QUALITY IS TIMELESS

The more I seek purity and balance the more I'm drawn to constants. Constantly processing the vineyard for 40 years Elias Fernandez will soon be seen as an innovative legend. There are no shortcuts to getting to the top, this man has put in the work and can with confidence tell you ~ his passion is in every bottle. A friend, mentor, and panel member in my wine lab always!

~ The Wine Lab

Original Rating By Robert M. Parker Jr. 97 Points

1999 SHAFER HILLSIDE

The 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is one of the finest wines of the vintage. The 14.9% alcohol is barely noticeable given the amazing concentration and intensity. A saturated opaque purple color is followed by scents of vanilla, blackberry liqueur, crushed minerals, and a hint of white flowers. There is stunning intensity, tremendous purity, full body, and a remarkable, seamless finish (amazing given the elevated, austere tannin). Give the 1999 another 2-3 years of cellaring, and enjoy it over the following two decades or longer. A brilliant effort!

TRB HAS BEEN COOKING UP MAGIC WITH SCHRADER FOR A LONG TIME

A rare version of the classic CCS 2010 in 1500ml is delivering and hitting all the spots Robert Parker was alluding to in his review. The potency & concentration of this block has been suspended a bit in its evolution by the sheer size of the vessel.

(It's been aging slowly vs its 750ml counterpart )

Very few will ever have the chance to compare.

~ The Wine Lab

98 The Wine Advocate

2010 SCHRADER CCS

BECKSTOFFER TOKALON

A wine that seems to hit all of the sweet spots on my palate is the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard CCS made from clone 4. It possesses about the same amount of alcohol as the other wines (14.5%), and is aged 20 months in 100% new oak, but it reveals an opulence, voluptuousness and a seamless haute couture fashion. There is something Pomerol-like in the 2010 CCS that I have not noticed in previous vintages. That may be due to the upfront, appealing, stunningly rich, voluptuous style. This is a Cabernet Sauvignon of great nobility and character that, despite its precociousness, should age for 25+ years.

WINE HEDONISM IS OUR LIFESTYLE

I hear people saying things like "this wine is for intellectuals" and other isolating phrases that simply crack me up. The one thing I'll say for the 2013 Dominus, which I remember really well, it must be signing songs of sublime sensations at this moment.

The 30th-anniversary vintage had every ounce of the Bordeaux Spirit I've heard and seen Christian Moueix so eloquently speak off.

I've witnessed 1st hand, during a visit in 2019 to Dominus Estate, why these wines are adding to the Classic direction Napa Valley is attempting to rediscover!

My mentor told me recently, current winemaking styles have been driven by a brand most of the same people making these wine ridicule.

Don't become a prisoner of wine fluff!

The Classic Ways Are The Best Ways!

~ The Wine Lab

2013 Perfection

2013 DOMINUS ESTATE

30th Anniversary

The 2013 Dominus is, to my way of thinking, one of the most profound wines Christian Moueix has yet made in his rather brilliant winemaking history, both in France and in Napa Valley. This wine, with very low yields of only 3,500 cases and a final blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, offers up notes of cedar wood, forest floor, loamy soil and oodles of blackberry and blackcurrant fruit. Very opaque purple in color, super-pure and intense, this wine has low acidity, but ripe, noticeable tannins. This is a 30- to 40-year wine and a profound effort from this famous vineyard in Yountville. Drink it over the next 40+ years.

POWERS OF OBSERVATION ARE A GIFT

The Fairchild wines are the perfect fusion between the Artform of wine & Lawrence Fairchild's projections with respect to his own passions. These wines have become the trendsetters many other winemakers attempt to emulate, the thing is, when you have the gift of creativity ~ people are left wondering who-what-when-how ~ these gifts of creativity are the ones you are born with!

~ The Wine Lab

((( A V WINE CULT CLUB ALUMNUS )))

2014 FAIRCHILD SIGARO

95 Points The Wine Advocate

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Sigaro comes from a Pritchard Hill Vineyard planted with Cabernet Sauvignon clones 4 and 7. This is a wine of similar power, richness and texture, but displays slightly more minerality, maybe a slighter cooler climate mouthfeel, but that’s splitting hairs. It is a wine of exceptional intensity, low acidity, ripe tannin, and a long finish, with plenty of blackberry, charcoal and white chocolate notes. Drink it over the next 15-20 years.

THE SYNERGY IN THE WINE IS HIGH TODAY

Today we're having a sensory stripping of sorts as we are conducting a blind tasting of 5 100 Point 2019 vintage wines. Colgin is 1/5 of these iconic brands being put to the test. The one constant is quality, these brands have handled the bright lights of stardom to the extreme.

