Red Wine

2018 was a good year for wine in Napa Valley, and this bottle of 2018 Gandona ‘Meia’ Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley, is a testament to that. The spring weather was superb, temperatures were in that sweet spot of not too hot and not too cold, and the grape clusters enjoyed

Silver Oak, along with a handful of other Napa Valley wineries is part of Napa Valley’s Cabernet Class of 1972. This milestone marks more than just fifty years in business, the Class of 72’ represents the highest concentration in consequential wineries ever to be created in a single year in

Right out of the gate, this Cabernet had a bit too much alcohol. Decanting the wine for about 30 minutes helped it open up, and the alcohol was less overpowering. After an hour in the decanter, the wine really started to reveal its flavor profile and structure.

Today, there is a trend toward drinking Gamay that is young, acidic, bright, fresh, and, perhaps the buzziest Gamay tasting note of all, ‘crunchy’. These are wines that were intended to be enjoyed young, and not cellared.

We will say that this wine does get better as it opens up. But even with that being said, at $45, there isn’t enough time in the world for this to be as good as the price. It drinks more like a $25 bottle, but even then, not a good

This is a really nice blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. In the glass, the wine is a deep garnet-ruby color. Our initial impression was that Quartet is a bold wine, but extremely approachable.