Drink the Bottles

  The Schlatter family has owned Merryvale Vineyards for about three decades and this property is rich in history.  The iconic winery was the first winery built in Napa after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933.  The European and Bordeaux-inspired wines are the heart of the brand, resulting in rich and luscious Cabernet Sauvignons.  That is certainly the case here with the  2021 Merryvale Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley . Smaller yields were the result of a second year of drought in Napa Valley, creating more robust flavors and highly concentrated wines.  Overall, the 2021 vintage is highly rated with exceptional wines.  This wine is raisin colored with eggplant streaks.  Juicy blackberry, dried spices, stewed plum and flower bouquet on the nose.  The full bodied mouthfeel is immediately noticeable with solid tannins and balanced flavors of black cherry, tomato leaf, clove, blackberry and freshly sawn cedar plank.   This wine spent 16 ...

There are bottles you plan to open for a special occasion, and then there are bottles that somehow disappear into the cellar, only to resurface years later at exactly the right moment. The 2021 Fraternity Red Blend from Baldacci Family Vineyards became our “lost bottle” — misplaced after arriving from a collaborative partner, then recently rediscovered and finally poured. As it turns out, some bottles are worth the wait. What makes this one even more personal for us is that Baldacci was one of the very first wineries we visited during our inaugural trip to Napa Valley back in 2009. Long before Drink The Bottles existed, we still remember the warmth of the experience, the beauty of the property, and the feeling that Napa wine country was something truly special. Revisiting Baldacci all these years later through this bottle felt unexpectedly nostalgic. The 2021 Fraternity Red Blend pours a deep garnet with rich ruby undertones, dense in the glass with slow, elegant legs, hinting at s...

  Kit's Killer Cab from Clif Family Winery was first tasted twenty years ago from barrel.  It was Kit Crawford, co-owner and co-founder of the winery, who dubbed this Napa Valley Cabernet a "killer" wine, so naturally, it had to go into bottle! The family behind this label is also the pioneers of the incredibly popular and tasty Clif Bar, a portable and nutritious snack for on-the-go professionals, outdoor enthusiasts, busy moms... well, you get it.  Everyone loves a Clif Bar, right? Clif Family Winery started out as a small garden and a place to grow olives and fruit from planted trees.  Next, bring in the wine and eventually a tasting salon.  You want a food truck?  Check!  You want to be part of a Peloton riding club?  No problem!  There's nothing that these folks can't or won't do as long as it makes sense to their brand and goal to bring delicious products to life.  Today, Clif Family Winery grows nine grape varietals on 90 acres of...

  We need start this review with a small, albeit important disclaimer.  Your eyes are not deceiving you.  There is  wine missing from the bottle (it's in the glass!) and the capsule and cork are still in tact.  We bought a new Coravin wine system for Christmas and this was our first time using it. To say we are excited about everything in this bottle and behind the label is a huge understatement.  You know that our mouths water over 100% varietal wines, Napa Valley, family-owned wineries, and, of course -farmers!  The fact that the Smith Family (owners of Barlow Vineyards) use a John Deere tractor on their property tugs at our heart strings even more. But enough about that, right?  We are here for the WINE!  This family operation produces just over 1,500 total cases annually and they've been in the same location for over thirty years.  The  2021 Barlow Vineyards Petit Verdot is beautifully inked with dark purple colors and a medium...

  Located in the Jamieson canyon region of Napa Valley are some vineyards producing some very tasty and affordable wines under the Maldonado Family Vineyards label and also a second label dubbed Farm Worker.  Owner and winemaker Hugo Maldonado created this Mexican-American family owned winery was previously a vineyard manager at Newton, providing him the tools of the trade to eventually leave his footprint in the valley. The 2021 Maldonado Family Vineyards Proprietary Red Wine is a secret blend of reds and it provides a satisfying and extremely approachable expression for those who tend to shy away from a 100% bolder Cab.  This one suggests that it is comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, but the important thing here is how this wine makes you feel.  Scarlet red in the glass with shades of plum skin, the aromas of juicy plum, marzipan, petrichor, flower boquet and spice dance together wonderfully.  We gave this some time in the glass without de...

  Huddled in the Vaca Mountains is an AVA that is sparesly planted compared to many others in Napa Valley, but it is one that is creating delicious fruit.  The Chiles Valley AVA is home to Maxville Winery's 1000-acre estate, proudly possessing some vines that are now over 50 years old!  While this is extremely impressive, what garners our attention more is the wines produced that are strangely both delicate and bold when they need to be.  The soil in the estate vineyard is well-drained and the dry farming style provides the perfect pressure on the vines, forcing them to produce berries that are flavorful, colorful and memorable. Maxville Estate Vineyard - Chiles Valley AVA courtesy of Maxville Winery Over the next few weeks we are going to taste and share a handful of wines from Maxville.  But today we are concentrating on two wines - the 2021 Maxville Estate Oranos Red Blend and the 2021 Maxville Estate Merlot . While the specific details of the composotion fo...