~ The Wine Lab

98+ The Wine Advocate

2015 COLGIN CARIAD

PROPRIETARY RED WINE

A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, 21% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot, the 2015 Cariad Proprietary Red Wine sports a very deep garnet-purple color and boasts a very savory nose of chargrill, roasted nuts and yeast extract over a core of blackberry pie, blueberry compote, menthol and Indian spices with wafts of violets and underbrush. The palate has very firm, beautifully ripe tannins with a muscular core of black fruits and black licorice, featuring seamless freshness and amazing length.

Lastly, there are a tiny 532 magnums of the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Triniceros, a blend put together by famed consultant Michel Rolland. It's possibly closest in style to the Plyspline release and has incredible dark fruits (cassis, currants) as well as notes of graphite, toasted spice, chocolate, white flowers, and lead pencil shavings. A wine that builds incrementally on the palate, it has ripe, velvety tannins, an expansive texture, fabulous mid-palate depth, and the balance and class to drink well today yet also evolve for 20-30 years.

AS WE CONTINUE TO REFLECT ON PNV SUCCESS

Congratulations to Hossfeld Vineyards PNV 2023 first-time participants, Lot 60 was a huge success. A Wine Lab favorite backed by my Super Star wine panel, and clients from across the globe.

Bob Rand, the winning bidder from the 3rd generation family owned and operated iconic Iowa steakhouse 

( Archie's Waeside ) connected with the brand here first.

The rest is history and future continued success, as in anything, the quality of the material is key. The iconic site delivers unique Bordeaux varieties with flavors only expressed by the terroir of the vineyard.

~ The Wine Lab

94 Points Jeb Dunnuck

( LAST CALL )

2018 HOSSFELD COLISEUM BLOCK

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Coliseum Block is a big, ripe, sexy beauty that's overflowing with blueberry and cassis-like fruits as well as spicy wood and floral/violet notes. Full-bodied and plush on the palate, it has remarkable purity, fine tannins, and terrific balance. It's one of those wines that brings serious richness and power yet stays light on its feet and graceful. Drink bottles over the coming decade.

Golden Triangle Wine!

If You Know You Know.

In Original Wooden Box & Still Sealed From The Winery!

SHAFER HILLSIDE SELECT

40th ANNIVERSARY

Winemaker Elias Fernandez Signed Bottles

SHAFER HILLSIDE SELECT

40th ANNIVERSARY

Winemaker Elias Fernandez Signed 1500ml Bottles

When Legendary Becomes Even More NICHE! Shafer Vineyards has recently been making headlines by expanding their Vineyard sites and acquiring new sites to yield even more greatness in the near future. 

All these continuations if you will, are being spearheaded by Elias Fernandez whose wine almanac of knowledge continues to expand and force other producers to elevate their game!

It's Show Time! Let's Shine On!

~ The Wine Lab 

DON'T MISS OUT ~ V WINE EXCLUSIVE SIGNED BOTTLES

JEB DUNNUCK 100 POINTS

2018 SHAFER HILLSIDE SELECT

STAGS LEAP DISTRICT

Incredible purity and precision, as well as opulence, define the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select, and this is as good as any Cabernet Sauvignon in the world today. Revealing a deep purple hue as well as a thrilling bouquet of pure crème de cassis, black raspberries, spring flowers, lead pencil shavings, and an incredible minerality, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a deep, layered, seamless texture, ample mid-palate depth, and a great finish. This is classic 2018 Napa Valley with its purity, freshness and precision as well as sensational concentration and perfectly integrated acidity, tannins, and alcohol. It delivers pleasure today yet warrants a solid 4-5 years of bottle age and is going to be a 30- to 40-year wine.

Three Single Vineyard Wines...Which One Is Best? 

About the only wine fueled debate I'd take part in, as these days it's all about wine positive flows that never end! These Debate wines have world class winemaking behind them and well over deliver with quality!

~ The Wine Lab

2018 THE DEBATE 

2018 The Debate • Cabernet Sauvignon Artalade Vineyard

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Artalade Vineyard bursts from the glass with notes of blueberry compote, baked plums, Black Forest cake and crème de cassis with hints of expresso, licorice and charcoal. The full-bodied palate is packed with black fruit preserves with a refreshing backbone and grainy texture, finishing on a lingering earthy note.

