usared

2001  

2016  

2018  Mount Veeder

Mount Veeder, Napa Valley - 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec & 5% Petit Verdot - 94pts JS

2007  

"A proprietary blend of 69% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot is the 2007 Tenacious (1,800 cases produced). Surprisingly elegant as well as full-bodied and deep, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple color followed by a sweet nose of subtle spicy oak intermixed with chocolate, mocha, plum, and Chinese black tea, deep, fleshy flavors, and striking freshness. This impressive, well-made red should drink nicely for a decade or more." - 92pts WA

2019  

"A Bordeaux-inspired blend, the 2019 Yettalil Red Wine is considerably darker, deeper and richer than the Napa Valley Cabernet. Scents of cassis, pencil shavings, loam and mocha all appear on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is expansive and velvety without getting jammy or overly broad. Perhaps most important, for a wine that will presumably be consumed along savory dishes, it's nicely savory itself, with earthy notes and gentle tannins punctuating the long finish." - 94pts WA

2016  

"The 2016 Syrah Cuvée Christine shows just how compelling this vintage is at Donelan. Gracious and lifted, but showing striking depth, the Cuvée Christine is magnificently complete from the very first taste. A rush of dark red/purplish berry fruit, wild flowers, mint, pine, rose petal and spice builds as this classy, polished Syrah shows off its alluring personality. There is much to love about this arrestingly beautiful Syrah. "- 97 points Vinous Media

2006  

"The 2006 Futo (75% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot) exhibits a deep ruby/blue/purple color, a flawless integration of tannin, acidity, wood, and alcohol, and gorgeous opulence. While Futo is situated on western hillsides overlooking Oakville, it displays a style that has more in common with the purity and elegance found in Screaming Eagle, which is a few miles to the east, on the valley floor. This beautiful 2006 is a resounding success for this vintage, which had some issues with rustic tannins. It should drink well for 15+ years." - 95pts WA

2004  

"**Two Stars** Deeply fruited, generously oaked and well-focused on varietal spice, the latest HDV bottling gets right to the richness that is inherent in the grape without making any sacrifice to excessive ripeness. It is big but supple and polished in feel, and it shows plentiful extract, yet its sense of refinement remains all the way to the end, its tannins notwithstanding. So neatly crafted, in fact, that it can be enjoyed soon with a juicy rack of lamb, it is a quite ageworthy wine with a future that is at least as attractive as its wholly compelling present. It need not be drunk any time soon." - 92pts Connoisseurs Guide (Tasted 11/2006)

2019  

"More iron, beef blood, and foresty, mushroom, almost metallic notes all emerge from the 2019 Syrah High Contrast Vineyard, another savory, powerful, incredibly impressive wine in this lineup. Deep purple/plum-hued, this full-bodied beauty has both black and blue fruits, ripe, building, yet polished tannins, a great mid-palate, and one heck of a gorgeous finish. There's a liquid rock-like minerality as well as a meaty, leathery character that's not far off a great vintage of La Chapelle. It's certainly the richest and most concentrated of the trio of Syrahs in 2019. Give bottles 3-5 years and enjoy over the following 25-30 years." - 98pts JD

2018  Syrah

1999  

2020  Old Hill Ranch, Sonoma Valley

Old Hill Ranch, Sonoma Valley ---- "The 2020 Zinfandel Old Hill Vineyard is a heady, boisterous wine. The Once & Future section of this historic site has a bit more Grenache than other parcels, and that comes through in the wine's red-toned fruit profile and floral overtones. Rich, deep and layered, with tons of personality, the Old Hill is terrific. Super-ripe red cherry, spice and blood orange linger." - 93pts Vinous ---- Once & Future is a new project from Joel Peterson, the former owner/winemaker of Ravenswood, who essentially put Old Vine Zinfandels on the map back in the late 70’s and 80’s. He’s been quasi-retired since selling Ravenswood, but he kept his hand in the biz helping his son Morgan build Bedrock Wine Co. A handful of years back he decided he’d like to have his own label again. He deals solely with prestigious old vine sites, like Will Bucklin’s Old Hill Ranch. The wine is 75% Zinfandel, and the remainder is split up between 13 other varietals co-planted in the vineyard (most old sites have numerous varietals all planted together).