Pretty rose/ruby color. Takes time but opens up to show deep red currant, red and black cherries, rose petals, spicy white pepper, clove, tilled soil. Crisp acidity frames the palate so well, but the tannic structure provides plenty of support without being harsh, and the balance is superb. Graceful but tart red and black cherries, some cranberry, tons of spiced black tea, tobacco, rose petals, white pepper, sage and earthy, floral complexities that linger long on the finish. This is a tightly structured wine that will probably see its best days five years from now, and age beautifully, but this an impressive young Shea Pinot from Penner-Ash.

Oregon: Pinot Still King Even In Hot 2015 and 2014 Vintages A very unique and perfumed nose here with rhubarb fool, cranberry crumble, mint, cherry blossom, slate, jasmine, lilacs, rose petals and nutmeg. By the contrast, the palate is very linear and precise with lots of grainy, fine tannins, bright fruit and a fresh, uplifted finish. Drink now or hold.

This ‘No Name’ bottling is a barrel selection by Penner Ash. Needing roughly a one hour decant to fully express itself, this starts off with beautiful red currant, rose petal and red cherry with forest floor aromatics. The palate is burly, almost Sonomaesque. Cherry cola, sassafras, wild strawberry jam and forest floor flavors complete this outstanding wine. Enjoy this great, beautifully textured, Pinot Noir over the next fifteen plus years.

Limpid ruby-red. An expressive, highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red berries, cola, incense and vanilla, complemented by a sexy five-spice powder accent and a hint of smokiness. Stains the palate with sweet raspberry liqueur, spicecake, floral pastille and vanilla flavors that become more energetic as the wine stretches out. Shows a compelling blend of power and elegance, revealing no rough edges and delivering an impressively long, floral-tinged finish.

Firm, with fine tannins under a flowing beam of generous blueberry, currant and floral flavors. Comes together harmoniously on the complete and focused finish.

From select barrels, this “no name” reserve takes the signature elements of the winery's Pinots—notably forward, plush berry fruits and a strong whiff of tobacco—and punches them up to the next level. Big, solid, almost chunky with packed flavor, it touches lightly on lifted aromatics, and frames its tannins in dark chocolate.

Brilliant ruby-red. Exotic, highly expressive aromas of blackberry liqueur, Indian spices, cola and pipe tobacco, joined in the glass by a suave floral overtone. Sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering intense dark berry, cherry cola and spicecake flavors given lift and spine by juicy acidity. A distinctly plush, concentrated and seamless Pinot Noir that finishes impressively long and sweet, with lingering dark berry and spice character and velvety tannins sneaking in late.

The absolutely sensational 2013 Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard is from a mixed block of vines planted in 1927, dominated by Zinfandel. This is the smallest cuvée of all four of Adam Lee=s Zinfandels, with only 148 cases. Terrific aromatics that blast from the glass, offering notes of sweet kirsch liqueur, spice box, licorice, mulberry, roasted herbs, a touch of loamy notes and a big, peppery, meaty, full-throttle attack, mid-palate and finish. This is a great, classic California Zinfandel to drink over the next decade.

The 2015 Syrah Garys' Vineyard is killer stuff! Black and blue fruits, bacon fat, black olive and tapenade notes give way to a ripe, sexy, forward Syrah that has plenty of fruit, good freshness and a great finish. This is a classic, cool-climate style wine that's packed with Cali fruit. Drink it over the coming 4-5 years. The Novy label is for winemaker Adam Lee’s (of Siduri) Rhône blend and Zinfandel releases.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2016 Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard is fabulous. Rich, dense and explosive, with tremendous fruit density, the Carlisle is absolutely gorgeous. A rush of ripe cherry, pomegranate, blood orange, mint and hard candy all race out of the glass in a racy, flamboyant Zinfandel loaded with personality. The field blend at Carlisle yields a wine with tremendous aromatic intensity and exotic beauty.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages Composed of 82% Merlot and 18% Malbec, the 2016 Merlot Mt. Veeder has a deep garnet-purple color and opens with sexy spiced plums, warm blueberries and potpourri scents with hints of fragrant earth, violets and dark chocolate. Full, rich, firm and oh-so-plush, it has a decantently fruited palate and a very long finish with some licorice hints coming through.

This delicious wine helps to chip away at the widespread stereotype that Merlot is a second-rate grape of a rather wimpy nature. Serious students of wine have always known that was merely a stereotype, but of course, wine shouldn't just be for “serious students” but for all of those who enjoy fine things in life. Moreover, those who’ve been hoodwinked by the stereotype aren’t usually to blame. There really was a lot of wimpy Merlot made over the years to be drunk as a cocktail, and then, the general sense that those wines were what the variety should be had the result of dumbing-down the category to prevent consumer disappointment. But enough diagnosis… let’s get on with the prescription: This is the cure for a whole host of mis-impressions, with excellent color saturation, rather brooding but still notable aromatics, truly full body, deep and quite ripe flavors recalling blackberries and dark cherries, a notable edge of oak, and a gutsy finish. Definitely a wine for the table rather than the bar, it is nevertheless very enjoyable right now with food, and wasn’t over-extracted or over-oaked to prove a point. Yet it does, indeed, prove a point.

Washington Wine Blog Top 100 of 2018 - #47 The Mt. Brave ‘Mt. Veeder’ Merlot is a stunning wine crafted by superstar winemaker Chris Carpenter. This takes on tar, mocha and anise with blackberry compote on the nose. The palate is plush, showing a marvelous texture and mouthfeel. Coffee grounds, anise, creme de cassis, red bell pepper and blackberry cobbler flavors all nicely mingle in the glass. This is a remarkable Merlot that is best enjoyed following a two plus hour decant.

