Raymond Vineyards Reviews

A delicious red with ripe red fruit, plum and raspberry notes. Pair with a rare steak.

A blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot, this wine speaks to power, offering juicy, velvety texture around brawny components of leather, coffee and black plum. Concentrated and intense, it needs time to open in the glass before pairing with thick cuts of meat.  — V.B.

High-intensity and reflective of its mountainous heritage, this 100% varietal wine is elegant and velvety, despite its thick tannin structure. It offers equal components of berry pie, black pepper and cardamon. Smooth on the palate, it’s ready now, well made and in balance.  — V.B.  

Cherry-berry crumble topped with vanilla cream gives this wine a brambly, succulent quality, dusted in light cinnamon spice, cedar and well-integrated tannin and oak. Powerful and full-bodied, it’s fruity, balanced and enjoyable now. —V.B.

Sweetened tannins highlight a depth of chocolate and blackberry in this 100% varietal wine made in small amounts. Soft and juicy, it crafts a balance of richness and density around elegant spicy clove and cinnamon. —V.B.

A rich red, this is structured and firm in the middle, then it loosens up to a touch of sweetness in the end. There's interesting detail in the tannins, yielding the scent of tobacco and the feel of crushed stone. The flavors are smoky with oak, broad and juicy, built for eggplant roasted with ground lamb. 

Cellar Selection                                                                                                                   
From the cooler reaches of the Napa Valley, this Coombsville wine is herbal and leathery, with a taste of bittersweet chocolate at its core. Integrated oak plays a background role behind baked plum and intense, ripe fruit, finishing in tobacco.  — V.B.

There are only 120 cases of the 2012 Oakville District Collection (100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Clones 4 and 337). A very good effort, it offers spicy, underbrush, red and blackcurrant, and toasty oak notes. Drink it over the next 7-8 years. - Robert Parker