In the southeastern corner of Napa Valley sits a once unfamiliar area of Coombsville, which is now the 16th AVA of the Valley.  The Ackerman family purchased their prized property over thirty years ago, recognizing the amazing fruit that grew in the area, ultimately creating exceptional wines.  This particular offering comes from a beautiful vintage that was ideal in many ways regarding the weather.  But for most, including Ackerman, the yields were lower due to a rainfall shortage. This is the 2021 Ackerman Fmaily Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon from the Coombsville Estate.  While we tasted this, it transitioned from a fruit forward young wine to (after decanting) a wine that can be aged for decades, showing potential to only increase in flavor and enjoyment.  Initially we recognized a basket of blueberries, cedar shavings and graphite.   Some decanting and swirling quickly transitioned this full bodied wine to fresh raspberry and strawberry fruits, for...

The history of Pope Valley Winery goes back 1897, when it was founded as Burgundy Winery and Olive Oil Factory by Ed Haus.  One hundred years later, a new lease on life was granted to the property when the Eakle family purchased it.  Brother and sister David Eakle and Diana Eakle Hawkins took the reigns in 2009 as the forward thinking, next generation owners to build on the legacy that had been created.  Today, Pope Valley Winery is creating some stunning wines under the esteemed Director of Winemaking, Jean Hoefliger. We tend to sometimes provide spoiler alerts in our reviews and this one is no exception.  If this wine is any indication how 2025 is going to be, then we are in for a delicious and rewarding year!  First of all, if you're one of those people who turned their nose up to Merlot after watching Sideways  over twenty years ago, please move on.  You're missing out on one of the most versatile and rewarding grape varietals in existence. ...

  The first Starmont expression was produced over 35 years ago with a single varietal.  The label, which is part of the Merryvale family of wines, now produces four varietals under winemaker Jeff Crawford.  Crawford has been "all things Starmont" for ten years now and has been in the world of wine for twenty year.  2021 was an overall wonderful year for Cabernet due to the intense flavor of the berries despite generally smaller yields.  We have been tasting some really lovely Cabs from this year and this one is no exception. The 2021 Starmont Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon is comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon (87%), Teroldego (7%) and Cinsault (6%).  The fact that Crawford chose the latter two grape varietals for this blend is nothing short of impressive.  No doubt the Italian Teroldego grape added exquisite colors to this bottle and helped promote those fruit forward notes upon entry.  The Cinsault helps add a tick of extra ripe berry aromas and...

  This is our third vintage of Flora Springs Trilogy to taste and review over the years, and it has always been a consistently delicious and top performer.  For the 2021 vintage (their 38th bottling), there is a new label design which is (in our opinion) more elegant and welcoming that previous offerings.  As most of you know, we do  take in consideration label design, or what we call shelf appeal, when scoring our wines and spirits. The 2021 Trilogy is comprised primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon (85%) but also includes Petit Verdot (10%) and Malbec (5%).  This flagship wine is incredibly silky-smooth throughout the entire tasting experience, offering up tannins that are glossy and fine.  A swarm of aromas that include ripe dark berries, graphite and cedar are introduced initially, but this isn't a fruit-bomb, in-your-face type of wine, which is extremely refreshing.  After some time in the glass, the cedar yields to more earthy style of aromas.  T...

The  2021 Bells Up Winery Rhapsody Pinot Blanc wine from this small, family-owned winery is our second introduction of unique and flavorful wines from David and Sara Specter.  Pinot Blanc is not a dominant varietal and if you haven't tried it, this  is the one you need to get.  Aged on lees for six months, this has a fuller body feel than many white Pinot grape varieties and the terroir of Willamette Valley is evident by the wet stone, crisp fruit flavors and dollops of soy sauce lurking in the background.  There is just the right amount of baking spices mid palate and a memorable finish that includes a noticeable acidity and mineral notes.  We love when you taste a wine and just smile from ear to ear, knowing that you've discovered a fun, memorable bottle.  This wine is drinking very well right now and should for another 4-5 years.   Medium golden color and very fragrant. We generally don't taste wines (when reviewing) with food.  Afte...

  Kicking off our series of Oregon wines, we started with this inviting Rosé that is as gorgeous in the glass as it is on the tongue.  The  2021 Bells Up Winery Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir first captures the eye with the stunning reddish hue, darker than many other Pinot Noir rosé on the market.  It was intriguing and immediately mouth-watering.  We tasted this wine both on its own merit and with food (which is unusual for us, but we had to prove a point to ourselves).  With ample time in the glass, we began swirling and collecting pleasant, but not overpowering, aromas of strawberry and pomegranate.  The fruit is more noticeable on the palate and the acid is in check and doesn't even begin to overpower this easy-drinking wine.  The finish is subtle and enjoyable.  While we don't always taste wines with food, there was something here that was urging us to do so. We tasted this with a variety of salty cheeses and the pairing was absolut...