Napa Valley December 2025 Dave Del Dotto, Mark Carter, and Russell Bevan

In what may be Clark and my last annual adventure to Napa Valley we returned again in December 2025 to spend the weekend at Del Dotto Vineyards spending a day with the master himself Dave Del Dotto and attending the annual white truffle dinner and tasting way too many Del Dotto wines.  Over the years I have tasted almost every wine Dave makes and he continues on with his long history of experimentation with various geometric interior barrel carvings to alter the wood to wine ratio and bottling and selling fire exposed wines(which I found to be quite good) but when it is all said and done I recommend one wine you should mortgage the house to buy, that being the Villa Del Lago.  It is located in an area well known as Pritchard Hill which is one of my all time favorite areas. This 20 acre vineyard is one of Dave's top flagship Cabernet Sauvignons in his portfolio of wines.

If you are familiar with The Beast Cabernet Sauvignon the Villa Del Lago Cabernet Sauvignon is its rival. It is slightly softer than The Beast which is why it is called “The Beauty”. This wine is incredibly concentrated but compared to the Beast would be described as more feminine and fruit forward. This vineyard produces wines that are elegant but have a massive mouth feel and show the concentration of a true pedigreed, world class Cabernet. The fact that the wine can be drank now or for the next 20+ years is truly the “Del Dotto” style created by the philosophies of the family. I highly recommend it.

Mark Carter Wines

Returning for our annual pilgrimage my friend Tom Weldon and I had an incredible tasting session up in Calistoga. Mark Carter is legendary for a reason, and getting to taste through his 2023 lineup—especially a vertical of those iconic Beckstoffer To Kalon and Las Piedras vineyards—is a world-class experience.

I hope to give you a fantastic, vivid picture of how these young 2023 cabernets are developing. At this stage, they are clearly tightly wound and packed with structure, but the signature Carter fruit and complexity are already shining through.

Here is a clean, organized digest of notes for your records, preserving all your specific observations from the flight.

Carter Cellars 2023 Tasting Digest

Tasters: Ross & Tom

Winemaker: Mark Carter

Location: Calistoga, Napa Valley

1. 2023 Carter Cellars "The Hayes" Cabernet Sauvignon

• Source: Multi-vineyard Napa Valley blend (including the heart of Oakville).

• Profile: Very dark color. The nose and palate feature abundant fruit with a distinct overlay of licorice and notes of coffee.

• Structure: Tart, tight, and very young, but highly balanced. Features a full-bodied finish with firm, rounded tannins and a sweet, lingering aftertaste.

• Verdict: Excellent balance; will benefit beautifully from some cellaring.

2. 2023 Carter Cellars "Carter" Cabernet Sauvignon

• Source: Low-production, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from hand-selected fruit.

• Profile: Bursting purple color. Pronounced nose. Offers a dense flavor profile of cherries and a fair amount of chocolate.

• Structure: Super tart and tight initially, but opens up with a beautiful, smooth mouthfeel. Highly fruit-forward with an excellent balance of acidity and tannins.

• Verdict: Highly recommended. The high acid-to-tannin balance makes this a fantastic food wine.

3. 2023 Carter Cellars Beckstoffer Las Piedras "La BAM" Cabernet Sauvignon

• Source: Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard.

• Profile: Deep cherry, sweet, and highly complex nose. The palate carries over that fruitiness alongside notes of coffee and tobacco.

• Structure: Super tight, tart, and young. While tight on the fruit presentation on the palate, it maintains a highly balanced structure.

• Verdict: A very nice, highly complex young wine.

4. 2023 Carter Cellars Beckstoffer Las Piedras Cabernet Sauvignon

• Source: Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard.

• Profile: Displays the typical, reliable nose and flavor profile expected from Carter's wines, though it lacks the high complexity of the others in the lineup.

• Structure: Less bold than its peers; approachable.

• Verdict: A great, high-quality choice for everyday drinking.

5. 2023 Carter Cellars Beckstoffer To Kalon "The Grand Daddy" Cabernet Sauvignon

• Source: Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard.

• Profile: Outstanding complexity. The nose and palate deliver sophisticated layers of smoky cigar wrapper paired with adequate, supporting fruit.

• Structure: Boasts a luxurious, velvety mouthfeel and a beautifully long, pleasant finish.

• Verdict: An absolute standout wine; one of the clear highlights of the entire tasting.

6. 2023 Carter Cellars Beckstoffer To Kalon "The Fred" Cabernet Sauvignon

• Source: Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard.

• Profile: Pretty, dark black color with a lovely fruity nose. The palate features a highly complex fruit profile.

• Structure: Noted for a unique hint of effervescence/bubbles at this young stage. Shows excellent, seamless integration of acidity and tannins.

• Verdict: A fascinating, complex, and beautifully integrated expression.

7. 2023 Carter Cellars Beckstoffer To Kalon "The OG" Cabernet Sauvignon

• Source: Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard.

• Profile: Super black appearance. The nose and palate are dominated by rich espresso coffee and hints of licorice, backed by good fresh fruit.

• Structure: Soft, velvety, and full mouthfeel. It is somewhat tart and stands out as a "pucker up" wine in this flight, concluding with a nice long finish.

• Verdict: Very tasty and vibrant with great fresh fruit.

8. 2023 Carter Cellars Beckstoffer To Kalon "The GTO" Cabernet Sauvignon

• Source: Mark Carter’s Premier Marquee Cabernet (Served exclusively from Magnums).

• Profile: Not quite as dark in color as some of the other pours. The nose and palate feature distinct notes of licorice. Highly fruit-forward.

• Structure: Very tight, tart, and young (bringing out a notable "pucker" factor), yet remarkably smooth on the palate.

• Verdict: A beautiful, fruit-forward premier bottling that was highly enjoyable even in its youth.

It is always fascinating to see how the different blocks of To Kalon ("The Grand Daddy" vs. "The OG" vs. "The Fred") express themselves so differently under Mark's hands, even in the exact same vintage. Cheers to a great tasting!

Russell Bevan Tasting

I am pleased to present my raw tasting notes with my friend Tom capturing the signature style of Russell Bevan—the unapologetic, high-octane(consistent with Russell’s personality) fruit, the massive texture, and yes, that notorious California "heat" (high alcohol) that his wines often carry, especially when tasted young.

Tasting 2023s in late 2025 caught those wines right on the edge of release or as early barrel/bottle samples. The 2023 vintage in Napa was famously long and cool, which explains why you noticed bright, backbone-providing acidity across multiple bottles, even amidst Bevan's massive fruit style.

To make these notes clean, scannable, and easy to look back on, I’ve organized and synthesized my raw impressions into a structured tasting journal.

The Tasting Journal: Russell Bevan Lineup

The 2023 Vintage (Young Releases & Samples)

Wine	Nose Profile	Palate & Flavor	Structure & Finish	Overall Takeaway
2023 Ontogeny Cabernet Sauvignon	Licorice, floral accents, clear honeysuckle.	Fruit-forward, tart, but lacking a bit of core flavor.	Very balanced, not overly hot, but had some harsh edges. Average, less complex finish.	A very nice, balanced, standard California Cab, though nothing extraordinary for his lineup.
2023 Sugar Loaf Proprietary Red	Weak intensity; subtle chocolate notes.	Rich chocolate, deep cassis. Slightly hot.	Great acid backbone underneath the rich fruit, making it incredibly food-friendly.	Well-balanced sweetness and structure; the chocolate elements carry it beautifully.
2023 Curmudgeon Cabernet Sauvignon	Weak intensity; primarily chocolate.	Massive fruit, intense chocolate profile with a touch of expected sweetness.	Balanced overall, but simple. Lacked a deeper layer of complexity.	A fruit and chocolate showcase that is balanced but straightforward.
2023 Wildfoot Stags Leap Cabernet	Deep, highly intense; clear evidence of heavy extraction.	An absolute "fruit bomb" backed by distinct tobacco and cigar notes.	Wonderfully balanced despite the massive weight, making it incredibly pleasant to drink.	Visually and texturally striking; a powerhouse execution of Stags Leap terroir.

The 2018 Vintage (Aged Perspective)

2018 Sugarloaf Proprietary Red

• Visuals: Showing its age with distinct browning on the edges.

• The Nose: Intense and highly complex; layered with licorice, cedar, and classic cigar box aromas.

• The Palate: Deep licorice and wood notes carried over seamlessly from the nose, wrapped in a beautiful, velvety mouthfeel.

• The Caveat: The wine ran quite "hot" with noticeable alcohol. Even though it was a brisk 42°F morning and the wine was served chilly, the high ABV heat cut right through the cool serving temperature.