Very deep purple-black colored, the 2015 Merlot Mt. Veeder gives evocative crushed black berry, blueberry and ripe plums with touches of pencil shavings, dried mint and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, firmly textured and with impressive freshness lifting the ripe black fruits, it has a lovely mint and spicy character coming through on the long finish.

From a site that reaches up to 1,800 feet and dates back grape-growing wise to before the Civil War, this wine is bold and beautiful. It’s a study in dusty leather, black pepper and cigar, allowing sauvage, savory aspects to speak louder than fruit. Full bodied and robustly structured, it offers a memorable Tahitian-vanilla note on the finish.

The 2013 Merlot exhibits deep mulberry and black cherry fruit, chocolate, cocoa, a good bit of spice, a plump, fleshy, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel and serious length. This blend of 93% Merlot and 7% Malbec is impressive, but sadly, there are only 373 cases.

Napa Valley’s Extraordinary 2016 Cabernets - Part 1 One of the highlights in this range, the 2016 Cabernet Franc is gorgeous. Aromatically nuanced and deeply-pitched, the 2016 has so much to offer. This is an especially pliant, resonant style, but it works quite nicely. Varietal aromas and flavors are given an extra kick of richness in this striking Franc from Mt. Brave. Give it a few years in bottle to come into its own.

This is 100% varietal and remarkably impressive, true to its grape in earthy aromas of violet and sage. The mountainous appellation contributes girth and breadth, as well as densely layered texture and grip. Around the fullness are beautiful flavors of chocolate, graham cracker and blueberry. This will cellar well; enjoy best 2025–2030.

I loved the 2014 Cabernet Franc from this team. It has classic floral and mineral notes as well as blueberry and red currant fruit, medium-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannin, and a clean, focused, lengthy finish. It's already hard to resist (and I see no need to delay gratification) but it’s capable of lasting for 10-15 years.

This is filled with lush cassis, boysenberry and blackberry compote flavors, supported by dense, lush tannins. The finish is polished, with anise and roasted apple wood notes seamlessly integrated throughout, with a tarry echo at the very end keeping this grounded. A modern expression of mountain fruit.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is another Mt. Brave wine that is going to need cellaring. The 2015 plays a big game, with huge fruit and equally imposing tannins. Deep, inky and ample, the 2015 is very hard to read today. That won't be an issue in a few years, but today, the Cabernet is a forbidding, young Mt. Veeder wine endowed with serious intensity in all of its dimensions.

Top Ten: California Mt. Brave Vineyard sits high atop Mt. Veeder at 1,400 to 1,800 feet. The estate, on the western flank of Napa Valley, is named for the native Wappos who first called it home. Mt. Veeder has been planted to wine grapes since the early 1860s while Mt. Brave Vineyard dates back to 1841—before the Gold Rush and the Civil War. The site is all about high elevation and thin, rocky soils that present many winegrowing challenges. Four cabernet clones (191, 4, 8, and 337) and three rootstocks (3309C, 101-14, and 1103P) neutralise some of the issues in what is a slow moving, long, cool growing season above the fog line. The wine fermented in stainless steel and goes through malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels (80 percent new). After some 19 months of barrel ageing it is bottled without fining or filtration. The season was perfect, yielding flavourful floral, blueberry notes with stony mineral whiffs. The palate is firm with rich, dense tannins, black raspberry/blackberry fruit and dried herbs. A real mountain wine that will need time. The blend is 82/7/6.5/4.5 cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec and cabernet franc. Cellar for a decade or two.

Mt. Brave Vineyard sits high atop Mt. Veeder at 1,400 to 1,800 feet. The estate, on the western flank of Napa Valley, is named for the native Wappos who first called it home. Mt. Veeder has been planted to wine grapes since the early 1860s while Mt. Brave Vineyard dates back to 1841—before the Gold Rush and the Civil War. The site is all about high elevation and thin, rocky soils that present many winegrowing challenges. Four cabernet clones (191, 4, 8, and 337) and three rootstocks (3309C, 101-14, and 1103P) neutralise some of the issues in what is a slow moving, long, cool growing season above the fog line. The wine fermented in stainless steel and goes through malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels (80 percent new). After some 19 months of barrel ageing it is bottled without fining or filtration. The season was perfect, yielding flavourful floral, blueberry notes with stony mineral whiffs. The palate is firm with rich, dense tannins, black raspberry/blackberry fruit and dried herbs. A real mountain wine that will need time. The blend is 82/7/6.5/4.5 cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec and cabernet franc. Cellar for a decade or two.

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon is gorgeous. Blueberry, blackberry, cloves, menthol, spices and licorice are all woven together in a Cabernet Sauvignon that is relatively soft and supple for a mountain wine. Sweet perfumed notes flesh out on a highly expressive finish laced with violets, jasmine and lavender. Dollops of Merlot and Cabernet Franc round out the blend. This is an absolutely beautiful bottle of wine.

Fantastically concentrated with blackberry, cassis and dark chocolate flavors that are wrapped into massive tannins, this impressive Cab defines Mount Veeder’s early deliciousness coupled with ageability. It’s just beginning to soften and show what it can do. It’s still a tight, hard young wine whose elegance will allow it to evolve over the next 8–12 years.