Wine Reviews

Seductive mocha- and espresso-scented oak leads to a supple, graceful offering of blueberry and raspberry flavors that’s rich without being weighty, gaining depth and revealing extra layers on a long, sustained finish. Drink now through 2022. 150 cases made.

An attractive Burgundian-style Chardonnay, the 2014 Chardonnay Starling Morelli Roost displays plenty of white peach, honeysuckle, green apple and poached pear. It is deep, rich, full-bodied and impressively endowed. The winemaker was Kirk Venge, which certainly helps explain the high quality. Drink it over the next 4-6 years.

A really sexy top-notch effort is the 2013 Pinot Noir Old Manzana Slope. This is a 150-case cuvée and a beauty in terms of complexity and richness. I have no idea what the clonal material is, but the wine has a dark ruby color, a big sweet kiss of cherries, strawberries, earth and spice, a silky, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and a long, lush finish. This superb Pinot tips the scales at 14.3% natural alcohol. The finish is stunning. Drink it over the next 5-7 years.

Juicy, zesty style with a racy streak to the core of wild berry and blackberry fruit. Snappy acidity keeps the flavors lively. Ends with firm tannins.

Ripe, dense purple, with low acidity, beautiful blueberry and blackberry fruit with acacia flowers and dusty, loamy soil notes.

Ripe, cassis-smelling and flavored wine with full-bodied power. Opaque in color with characteristics of licorice, graphite, black fruits and cedarwood. It should age well for 15-20 years.

Exhibits beautiful red and black fruits, loamy soil nuances, forest floor and underbrush.

From a multiplicity of vineyards, this wine works and is a tremendous value for the price. It mixes hot mulled-cider spices, cinnamon, clove and pine forest, conveying surprising depth. Plum, dark cherry and more clove lead to a powerful, leathery finish.

This richly concentrated, vineyard-designated wine is undeniably in balance. It has a cavern of blackberry and jammy cherry at its core, which simultaneously buzzes in minerality before finishing in a dusting of cocoa and black pepper. The tannins are fine and integrated, providing a generosity of texture that should mellow over time. Cellar through 2027.

This richly concentrated, vineyard-designated wine is undeniably in balance. It has a cavern of blackberry and jammy cherry at its core, which simultaneously buzzes in minerality before finishing in a dusting of cocoa and black pepper. The tannins are fine and integrated, providing a generosity of texture that should mellow over time. Cellar through 2027.

This stunner vintage has opaque purple, displaying richness and intensity in its notes of lead pencil shavings intermixed with cedar wood, fruitcake, blackcurrant and blackberry fruit. A wine of extraordinary intensity and a long finish, it should drink well for 20-25 years.

This vintage has a dense purple color followed by notes of creosote, burning embers, wood spice, forest floor, blackberry and cassis. It is full-bodied with great intensity and a long, rich, concentrated finish.

Virtually perfect, this vintage has notes of scorched earth, burning embers/ charcoal, blackberry and blueberry fruit, and some floral notes. Quite full-bodied, it offers sweet tannins, low acidity, and a fleshy, rich finish of close to a minute.

This vintage is a beautifully complex wine with big, sexy notes of new saddle leather, blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, silky tannins, a full-bodied, voluptuous texture and lots of personality and glycerin-filled fruit. This is a beauty to drink over the next 7-8 years.

Sleek and spicy, with a spice box accent to the wild raspberry and strawberry flavors, graced by whiffs of smoke, a dash of mineral and accents of black tea. Drink now through 2025.

Both the 2011 Amisfield Pinot Noir and 2013 Amisfield Sauvignon Blanc from Central Otago received a Gold Award in the 31st TEXSOM International Wine Awards. Congratulations!

The 2012 Bacio Divino Proprietary Red is a superb blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc. Dense ruby/plum/purple with notes of freshly ground pepper, bouquet garni, roasted meats, blackcurrants and cherries, this is a spicy, aromatic, ripe and singular style of wine that Bacio Divino pulls off beautifully. Drink it over the next decade.