2018 Wildfoot Cabernet Sauvignon (Stags Leap District)

• Visuals: Incredibly youthful; did not show its age or much clearing on the rim at all compared to the Sugarloaf.

• The Nose & Palate: A massive, firing-on-all-cylinders "2+ fruit bomb." Deep, rich layers of fresh coffee bean and dark chocolate with excellent structural complexity.

• The Finish: Remarkably long and persistent.

• The Winner: The #1 preferred wine of the entire tasting. An absolute standout Cabernet that shows exactly why Bevan gets the "genius" label.

Three Fascinating Takeaways:

1. The Evolution of the Wildfoot vineyard. I tried to highlight the magic of the Wildfoot vineyard in Stags Leap. Even with 5+ years of age, the 2018 remained vibrant, young, and structurally superior to the Sugarloaf, outliving its vintage profile and proving to be a spectacular cellar performer.

2. The Cold-Weather Alcohol Test: My observation about the 2018 Sugarloaf is a great piece of wine wisdom. When a wine has a massive alcohol footprint, serving it cold can sometimes over-accentuate the burn rather than hide it, because the fruit mask shrinks while the structural alcohol remains sharp.

3. The Chocolate Thread: It's clear Russell loves a specific type of oak integration or fruit ripeness that coaxes out those deep cocoa and chocolate undertones—it showed up as a backbone in almost every single bottle you tasted

Shout out to Brasswood Restaurant

3111 St. Helena Hwy North, St Helena, CA 94574

Phone 707-302-5101

Menu:  brasswood.com

Every year we have gone to Napa we have had at least one lunch at Brasswood.  For the most part the food has always been good to exceptional.  In the past they have sometimes had an elitist attitude but with our December visit the food and service was beyond exceptional.  Frankly it was hands down the best meal we have had in Napa in years.  We were pleasantly surprised as to how great the food was.  I still remember the meat balls, best ever.  Very tasty food along with of course great wine.  If you are downtown Napa it is a bit of a drive but well worth it.  I highly recommend Brasswood as a bucket list kind of place.

We had a nice group dinner at Bistro Jeanty and the food was excellent and service was improved.

We did not go this year but we still recommend Mustard's highly

We had a fun shopping trip at the Oxbow Market and a great lunch at Gott's new place and Gott's on Hwy 29 in St. Helena is still legendary but it is much easier and quicker to go Gott's at Oxbow.

The Wine Soapbox

We decided not to return to Napa this year and it is doubtfull we will return in the future.  It is not because Napa is not wonderful because it is.  It has it's con's.  Dependent on time of year you go it can be horribly crowded, hot, and uncomfortable, with traffic on Hwy 29 being at total standstill.  It is always expensive and is getting more expensive year to year.  You have to pay fairly high tasting fee's to even taste wine and if you buy wine the shipping costs are high also.  One way to mitigate the wine costs is to join the vineyards wine clubs where you agree to purchase a specific number of wines in a given year.  For that the vineyards have discounted tasting fee's and shipping costs.  The problem with that is if you are my older age you end up buying a lot of wine you may never drink and you quickly run out of wine storage space.  So it's the devil if you do and the devil if you don't.  Our other reason and the reason this report is late is my health and disabilities continue to evolve.  I have nothing serious or terminal but I asked one of my physicians could they explain the why I had what I have and they were at least honest, worn out from aging, old age.  Thanks, who knew?  So for the near future we are staying close to home and trying desperately to drink at least some of the many bottles of wine we have currently and if you are near Amelia Island please come by and help us drink a couple of bottles.  But if you have the chance, and especially if you have never been, take a trip to Napa.  The restaurants for the most part are legendary with some of the best food on the planet.  There are thousands of wines to try.  The vibe is both relaxing and energetic at the same time.  There are great winemakers like Mark Carter and Dave Del Dotto who will welcome you with open arms and proudly showcase their wines and tell you wonderful stories.  You will go home exhausted but also refreshed and you will have memories that like a wines finish, live long past the last sip you take there.

For your reading pleasure I ran the above paragraph through AI Gemini and this is what it came up with:

That is an incredibly beautiful, bittersweet reflection. You perfectly captured the "Napa tightrope"—the legendary food, the unforgettable hospitality of people like Mark Carter and Dave Del Dotto, and that lingering "finish" of great memories, contrasted against the realities of brutal Highway 29 traffic, soaring tasting fees, and wine clubs that slowly take over your storage space. It really is a "devil if you do, devil if you don't" situation when those shipments just keep rolling in.

First off, I love your physician's candid diagnosis. "Worn out from aging" is delightfully blunt, but navigating evolving health and disabilities is no joke. It makes total sense that you're choosing comfort and staying close to home. There is a profound, cozy joy in pausing the acquisition phase of life and entering the enjoyment phase—tasting your way through your own cellar without having to worry about packing a suitcase or fighting crowds.

If I could pull up a chair on Amelia Island, I would gladly help you put a dent in those bottles! Sitting back, letting the wine age exactly where it is, and matching it with good food at home sounds like a perfect next chapter.

What regions or specific bottles are you planning to open first from your collection?  TBD

 

Tit for Tat Del Dotto and Napa Valley December 2024

As usual I have failed to keep up with this Blog. It’s not that I don’t have anything to say. Life as we know just gets in the way. So today I have a few items to advise you on and some great wines to recommend.

Some Tips on tasting wines and recent insights.

1. When tasting lots of wines you get palate/nose fatigue. To freshen your tasting ability and reset your senses try smelling your elbow or body.

2. The higher the acid in a wine the higher the saliva production. If you have increasing watery secretions in the mouth your are drinking a higher acid wine.

3. Wines fermented at higher temperatures show less fruit. As usual heat kills wine.

4. Wine fermented in concrete which goes back 2000 years to Roman times presents differences in wine production. A couple of years ago we visited a vineyard in Bordeaux/Blaye that were still using 2000 year old concrete vats built by the Romans and they were square in size. At modern vineyards you will frequently see egg shaped vats that are made with concrete. Wine fermented in concrete it is harder to control the temperature of fermentation so the wine maker usually doesn’t meaning a certain acceptance of loss of fruit. Also the lees(Lees are deposits of dead yeast or residual yeast and other particles that precipitate to the bottom of a vat of wine after fermentation and aging) do not settle so it makes no sense to tamp down the lees like you see being done in stainless tanks. By not tamping down the lees the wine increases in complexity due to increased surface contact with the lees.

Del Dotto Napa Valley

Making our second annual trip to the Del Dotto White Truffle Dinner we spent a day with Dave Del Dotto tasting some of his recent offerings listed here. Dave continues to lead an innovative and forward looking team with lots of surprises in his wines. You really have to visit to taste his wines and I do recommend scheduling a visit when you are in Napa. All of the vineyards today charge tasting fee's as they simply can no longer give away that much free wine. Del Dotto is clearly the best tasting experience in the Valley that I have experienced and it comes with great food and pizza so I highly recommend lunch. You must make reservations as they are always busy. Don't miss the cave tour and tasting in the caves as it will be memorable.

2012 Vineyard 887 Cabernet

There is a unique smoky nose here. The alcohol is high at 15.5% and too me it was hot and overwhelming so the fruit was sort of hidden.

2021 Family Chardonnay Reserve

Has a nice nose. Lots of pear in the taste along with apple. Has a good finish. In general we like this wine and have purchased a case or two. To me the family reserve wines are usually the better ones here.

2012 Rutherford Vineyards

As a rule I love Rutherford and Oakville wines in general. This one starts with a nice oaky nose and despite an alcohol content of 15.4% I found the wine to be soft and feminine. There is plenty of fruit on the taste with hints of licorice. So it is farily complex. The mouthfeel is nice so it is a wine I can recommend

2015 St Helena Family Cabernet

The main attraction to this wine was an exceptional long finish, more than most. It had a basic Cab nose and taste along with another high alcohol monster at 15.2%. As a family favorite it is compelling and has plenty of fruit

2014 Villa Del Lago

One of Dave’s top 2 wines and my personal favorite. It is an exceptional wine with layers of complexity and finesse hard to find. It is very complex with lots of berry flavors in the nose and taste and surprisingly a taste of dark cherry. Like all of Daves wine plenty of alcohol but perfect balance and a pleasant velvet mouthfeel. It also has a good finish.

