Frank Family Vineyards, Winston Hill Red, Rutherford

Still going strong at 9 yrs !

2016 vintage

Good berries smooth soft on palate

2018 vintage

A muscular Cab, yet well-balanced. I have one more bottle and I’ll wait as long as I can, it’s got a great future. Came in a respectable third of 6 in my Napa Cab tasting.

2013 vintage

Very nice blend. Elegant and well balanced. $175 is fair.

2018 vintage

Luscious and vibrant. Isn’t that what we all want to be? Dark fruit and baking spices, and at once bright and grippy, and holy shit, what a wine.

2013 vintage

Had with Christy, Sally and John at Chops

2016 vintage

Veterans day

2018 vintage

Takes hours to open up and evolve.

2018 vintage

Served pop and pour. Dark crimson pour, almost black in the glass. This is a hedonistic, blackberry cassis dominant wine. Appeared at first to be a little unidimensional but there is just so much roasted blackberry pie here. It did calm down, showing more of a brambly blueberry, dark chocolate, black plums. Delicious. I almost think this one needs a few years additional time in the cellar just to calm down!

2013 vintage

This was a major disappointment. The oak overpowered everything else. The wine had complexity and good fruit but could not get out of the way of the overpowering oak.

2008 vintage

I loved this wine. In the top 3 of all the wines I tasted in 2022. Smooth yet complex layers. Drinkable now but will be even better in 5-10 years.

2018 vintage

PnP at restaurant. Very drinkable right now, nicely aromatic and rounded. Very nice.

2013 vintage

Excellent flavor with some tannins which mellowed over the hour.

2016 vintage

Decanted for 2 hours. Went wonderfully with grilled NY Strip, Arugula and grape tomato salad with lemon vinaigrette and baked potatoes. So smooth, glad we have more.

2013 vintage

Nice wine, very smooth and enjoyable. Decanted 45 minutes. Deep purple color, blueberry, floral nose and taste, nice long finish, well balanced. Drinking beautifully right now, drink now if you like Napa wines 7-10 years old, but could also be laid down for many more years. The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Winston Hill, which comes from a 25-acre parcel on their larger estate was named after their English Springer Spaniel who is pictured on the label. The wine was aged 21 …

2013 vintage

Smooth operator... silky and long finish. Just what I want for a mature Napa Cab. Very classy!

2007 vintage

Paired perfectly with bone-in veal loin. Dark and aromatic.

2013 vintage

The 2016 Frank Family Winston Hill presents with a dark inky colored juice, with medium legs when lightly swirled in the glass. There was light sediment in the bottle and upon decanting some floaters can be seen in the glass. Aromas of cherry riding on top of plum accented by dusting of clove, floral violet and butterscotch. Cherry, plum, Rutherford dust and butterscotch danced along the palette, strawberry arriving mid-palette and lingering through the finish of this silky but full …

2016 vintage

Excellent cabernet blend. A full-bodied, elegant, complex, silky smooth wine with good fruit and deep, complex flavors that evolve in the mouth. The finish is long and clean. Drank over 3 nights and was excellent each night.

2007 vintage

PnP no notes. Was hard to taste after the 2014 Brand Proprietary as this wine was thinner and more red fruit dominated than the Brand. Unfortunately it was also less interesting- and for ~$150, there are much better options.

2013 vintage

Very tasty after 2 1/2 hour decant. Good pairing with filet mignon.

2007 vintage

Still drinking just as well as it was a few years ago. Plenty of fruit, a couple more years to enjoy it.

2008 vintage

Fantastic. Layers of fruit, perfectly balanced, a little pyrazine complexity, probably complements of the cabernet franc. Very well-made wine, which I had more.

2008 vintage

Was great with beef tenderloin. Stood up well against a 2004 Caymus Select, Opus One Oveture and a Del Dotto Reserve Cab.

2013 vintage

Decanted for 2 hours and drank over the next several hours. A full-bodied, silky smooth wine with lots of red and blue fruit, spice, chocolate and a long finish. Truly enjoyable.

2007 vintage

Delightful free 2 hour decant and bringing up to room temp

2006 vintage

Bloody excellent. 10 years of rest and it's definitely at peace with who it is. Structured, elegant, silk-soft, integrated, PURE. Nice perfume nose, oaky bliss. A touch of lime zest on the palate as well.

2008 vintage

Lovely bottle. Tight in the beginning, opened up in decanter over a 2 hour dinner. Would definitely decant. Balanced hillside fruit, more red than dark. Drinking great.

