Jan A

9.9

Peak, flirting with perfection. Others called out farm/barnyard notes, I thought it was more hansaplast plasters. Anyways, this was very Bordeaux for a napa wine and very napa for a Bordeaux blend. Catching the perfect balance between sweet napa generosity and cooler bdx notes. — a month ago

Alan Hyde

9.2

Of course it was good but a bit disappointing considering the reputation. Just a slight amount of tannins still detectable so I think it was about ready to drink. — 4 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

1994 vintage. Nice fill with a slightly shrunken and fully saturated cork. Durand helped plenty in the opening assist. Not decanted and tasted after 1.25 hours open. Hadn’t tasted since the early 2000’s. Definitely dropped all the baby fat. Toffee, coffee and chocolate covered cherries in the nose. Light medium body (thought it would be a touch bigger). Still plenty of focus but slightly less grip than desired. Can it match biggie shizz like Montelena, Dunn, Diamond Creek, BV GDL Reserve, Mondavi Reserve, Araujo, Peter Michael Les Pavots, Mayacamas, etc? No. Is it really really nice? Absolutely. Can hold another 5-6 years at this juncture before boarding the downhill bell curve train. 11.8.24. — 2 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.3

Six Pinots, all made by Ed Kurtzman, of August West and Roar fame who also consults to Freeman and Mansfield Dunn. Ed joined our tasting. Elegant — 5 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.5

Six Pinots, all made by Ed Kurtzman, of August West and Roar fame who also consults to Freeman and Mansfield Dunn. Ed joined our tasting. I loved the meatiness of this and it was my #1. — 5 years ago

Willie Carter

8.9

I’ve stayed away from Zinfandel because whatever it is that they’re doing with it nowadays just isn’t for me. But this? This producer? Yeah it’s different. A somewhat subdued purple with a crimson rim. Fruit and spice on the nose with blue and black berries along with some black pepper. This nose just never stops. And you don’t want it to. Just the faintest hint of forest floor. How solid of a Zin is this? Even clocking in at 14.9, it’s never overbearing or anything approaching too hot. Wonderful balance and acidity, I can’t stop smelling it though, it’s glorious. Cranberry and boysenberry prevalent on the palette but there’s also with the right amount of spice. This is a beautiful wine and has single handedly restored my faith in Zinfandel. Mike and Kara Dunn make the single best Petite Sirah you will probably ever drink and they’re expanding. Get on board. — 6 years ago

Erik Longabardi

9.3

Tasting a few bottles before selling my collection of wine. It’s a rather large collection of which I have no regret for doing so. I will always be constantly tasting; it’s part of the evolvement to making wines, wines that can age and be better each vintage we make. Yet, I’m elated that many of these wines will be sold to buyers who love the wines as much as I love them and collecting them. — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Presented to me, double-blind. The wine pours a deep garnet color with an opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears, and some signs of light sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with a mix of ripe and desiccated, mostly dark fruits: cassis, black cherry, plum, mixed brambles, old leather, pipe tobacco, pencil shavings, and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin (that is mostly integrated) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long.

Initial conclusions: this could be a Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend, Tempranillo (or based blend) or Grenache-based blend from France, Spain or the United States. I feel like this leans more towards its fruit than its structure, even though it is a fairly well balanced wine in both regards. As a result, I am calling this a Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend from the United States, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain from a producer like Dunn, 2006. Shiiiiiit. To be honest, I’m not terribly surprised since this is Cos and from a warm vintage no less. Drinking well now and should through 2050+. — 6 months ago

Doug Powers

9.3

Rich dark and red fruits, still some evident firm, tannic structure (but I guess cellaring Madiran is like cellaring Dunn Howell Mountain, as life may not be long enough for them to shed their tannins? LOL), long, lingering firm finish, really quite fine!! — 4 years ago

with Jim

Eric Urbani

9.3

Six Pinots, all made by Ed Kurtzman, of August West and Roar fame who also consults to Freeman and Mansfield Dunn. Ed joined our tasting. More fruity, slightly reduced. My #2. — 5 years ago

Douglas Frye

9.2

Wow. Really good. We also opened a 2005 Dunn Family Wine. This 2017 was amazing compared to the Dunn that we love as well. For the money Provenance. — 5 years ago

Steve Anderson

9.5

Spectacular. This won’t last anywhere near as long as the 2010 Dunn, but is in a superb spot right now. Great Cab profile and extremely smooth with about three hours of air. A beautiful To Kalon example. — 8 years ago

John Malcolm

9.8

Gorgeous! Decadent! Wild flowers and blackberries. Opened up after about an hour. — 2 months ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.3

Good but a few years past ideal — 3 months ago

Kate Sidoti

10

Bought at Dunn&Sons in Cape Cod. Enjoyed on Thanksgiving 2024. Notes of cranberry, wet stone, forest floor and mosses. Exciting and unlike any other Pinot I’ve had. — 2 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2019 vintage. From a 375 ml format. Amongst what passes for the ne plus ultra in Napa cabbage these days. Rich. Overtly sumptuous. Modicum of umami on the finish. Restrained/polite company version of a fruit bomb. Too extracted/manipulated without representative tannins for this old-school Dunn/Diamond Creek/Mayacamas/Montelena guy but still verry nice for this style. Dunno where this settles in twenty years but that's someone else's problem down the road. 7.7.24. — 2 years ago

Eric Urbani

8.9

Six Pinots, all made by Ed Kurtzman, of August West and Roar fame who also consults to Freeman and Mansfield Dunn. Ed joined our tasting. Whole cluster, seemed a bit too steamy for my palate. — 5 years ago

Mandi Speidel

City Territory Chicago, Maverick Wine Company

10

Gardner Dunn full of fun Back in Chicago for the first time since Feb 2020… Yikes! The Windy City sure missed you. Kicked it off with a little Nobu Sake to Me, Sushi & Sunshine Laughs. — 5 years ago

Maggie Harrison

9.3

Howell Mt fruit, this comes from Mike Dunn, son of Randy. Whole different varietal from what his dad does but similar in that he makes both a Napa valley floor/foot hills and a mountain fruit version. I prefer the Howell Mt but that’s my bias. Ripe Black fruits, black cherry, meaty, sage herbal notes, firm tannins but I bet that they’d open up with a little time open. Would love to grab a few to age. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.5

A wonderful tasting put on by Classic Wine Storage featuring Long Shadows Winery. If you aren’t familiar with these wines, they are phenomenal WA state wines that are made by the likes of Randy Dunn, Phillipe Melka, Michel Rolland, John DuVall, and more.

This wine is made by John Duvall of Penfolds. Dark overripe berries, smoke, cassis, currant and some smoked bacon. Not the northern Rhône/Cayuse like funky Syrahs...this is more Napa Syrah that is rich, structured and voluptuous. Notes of violets and caramel. One of my favorites of the night. — 8 years ago

with Mark