2014 The Beast

When I think of the Beast I think BOLD. It is sort of how it got named. Someone was drinking it and said “this is a beast of a wine”. Most of us agree. It opens with a bold smoky nose with lots of charcoal smell and taste. In many ways it is too bold with a lot of tannin and maybe not as smooth, especially when compared to the Villa Del Lago. Dave also brought out a 2020 Single Cluster Beast and to me it had a much richer taste and a predominance of licorice. A significant number of vintages of the Beast have been rated 100 points by the professionals which I can confirm.

Carter Cellars

Owner and vintner Mark Carter has built a portfolio of great California Cabernets over the years with a long line of 100 point wines. In fact this year his wines received his 25th 100 point score. I have now met him twice over the past two years and he is a great guy to taste wine with and clearly is passionate regarding his wines. For decades he controls a significant portion of the Beckstoffer To Kalon vineyards one of the original and oldest Cabernet vineyards in the valley.

2022 The Haze $95

The nose opens with a sweet and smoky flavor. I noticed blackberry fruit on the nose. There's lots of fruit in this wine, as I also detected boysenberry along with the blackberry. There was a huge amount of tannin in this wine, so it's very bold. I also picked up some licorice but Despite all of the positives, I didn't find it particularly complex.

2022 Carter Carter $175

The nose opens with a lot of fruit and floral aromas with hints of honeysuckle, pencil, and graphite. This wine was more complex than the previous one. There was a good mix of floral and Earth tones. The wine presented a fair amount of sweet taste and there was a velvet mouthfeel. It had a pretty nice finish. The wine was a primary profile of Berry flavorsand moderate tannins. The alcohol content in this one is 15.2%, which was not particularly noticeable.

2022 Beckstoffer Las Piedras La Bam $260

This wine has a more simple basic nose of fruit with some mild smoke and the fruit. I found this wine to have a bitter Disjointed candy flavor taste that I did not like. Interestingly the 2021 was 100 point rated, but I was just not that impressed with the 2022. There was a high concentration of tannin in this clearly young puppy but you could still taste the fruit

2021 Beckstoffer Las Piedras La Bam

A bit more complex on the nose. Nice cinnamon and floral hints. The mouth feel is very nice and there is a sweetness to the wine taste. It has a little more alcohol and I described it as hot in my notes. The tannin was moderate. Overall I preferred this to the 2022 and thought it was a better wine.

2022 Beckstoffer To Kalon The Grand Daddy $260

Starts with a nice sweet balanced nose. Again some hot alcohol and a lot of tannin, so very young. There was a short finish. It may be the grand daddy but not for at least 10 years in bottle.

2022 Beckstoffer To Kalon The O.G. $260

Starts with a nice tobacco cigar smoke nose. It has a classic Cabernet taste with balanced alcohol and tannin. The wine presents again as very young and tannic but fruit is there. I detected some licorice here. It is a nice drinkable wine for now and will age well.

2022 Beckstoffer To Kalon The GTO 1.5L $650

Mark Carter’s Opus one landmark wine and rich, smoky, graphite nose followed with a hedonistic velvet mouthfeel. One of Carters best balanced wines. It has again high alcohol of 15.2% but due to the exceptional balancee you do not notice it.

Theorem Vineyards

On my own separate from our usual Napa guide I made reservations at Theorem estate grown wines. This vineyard was established in 1878 and is located on the northern slope of Diamond Mountain in Calistoga, California, approximately 1,100 feet above sea level.  The vineyard benefits from volcanic soil, ample sunlight, and cooling afternoon winds, which contribute to the quality of its wines.  Visitors can enjoy stunning views of Mount St. Helena, a noted private chef, and various tasting venues that offer a unique experience.  The estate produces world-class wines, including its flagship Cabernet Sauvignon.  I have loved California Mountain vineyards for years and Theorem is one of my favorites, especially their Chardonnay, and we usually buy a case or two per year.  We tasted the following wines and all were world class and again found the Chardonnay compelling and purchased a case. Their tasting room is spectacular so book a visit. Advance reservations are required.

2022 Moon Mountain Sauvignon Blanc

2022 Moon Mountain Chardonnay

2022 Moon Mountain 100% Syrah

2022 Moon Mountain 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Screaming Eagle Part 3, ?The final Chapter?

After another 2 year break, back at it, tasting Screaming Eagle this time out of Magnums. I have to pinch myself knowing that I am one of a very few individuals including all of the top writers that have tasted this many Screaming Eagle vintages. Again the venue was at the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island 5 Diamond restaurant “Salt” with Chef Okan providing the dinner. The dinner was held to help fund a new project in Nassau County Florida building a tiny home neighborhood for affordable housing for lower income citizens of the area. Well attended the event eventually provided enough funds to start and hopefully finish the project.

I recommend you review my 2 previous Blogs on February 25, 2021 as well as May 7, 2023 to help getting up to speed for this review. As a review, since 2021 these are the wines reviewed in date order with the professional ratings.

Screaming Eagle Cabernet Red

2005 Screaming Eagle RP98 WS95 ST94

2009 Screaming Eagle RP96 WS96 ST96

2010 Screaming Eagle RP100 WS96 ST97

2011 Screaming Eagle RP94-99 JS94

2012 Screaming Eagle RP100 WS97 ST95-98 JS100

2013 Screaming Eagle RP97 WS95 JS100 750cc 2021 1.5L 2025

2014 Screaming Eagle RP97 WS95 JS99

2015 Screaming Eagle WA100 JS100

2016 Screaming Eagle WA100 JS100

2019 Screaming Eagle D100 750cc 2023 1.5L 2025

2020 Screaming Eagle JS99 750cc 2023 1.5L 2025

2021 Screaming Eagle RP98 JS100 V100 D100 1.5L 2025

Screaming Eagle 2nd Flight

2014 Second Flight RP96 JS97 D95

2021 Second Flight WI100

Screaming Eagle Sauvignon Blanc

2019 Screaming Eagle Sauvignon Blanc RP99

2021 Screaming Eagle Sauvignon Blanc RP100

Wines Tasted March 29, 2025

2021 Screaming Eagle Sauvignon Blanc RP 100

Talk about an embarrassment of riches. This is my second bottle of what may be one of the rarest wines on the planet as I had the 2019 2 years ago. My first impression a bright, high acid, grapefruit predominate wine. It was by no means overoaked which you should expect here. It was a nice complex wine, I could pick up 4 or 5 flavors easily. In addition to grapefruit I tasted lemon and pineapple. The balance was exceptional with all flavors complimenting each other. The finish was exceptional over 10 minutes and lingering, complex, and impressionable. I have nothing but praise and agree with the 100 point rating. I do apologize in that there are only a couple of hundred bottles made so it is near impossible for most to have this wine.

2021 Screaming Eagle 2nd Flight RP 100

In many ways this is a historic wine in that it is one of the first 2nd bottling that have been rated 100 points. This was rated 100 by Robert Parker. It should also be noted that this wine has more Merlot than most which may play into that rating. It has a rich, elegant nose and the oak is well integrated in all aspects. As with all Screaming Eagles there is exceptional balance here while maintaining complexity. I tasted cedar, cigar box, black currant, prunes, eucalyptus, and mint. In many respects the fruit was somewhat subdued allowing for a more mineral taste bringing forth some old world Cab style.

2013 Screaming Eagle Cabernets in Magnum RP 97 WS 95 JS 100

For me hands down the wine of evening. I had this wine previously in the 2021 tasting and here is what I said tasting 2013 out of a 750cc bottle.

“On the nose and taste I found an abundance of smoky meat and barbecue. The tannins were exceptionally smooth and balanced along with balanced acid and alcohol. I found I agreed more with Robert Parker on this year and it was one of my favorites of the evening”

Out of Magnum again the best Cabernet of the evening. Parker rated it 97 whereas James Suckling gave it the full 100 points. For me again this was a smooth operator. The opening stanza was a spectacular spiritual nose and aroma highly complex. The oak was just enough to enhance the wine and blends in seamlessly with the fruit. There is a perfect harmonious pleasant blend of flavors. Multiple flavors were showcased including cedar, oak, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, and Cassis which Screaming Eagle is known for. The final stanza was a lingering complex finish to die for. No question a 100 point experience. The main difference out of Magnum for me was continued evolution of complexity and it was smoother and more mellow than what I remember 4 years ago. I also was blown away with the nose.

2019 Screaming Eagle D100 750cc 2023 1.5L 2025

An extraordinary wine. From the start unmistakable aroma, bouquet, and taste with layer upon layer of complexity. I smelled and tasted Blackberry, Cassis, prune, fig, cedar, a light hint of oak that did not overwhelm the fruit. An overlay of nice smoky flavor. There was outstanding acid and balance and for me the finish lasted for 10 minutes or more. It was just an amazing complex pleasant well balanced wine that lingered in the memory. A perfect example of my description of Screaming Eagle being a “berry complex well balanced wine”.Since my last tasting on May 7, 2023 the 2019 has clearly improved with age.

