Inky ruby. Seductively perfumed aromas of wild strawberry, raspberry, potpourri and musky underbrush. Silky in texture, with sweet red berry and candied floral flavors, smoky minerality and slow-building spiciness. Fresh and graceful wine with very good finishing clarity, sweetness and cut.

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 90

[Issue: March/April 2010]

The purple-colored 2007 Trumps Grenache (55%)-Shiraz (45%) was sourced from vines ranging in age from 55-80 years and was aged for 15 months in 2 year old French barrels. It offers up an alluring bouquet of cedar, scorched earth, black cherry, and blueberry. Supple, ripe, and easy-going on the palate, this forward, friendly effort can be enjoyed over the next 6 years.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90

[Issue: #186 / Dec 09]

This is a big, potent, Incredible Hunk of a wine. It’s gigantic in wild, exotic blackberry, blueberry, mulberry, pomegranate, licorice, pepper and dark chocolate flavors, wrapped into firm tannins. Continues a near-perfect streak of ageworthy, dry Petite Sirahs from Girard.

Wine Enthusiast Rating: 93

[Issue: 11/01/09]

The 2005 Moonlight Run is a blend of 53% Grenache, 29% Shiraz, 10% Mourvedre, and 8% Cinsault sourced from vines ranging in age from 85-150 years. Yields were less than 1 ton per acre. Dark ruby-colored, the wine offers a fragrant perfume of mocha, coffee, black cherry, and black raspberry which leaps from the glass. Velvety on the palate, it has gobs of flavor, terrific concentration, and superior length in its hedonistic personality.

Wine Advocate Rating: 93

[Issue: #173 / Oct 07]

Unusual, distinctive, and a wonderful first release from this new brand, a member of the Niven (Baileyana) family of wines. A blend of Tempranillo, Mourvèdre and Grenache, it’s utterly dry, richly tannic and well-structured, with earthy flavors of cherries, blueberries, herbs, unsweetened cocoa, black pepper and other dusty spices. A brilliant and provocative wine from winemaker Christian Roguenant.

Wine Enthusiast Rating: 94

[Issue: 12/15/09]

Focused, rich and ripe, showing aromas of black cherry and smoky pepper, with sleek but complex flavors of boysenberry, licorice and toasty oak that linger with balanced tannins. Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Charbono and Grenache. Drink now through 2015.

Wine Spectator Rating: 92

[Issue: June 15/10]

As longtime readers know, one of California’s longest-lived, best value wines is Petite Sirah, which is also known as Durif. Massena’s 2005 Durif Howling Dog, cropped at a ridiculously low .7 tons of fruit per acre, and aged 18 months in old French oak, can easily compete with some of the great Petite Sirahs from Ridge or Turley Vineyards. Its inky/blue/purple hue is accompanied by scents of blueberry liqueur, crushed rocks, and acacia flowers. Full-bodied, powerful, and rich, with surprisingly supple, but extravagant levels of tannin, it is not yet ready for prime time drinking. Purchasers should forget it for 4-5 years, then watch it unfold over the next two decades.

Wine Advocate Rating: 93

[Issue: #167 / Oct 06]

The 2006 El Corazon de Jonata (called Todos) (39% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Sangiovese, and the rest Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Viognier) is a 1,000-case cuvee that will be bottled in a few months. Profound, sexy aromas of smoked duck, soy, blackberries, pepper, and a hint of spring flowers are followed by an exotic, full-bodied, voluptuously textured wine bursting with complexity and richness. A subtle smoky, meaty component is present in the deep, dark blackberry flavors. Long, rich, and pure, this stunning 2006 should drink beautifully for 10-15+ years.

Wine Advocate Rating: (95-97)

[Issue: #177 / June 08]

The black/purple 2007 Petite Sirah may well be around in 50-60 years, when most of us will be pushing up daisies. In fact, it probably needs to be forgotten for 8-10 years. A massive, pedal-to-the-metal Petite Sirah that looks like pen ink, the wine displays notes of creosote, pepper, spice box, blackberry, and blueberry, with hints of incense and floral undertones. It is dense and almost looks like syrup being poured into a glass. It is obviously not for everybody, as it is certainly a controversial New World wine, but these wines will become more and more civilized as they age, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this one is spoken of with reverence 40-50 years from now.

Wine Advocate Rating: 95+

[Issue: #186 / Dec 09]

Saturated medium ruby. Wild, reduced nose offers liqueur-like black fruits, licorice and meat. Superconcentrated, chewy and sweet, with syrah-like saline and game qualities to the intense dark fruit, violet and chocolate flavors. Very densely packed if a bit youthfully aggressive wine, finishing with serious tannic clout and persistent flavors of meat and raspberry liqueur. Is it possible these old vines are actually syrah?

Int'l Wine Cellar Rating: 93

[Issue: May / June 07]

A blend of 95% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot, the beautiful dark blue/ruby/purple-colored 2007 Cabernet Franc offers up notes of blueberries, spring flowers, and damp earth as well as outstanding purity and texture, and a medium-bodied, long, supple finish. It should drink well for a decade or more.

Wine Advocate Rating: 90

[Issue: #186 / Dec 09]

A candidate for wine of the vintage, the 2007 Graham’s Vintage Port is complete in every way. Opaque purple-colored, it offers up an ethereal perfume of smoke, mineral, Asian spices, incense, an amalgam of ripe black fruits, and a hint of chocolate in the background. This leads to a dense, super-rich, plush, opulent wine that hides its structure under all the fruit. Vibrant, impeccably balanced, and exceptionally lengthy, it will easily age for another 25-30 years in the cellar and drink well through 2050, probably longer. It is a tour de force.

Wine Advocate Rating: 97

[Issue: #187 / Feb 2010]

The 2007 Pictures (89% Grenache, 9.5% Syrah, and 1.5% Viognier; 20% whole clusters/stems) will be the shorter barrel-aged version. Its inky/purple color is followed by sweet kirsch, raspberry, pepper, spice, roasted herb, and licorice aromas. Full-bodied with beautiful richness, precision, and purity, this is another terrific effort already displaying tremendous aromatic presence as well as a freshness that is pure genius given the wine’s size and richness.

Wine Advocate Rating: (95-97)

[Issue: #184 / Aug 09]