The Aristocrat Reviews

This is a new wine from Buena Vista, presenting a blend of varieties that once thrived in Napa Valley - valdiguie from pre-Prohibition vines and charbono - along with petit verdot. The old vines perform well in the warm Calistoga climate, creating a generous red with sour plum flavors and darker fruit, like the blackness of cherry skins. The finish leaves a trace of Napa Valley hillside scrub, a woodsy scent that brings to mind Manzanita and lichen-covered rock. A clean, intriguing red, this will add depth to seared duck breast. 

 Mouthfillingly juicy and jammy, this is a big, muscular red blend, dense and concentrated in red and blue fruit. Approachable and accessible, with a mellow structure, it finishes thick in wild vanilla. —V.B.