Wine Ratings

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A well-rounded, easily enjoyable sparkling rosé, this offers a persistent fine-bubbled mousse structure, resulting in an overall smooth drinking experience. You will find nuanced aromas and flavors of citrus blossom, grapefruit, watermelon, white strawberries, dewy morning grass, and a wet stone minerality, with just a hint of those autolytic toasty notes. The finish lingers with additional florals of pink roses and fresh daisies.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEMore savory than sweet and wonderfully complex, the 2019 Brut Rosé North Coast bursts from the glass with toasty notes of fresh baguette and almonds, giving way to crushed apples and gingery spice. This rushes the palate with an elegant bead of silken bubbles. It is creamy yet energetic, and mineral-tinged orchard fruits add further tension. The 2019 leaves the senses wonderfully refreshed through the long, crunchy finale, as white strawberry and spice cookie notes fade. The Brut Rosé is a pleasure bomb, yet it’s wonderfully balanced throughout. - Eric GuidoVinous Media | 92 VMOffers pretty peach and strawberry flavors and a luscious, lingering texture as this takes on spice and orange peel accents on the crisp yet plush finish. Drink now. 19,350 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich, heady wine. Even though it was just bottled, the 2019 possesses remarkable textural intensity. A whole range of floral and savory notes open as this statuesque Cabernet shows off its personality. This is an especially rich, bombastic Cabernet from Ric Forman. That is especially evident when tasted next to the 2018.Vinous Media | 97 VMSimilarly hued, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley offers a classic, old school Napa Cabernet nose of darker currants, green tobacco, spring flowers, camphor, and new leather. As with the 2018, it plays in a more medium to full-bodied, elegant style, has ripe yet certainly present tannins, and a great finish. The 2019 is more accessible and open than the 2018 and should continue drinking brilliantly for another two decades if stored correctly.Jeb Dunnuck | 96 JD

There are only 365 cases of Gandona’s 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, which comes from the property’s terraced parcels. Richer and more concentrated than the Encosta bottling, there’s a bit tighter weave to the wine’s fabric and more room for aging, as well as richly concentrated notes of cassis, dark chocolate and earth. Long, tannic and intense, this should evolve nicely for 20 years or so.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPThe 2019 Gandona has wonderful elegance and purity, and the tannin quality is a big step up over the Encosta. Black fruits, graphite, some floral notes, and background oak all make an appearance, and it’s full-bodied, has beautiful purity, silky tannins, and just loads of character. Drink it over the coming 15-20 years, although I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see it evolve longer.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JD

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is similarly deep purple-hued and has a killer nose of cr me de cassis, spicy wood tobacco leaf, and graphite. It too is rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, with that classic 2019 broad, expansive, sexy mouthfeel to go with plenty of velvety tannins on the finish. It will evolve for at least two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDSourced from six different Napa Valley vineyards and a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon from Accendo is a dark, cassis-laden effort tinged with violets and black tea. Full-bodied, rich, velvety and tannic, it shows lovely harmony and structure, ample but not overdone concentration and tremendous length and elegance.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98+ RPAccendo’s 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is every bit as alluring as it was from barrel. Plush and sensual, with no hard edges, the 2019 possesses magnificent balance from start to finish. Dark-fleshed fruit, spice, leather, tobacco and menthol build as this sumptuous, racy Cabernet shows off its tremendous charm. Best of all, the 2019 offers quite a bit of immediacy. I would choose to drink it ahead of some of the more structured recent vintages. As always, the Accendo Cabernet is a blend of several top sites in Napa Valley.Vinous Media | 98 VMTasted with Bart Araujo at Wheeler Farms, the ’Rolls Royce of custom crush facilities’, as described by Accendo winemaker Nigel Kinsman. Bart and wife Daphne established Wheeler Farms after selling their Araujo Estate (now Eisele Vineyard) to the Artemis Group. Grapes are sourced from Vine Hill Ranch, Sleeping Lady in Rutherford, Eco Tone (a former Abreu property), and a site on Diamond Mountain formerly known as Reverie. Generous blackberry fruit aromas are tinged with wild herbs and heady cedar spices. Broad and expansive on the palate with saturated dark fruit, cassis, graphite and wild herbs. Rustic, elongated tannins glide to a savoury finish.Decanter | 98 DECThis delivers a lush yet focused wave of gorgeous loganberry and black currant fruit laced subtly with warm loam, alder smoke and dried bay leaf details. A long cast iron spine drives underneath from start to finish, with the fruit taking an encore alongside a note of violet at the very end. Shows a touch more grip than your typical 2019. Impressive. Best from 2026 through 2040. 848 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