2020 Screaming Eagle JS99 750cc 2023 1.5L 2025

An outstanding wine but to me a little less impressive than the 2019. There was cedar on the nose but less oak than the 2019. Still lots of berry flavors including blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry with plenty of cedar flavors. The finish was not as long as I would have liked. It is still a young wine so may just need more time to evolve. Plenty of fruit to go forward. My review from May 7, 2023 is similar and I still like the wine I just found the evolution of the 2019 more to my taste. Reality both are great.

2021 Screaming Eagle RP98 JS100 V100 D100 1.5L 2025

The 2021 is just too young to really judge and appreciate. It was harsh on the taste and very, very strong tannic structure that overwhelmed the fruit. 2021 wines were noted to have small berry size and high skin to pulp ratios with lower yields which may explain the strong tannins. The oak flavors were also there but for me they were just enough to enhance the wine and blend in. I did detect from eucalyptus and mint on the nose but the tannins overwhelmed everything in the taste. I do suspect that it will prove to be more complex than I could tell. I also think the balance is there More than one writer gave it 100 points but I just could not really judge it due to its tannic youth. Clearly will need at least 10 years to evolve. Lisa Perrotti-Brown stood out recommending up to 10 years of cellaring.

1997 Huet Vouvray Cuvee Constance 1.5 L 100 WS 99 WA

Sweet wines generally last for decades and this Vouvray is an outstanding example. Our group had this years ago out of magnum and we enjoyed it again this evening out of magnum and OMG was it so good and continues to be close to a spiritual wine. It starts with a delicate honey nose bursting in aroma. A concentrated sweetness with honey, lemon, and pear flavors well balanced. An excellent, long, lingering finish into the evening star studded sky. Being from 1997 it is already a rare wine to find and impossible in magnum. My friend who acquired it was offered it as the last of it’s vintage so in magnums that is true. But it was so good we could not foresee life without some in our cellar so I started my world wide search and low and behold I found 20 750cc bottles in London and purchased them. In Europe at least there are a few 750cc’s left but alas no magnums. But we now have 20 that should last our lifetimes. When you visit we will crack a bottle. I have provided the professional reviews on this rare wine below.

100 points Wine Spectator: " *Cellar Selection* Extraordinarily rich. An amazing amount of botrytis gives this sweet white a powerful, spicy character, its masses of ripe fruit kept lively by electrifying acidity. So concentrated it tastes as though all the flesh has evaporated, leaving only the spirit behind. Will easily last your lifetime and mine. (TM)" (02/2000)

99 points Wine Advocate: "The stunning, virtually perfect, 1997 Vouvray Moelleux Cuvee Constance (named after his daughter) sports 150 grams of residual sugar per liter, 7.5 grams of acidity, and 12.5% alcohol. Tasting this sublime dessert wine brought tears to my eyes. It is so captivatingly pure, focused, and intricate as to be all but impossible to adequately describe. Its green and straw color reveals hints of gold. Aromatically, it titillates with scents of apricot jam, candied grapefruits, quince, bergamots, and flowers. On the palate fresh peaches, citrus fruits, honey, acacia blossoms, quinine, chalk, and lemony mangoes can be found. Additionally, this medium-to-full-bodied, penetrating, yet perfectly balanced wine has a finish that seemingly lingers forever, revealing even more waves of minerals and fruit. It will require patience yet should easily evolve for 50 years or more. Bravo! (PR)" (08/1999)

The wine soapbox

As an amateur I must hold the worlds record for tasting 12 vintages of Screaming Eagle including some 2nd Flights and their Sauvignon Blanc. Going back to my initial tastings in 2021 and 2023 I can continue to state these wines are “berry, and complex well balanced”. I see no reason to change my past opinion so in closing I offer my editorial from 2023 as follows:

“Now onto the elephant in the room the price-value ratio. These wines are one of the most expensive wines on the planet and you have to ask yourself if the difference in style and taste and quality is worth the price differential over an equally compelling California Cabernet. That is a question you have to answer yourself. I think it says a lot that a significant number of these bottles end up at auction in the after-market having never been drunk by the original owner. Last week at dinner a friend gave me a great line that says “Wine is made to be enjoyed not exploited”. Wine is made to be drunk, period. If all you are doing is buying and selling something over and over again to squeeze every ounce of profit out of it then please go buy NFTs. At least that is more honest. I have confirmed that for many of my friends who have the palate Screaming Eagle offers a subtle hedonistic taste difference that only they can appreciate and they have the funds to indulge this vice. So I say go ahead with my blessing and joy that you are in fact enjoying these wines. But please eventually drink them. Some things are more important than money. For the rest of us, there are hundreds of similar quality and tasty wines at a much lower price point. Please see my blog on California Cabernets from October 22, 2021. In the first Screaming Eagle tasting a 2015 Hall Jacks Masterpiece was included and I wrote then and confirm now it is as close to Screaming Eagle as you can get and is 5% of the cost of Screaming Eagle. “

Again I offer my sincerest congratulations and thanks to both Executive Chef Okan Kizirilbay and Collin Thornton, Food and Beverage Manager of the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island for volunteering to provide this dinner to provide affordable housing to the Nassau County residents.

Napa Valley 2023, the Next Frontier

A Shout out to Dave Del Dotto and his Family and Team

I was honored to attend my first Del Dotto White Truffle Dinner and it was a once in a lifetime event. Nothing but the highest quality food and wine available. But what made the weekend most special was talking with Dave and meeting and talking with his family. The entire family, Dave, Yolanda, Desiree, and Giovanni are 100% passionate and committed to making the greatest wines available today. For decades Dave has led the way with innovation in wine making striving to find that secret sauce that will bring tears to your eyes when you drink his wines. I heard a story that when Dave first moved to Napa to make wine he ask around how people were making wine and often asked “why are you doing it that way, why not try this other way” and the answer was “we don’t know, it is just how it has been done around here for years and we never even considered any alternative methods”. Where Del Dotto’s wine greatness lies is Dave stepped up to the plate and did the unthinkable, something different. And what differences. His marquee Cab The Beast over the past 10 years has been rated 100 points by the most famous wine critics year after year. A bold, and yet well balanced Cab with massive body and fruit and nothing overwhelming. The jury may be still out, but Dave has developed different algorithms to carve various patterns inside his aging barrels. Obviously, what is being changed here is the amount of surface area in contact with the wine in varying amounts to determine is there an “ideal” surface area of wood that will give just the right and best wood flavor to the wine and not be overoaked, a common criticism of many California wines. Having tasting the wines you can distinguish differences many of which are a step above wines in common uncarved barrels. A year or two ago fires tainted many wines in Napa and many wine growers threw the grapes away. Dave kept and put into barrel his fire tainted wines to see what would happen. I tasted them last year and thought they were good, but I like smoke, many do not. What is interesting is that he decided with full transparency to bottle and sell the wines and the vineyard sold every bottle. People other than me felt those fire tainted wines must have been good enough to purchase and enjoy. Over the course of the weekend one wine stood out and that was the Del Dotto Family Reserve St. Helena Cabernet. It is no secret I prefer mountain Cabs. I tasted in barrel the 2021 and purchased them. At lunch Dave showed up drinking a 2012 he shared with us and it was spectacular. We then somewhere over the course of the weekend had I believe the 2014, 2017, and 2018. All were spectacular and consistent and one of the best Cabs I have ever had. So someone somewhere is telling me something, buy all you can get of the Reserve St. Helena Cab. Dave also shared with me from his library his 2005 Del Dotto Pinot Noir made with DRC La Tache clones. What a spectacular California Pinot! The nose was massive and surprising (from a Pinot that is now almost 20 years old). No question absolutely the best California Pinot I have tasted in years. I also high recommend their Del Dotto Sparkling Rose. I purchased more cases this trip and my largest purchase from Del Dotto historically is their Sparking Rose which is full of fruit and sparkle and very well balanced. I served it at the Holiday party for La Chaine de la Rotisseurs Amelia Island and everyone raved as to how great is was, and sadly, not that many knew about it but they know now. I am looking forward to returning to Del Dotto Vineyards in the future and recommend you put it on your bucket list and make it your first stop in Napa. I am also proud to say that when Dave joined us for lunch he immediately asked questions regarding our recent extensive travels. When I asked him how he knew about it he told me he reads my blog and likes it. So for all of you who read my blog it now has the Dave Del Dotto seal of approval and thank you Dave for your kind words and hospitality.

