Buena Vista Winery Reviews

Exhibits complex spicy cherry and raspberry flavors, with loamy earth details and a crushed rock minerality adding texture and flavor. Ends with a long, persistent finish. 

Full, chewy, lively and fresh with notes of black cherry, blueberry, boysenberry, cedar and molasses. 

Ripe, soft and easy to quaff. Aromas of raspberry, spice and mocha combine with jammy cherry, licorice and anise flavors. –TF

Best of Class of Region

A supple, charming style, with smooth tannins leading to a mix of gravel- and fresh earth-scented plum, blackberry, licorice and road tar notes. Ends with subtle flavor nuances of mocha and baking spices. Drink now through 2026.
–JL
 

This is a spicy, earthy and medium-bodied selection, lengthy and concentrated in cardamom and forest pine. The fruit tends dark and brooding, with a brambly character balanced against the crispness of acidity. The spiciness persists through the finish. —V.B. 

Brian Maloney, who also makes plenty of pinot noir for DeLoach, crafted this from the cold, late-ripening Bohemian Vineyard near Freestone and the somewhat warmer Swicegood Vineyard west of Sebastopol. There's a savory richness here that's satisfyingly complete, the windswept energy of the fruit cradled and softened by 14 months spent resting in French oak (35 percent new). Aromas of tarragon, cedar bark, smoke and dark plum harmonize in a structure that's lush and energetic, saturated with flavor but not heavy. Send it toward duck confit, either now or in another three or four years. 
 

A briny note of saline and pickle provide an intrigue to the entry of this wine, which is otherwise integrated in oak and medium to full bodied. Smooth and floral, it sings on the palate, revealing baked apple and pear around a hint of wild vanilla and herb. —V.B. 

The 2013 Syrah The Count’s Selection shows the bacon fat and dense blackberry and cassis fruit of Syrah, with a deep ruby/purple color, a lush medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, supple tannins, and is quite long, layered and rich. It should drink well for at least 10-12 years. It reminds me of a high-class Crozes-Hermitage from France.

The 2013 Proprietary Red the Founder is a Sonoma bottling dedicated to the founding of Buena Vista in 1857. This shows beautiful, concentrated blackcurrant fruit, licorice, graphite and floral notes. It is full-bodied and dense with flawless integration of acidity, tannin, wood and alcohol. This is a big, but rich, provocative and authoritative wine with stunning purity and richness. Built for long cellaring if one wants to, this is certainly accessible now, but seems to have at least 30-50 years of longevity ahead of it.

The 2013 Proprietary Red The Aristocrat from Napa has a beautiful nose of crème de cassis, licorice and floral notes. It is full-bodied with sweet tannin, a multilayered mouthfeel and impressive texture and length. This is a beauty and, while accessible already, should age effortlessly for 15-20 or more years.

This unabashed ripe, oaky style of wine will please a lot of people. Caramel and melted butter aromas lead to ripe and buttery flavors with a candied edge. There is a definite emphasis on oak and other complex flavors, while the fruit component lies low. - J.G. 

Decadent swirls of petrol and oak inform the entry of this young wine, golden in color and viscous on the palate. Coconut flakes season a core of ripe pear compote and cinnamon before a streak of sizzling acidity tempers the richness of the wine’s initial impression, ultimately finding freshness on the finish.

 — V.B.