From vines planted in 1982, the 2019 Merlot W.S. Keyes Vineyard checks in as 81% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Sauvignon that was brought up in 84% new French oak. This deep, full-bodied, powerful, impeccably balanced beauty offers up loads of ripe black cherries, blackberries, graphite, scorched earth, and Asian spices on the nose. It’s another stunning example of mountain Merlot that needs to be forgotten for 4-5 years, and it’s going to cruise for 20-25 years in cold cellar. The Cabernet component really shows in the tannin structure. This is a serious, incredibly age-worthy Merlot that, in my opinion, is one of the greatest Merlots in California.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDBlack olives, dark fruit and earth. Pumice, cloves and other spices, too. Full-bodied, yet layered and so intense. Nuanced, yet powerful. Pomerol with a flak jacket! This needs at least five or six years of bottle age.James Suckling | 98 JSA blend of 81% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 W S Keyes Merlot is deep garnet-purple in color. It comes bounding out with exuberant notes of baked plums, blackberry preserves, and boysenberries plus hints of licorice, underbrush, and Sichuan pepper. Full-bodied, the palate is both rich and energetic, featuring super-plush, rounded tannins and fantastic freshness, delivering a very long, earth-laced finish. It should age well. 509 cases were made. The soils that these old vines are planted on run counter to everything you’ve learned about where Merlot should succeed. Here there is volcanic, tufa soil as opposed to the typical clay. It is fascinating how a microclimate can change the parameters.The Wine Independent | 98 TWIA huge, dense wine, La Jota 2019 Merlot W.S. Keyes is sourced from vines planted in 1982. Blackberry jam, chocolate, new leather, licorice and cloves are all kicked up in this sumptuous, exotic Merlot. The 2019 is deep, full-throttle and so exciting.Vinous Media | 96 VMFrom one of two old blocks of Merlot on the property (the other goes into Cardinale), the 2019 W.S. Keyes Merlot is bright and lively, with scents of raspberries and cherries on the nose. On the palate, it’s full-bodied, rich and structured, with a creamy-velvety mouthfeel and a long, mocha-tinged finish. Blessed with layers of softly dusty tannins, this is a fine and elegant Napa Merlot (there is 19% Cabernet Sauvignon) worthy of considerable consumer interest.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RP

Beautiful, sweet cassis and blue fruits as well as lots of violet and floral notions emerge from the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, a full-bodied, rich, concentrated barrel sample with wonderful purity of fruit, a good sense of freshness, and serious length on the finish. This promising, elegant yet powerful wine is going to shine with short-term bottle age and keep for two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 93-95 JDThis smooth, indulgent wine layers milk chocolate, blueberries, cocoa and blackberries over soft tannins and soft acidity for a sweet-tasting palate and lingering finish. Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, all from the upper blocks in this vintage, is regal, and supremely polished right out of the gate. Inky blue fruit, crème de cassis, lavender, menthol and cloves are some of the many aromas and flavors that take shape in the glass. Silky tannins wrap it all together in style. Medium in body, gracious and elegant, the 2019 is so impressive. I can’t remember a Grace Cabernet with this much sheer finesse. Helen Keplinger has done a tremendous job in taming the tannins at Grace, historically one of the biggest challenges here. Epic.Vinous Media | 99 VMBlackberries, bramble berries, forest floor, bark and bay leaf. Cassis bush. Oyster shell. Mushroom. Full-bodied, and very structured. Compacted palate. Solid tannins that spread across the palate. Extremely well framed. Opens at the end. Give this some time but already gorgeous. Try after 2026.James Suckling | 99 JSBeautiful any way you look at it, and a truly great wine, the flagship 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate offers a refined, incredibly elegant style while still showing the expansive, sexy, layered style of this brilliant vintage. Cassis, currant buds, smoked tobacco, violets, baking spices, and brambly herb notes all define the profile, and it s full-bodied, flawlessly balanced, has velvety tannins, and a great finish. All Cabernet Sauvignon from a site just north of St. Helena, aged 21 months in 85% new French oak, this sensational, singular beauty will continue drinking spectacularly well over the coming two decades. Hats off to winemaker Helen Keplinger for an utterly brilliant wine.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDDark and winey, this has a tightly coiled core of red and black currant preserves mixed with licorice, alder, juniper and sweet bay leaf. Shows extra flickers of mulberry and warm earth through the finish, where a buried cast iron note peeks through. Some patience is needed here. Best from 2024 through 2040. 82 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS

Blueberries, blackberries and crushed stones. Pure fruit. Full-bodied with round tannins that have powdery character. Creamy and round mouth-feel. Very unique. Great finish. 90% merlot, 5% cabernet franc and 5% malbec. Best from 2026.James Suckling | 99 JSThe 2019 La Muse offers a luxurious and layered perfume of red apple, sweet tobacco, and fresh leather. The palate is generous, with velveteen texture, noes of cassis, violets, and fresh earth, and a weightless feel. The most open of the three presented by Verite, this is an incredible wine and will be fantastic to check in on over the next two or more decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThe 2019 La Muse is a blend of 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Malbec. Deep garnet-purple in color, it skips out of the glass with bright scents of freshly crushed black and red plums, boysenberries, and Morello cherries, plus hints of garrigue, cedar chest, wet slate, and truffles plus a waft of crushed rocks. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is super intense and firm with a solid wall of ripe tannins and compelling freshness holding up a ton of expressive earth and black fruit layers, finishing with epic length. 2,500 cases were made.The Wine Independent | 98+ TWIThe 2019 La Muse offers the purity and layering of the best 2019s from Sonoma County. The nose opens with generous aromas of mushroom, underbrush, licorice and garrigue complementing a core of Morello cherry. The medium to full-bodied palate is silky and plush with pixelated tannins. Its fruit is still somewhat coiled, driven by graphite tones at this stage, although it offers plenty of refreshing acidity that gives a weightless, ethereal feel to the fragrant finish. It deserves several more years in bottle to unwind.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPA Merlot dominant blend with whispers of Cabernet Franc and Malbec (5% each). More generous than dense with ample structure, silken texture and elegance alongside understated power. Aromatics are marked by espresso beans, irises, violets, and crushed stone alongside cedar plank and cinnamon spice. The palate is elegantly outlined, with fine tannins, mocha powder, blue fruits denoted by huckleberry and fig and a sinuous streak of graphite across the finish.Decanter | 95 DEC

A juicy and powerful red with blackberries, dried strawberries, walnuts and spice undertone. Full-bodied and chewy with layers of tannins and a flavorful finish. Hints of bark and spice. Needs time to soften, but impressive. Drink after 2025, but already beautiful.James Suckling | 95 JSThe 2019 Pinot Noir de Villiers Vineyard is fabulous. A wine of depth and intensity, the 2019 is seriously impressive. Dark cherry, plum, lavender, spice and dried herbs are all amplified in this decidedly potent, layered Pinot Noir. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2019, as it is quite the powerhouse. It’s one of the most complete wines in the range of 2019s.Vinous Media | 94+ VMJuicy and youthfully compact, with a core of black cherry and mulberry fruit wrapped in licorice root, singed balsam wood and black tea. A long underlying chalky mineral edge extends the finish. Let this unfurl in the cellar. Best from 2023 through 2032. 1,175 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThis is a slightly more familiar style of Pinot Noir from this veteran producer of often rugged mountain wines, starting with fresh red-cherry, hibiscus and tar aromas. The palate picks up black tea, ripe boysenberry, dried herb and warm oak on the finish. Wine Enthusiast | 92 WE

The 2019 Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet shows a deep, ruby colour. It is a beautifully compact wine that delivers complex and nuanced aromas of Bing cherry and black raspberry with tobacco, currant leaf, and cedarwood laced with dried sage. Focused and linear on the medium to full-bodied palate, showing expressive dark berry character and exotic oak spices with a firm backbone of fine-grained structured tannins. Cool raspberry, cherry, and blackberry fruit are perfectly represented, and the lengthy finish is crisp, lively, and energetic. No doubt, this is one to cellar. Exhaustive oak seasoning experiments led by winemaker Nate Weis resulted in the discovery that the American oak they age Silver Oak in when seasoned for 24 months and toasted for 90 minutes, marks the point at which the oak imparts more vanillin character and delivers better tannin integration. By contrast, the 2018 vintage was aged in American oak, seasoned for 16 months and toasted for 60 minutes. Weis explains that their experiments showed that underseasoned American oak imparts a dill character, while overseasoning results in coconutty notes, but finding a sweet spot delivers that vanillian quality winemakers look for in French oak. Taste the 2018 and 2019s side by side if you can, and note the subtle differences and shift to a more savoury profile in the 2019 vintage, with a very precise integration of oak tannin. It will be exciting to follow their progression in the cellar and see how subsequent vintages shape up in healthy and challenging harvest years.Decanter Magazine | 96 DECSo elegant, supple and silky, this vintage is a dream to drink now, but should also have plenty of life ahead of it. Aromas of blueberries and dark chocolate meld with luxe black fruit, mint and cocoa on the palate. A blend of 77% cabernet sauvignon, 18% merlot and dashes of cabernet franc and petit verdot. Drink or hold through at least 2030.James Suckling | 95 JS