Wine Reviews

Quite simple and fruity, showing strawberries, red cherries and fresh roses. Not too spicy. Light-bodied with chalky tannins, crisp acidity and a lean finish. Drink now.

A ripe, fruity style, showing prunes, black cherries, licorice and bark, plus vibrant smashed flowers and a deep rhubarb undertone. Medium-bodied, offering firm, dusty yet polished tannins, with brilliant acidity and a tight, tense finish. Drink or hold.

Fragrant and softly herbal blackcurrant notes on the nose. A little cloying and a touch chewy on the palate, this is ripe and concentrated – it’s full of flesh and life with round tannins and concentrated dark berry fruit. It’s confident and there’s a lot here but it’s a touch exuberant right now. Still, it has good length and quite a confident overall profile. Petit Verdot also in the blend.

Ripe and concentrated but this also has a touch of charm and vibracny about it, strong and substantial with structure from the relatively firm tannins but there’s a purity and precision to the fruit and a long length. With a good air this could be enjoyable soon.

A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petite Verdot, and 3% Malbec sourced from over 60% Rutherford vineyards (including over 50% from the estate) and aged 18 months in 55% new French oak, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon reveals classy, varietal aromatics of darker currants, minty herbs, and smoke. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has a pure, focused mouthfeel, firmer yet still ripe, integrated tannins, and outstanding length. It’s a terrific value in impeccably made Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Give it a few years if you can, and it will keep for a decade or more. Drink 2028-2038.