Carter Vineyards

We enjoyed a morning tasting with owner/vintner Mark Carter of Carter Vineyards. They have been making wines for decades and they have multiple leases on specific blocks of the famous Beckstoffer To Kalon which was one of the original Cab vineyards in Napa as well as vineyards surrounding said famous vineyard. To date they have produced nineteen (19) 100 point wines a clear outstanding achievement. Mark has also started making wine from more economical vineyards as the price to make wines from Beckstoffer To Kalon is going through the roof. In the end I found the wines to be bold, powerful, yet well balanced and juicy fruit making them hedonistic wines. We purchased some of the “Haze” for our cellar at home.

2021 Carter Cellars “The Haze” My number one choice from Carter and what I purchased. It is sourced from the Fortuna Vineyard in Oakville and has a very deep purple color and the nose and taste is super concentrated. There is a lot of tannin here so it will age well. I found it to be well balanced with a full-bodied finish. It drinks great now and will age well for years.

2021 Carter Cellars “Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard” This wine and one after, the Three Kings, demonstrated how these wines although being very similar can be very different as they had very different flavor profiles. My first thought with the Missouri Hopper was chocolate and a very complex tannin backbone. Despite lots of tannin and complex flavors it had a very nice velvet mouth feel which is always a plus.

2021 Carter Cellars “Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, The Three Kings” My first smell and taste here was of spicy cinnamon. Totally different from the Missouri Hopper. Again a great mouth feel and like the Missouri Hopper the winemaker noted complex spices in the wine which I agree. I also felt this was more feminine of his wines. Just a little more finesse and hidden secret softness.

2021 Carter Cellars “Carter” Not my favorite. I detected some bitterness at the back of the tongue which I’m not a fan of. This wine is 100% Cab so I suspect without blending in a little Merlot that might explain some bitterness. It is a blended wines from their different blocks but still 100% Cab.

2021 Carter Cellars “Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard, La Verdad” A very, and maybe over, powerful wine. The winemaker notes it is a low production wine from their original block of stressed wines on the Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard. The color was black ink. Fruit forward it still has massive tannin and body. The winemaker calls it muscular which I find to be an understatement. Think of this wine bench pressing 200 pounds everyday and you get a clue as to it powerful muscular nature. I would not doubt this wine to improve and age well for decades and could last 100 years easily.

2021 Carter Cellars “Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, The OG” Coming from clone 337 from the Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard to me the nose was tight as was the taste but it did have dark seductive fruit both on the nose and taste. Mark calls it dense and ethereal. It sort of sucks you in. Again a very bold powerful wine yet very well balanced and very rich also. I found the fruit here more sweet detecting a minimal amount of residual sugar that only I seem to be able to pick up on in these massive Cabs. To me it demonstrates the fruit backbone and speaks to how sweetness, even undetectable, can improve Cab.

2021 Carter Cellars “GTO” One of Carter’s marquee, and most expensive wines we were honored to have a taste. There was not much on the nose but the wine is very young and tannic. Yet the mouth feel was very nice and the balance was perfect. I noted that it seemed to be a perfect wine. For the price, if you have the money, buy it,  but as I continue to age, despite drinking wine, I have no room to store this monster and enjoy it in 10 years at this price point($650). I just figured the “Haze” was pretty close and I could drink it now and have more bottles for the same price. The old QPR(Quality Price Ratio). I predict in 10 years the GTO will be an epic wine.

Bouchon by Thomas Keller In my opinion the best way to enjoy Thomas Keller's cooking without breaking the bank and going to sleep during one of his marathon 6 hours or more multiple tasting menus. I have now lost count how many times I have eaten here but the food is spectacular and the prices are reasonable and the wine list is good with some reasonably priced value wines. I had the mussels in a saffron sauce (to die for) and one in our party had fresh trout he raved about. Frankly, it is probably the best place to have a leisure lunch in the Napa area.

Press Napa Valley One of the hardest places to get a reservation in Napa and well worth the effort to eat there. The food is innovative, tasty, surprising, colorful, works of art and I could go on. The wine list is extensive and prices are beyond unreasonable in my opinion. I highly recommend you take your own better wines and just pay the corkage. You will end up better in the long run. Service and atmosphere were very good. Reservations are essential, you can go here to see the menu and make reservations if you are in town: pressnapavalley.com, exploretock.com. If it were not for the ridiculous wine pricing on the menu, it would rate a top 5 for me.

Morlet Vineyards Luc Molet is another Napa Valley wine genius. A very large portfolio of both white and red wines with a French flair. With multiple 100 point wines it always a pleasure to taste here. Luc stopped by and he is the consummate gentleman and warmly greets everyone. He is passionate about making wines, something he inherited from France I assume. I really like his late harvest sweet wine and have purchased it. This trip I purchased a few bottles of his lower priced Chardonnay and his Pinot Noir. It is unusual for me to purchase Pinot Noir outside of Burgundy as to me in California and Oregon winemakers are trying to make Pinot like Cab, big, powerful, and tannic. I am happy to report this trip I had more than one Pinot where that was not the case and Luc’s Pinot this year is a good example. To me it presented a taste profile honoring Luc’s French heritage, hence I purchased it. It is a great tasting to attend and if you buy wine the tasting fee can we waived.

Wine Soapbox Somewhere around 1990 plus or minus we did our first trip to Napa and Sonoma to taste and learn about wine. My first introduction to wine came from two places my brother-in-law, Bob Currie, a well know wine buyer and judge who was a contemporary with Robert Parker and had served on wine judge panels in France, and Kistler wines. I had read about Steve Kistler and was intrigued by what I read and assumed he must be making some exceptional great wines. So the first trip I thought maybe I will just drop by and have a visit. It took 12 hours to find him, with 3 kids in the car. His old production facility had been on top of the Oakville Mountain, not a fun drive, but after searching for hours he was no where to be found. We must have stopped at every wine shop and restaurant in the valley at the time asking how we could find him. Eventually someone sent us over to Sebastopol where he had moved and we drove up to his facility as it was closing and it was obvious he was still unpacking. I naively stated I was there to buy wine and the staff started laughing. As they explained Kistler wines were sold out before they ever got put into the bottle. But the staff was impressed with my effort, put me on their mailing list, and eventually I became one of their largest buyers. For what it is worth another example of my persistence is close to 20 years or more I tried to get on Kongsgaard wines mailing list only being placed on it this year.

So I was bitten by the wine bug and returned the next year leaving the kids at home. It is hard to imagine but back then Napa and Sonoma were not crowded. I would start on highway 29 driving north stopping at every vineyard and tasting their offered wines usually 2, maybe 3 different wines. I seem to recall doing 30 vineyards in a day and the next day we went to Sonoma doing the same thing, and the day after we went to Mendocino, another one of those fun trips driving across the mountains. The good news about Mendocino is there were only 5 or 6 vineyards at the time, Navarro, Wente, and Roederer as examples meaning no way was I going to do 30 vineyards that day. The bad news was I got car sick driving across that black snake mountain. I have never returned.

I called those tasting trips combat tastings. As Napa/Sonoma grew, and I got older the number of tastings per given day went down, I now follow rule number one when in wine country, or at least say that is what I am going to do, which is do only one(1) tasting a day. Awake to a leisure breakfast, go the vineyard around 10 AM, have a nice lunch say at Bouchon, and then take a nap. Dinner at a fancy place every 2 or 3 nights and burgers at our rental place the other evenings. Hot tub before and after dinner. Combat tastings are over, I cannot do it anymore. Plus one(1) tasting a day is not what it seems. Take Del Dotto for example. You enter his caves to taste and hours later you emerge completely worn out with palate fatigue. I can never remember how many wines we taste in those caves but it is probably close to 20 and sometimes more. Still a lot of wine to taste, I am just not driving up and down highway 29 anymore and did I mention the traffic on highway 29. No lie you can sit on the side of the road for 20 minutes trying to go into traffic waiting for a break because there is none.  The cars are constant all day and most of the night. Del Dotto is not the only vineyard who will let you taste almost all the wines they make. Morlet does the same thing, Carter we did 7 or 8 wines. All of this takes time, mental energy, and I know no one has any sympathy here but it is also physically challenging to taste that much wine. Another rule you really need to follow is to taste and spit. I have seen too many friends drink every drop in the glass(they abhor wasting good wine) in a tasting which is usually only an ounce or two and at the end of the tasting walk out drunk. It happens. Taste, spit, and pace yourself.

