Ray Vanderhoff

9.2

Fragrant aromas of lemon curd, yellow apple, white flowers, wet stones and orange zest. Flavors of lemon, melon, pear, peach and tropical fruits. Light notes of vanilla, saline and subtle oak on the long and vibrant finish. Elevated acidity (but still well balanced) and a soft creamy texture. Bright, clean and crisp with a slight bit of heft. Approachable and refreshing. Outstanding quality! Excellent wine from an excellent producer. Thank you so much for the gift, Keith S! — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2023 pours a ruby/purple color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with an explosion of smoked blackberry pie, purple flowers, bacon fat, olive, black pepper, and subtle warm spices. On the palate the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose however, the wine finishes much more elegant than the nose would suggest. The bouquet might lead one to think this is possibly over the top. However, on the palate, it was far more elegant. Another vintage, another stunning Gonon. Drink now through 2043. — 7 months ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

This is such a special Savigny. Stunning nose of dark flowers, dark cherry fruit, gorgeous clear earth and loads of violets. I love the darker fruit profile of this wine. The nose is so fragrant. Just layered and complex but so floral. 9.6 nose. I said what I said. Palate is gorgeous but needs to catch up to the nose which it will and always does. Tannic but sweet, long and lingering and great freshness and the classic darker fruit profile that Buffet always gets from this site. Really fresh and full of energy but man oh man does this need air. Most backwards so far of all the 23 Buffets. I’ll be back. This needed 36 hours or so to come around. It’s elegant, serious and stunning but needs 20 years. 9.3 to 9.4. — a year ago

Rufus King

8.9

Delicious, mildly spicy Australian Shiraz, gift from Far East trip, served with swordfish on Drakes Island — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

The first of my small tranche of 2019 Cuvée Reservée’s and I figured it would be fun to share with the Tasting Group. Popped and poured and presented double-blind. The wine pours a translucent, deep ruby with magenta rim, near opaque core, medium+ viscosity. On the nose, the wine was clean with macerated raspberry, cranberry, and pomegranate fruits. There were purple flowers, some black pepper and rocky minerality along with a slightly gamey note which was quite charming. Both the fruit and non-fruit characteristics were confirmed on the palate. The wine finishes dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. There’s a compelling sense of power and energy in this wine. Everyone was in the Rhône but most were in the North; from Saint Joseph to Cornas, citing that they believed this was Syrah. However, two in the group called Châteauneuf du Pape and one actually called producer (!!) but missed on vintage (2016). Universally, the wine was fawned over and the dude who called Pagaü thought he actually favored the 2019 over the 2016 he had a while back. While I’m not sure I would go that far, the 2019 is truly quite stunning already and seems to have the guts to see a very long and wonderful life ahead. These are currently enjoying their customary early drinking window however, that window will likely close within a year or so and then I could see this shutting down pretty hard until 2025 — 4 years ago

Allison Lyzenga

8.9

Staff BBQ; minimal notes, but my ratings are accurate; balanced, enjoyable — 5 years ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.5

Ok hands up...far too young. Bad planning from me 🙌. That being said...what a wine and I'm so glad I have more!!! Concentration and flavour for days...insane levels of concentration. There is also balance and acidity but oh my what a wine! — 3 months ago

Donna Czekner

10

Bought from Far Niente in Napa, 2025. We both love it. — 10 months ago

with Jim

Steven Lee

9.3

Crushed rocks and mineral rocks. tannin is resolved and pencil lead and cassis. no vegetal but floral. i just not sure how far is from the latest vintage with those high scores — 2 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Quite deep ruby slightly narrower rim . This is more closed than any of the previous wines . Quite austere and more mineral , grafite notes . Quite serious on the palate with mineral and dusty cassis , cedar . Good refreshing acidity , slightly dry gritty tannins noticeable . This probably shows the best balance of the 4 so far , all the parts seem better integrated. Dark cassis , cedar and grafite , though not the marine/seashell influence of the 1995. Better length than all the previous wines . This will go further and is probably in the middle of its drinking window, from now and onwards for another 10 years perhaps ? — 3 years ago

Anthony Pro

8.9

Overrated. I’ll go as far as to say all Napa wine is overpriced these days.

