Portfolio, Limited Edition, Napa Valley

Very nice wine. Heavy cab blend. Prominent dark fruit flavor with a long finish but not overpowering. Opened up well with decanting. While I liked it there are others that are better and cheaper - Dauo Soul of a Lion and Bevan Ontogeny.

This may have been good at some point but it has nothing left to enjoy.

Tasting Group Holiday Party (Mouton, Laurent, Essencia, Hundred Acre, Staglin, +++) (University Circle) : Purple in color. The nose has cassis and cedar. On the palate, cassis and some earthiness. Drying tannins. Slight heat on the finish. This is very good, but seemed a bit past prime which was surprising. Just not the complexity I might have expected either.

Didn't make it five years from my last bottle but rather three. Time has helped this significanly. Blackberry, currant, vanilla, great mouthfeel, nice acid and tannin interplay. Would not spend $100 on it but three-figure bottles are in the vast minority in our household.

Continues to drink fantastically. Smooth, lush mouthfeel with a vanilla and dark berry flavor profile. WS missed the mark badly on this wine.

Deep and dark. Hugh dark nose of black fruit, oak, spice and a hint of olive juice. Early on in the taste profile this seems pretty balanced but after 3 hours it is kind of a mess. Dark fruits, cedar, noticeable alcohol. I'm going to do my best to let the other bottle lay down for 5 years.

Wow, love this wine. Big floral fruit nose. Rich velvety mouth feel and a long powerful finish. Still has the acidity and backbone to last for 5+ years and improve with more age.

Decanted 1 hour before trying. The nose was muted. The wine started out very closed. It took almost three hours before it was showing anything and then wow! Beautiful dark cherry vanilla, smooth sweet tannins, and a nice finish. I will hold the remaining inventory for at least three years.

Wonderful nose full of black berries and currants. Perfect tannins grip your tongue. Tastes of really dark fruits and wood. Lingering dark finish.

2009 Family Winemakers of California San Diego Tasting (Del Mar Fairgrounds) : Quite simply one of the top noses of the wines I tasted, this offers loads of nuance including crushed stones, currant leaf, dark berries, and fig. Explosive and elegant at the same time. There is a sweet entry along with tons of ripe currant flavor, sweet tannins, and fresh underlying minerality. While this does push the ripeness, the tremendous complexity and balance make it a compelling effort. Easily …