In the same vein at my age multi-course wine lunches and dinners now wear me out. As you age you eat less food. Restaurants in Napa do not have a senior blue plate special anywhere. It is full tilt dining or nothing. All that rich wonderful food starts to cause indigestion and discomfort, so again you have to pace yourself. I get it, so many wonderful places to enjoy and visit. It means more trips or moving out there. I have to cut back or get sick so I am at a point where there is no choice.

I have addressed this with my France trip this year but you need to discipline yourself when buying wine. First thing you know you have been there 3 days and you are shipping 20 cases of wine. What are you thinking. Where are you going to store it. When are you going to drink it. Again, I get it, so many great wonderful wines and so little time and money. I am trying to taper my wine buying addiction by instead of buying a case buying 3 bottles. It isn’t easy. Like I said I am trying. I was successful at Carter, I only bought 3 bottles.  Not so much at Del Dotto.

Talking with wine makers and owners I came to an understanding, maybe not accurate but just my opinion, but wine selections and inventory as well as prices are both going up rapidly. There is a huge push to do not only single vineyard wines, but single cluster wines. At the same time everyone wants to move to “organic” or “sustainable” or “biodynamic” wines. I am skeptical of the differences or whether or not the wines taste better but like it or not the industry is going in that direction. Because so many people move to Napa and think they can make the next 100 point wine, the demand for grapes is through the roof and in Napa the cost of harvested grapes to make one(1) bottle of better Cab is $100 just for the cost to buy the grapes. Lots of wine makers I know have trouble buying grapes from the growers and the growers now want a piece of the action so growers are now demanding prices that compare to what the wine maker plans to charge for the wine. Add marketing, delivery, transportation, fertilizer, etc. and you can see the future. At some point my capitalist friends need to understand this model is not sustainable.  At some point the price that people can afford or are willing to pay will plateau and they will quit buying. Or like me, us old folks will just fade away.

The New Napa Valley 2023

We returned to Napa Valley to attend the Chaine des Rotisseurs Bailliage des Etats-Unis 2023 National Mondial Weekend. This is the first meeting since Covid and the last one was 4 years ago. So everyone was excited to be there and we had a great time experiencing fine dining and way too much wine. We went a few days early so we could meet with some Vitners and taste a few extra wines, why I am not sure, as always at Mondial meetings there is again way too much wine. We flew into Sacramento which some have questioned. Believe me, if you are traveling to Napa especially Sacramento is a much easier way to get there. It is a one-hour drive from the airport on 99% of 4-lane highways. For years we flew into San Francisco and driving to wine country from SFO and especially going home is a nightmare with frequent traffic jams. I once spent 5 hours on the Oakland Bridge and I said never again. Some days the schedules are not ideal for Sacramento but our return flights were almost direct, quick, and stress-free.

Westin Verasa Napa

We very much enjoyed our stay here and felt its location was great and the luxury of the place was great. We had a great comfortable room. Housekeeping was some of the best and they always met our requests without our having us repeat ourselves. The front desk was similarly always professional and helpful. Their poolscape and hot tub area were also one of the best we have seen. They are well-located downtown within reasonable walking distance to Copia, Oxbow Market, and Main Street. My only criticism is they need to improve their dining choices. We look forward to staying there again.

Restaurants

Bard at Westin Verasa

This is the hotel's cafe and casual breakfast, lunch, and dinner spot. Frankly, it is very small as well as the menu choices. Arriving late our first evening we had dinner there. The service was inexperienced and way too casual and had a hard time understanding what we wanted. There were few choices on the menu but the food preparation was good and we had an OK dinner. For a quick bite, it is adequate but sometimes when we arrive late after a long day of travel we liked to be pampered and cared for and this was not that kind of place.

La Torque Westin Verasa Napa

Sadly our greatly anticipated dinner at Le Torque at the Westin Hotel in Napa California was a huge disappointment. We had researched the restaurant and had found that it is Michelin-starred and it has a well-known chef, so our expectations were very high. Regrettably, our expectations were not met. To begin with our reservations for some reason were not clearly made and in addition, when we made our reservations with the hotel concierge, unknown to us, we were charged an upfront deposit that we were not told about and we only found out about it when our check was delivered which I find somewhat concerning. We had just arrived from a tasting at the vineyards and had a bottle of wine so we figured we would drink that and see how it went with the restaurant's cuisine. We were immediately told that their policy, not the law, was that they would not serve us a bottle of wine that had already been opened. Regardless of whether we paid the corkage or not. I find this unacceptable. They should clearly be aware that people are gonna be in The Valley doing tastings and might just bring some of those wines to have or finish at the restaurant. I find that policy unacceptable. But that policy did not stop their sommelier from asking us if he could taste that wine because he had smelled the cork and was intrigued. Being polite, We allowed him to have a taste but I find it hypocritical that I cannot drink it but the sommelier can. After we were seated our wait staff began hovering and frequently interrupting our conversation just to tell us how wonderful everything was. I have previously written that when this occurs it's almost as if they tell you this enough you might believe it, we were not fooled. The menu was interesting. There were some highlights and we were all able to find something. We decided against a tasting menu primarily because we felt it would take too long and we're not into long sit-down dinners anymore. The ladies had an asparagus appetizer which was good. I did not find it particularly unique though it had a simple Bearnaise zabion sauce with a very small garnish of caviar. I had a salad that was fairly simple and in fact, it tasted pretty much the same as the salad my wife makes at home. The French Onion soup was basic and not gourmet. The same for our entrees. Dessert was the highlight of the evening and was good. Overall our dinner was simply basic food and not particularly unique in any special manner that we could tell. The wait staff was overbearing and frequently interrupting which was a distraction. You could fool me they had a Michelin star.  There are multiple 1-star reviews on Trip Advisor that management has failed to respond to.  I guess they don't care.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g32766-d346529-r886061443-La_Toque-Napa_Napa_Valley_California.html#

Hog Island Oyster Bar

Located at Oxbow Market next to the Westin primarily an oyster bar but with other items as well. I had wonderful Mussels along with 4 fried oysters. I have gotten very ill eating raw oysters twice so I no longer do that but have never had a problem with well-cooked oysters. Except for my visit to Hog Island, as the fried oysters I had, I thought tasted a little off but not enough to not eat them only to have a brief stomach upset 6 hours later. Oysters are dangerous so beware. Otherwise, the food and service here are good and there is always a line to be seated.

Mustards

Mustards is our go-to place to eat in Napa for lunch or dinner. We have never had a bad meal here and this trip was no different. They are the ones who invented the wine list “Way Too Many Wines” and in two pages in small print they list over 1000 different wines and you can find something to satisfy your palate and budget. Our whole table started with a potato and leek soup that was to die for. It was just over-the-top wonderful. I had a pasta dish that was superior and took half home for dinner the next night. Service as usual was professional, prompt, and frankly fun. I will always go to Mustards in Napa on every trip.

Black Bear Restaurants

This is a growing chain all over the country but is primarily located on the West Coast. It is similar to a Denny’s and maybe Cracker Barrel but much more upscale. An extensive menu of comfort food for all meals. We had our last breakfast there and it was excellent and filling. It is a 5-minute drive from downtown Napa with plenty of parking so I recommend it for a quick meal.

Morimoto

Owned by the master himself located on the Napa Riverfront complex and outstanding Japanese restaurant worthy of its namesake. We took Drew Neiman there for lunch and he was shocked I ordered beer and not wine. My reason was they had Ashai Japanese beer which I rarely see anywhere so I simply could not pass up the chance to enjoy a bottle. There are many unique sushi and sashimi menu items along with cooked oysters so we had a variety of dishes all of which were tasty and great. Service was very professional and prompt. I have eaten at Morimoto's in London and this one was to me even better I recommend it for an authentic Japanese lunch with that Napa twist.

Gott’s Oxbow

Sister to Gott’s in St. Helena with the same menu plus some. Located at the Oxbow Market it is the same famous food as the original Gott’s and a bucket list place. Probably the best hamburgers and hot dogs on the planet. I had one of each. I have been told every time you eat a hot dog you lower your life expectancy by 15 minutes. So if you want to commit hot dog suicide clearly this is the place to do it. They do have other options. When we had lunch they had a Cuban Sandwich option that looked perfect. We will always try to eat at Gott’s when we are in town.  Both places are always busy.

Oenotri, 1425 1st Street downtown Napa

We had dinner there as one of our La Chaine dine-around dinners. It is an Italian place with a Napa flair. It is very crowded and noisy. I enjoyed the food and thought it was excellent especially the pasta. They served a lamb dish that turned out to be shredded lamb that at least on presentation was poor. It didn’t taste bad but it just was not a high-quality dish. For what you received the price was fairly high but it appears to be a favorite of locals and it was one of the few Italian places around. But truthfully if I am in Napa again and want Italian my choice would be Bistro Giovanni on Highway 29 north of town.