2008 vintage

Still outstanding. Plenty of ripe dark fruit. At least 3-5 more years of excellence.

2007 vintage

This is a wonderful Bordeaux style blend that I picked up on my first trip to Napa. I don't know if this is available anywhere else other than the winery.

2013 vintage

Another excellent Winston Hill vintage. Characteristic hillside dark fruit. Very smooth drinking now, but at least five years left at peak.

2008 vintage

With Tim Moe. Opened and double decanted. Wonderful fruit on the nose and the palate. Some initial alcohol heat though this mellowed with air. Improved with time. Would have been better after 2 hours. Very special but it would benefit from more time. First of the case. Will go back for second bottle in 2-3 years.

2006 vintage

Drinking very well after a 3 hour decant. No detailed notes, as this was consumed with several other bottles.

2008 vintage

Amazingly elegant, flavorful cabernet. Floral nose with deep, focused, ripe, red berry and cherry flavors along with a bit of spice. Silky smooth and exquisitely balanced with a fresh and lively character, and not a hint of the heaviness or lack of freshness I experienced in a prior bottle. Definitely bordeaux-like in character.

2006 vintage

Drinking very well now, a real crowd pleaser. Rich, silky tannins and nice balance. 95, 2023

2006 vintage

Velvety, beautiful wine. Full-bodied, long finish. Deep ruby color, nearly black. One hour of air suggested. Highly recommended.

2007 vintage

Amazing nose of dark fruits with a huge aroma of spice - mostly cinnamon. However, on the palate, this bottle was heavy and a bit clumsy. Flavorful, rich and ripe, but also somewhat straightforward and perhaps more importantly, lacking freshness and vitality. Good flavors, but lacks the elegance and verve I have come to expect. I think is was simply an "off" bottle.

2006 vintage

Didn't take detailed notes but this was amazing

2007 vintage

Awesome! Decanted and opened nicely. One of the best wines of the year we have had!

2007 vintage

Not quite as good as the last bottle, however we were not paying as much attention, this was more of a fun wine night, as opposed to a full examination of the wine. Still great. Red and blue fruits, dry spice, vanilla. Keep holding it, I think this has more life, much more.

2007 vintage

The Winston Hill by Frank Family is a blockbuster Red Wine. The nose is explodes with scents of gardenias, roses and cherry tart. The taste is silky on the palate with some residual tannins still present. The taste exudes flavors of red and black cherry tart, kirsch, a hint of anise and earthy mushroom. The finish lingers on these cherry based flavors.

2006 vintage

Nice and smooth.

2008 vintage

No decanting - but could have used some, so took a bit to open up. Even though it was rushed to the glass still very aromatic, presence of wood, lots of berry. Deep Garnet in color, dry but not overly tannic, nice mouth feel without being syrupy. Wide range on the pallet nice berry and dried fruits with some oak, a hint of black pepper that‘s just beginning to transition to some tobacco on the back end.

2006 vintage

Lots to like - rich, concentrated, deep, plush, velvety, structured and long. Cassis and plum/prune with leather, spice, oak and earth. Rich, plush mouthfeel with a full body and good balance. However, the nose is somewhat subdued and the fruit lacks freshness and brightness. Still a very enjoyable, big, powerful wine.

2006 vintage

OMG!

2006 vintage

Mark brought it to dinner at Cafe Matisse in NJ, we decanted through a vinturi and let it sit for an hour and half while we drank the 2002 Etude which I brought. Beautiful floral nose, deep maroon in color, the palate is mixed dark berries, crushed flowers, a hint of mocha \, soft tannins and a long finish. An outstanding bottle of wine with many years ahead of it.

2007 vintage

Outstanding cab.. Velvet on the first taste. Lots of berries with oak and some slight leather. Last 06. W onderful.

2006 vintage

Enjoyed over dinner at the Chef's Table at Broadway in Laguna Beach. One of the best and most drinkable '06 Napa Cab centric wines I have had to date. Color, aromatics and finish were beautiful. This is ready to be enjoyed now.

2006 vintage

Wonderful, better than far Niente 2004

2006 vintage

94 Points 2008 Winston Hill Red Wine Frank Family Vineyards The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Winston Hill covers every inch of the palate with deeply expressive layers of dark fruit, mocha, spices, leather and licorice. All of the elements are wonderfully in balance in this large-scaled, dramatic wine. The finish alone is striking. This is a fabulous effort from Frank Family. The 2008 Winston Hill is 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2028. …

2008 vintage

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Frank Family Vineyards, Winston Hill Red, Rutherford

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