2005 James Cole Malbec. Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley. This is a new winery on Silverador Trail at the eastern end of Oak Knoll Avenue. 200% "New World" in style, but served with big grilled steaks, this was a pretty plush and delicious wines. I found the wine to be surprisingly "tangy" in a good way, with bright red cherry fruit, lots of acidity. Blueberry and earth notes came out with air. My only complaint is the oak is pretty heavy right now-a few more years of integration may give good luck, as there is plenty of fruit and tannins to meld with the oak. Very delicious, even if not for an Old World palate!
90 points. Very pricey, though. Probably reflects the brand new winery status (i.e., real estate purchased near the peak, contractors for building the winery at the peak of the market). A very nice winery, though. Absent my wine buying moratorium, I would buy this Malbec again. Also this weekend, tried some Abe Schoenfeld (sp) of Scholium Project fame wines made by Abe for the Tenbrink Family Winery in Suisun Valley. The Sauvignon Blanc tasted like nothing else I have ever tasted, and my favorite was the Chardonnay, which had a distinctive cinnamon and/or clove and/or caramel note. Neutral barrels, though, Linda Tenbrink noted. Very distinctive wine!
We also did a kinda sorta Hess Collection Vertical, with the 2002 Mountain Cuvee (very jammy blueberry/cherry/fruity. I did not care for this), 2003 Mount Veeder Cabernet (controversial...my favorite, with bright cherry nose, but panned by others as too austere), 2004 Mountain Cuvee (roasted black fruit...completely different than the 2002. A favorite for many people) and the 2005 Mount Veeder Cabernet (very oaky and primary right now but I thought this showed a lot of potential.