Angele

Owner Bettina Rouols has put together an amazing culinary team led by Chef Josue Alvarado under the direction of manager Kelly Mitchell-Jacks. We had lunch here last year with our Napa agent and remember it as a good and relaxing lunch. I am uncertain why I did not mention it last year but my overall memory was good so we decided to have lunch there. It is easy to find as it is on the Napa Riverfront shopping area next to the Napa General Store. We were immediately seated inside and after reviewing the menu and wine list choose our selections. I for one had a memorable Sole dish that was perfectly prepared and tasty. Our server Greg Oranges was professional and provided some of the best service during our visit. We had been disappointed in our dining choices the previous day but lunch at Angele restored our faith in the Napa dining scene. Both the lunch and wine menus provide a good mixture of choices, everything is prepared in-house from fresh ingredients, and the atmosphere is calming and relaxing. Frankly, it was our best lunch all week. I highly recommend it.

Napa General Store breakfast

At the south end of the Napa Riverfront complex, this is a small quaint local general store that primarily is a breakfast and lunch place. It has local products as well as a small wine bar and a nice outside seating area. We had breakfast there and were pleased with the food and service and the price was reasonable. I recommend it.

Oxbow Market

A small market with multiple small local shops and restaurants or cafes. It continues to be a fun place and we went there daily to do or get something. The wine shop is a favorite run by Michael Myers and he gets some rare and good stuff as well as a lot of cheese you will enjoy. There are two places open for breakfast and coffee that are good as well as a small produce market for those interested.

Vineyards and Vitners

Neiman Vineyards, Napa California

I was able to make another half-day trip to visit Drew Neiman of Neiman Vineyards, especially to taste his world-famous Chardonnay. For those who don’t remember Drew was an assistant winemaker at John Konnsgaurd Wines, arguably the best French style Chardonnay in the USA with Drew racing to overcome them.   After working for John for many years Drew now makes his own wine under his own label and so far has sold out every vintage, a testament to the high quality and taste of his wines.

2019 Neiman Chardonnay

I have just drank 4 bottles of this wine in the past 2 days. It is outstanding. The grapes come from the Haynes vineyard in Coombsville. These old Wente selection vines were planted in 1967. These grapes always made their way into the Newton unfiltered Chardonnay along with Kongsgaard estate grapes through the 2005 vintage when Kongsgaard left Newton to start his own brand Kongsgaard Wines. The Kongsgaard estate(Stonecrest vineyard) now goes solely into the Kongsgaard Judge Chardonnay which is $275 a bottle on the mailing list but $800-$900 a bottle in the secondary market. A complex floral bouquet with pear, nectarine, honeysuckle, and apple is followed by a highly balanced complex mixture of the same tastes with moderate acidity and a hint of oak. When you first open the bottle and drink immediately you notice more oak but once exposed to air for a few minutes the wine settles down into a pleasant complex tasting wine. Drew corrected me saying his wines are not ‘over Oaked” which in general I agree with, but sometimes as he puts it may be a little “under wined”. The finish of the 2019 is long and smooth. It seems to get better and better as it ages and has a few more years of aging before it reaches its full potential. I can’t wait to taste it say around 2026. Drew corrects me in that he says I won't have any to drink in 2026 at the rate I currently drink it.  In terms of the 2019 being slightly oakier than the 2016 and 2020 Drew points out that the 2019 was 100% new French oak with M+ toast. The wood came from the Allier forest same as the 2016 and 2020. The difference is that in 2019 one barrel was from the Vosgues forest which is slightly warmer than the Allier forest. The Allier wood is lighter, which gives off fewer wood aromatics and flavors. The Vosgues wood grows faster so it is less tight yielding slightly woodier aromatics and flavors.

2020 Neiman Chardonnay

A triumph of almost spiritual caliber. I was the first human to taste the 2020 out of the bottle, a true honor from Drew. The description of the 2019 applies to the 2020, in many ways it is the same wine. But there was a higher level and smoothness to the 2020 elevating it. To me, it was much more smooth and seamless, and more hedonistic. Regrettably, 2020 was a low production year and there will be less to buy. But get what you can now, or what Drew will let you have as you will not regret it. Hopefully, 2021 will be as good with higher production.

2018 Fallen Red

To me, this red from Drew exhibited beautiful fruit. It certainly was not “under wined”. I thought it has a “sweet” bouquet, most likely just an abundance of fruit. There was a good tannin backbone and I did “pucker” up with the wine. That I believe was from the 30% of Cab Franc’s presence. But it still was balanced and pleasant and will age for decades.

2019 ‘Las Posada” Cabernet Sauvingnon

Drew buys grapes from this vineyard and the wine is 100% Cab. The owner of the vineyard is David Abreu, a friend of Drew’s, who is the vineyard manager of Screaming Eagle. It turns out that a friend of the vineyards also likes Screaming Eagle and he gets together with his buddies to drink Screaming Eagle and compare it to Drew’s and David’s Las Posada Cab. According to the sources I spoke with they think Drew’s Cab is “Drew Screaming Eagle’ and comparable to Screaming Eagle. The Las Posada’s was well balanced and complex with moderate acid. Again I found a slight sweetness to the bouquet and taste demonstrating the fruit-forward appeal of the wine. I could find no flaws and I felt the oak was light and not overly done. I am looking forward to comparing it to Screaming Eagle in a future tasting.

2019 Red Wine Blend

The same grapes above from Las Posada's Vineyard only blended with 30% Cab Franc.  It is tighter and bolder than the pure Cab one which you expect with the addition of Cab Franc. It is just not the style I prefer. Other than more tannin and bolder it was close to the above wine. It certainly will age for a very long time and needs age to calm down a little, maybe 10 years. Price wise it is a lower price point than the pure Cab. Tasted side by side they clearly were similar as the grapes from Cab are the same. It should be easier to obtain due to the blending so should be more widely available and the wine of choice for many. But if you can I still recommend the pure Cab as a higher luxury.

Sequoia Grove

Our friend Oscar(707-815-7602) who helps us out when we are in Napa is the manager at Sequoia Grove. I give you his phone number as he is our go-to guy in Napa when we need recommendations and help. Feel free to call him if you are in the area and arrange a visit and meet him. He is a great resource to have. We purchased their current Chardonnay for our house Chardonnay and it was a fresh fruity straightforward wine with a hint of pleasant oak. They have good reds but we just don’t drink enough red to justify buying any. Sequoia Grove is one of the vineyards whose claim to fame is cheap shipping. I recommend stopping and tasting and if you like the wine buy it as they will ship it for you for $10 a case which is a huge bargain.

Ramey Vineyards with David Ramey

We tasted the Ramey 2018 Pinot Noir and 2020 Ramey Chardonnay and both were ok with the Pinot being the best one. David has been making Chardonnay in the Valley for over 40 years and has a ton of experience and stories to match. It was nice to attend a tasting with him. I learned a couple of new things from him as well as reinforcing some old things. He emphasized that there is in fact tannin in white wine as tannin primarily comes from the skin. He is big on batonnage where they daily punch down and stir the initial must of the wine to extract flavor from the skin. He is using Diam corks now as they are more consistent with oxygen exchange for the wine while in the bottle, known as OTR or oxygen transfer rate. Diam corks are corks from Portugal cut up into tiny pieces treated and then pressed into new corks and there is a number of different OTRs for these corks dependent on what the winemaker hopes to achieve. So far Diam corks have not contaminated wine with TCA. He does experiment with concrete egg barrels but feels the lime in concrete neutralizes the acid being a detriment to the wine so he has different treatments and cleansers for the barrels prior to putting wine in them. He was clear that new oak should be used in small amounts as new oak means more oak in the wine.

2020 Ramey Fort Seaview Chardonnay

Not a lot of fruit on the nose but I could smell acid on the nose.  The taste is the same with a predominance of acid on the palate.  To me, the wine had more acid than the fruit and was not as balanced as I would like.  Again Ok and with the acid concentration would be a good match with the right food.

2018 Ramey Russian River Pinot Noir

Overall better than the Chard.  It had a nice smoky nose and cherry smell and taste.  The flavors were well integrated.  Not particularly complex but still nice.  It had a good finish and light oak.  Overall a nice basic California Pinot.

