California Wines

wines

The 2009 Sloan possesses lots of espresso roast, chocolate fudge, baking spice, cedarwood, incense, creme de cassis, blackberry and subtle smoke characteristics. Surprisingly soft tannins are atypical for this vintage, but they work well and frame this full-bodied, concentrated, multidimensional wine. One of the finest Sloans made to date, it can be drunk now or cellared for 25-30 years.Robert Parker | 98 RPDeep ruby-red; little sign of development. Sexy aromas of black raspberry, cassis, tobacco, spices and caramel oak. Wonderfully plush and glossy yet firm on the palate, with its intense dark berry, plum and spice flavors enlivened by minerality. Already a fleshy and seamless mouthful but this wine has the sheer concentration, grip and ripe tannic support for another 15 to 20 years of graceful evolution. Splendid!Vinous Media | 95 VMThis has the fresh blackcurrants and blackberries of the vintage with a lot of savory and some balsamic notes. Rich and concentrated but fresh and energetic with full, velvety tannins that make for a stunning balance. The finish has breathtaking freshness that kicks it way down the road. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 95 JS

More powerful, with darker currants, iron, chocolate, and hints of spring flowers, the 2012 Proprietary Red is incredibly seamless and elegant, with full-bodied richness as well as just about perfect tannins. It shows the classic opulence and sexiness of the 2012 vintage while staying light on its feet and graceful. It’s just now at the early stages of its prime drink window and will cruise for another 15 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDDeep garnet colored with a hint of purple, the 2012 Proprietary Red bursts from the glass with flamboyant red and black cherry preserves, warm cassis, baked plums and blueberry compote scents with touches of Indian spices, fragrant earth, pencil lead and Ceylon tea plus a waft of cedar chest. Built like a skyscraper, the full-bodied palate is completely packed with black fruit and savory layers with a very firm, grainy frame and loads of freshness, finishing very long and very earthy. A behemoth of a wine—this is one for the hedonists!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2012 Sloan is dark, sensual and voluptuous to the core. Soft edges and radiant, luxurious fruit add to the wine’s undeniably raciness. Absolutely impeccable, the 2012 Sloan is also a fabulous example of the year at its best.Vinous Media | 97 VM

Wonderful aromas of blueberries, blackberries, mushrooms, pine and blackcurrants. Some violets, too. Full-bodied, yet so refined and polished with wonderful fruit and a linear tannin structure that integrates beautifully into the wine. It’s so balanced and beautiful. Hard not to drink now, but better after 2023.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2017 Proprietary Red brings everything up a solid notch. Dense purple/plum-hued, with gorgeous, Graves-like nose of blackcurrants, chocolate, scorched earth, tobacco leaf, and gravelly earth, this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a polished, elegant texture, building yet sweet tannins, and a great finish. Very much in the style of the 2017 vintage with its nicely concentrated, elegant, reserved yet endearing style, it’s going to drink nicely for 20-25 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Proprietary Red sails out of the glass with open-knit, compelling scents of Black Forest cake, blackberry pie and black currant jelly with suggestions of Indian spices, garrigue, rose oil and sandalwood. The full-bodied palate is richly fruited and jam-packed with opulent black fruit preserves and exotic spice layers, framed by a wicked backbone of freshness and plush, well-managed tannins, finishing with impressive length and perfume.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RPThe 2017 Sloan is very nicely done. As is typical of the year, Sloan is on the lighter side in 2017, and yet all the elements are impeccably balanced. Black cherry, spice, licorice, lavender and chocolate open with a bit of time in the glass. Soft, succulent and quite gracious, the 2017 will drink well with minimal cellaring. I suspect it will always retain some of the nervous tension that is to be expected for a wine made from fruit picked a bit earlier than would have been optimal and with fewer barrel ferments, both choices imposed by the fires that year.Antonio Galloni | 94 AG

The 2019 Proprietary Red is deep garnet-purple in color. After a swirl or two, notes of blueberry preserves, chocolate-covered cherries, and warm cassis burst from the glass, leading to suggestions of Chinese five spice, dusty soil, sandalwood, and unsmoked cigars. The decadently concentrated, full-bodied palate delivers layer upon layer of black fruits and earthy nuances, framed by super-firm, ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with loads of mineral sparks. This is a beauty!The Wine Independent | 99 TWIA blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, the 2019 Proprietary Red is a monster of a wine that’s unquestionably up with the crème de la crème of the vintage. Blackberries, truffle, earth, chocolate, iron, and even a hint of black olive defines the nose, and it’s full-bodied, deep, rich, and incredibly concentrated on the palate. It has lots of background oak but more than enough fruit, with a dense, layered mid-palate and velvety tannins. It’s one of those wines that brings an incredible amount of richness and depth yet somehow stays light on its feet and balanced. It needs to be forgotten for at least 2-4 years and should keep for over two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2019 Sloan is a silky, sensual beauty. Creamy and ample in the glass, with superb balance, the 2019 offers up an exotic mélange of dark fruit, spice, mocha, espresso and licorice. Cabernet inflections are quite present today. Then again, this plateau above Rutherford is one of the most special places in all of Napa Valley. The 2019 shuts down pretty quickly in the glass, which is probably a good sign for its prospects in the cellar. It’s another gorgeous wine from the team at Sloan headed by Winemaker Martha McClellan.Vinous Media | 97 VMSloan’s 2019 Proprietary Red is deep and rich, with scents of dark loam, woodsy notes, hints of cedar and vanilla, plus dark, plummy fruit. It’s full-bodied, concentrated, dense and decadently velvety but with a slight dried-fruit character. It’s awesome in that idiom but lacks the vibrancy and freshness of the valley’s absolute best wines. To this taster, it comes across as impressively complex, concentrated and long but also a bit heavy and warm on the finish. What foods would one pair this with?Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP