Napa Valley Wine Tasting Notes

1998 Clos du Val
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Score: 86.0
"Dense blackberry fruit with toasty undertones; firm, well-integrated tannins, and an herbaceous finish. "

1997 Stags Leap
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Score: 89.0
"Concentrated blackberry and black currant, oak spice and chocolate, medium bodied with firm tannin and herbal undercurrents. Excellent now, it has a lot more"

1997 St. Clement
Howell Mountain Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Score: 89.0
"Dark chocolate and toast over blackberry jam, firm but soft tannin, and a long finish. Good now, it has great potential for aging."

1997 Robert Mondavi Winery
Stags Leap District Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon unfiltered
Score: 91.0
"Big and full of potential, the SLD is packed with ripe blackberry fruit, subtle herbs and firm tannins. A wine to lay away for five to ten years."

1997 Robert Mondavi Winery
Oakville District Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon unfiltered
Score: 92.0
"Deeper, with sweeter fruit and softer texture than the SLD, but the tannin is actually more astringent, leading to a drying finish. Great potential for the patient collector. "

1997 St. Clement
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Score: 93.0
"Expansive cassis, dark chocolate and cedar on the nose. On the palate it adds notes of vanilla, spice, rhubarb, green olive and blackberry. Penetrating, and deep, this is a great Napa Valley Cabernet from a great vintage."

1997 Robert Mondavi
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Score: 98.0
"From the great 1997 vintage, this is an expansive Cabernet with ripe blackberry fruit, a bit of mint, tobacco leaf and milk chocolate. The tannins and soft and integrated, the overall balance superb, showing intensity with proportion. This one raises the bar for future Mondavi Cabernets."

1997 Stags Leap
Napa Valley Petite Syrah
Score: 89.0
"A big, powerful Petite Syrah that takes a its cue from Cote Rotie by blending in a little Viognier to give the nose more aromatics. The Stags Leap is a mouthfilling wine with chewy tannins and deep, chocolatey, blackberry fruit and a touch of vanilla and toast. While drinkable now, it will certainly be better in another three to five years."

1998 St. Clement Oroppas
Napa Valley [B ordeaux blend]
Score: 94.0
"A masterful Bordeaux blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc - a smooth, fully integrated wine with ripe blackberry-cherry fruit and ginger, soft tannin, and a fruit-and-spice finish that lingers for minutes. Perfectly balanced, the nose is expansive and penetrating, and the palate complex and generous. "

Chandon Etoile
Napa-Sonoma Counties sparkling wine
Score: 89.0
"Etoile is a dry, full-bodied, creamy sparkler with ripe apple and tart citrus fruit character, moderate yeastyness, and a citrusy finish. "

Chandon Etoile
Napa-Sonoma Counties sparkling wine Rose
Score: 92.0
"To my mind, the Etoile Rose is far superior to its fraternal twin, Etoile. Creamy, but with a crisp acidity, the Etoile Rose possesses a complex, though subtle, earthiness that comes from Pinot Noir. At the same time it has light, muted strawberry fruit, and complex yeast autolysis character. Altogether, a very refined rose."

1999 St. Clement
Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc
Score: 88.0
"Grassy, crisp acidity, light lime and toasted almond, tight and tart, yet round on the palate with a long finish. A classic shellfish wine."

1998 St. Clement
Abbotts Vineyard Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay
Score: 87.0
"Creamy texture, dry, minerally, muted papaya and mango with some high resiny notes in the nose. An atypical style for Abbotts."

1998 Clos du Val Tre Grazie
Stags Leap District Napa Valley Sangiovese
Score: 87.0
"Cherry-strawberry fruit with spice and light cocoa notes, subtle oak tones, moderate tannin, and crisp acidity, make this an ideal wine to drink with tomato sauced pasta, veal and pork."