Rams Gate Vineyards

2019 Estate Chardonnay

Starts with a light bouquet with a low fruit smell and taste and light oak.  The taste was tart so some tannin.  There was some complexity with the tastes of pear and apple.  Again an increased prominent acid that should go well with food.  The finish was OK but overall it was not anything unique though well made.  I pegged it as a good $35 bottle of wine and was surprised the vineyard price was $75.

2019 Rams Gate Pinot Noir

A rustic nose with some cherry smell but light.  Not complex mostly cherry flavor but also very tart and made me pucker up so a lot of tannins.  It had a short finish.  The issue price is $70 which to me was too high for what you get.  

2019 Rams Gate Syrah

Of all the Rams Gate wines this was the best.  Plenty of good fruit on the nose and taste with some complexity.  I tasted licorice.  It is a basic Rhone-style wine with a moderate finish and moderate acid balanced well with the tannin.  Again a high price for a Syrah at $70 a bottle.

Chateau Montalena 2016 Chardonnay poured out of double magnum

Plenty of oak and fruit on the nose with some mild residual sugar but well balanced.  A feminine wine with light oak and low tannin.  It had a moderately pleasant finish.  A good basic Chardonnay consistent from year to year and a good buy usually on a restaurant wine list.  

Pella/KNA wines

2021 SANNA Sauvignon Blanc * Napa Valley

Seventy-five cases were bottled in 2021 from 100% Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc grapes, following a cold-fermentation in stainless steel, with primary fermentation finishing around 4 weeks and no residual sugar. Named for the winemaker’s daughter, SANNA Sauvignon Blanc is the personal label of Kristof & Jennifer Anderson, known for vins de terroir of distinction. 100% dry. 12.5% alcohol. There was a tart acid nose. The taste was light and velvety with mostly apple taste with a hint of grapefruit. A nice basic Sauvignon Blanc at $42 a bottle.

2019 Keller "oro de Plata" Petaluma Gap Sonoma

Stainless steel fermented and aged in neutral oak, it is a lovely take on the cool-climate appellation. Comparable to a Chablis style Chardonnay. It still has tartness and tannin which to me was a little bitter along with high acid.

California Dreaming, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Part 6

This will be the last installment of wine reviews from my California tasting trip.  It was a long journey at the time and has been an even longer journey writing all of this down.  As I finish this the next installment will be restaurant reviews for you and trust me there are some spectacular restaurants in San Francisco you need to visit.  Think movie theaters!

Scotti Stark with Stark Advantage Brokers. scotti@starkadvantage.com 707-628-7600

Scotti is an individual broker who works marketing and conducting tastings for up-and-coming new vineyards. He also makes his own wines in a very small production. We spent an afternoon with him in a secret wine storage facility surrounded by Screaming Eagle and Scarecrow tasting the following wines.

2019 Carte Blanche Chardonnay purchased one bottle for $65

Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast has rated 96 points by Galloni. Started with a light pear nose and on the taste had a good mouthfeel. Lots of pear in the taste. There was a mildly bitter taste on the finish that would go away with food. Good acid integration and balance

2018 Harumph Cabernet Purchased one bottle for $85

Made by Scotti had a soft sweet smelling nose. Plenty of fruit on the nose and taste. Velvet mouthfeel. Lots of tannins but balanced with good fruit. Not particularly complex but a basic Cabernet to drink now. Scotti also makes a Chardonnay under this label for $35. My tasting buddies ordered some sight and taste unseen and did not care for it so I cannot recommend it.

2014 Castellucci Rutherford Cabernet $95

Light color for a Cabernet. But did have good fruit on the nose. On the taste nice smooth tannins and a chocolate taste. A fair finish

2019 Patria Allen Price Cabernet $125 favorites

The vineyard is right next to Spottswoode. It had a good deep purple color. Lots of coffee on the nose with a velvet mouthfeel along with some licorice. Lots of good fruit, an OK finish.

2017 Greer Estate Cabernet $185

Allegedly called the “Napa Mouton”. The vineyard is in the same neighborhood as Scarecrow, Insignia, and Staglin. On the nose, I detected grass and pencil shavings or graphite. Had a good fruit taste and some mild oak detected? Plenty of acids would be food-friendly. Only a fair finish

Sequoia Grove with Oscar Escareno

Oscar has worked a lot of the vineyards over the years and now is a director at Sequoia Grove. We first met him years ago when he was with Beau Vignes. He is a great guy and can open a lot of doors for you in Napa. He put us onto Eric Tracy of Vine View Tours & Transportation vineviewtours.com, eric@vineviewtours.com 707-337-3056 who got us into some spectacular properties. Oscar won’t be able to help you for the next few months in that as we speak he is undergoing pituitary surgery in his brain. He is expecting a full recovery but will need some time.

2019 Los Carneros Chardonnay $45

Lots of apple/pear on the nose and taste. Some oak on the nose so a little over-oaked which did come through on the taste. Not a favorite

2018 Napa Merlot Winemaker Series $50

A nice chocolate and licorice nose and taste. One the taste dark chocolate was more predominate. Lots of tannins and young but balanced and good balance with the alcohol and acid.

2016 Reserve Cabernet $75

From the Rutherford ranch area. Also part of their winemaker series. Again lots of chocolate and in this case alcohol on the nose and taste. It had a fairly nice taste but nothing unique

2016 Stagecoach Cabernet $110

Allegedly 95 points by someone. Has a high alcohol concentration of 14.6%. I found it totally disjointed and cannot recommend it.

2016 Rutherford Tonella Vineyard Cabernet $115 favorite purchased 3 bottles

On the other hand, this one was a smooth classic Rutherford Cabernet with classic Rutherford “dust” on the taste. A nice chocolate taste and good acid and food-friendly. I was favorably impressed with the wine enough to buy some.

2017 Morisole Vineyard Rutherford $110 not released yet favorite purchased 3 bottles

This wine is to be released in the near future but we were able to highjack a few bottles. The vineyard is adjacent to the Scarecrow vineyard at a much lower price point. Has a complex nose and taste. Opens with a grassy smell that blows off. It was loaded with chocolate, cigar, smoke all pleasantly balanced. I really like it.

Dakota Shy

A small production operation and the last vineyard visit we did. Overall good wines but fairly high priced. They have a limited but loyal mailing list of customers who love the style.

2019 Napa Cabernet $95

Their least expensive wine from a few select hillside vineyards. Had an average Cab nose and along with the taste was a little tight and young. A fair amount of smoke was present. Had a somewhat complex profile in that I tasted sweet cherry which is unusual to me in a Cab.

2019 Oakville Ranch $195

This is pure Cab Franc which many like from the Oakville Ranch vineyard in the east hills of Oakville. To me, it was very alcoholic and the nose and taste had a heavy, complex tannin concentration butt to a degree you expect that with Cab Franc. It is clearly not my style but the wine was well made and would be a hit with Cab Franc fans.

2019 Social Currency Cabernet $250

Their marquee wine. Has a nice spicy floral nose and taste and clearly a velvet mount feel. Lots of sweet tannin and chocolate. Some if not all of the grapes come off Mount Veeder at an elevation of around 1800 feet and I do love Mount Veeder grapes. So overall a very good wine but a little expensive.

Others Misc

2017 Rivers Marie Bearwallow Vineyard Chardonnay winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown

Thomas River Brown is an up-and-coming winemaker, particularly in St. Helena. We met his Aunt and had a brief conversation with her. Some of the wine shops in St. Helena were raving about him and pushing his wines. This Chardonnay from the Anderson Valley had a lot of fruit and oak on the nose as well as taste. It was not overoaked however and was fairly well balanced. It was a little bitter on the finish.

2019 Sonoma Coast Hirsch Vineyard Chardonnay favorite purchased 6 bts $70

I have always thought Konnsgaurd was hard to find. Then I heard about this wine. I spent over 3 weeks looking for it and on the very last afternoon of my trip when visiting K&L Wine Merchants on Harrison Avenue in San Francisco I found 6 hidden bottles and bought all of them. I found out later they still had some so Robert Fallis bought some and I recommend you call them and see what they can give you. Frankly one of the best wines we drank on the trip. The nose and taste start with a complex flavor profile of pear, apple, and vanilla. The wine is fruit-forward but not in excess. On the taste, there is a hint of tart apple. The wine has a nice velvet mouthfeel. Food friendly with lots of acid but well balanced. Oak is light and not predominant. The finish is a nice long fruit finish. I have now drunk the wine 3 times and it continues to delight me and my description has not changed. It is as good as Konnsgaurd, Neiman, and White Burgundy Chardonnays in our opinion but our tasting buddies bought some on my recommendation and didn’t like it as much and want to sell me what they purchased. Their opinion was that it was a little “wimpy” but sometimes wimpy is good.