My mom and some of her friends went out to Napa last month (yes, my non-wine-geek mother made it to Napa before me). They had a particularly good time at Markham and so came back with a quite a few of their wines, and we got a dinner invite to come try them. Nice evening, good wines.
My mom got me a bottle of a single vineyard Pinot from Anaba, same vintage. Based on this, I'll be holding that one for at least a year or two:
Anaba, Pinot Noir, Sonoma 2013
Light ruby-purple. Very nice nose, significant oak overlay, with sweet raspberry, blackberry, tea, and cloves/nutmeg. Same notes on the palate, lush fruit with sweet texture. Medium bodied with good density and solid structure underneath. Rather young still and definitely holding back, consider giving it 2 - 3 more years. 5 years ahead. 3 Stars. [3/18/17]
My favorite of the night:
Markham, Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley 2013
Medium purple-ruby. Excellent nose, lovely aromatics, with notes of chocolate, herbaceous tobacco leaf, and sweet, lovely Napa earth and leather, all around a core of sweet blackberry jam and generous black pepper. On the palate, cherry upfront, with fresh blackberry, and a touch of red currants, with harmonious tobacco leaf and black pepper, all framed by herbaceous notes and dark chocolate, with some sweet Napa earth. Opens up very nicely in the glass. Full and rich but sits elegantly. Very nice and very polished. 5 to 10 years ahead. 3.5 Stars [3/18/17]
My impression is this was the group favorite of the night. I found it a bit lacking in tension and energy, but it was a very enjoyable drink:
Markham, The Altruist, Cabernet Sauvignon, Calistoga Estate, Napa Valley 2008
Medium ruby with hints of purple. Nice but low key nose: sweet, juicy blueberry and boysenberry, dusty earth, tobacco leaf, chocolate, and Napa leather, all with a a touch of oak in the background; dusty. Identical notes on the palate, with very sweet, juicy fruit, and good tone. Medium bodied, polished and harmonious. Excellent quality, clearly a lot of effort went into this. Mature, drink now. 3 Stars [3/18/17]
Unexpected concept here, but worthwhile:
Markham, Muscat Blanc, Napa Valley 2014
Light golden straw. On the nose, flower nectar, ripe stone fruits (peach and apricot), with some orange rind, and good minerality. Same nose on the palate, luscious, with good acidity; reminiscent of a lighter bodied Sauternes. Very nice, an impressive effort. 3 Stars [3/18/17]
Also, someone talked me into trying Boone's Farm for the first time ever. It was not as bad as I expected, I would take it over Bud Light, but that's not saying much (I'd rather drink water than Bud Light).