Bacio Divino, a project of Claus Janzen and his son, offered three vintages of their single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons and a couple generic bottlings, plus other assorted bottlings from their terrific value-priced wines, such as Pazzo. There are also a couple of Burgundy-styled wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Dutton Ranch, which I decided to include since they’re the only Sonoma County wines from Bacio Divino.

Speaking of Janzen’s terrific value, the 2012 Pazzo rocks. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Sangiovese, it’s a very sexy, fleshy, succulent style of wine that consumers undoubtedly adore. Lots of red and black fruits, meaty, peppery spices and a hint of Provençal herbs all catch the taster’s attention in this lusty, heady, ripe, rare outstanding effort. Drink it over the next 2-3 years.

Bacio Divino, a project of Claus Janzen and his son, offered three vintages of their single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons and a couple generic bottlings, plus other assorted bottlings from their terrific value-priced wines, such as Pazzo. There are also a couple of Burgundy-styled wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Dutton Ranch, which I decided to include since they’re the only Sonoma County wines from Bacio Divino.

The generic 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa is outstanding, and better than the single-vineyard 2011s. Lots of Christmas fruitcake, white chocolate, coffee bean, blackcurrants and sweet dark cherries are all present in this medium to full-bodied, lush, heady wine that’s a reasonably fair value in the luxury-priced scheme of Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa.

Bacio Divino, a project of Claus Janzen and his son, offered three vintages of their single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons and a couple generic bottlings, plus other assorted bottlings from their terrific value-priced wines, such as Pazzo. There are also a couple of Burgundy-styled wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Dutton Ranch, which I decided to include since they’re the only Sonoma County wines from Bacio Divino

A blend of fruit from different sources, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Silencieux is a classic Nils Venge Cabernet Sauvignon – broad, savory, rich and complex with notes of crème de cassis and vanilla, well-balanced wood, and a full-bodied, powerful, opulent style. This sensational effort should drink well for 20-25 years.

The bigger-than-life 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Family Reserve possesses a great personality as well as stunning blue, black and red fruits, graphite and toasty oak, killer richness and opulence. I would not be surprised if it is drinkable early given the sweetness of tannin. It is another unreal offering from Nils Venge. Drink 2018-2040.

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Bone Ash Vineyard should be as good as the 2012. It reveals sweet blackberry and blueberry fruit, a creamy, opulent, voluptuous texture, and incredible richness and length. It should drink well for 20-25 years.

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Bone Ash Vineyard (393 cases were bottled unfined and unfiltered) comes from a 12-acre site in Calistoga planted over 21 years ago. A compelling Cabernet Sauvignon, it offers copious notes of crème de cassis, charcoal, graphite and a hint of minerality as well as terrific blackberry and cassis fruit. This full-bodied, massive Cabernet is neither overripe nor heavy. It is a killer effort from one of the great craftsman of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Nils Venge, who has over 40 years of experience producing great Cabernets. Enjoy this beauty over the next 20-25 years, although I suspect it will last even longer.

A wine I have purchased and followed, and never been disappointed with, is Venge’s Cabernet Sauvignon Family Reserve. The 2012 is another killer effort. It possesses sensational ripeness, brilliant purity, a seamless integration of acidity, wood, alcohol and tannins, full-bodied splendor and gloriously pure blackberry, blueberry and cassis fruit intermixed with a whiff of smoky oak in the background. This is a great Napa Cabernet Sauvignon from the heart of the valley. It should last for 25-50 years!

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Silencieux is a much larger cuvee of 1,568 cases from top sources in Napa. Another big time winner, it is not quite as profound as its 2010 siblings or the 2011 Bone Ash and Family Reserve, but it is a delicious, reasonably priced Napa Cabernet Sauvignon that showcases Venge’s Midas touch with this varietal. Rich, concentrated, round and generous, this is a sumptuous Cabernet Sauvignon with no hard edges. Enjoy it now and over the next 10-15 years.