Raymond Vineyards Reviews

Meaty, sanguine flavors greet the straightforward entry to this appellation wine, a showcase of the area's warm climate. Substantial concentration builds along the midpalate, dusted in clove, black cherry and berry.

Starts shy, then slowly but surely reveals good concentration and a nice floral component. A herbaceous note below the dark fruit. This is tangy and vibrant, making a change from the frequently overripe styles.

Made predominantly from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this bold full-bodied blend is invitingly floral in cherry blossom and coconut flakes, the oak showy and present. Cherry and cassis flavors are rounded and rich on the palate and the body brawny and broadly defined in tannin and oak.

This wine is notable for its freshness of fruit, its black currant flavors awash in tannins, bringing spicy tobacco notes and stony coolness to the vibrant fruit. It’s approachable and juicy, a wine to pour with grilled lamb. 

This is a voluptuous, sexy cabernet from a mountain appellation better known for powerful, often austere wines. It comes from a site at the top of Spring Mountain, where the vines face southwest. The supple tannins meld fruity dark chocolate with raspberry and cherry-skin flavor. What ties the wine to Spring Mountain is the detail in the tannins, the earthy spice that lasts.

Jean-Charles Boisset is determined to make Raymond a player in contemporary Napa Valley wine, dedicating his team to biodynamic farming and bringing a Folies-Bergère-meets-Dalí style to the winery’s tasting rooms. Boisset purchased Raymond in 2009 and hired Stephanie Putnam, late of Far Niente, as winemaker the following year. She now produces a range of 100 percent cabernet sauvignon “District” wines like this latest Rutherford release, a blend from the original Raymond estate on Zinfandel Lane and fruit from a vineyard in the western benchlands, allowed a long fermentation without added yeast. This vintage feels cool and elegant, shot through with brightness, as if the wine’s freshness were backlighting its red fruit purity. The wine isn’t heavy or grippy, but it completely fills its structure with luscious fruit, scents of roast mushrooms and dusty tannins that give it stature and staying power.

Soft, lush and round, this wine has a dense backbone of oak and tannin and moderate acidity. Cherry cola and vanilla flavors ride along seamlessly to a toasty finish.

This 100% varietal wine from the rocky, mountainous appellation offers sizable tannins and robust, smoky leather, black pepper and cola notes. Full-bodied and concentrated with ripe black fruit, it’s a long, brawny experience. 

Exhibits a rich, complex mix of green apple, pear, melon and toasty oak flavors. Deep without being weighty. The oak adds traction on the finish.