2018 The Debate • Cabernet Sauvignon Denali Vineyard

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Denali Vineyard has a very deep purple-black color, delivering pronounced, profound notes of black currant cordial, black berry pie and plum preserves with suggestions of charcoal, licorice, Indian spice and fertile loam, plus a waft of black tea. The medium to full-bodied palate has a rock-solid structure of super firm, super ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the muscular black fruits preserves flavors, finishing long and spicy.

2018 The Debate • Cabernet Sauvignon Sacrashe Vineyard

Sporting a very deep opaque purple color, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Sacrashe Vineyard charges out of the gate with energetic scents of crushed blackberries, black cherries and black currant cordial, followed by hints of cedar chest, clove oil, violets and mocha plus a waft of black truffles. The full-bodied palate is laden with tightly wound, crunchy black fruits with lots of earthy and savory nuances and a rock-solid frame of firm, grainy tannins, finishing long and mineral laced.

One Of The Most Classic Wine Houses In The Napa Valley!

I've visited the winery once, once was enough to see that the vision of the project is timeless. I ran into Christian Moueix as he was leaving a restaurant, we both nodded at each other as we made I contact and keep moving. Game recognizes game, I'm a huge fan of Dominus and I know he gets our e-mails. All about passion, that's it!

~ The Wine Lab

( ONE OF EACH BOTTLE )

2019 DOMINUS

The 2019 Dominus is blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, aged in 40% new French oak. Impressively dark-hued in the glass, it yields scents of cherries and cassis on the nose—or is it black cherries and redcurrants? Subtle notes of mocha, pencil shavings and almost Graves-like earthiness wind through the concentrated, medium to full-bodied palate, giving it a sense of savory gravitas, while the finish is silky and long, leaving a lingering residue of soft tannins and mouthwatering freshness.

2019 NAPANOOK

Exuberantly fruity on the nose, the 2019 Napanook is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Despite seeing 40% new French oak, what shines on the nose are the ripe cherries, delicately brushed with wisps of tobacco, sage and bay leaf. It's medium to full-bodied, supple and silky in feel on the palate, while the finish lingers easily, adding notes of pencil shavings and mocha. 

YOU MENTIONED SENSORY OVERLOAD!

Playing in wine time is a skill that can only be developed by a select few, the reason being can be attributed to consistency and exposure. The base has been laid down for what we project in The Wine Lab, despite our exposure in real wine time, we look forward to seeing and tasting different levels of stratification as we proceed!

RARE MAGNUMS OF A TRUE CLASSIC!

( The Best Dominus I've Ever Tasted )

~ The Wine Lab

2019 DOMINUS NAPA VALLEY

RED WINE

98 Points The Wine Advocate

( These Wines Are Coming Direct From Our Distribution Partner )

The 2019 Dominus is blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot and 4% Cabernet Franc, aged in 40% new French oak. Impressively dark-hued in the glass, it yields scents of cherries and cassis on the nose—or is it black cherries and redcurrants? Subtle notes of mocha, pencil shavings and almost Graves-like earthiness wind through the concentrated, medium to full-bodied palate, giving it a sense of savory gravitas, while the finish is silky and long, leaving a lingering residue of soft tannins and mouthwatering freshness.

ANCIENT EGYPTIANS WERE THE 1ST ON RECORD

TO INCORPORATE SCARECROWS TO PROTECT THEIR CROPS....Kinda cool, we just get to drink it. Envision yourself in the future drinking this classic vintage with those things you've always desired!

I tasted this last night with part of my Wine Lab Panel and it showed the current standard of perfection here in Napa Valley.....Stay tuned as things will be changing very quickly.

~ The Wine Lab

100 The Wine Advocate

100 Jeb Dunnuck

2019 SCARECROW

RUTHERFORD

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the deep garnet-purple colored 2019 Scarecrow hits the ground running with bold expressions of crème de cassis, wild blueberries and chocolate-covered cherries plus hints of dried herbs, tilled soil and crushed rocks with a fragrant undercurrent of Indian spices. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is laden with layer upon layer of tightly packed mineral-sparked black fruit flavors, framed by super plush tannins and absolutely seamless freshness, finishing long, long, long. This expression of the venerable J.J. Cohn vineyard—including vines planted in 1945 by John Daniel and dry farmed—is pure magic.

ANY DAY, ANY TIME, ANY EXCUSE TO KEEP BALLIN~HOLIDAYS INCLUDED

The colossal brand continues to evolve, the addition of new vineyards and parcels have created new sources of intrigue for their many fans around the world.

Thomas Rivers Brown continues to wave his hand with ease in creating the legendary brands continued ascension.