Like… it’s good. But really, I can buy a better Italian wine for half the price.

These days, the best American wine is coming from Oregon, not California. Don’t @ me. — 4 years ago

Fredrik Finn

9.2

Intense and dense but vivid aromas of strawberries, raspberry toffee, bramble, roses, Pronounced savoury and earthy spice character of cinnamon, nutmeg and a sweet vanilla note that brings a balanced complexity.
Palate is dry, medium acidity and Medium fruity tannins, soft and approachable but still it provides a solid framework that guards the palate, well integrated alcohol in a full body with a sweet and ripe, toffee like red fruit, profile that remain its nerve and tension and is far from feeling heavy. A dimensional complexity of vanilla and spice brings nuance a cross the mid palate through a solid finish that falls a tad short from the major league. — 4 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

This is a delicious sweet wine from Napa Valley.

Deep gold in color.

Showing Sweet tangerines, apricots, peaches, spices and tropical fruits.

Full bodied with high acidity. Sweet on the palate with nice complexity.

Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years and see how it evolves.

A very tasty dessert wine. Rich and extracted. Delicious.

A blend of 89% Semillon and 11% Sauvignon Blanc.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$85 (375ml) — 5 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Far Niente – Cabernet Sauvignon – 2022 🇺🇸
Napa Valley, California

Overview
An outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon showing remarkable structure and exceptional mouthfeel. Dark-fruited, intense, and beautifully multi-layered, a textbook Far Niente expression crafted with finesse.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, blackberry compote, and plum lead the charge, supported by subtle cocoa, graphite, and warm spice. The layers reveal themselves gradually, each turn more compelling than the last.

Mouthfeel
Polished, concentrated, and silky with balanced tannins. The weight is assertive yet refined, a seamless glide across the palate.

Food Pairings
Perfect with grilled ribeye, slow-braised short ribs, truffle-infused dishes, or aged cheeses.

Verdict
Well made, well structured, and beautifully expressive. This 2022 vintage captures everything one expects from Far Niente: elegance, depth, and a long, confident finish. — 7 months ago

Jacqui Hogans

9.2

Another great Cabernet from Far Niente. Full bodied without being flabby. Smooth, not spicy. — 7 months ago

with Dave

Andrew McIntyre

9.4

Label was gone so you'll all just have to believe me that this was a Cheval blanc 🤣. Very far along with leather, mushroom and forest floor flavours. Great wine from a poor vintage — 2 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Sourced from 5 parcels spread throughout 95 acres. Vines date back as far as 1962 and soils are primarily clay and limestone. Dark Ruby color with aromas of red fruits and gentle spice. On the palate flavors of cherry and raspberry with herb and peppery spice. Fine tannins, medium+ finish, well balanced, ending with fruit and mineral character. — 3 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.4

A timeless gem that escapes boundaries. Poised, elegant, unconventional.
The nose is somewhere between a fino sherry, a v. light Vernatsch and southern Rhône white. Nutty, salty with dried strawberries, hibiscus, but also some sharp lemon freshness. A meditation wine - changing, evolving, enticing.
Silky & a bit creamy on the palate, with a touch of tannins, sharp, salty acidity, almost fruitless - and yet with such depth, precision & presence. This is as far from the avg. rosé as it gets. A mind boggling, delicious, slightly funky, grand wine. Amazing.
And at 13y - a baby. — 3 years ago

Aravind A

9.1

Pop and pour, 1hr slow ox. Third btl from a half case. No brett or reduction on this btl, go figure (see previous notes for context). Lovely Cameron mushroomy funk, sandalwood, dark wild strawberry..fantastic purity. My favorite btl so far aromatically. On the palate: very good acidity, nice and savory with some earthy bark notes, maybe thinner than I would like, but very finely grained tannin on the finish. This btl is drinking very well now. — 5 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

From the Far Niente winery. Tasted their new ‘19 offering twice. Pale lemon with aromas of stone fruit, floral, spice and citrus. On the palate apple, melon and pear flavors, with lemon zest, vanilla and toasty notes. Nice balance with bright acidity on long finish, savory with spicy rich oaky mineral ending, very nice! — 5 years ago