Posts Tagged "Napa Valley"

The Very Authentic Wines & Personalities of Smith-Madrone

Posted on May 22, 2019

Stunning views at Smith-Madrone.

One of the many great things about being a frequent traveler to wine country is the stunning natural beauty that often accompanies the setting. Spring Mountain, with its undisturbed natural forests, steep vineyards and stunning views of the Napa Valley laying more than a thousand feet below is one of the more beautiful and picturesque settings we have been to. Smith-Madrone occupies a gorgeous spot high up these hills on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains where they make wines every bit as beautiful as their site.

2002 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon

Posted on Feb 3, 2018

2002 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon

Wow. It’s been a while since we’ve had a wine this well balanced. Incredibly complex, it displayed lots of dark fruit—black cherry, blueberry, currant—with secondary notes of pepper, earth and tobacco. It had the power you’d expect from a California Cab but the elegance of a Bordeaux. Smooth and plush mouthfeel, the length was ridiculously long. Fully mature and drinking beautifully.

Excellent+

2002 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard

Posted on Dec 8, 2017

2002 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard

In a blind tasting this single vineyard, single variety from Napa could easily have been mistaken for a Bordeaux. Notes of earth, tobacco and oak combined with dark black fruits. Great structure to this wine with a lovely long finish. Big and smooth and despite high expectations did not disappoint.

Excellent

 2000 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

Posted on Nov 20, 2017

2000 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

A wonderfully complex Cab. Funky herbal nose upon opening which was replaced by aromas of blackcurrant, plum, eucalyptus and dusty earth notes once exposed to air in the decanter. Big and smooth with a nice long finish, this wine is showing terrific structure that at 17 years still has plenty of time.

Excellent+

T-Vine Zinfandel: A Story of True Love

Posted on Oct 18, 2017

“The richness of life…the textural thread that weaves through every heart, past present and future, fine and illusive, but when the light and my inner calm is just so, I can see and taste droplets of love travelling along the tapestry of human spirit. Imagine drinking from the cup of life!” – Greg Brown, Winemaker, Dreamer, Grape Guardian, Yoga Dude. So says the back of the bottle of the 2007 T-Vine Zinfandel that we shared recently. The T-Vine wines are excellent, but the story is extraordinary. It is a story of a life well lived, of deep and profound love, and of aching sadness.