~ The Wine Lab

A PEEK INTO THE TRB RECIPE

Joe CZerwinski ( The Wine Advocate )

On my summer visit to Napa, I sat down with Brown at Mending Wall to taste through a decent-sized slice of his current projects, including Schrader, and he outlined the winemaking steps: No sulfur added at the crusher. A seven-day cold soak. No added yeasts or bacteria. No acid additions (at least in 2019). Ferment up to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Use all the press wine. Go to barrel sweet. Maturation in new Darnajou and Taransaud barrels for 18 months. Sulfur after malolactic fermentation has finished. No fining or filtration. All this is done to further the goal, as Brown states it, "We want the sites to express themselves and the wines to be very different from each other."

97 Jeb Dunnuck

2019 SCHRADER RBS

To Kalon Vineyard 

Lots of violets, flowery incense, cassis, and spice notes emerge from the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard RBS, a full-bodied, silky, elegant 2019 that shines just as much for its purity and balance as its richness and depth. Possessing good acidity, a lively, vibrant mouthfeel, supple tannins, and a great finish, it has plenty of up-front appeal yet should easily evolve for a solid 20 years if properly stored.

97+ The Wine Advocate

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is Clone 337, matured 18 months in 100% new Darnajou and Taransaud barrels. Marked on the nose by red berries, cherries and cedar, plus delicate cinnamon and clove shadings, this is a plush, concentrated full-bodied wine with a core of firmness to it and a long, lingering finish, both positive signs for aging. It's one of the more approachable Schrader wines this vintage, but it should easily go another two decades.

I'VE BEEN CRAVING TO KNOW MORE...Finally, It's here.

Even for us, it was as illusive as illusive gets. The winery has great hospitality, great wines, beautiful architecture etc. My only experience was at a local chop house last year and curiosity set in, I always get what I want, so here it is...Enjoy.

~ The Wine Lab

Winemaker: Andy Erickson

98+ Point The Wine Advocate

2019 SEVEN APART

EXPEDITION

This is the second vintage from Seven Apart—a blend coming from Stag's Ridge vineyard, located up on Atlas Peak, and Base Camp vineyard, located seven miles down the mountain (hence the name). The winemaker here is Andy Erickson, formerly at Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate and currently also consulting winemaker at Dalla Valle (among others). The upper vineyard (Stag's Ridge) is planted to mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Seven miles down the road, where Soda Canyon Road meets the Silverado Trail, is the four-acre Base Camp vineyard, planted in the mid-1990s to Cabernet Sauvignon with some Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Base Camp was planted in 1994 and 1998.

Opaque purple-black in color, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Expedition erupts from the glass with explosive scents of boysenberry preserves, blueberry pie and Black Forest cake, plus suggestions of molten chocolate, licorice, tar and violets, with a waft of sandalwood. The full-bodied palate is full-on rich and decadent, exuding layer upon layer of opulent black and blue fruit preserves with bags of exotic spice accents and a long, fragrant finish. Pure hedonism. It is tantalizingly delicious right now, but give it 3-4 years in bottle to blow off that puppy fat, and drink it over the next 25 years+.

ONLY A FEW ELEMENTALS EXIST IN THE NAPA VALLEY

Martha McClellan, Michel Rolland, David Abreu.. Definitely, a group of modern-day alchemical personalities. Sloan is one cult wine I've had not the most experience with, yet when I did taste it, all the components of their unique Rutherford terroir are most definitely showcased ~ draped in luxurious flavors and textures.

~ The Alchemical Wine Lab

97- 99 Points Jeb Dunnuck

98 - 99 Points The Wine Advocate

2019 SLOAN

PROPRIETARY RED

The 2019 Proprietary Red sports a deep purple-black color, erupting from the glass with powerful scents of crème de cassis, black cherry compote and preserved plums, plus hints of chocolate box, cedar chest and Indian spices, with a waft of menthol. Big, super-rich and super-concentrated, the palate delivers layer upon layer of black fruits and exotic spices, supported by firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with epic length.

YEARS IN THE MAKING

It took me over a decade to finally visit the TUSK property, my curiosity was sky high and packed with questions. Why, where, who etc. Some brands have secret sources and at that point you fall back on what you know, I know quality and luxurious characteristics in wine. Tusk Estate's flagship wine is layer upon layer of densely packed lavish textures. Sometimes it's just best to appreciate the artistic piece created through collaboration

of like minded individuals.

~ The Wine Lab

2019 TUSK ESTATE

2019

“The wine shows so well the power of the ripe grapes of Cabernet and its complexity aromatically and structurally.”

- Philippe Melka