I’ve been wanting to try this for a while. This is a wine I have never had before in my life. And the Claret-style labeling is just nectar to me, of course. This is not an explosive wine, not something designed to shock and awe–like so many California wines are fabricated these days. This is mellow and delicious, relying on subtle complexities the 1% appreciate in a package the 99 can put a straw in. Dark and impenetrable in the glass, a heady rim of maroon and ample legs give key points. A soapy nose grinds scrubbed cherry and aged varnish along a somewhat dusty path–but not a ridiculous bouquet.

Tasting it is really where the gravitas kicks in, making this a pristine example in a handful of other like-priced claret offerings still miraculously produced around the valley. Black and grainy, a delicious core of dank fruits streamlined with steely mineralific grate. It’s juicy and reasonably structured, balanced and nuanced, though a bit of heat troubles. Hard to say ageability on something like this… good solid decade, though 20 might be pushing it. The stuffing just isn’t there. Treat it like a really good Bordeaux Superiore from a great vintage.

2018 NEYERS ‘Left Bank Red’ ME/Cab Napa Valley 14.4

https://www.neyersvineyards.com/