% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine from a moderately sized vineyard was cropped at only 27.5 hectoliters per hectare and came in at 14.5% natural alcohol. The wine displays plenty of... Read More
The 2010 is a more structured, masculine and steely version of the utterly compelling 2009. Tasting like black raspberry confiture with subtle notes of graphite and crushed chalk along with enormous floral notes, the wine displays... Read More
From a higher site in the Pritchard Hill area, the 2010 Melbury appears to be prodigious, but is currently extremely backward. My notes indicate it should be forgotten for 7-10 years. With coaxing, this structured 2010 offers... Read More
From the valley floor, the 2010 St. Eden exhibits copious notes of creme de cassis, loamy, dusty soil undertones, forest floor, toasty oak and plenty of sweet tannin in its full-bodied, massive personality. Again, these wines... Read More
The 2010 Pluribus reveals classic notes of blueberry and mulberry fruit intermixed with hints of violets, incense and licorice. The striking aromatics are followed by a full-bodied, dense, supple-textured, multidimensional wine... Read More
The 2010 Pluribus reveals classic notes of blueberry and mulberry fruit intermixed with hints of violets, incense and licorice. The striking aromatics are followed by a full-bodied, dense, supple-textured, multidimensional wine... Read More
The 2010 Quella is a candidate for perfection. From the lower foothills of Pritchard Hill, it offers up notes of charcoal, graphite, espresso and copious quantities of blueberry and black raspberry liqueur, along with distinctive... Read More
The 2010 Quella is a candidate for perfection. From the lower foothills of Pritchard Hill, it offers up notes of charcoal, graphite, espresso and copious quantities of blueberry and black raspberry liqueur, along with distinctive... Read More
Another wine flirting with perfection is the 2010 Vecina, the nearby neighbor of Harlan Estate on the western hills overlooking the Oakville Corridor, and further south, Yountville. A Graves-like effort, it displays notes of burning... Read More
Another wine flirting with perfection is the 2010 Vecina, the nearby neighbor of Harlan Estate on the western hills overlooking the Oakville Corridor, and further south, Yountville. A Graves-like effort, it displays notes of burning... Read More
This wine is more backward than I would have normally expected, but nevertheless, it is very impressive. The 2010 Branaire-Ducru displays an inky bluish purple color and loads of mulberry, raspberry, black currant, graphite and... Read More
With a gorgeously evolved, extremely complex bouquet of forest floor, spring flowers, lead pencil shavings and red and black currants, this full-bodied, dense, ruby/plum/purple-colored wine hits the palate with an opulent, fleshy,... Read More
An elegant, attractive blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc cropped at 35 hectoliters per hectare, this wine tips the scales at 15% natural alcohol which, given the more elegant style sought at Canon, tells readers a lot... Read More
This wine shows wonderfully exotic tapenade, licorice, Christmas fruitcake, cedar wood, blackberry and sweet cherry notes in its strikingly provocative aromatics. On the palate, the wine is dense and full-bodied, with stunning... Read More