Jamie Amann

9.0

Ruby red color with visible legs. Smelled and tasted like raspberry and blackberry. — 17 days ago

David Dorn

9.1

Lovely wine! — a year ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

A beautiful top shelf Margaret River Cabernet drinking well at 16 years of age. Deep Ruby in colour. You would never know it was that age from the colour. My 2nd last bottle. A blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc. Trademark herbaceous notes with mulberry and spice. 2008 was a hot and dry vintage in Margaret River. Severe winds at flowering drastically reduced the crop to the lowest yet recorded - under 1 tonne per acre. Shelley Anne named after Stuart Watson’s wife. Stuart is the chief winemaker and one of the owners. Had my last bottle on 2nd April 2026. Starting to think these top Woodlands Cabernets are better earlier in life when there are more black fruit cassis characters. Good nevertheless but certainly not improving. — 2 years ago

Eric Urbani

9.1

Drinking well now - nice producer in Mendocino county (NorCal), great vineyard to visit, They make cheese as well — 4 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Pop n pour. Given that it’s 70% Mourvèdre, the color is surprisingly light. (There’s 25% Grenache and 5% Syrah too.) Medium color saturation. Inviting nose of a melange of ripe berries and a smoky embers note. Crushed rock behind that. Soft and intensely flavored in the mouth, with the berries less prominent, jousting with dark earthy and pleasantly vegetal notes. Soft but balanced acids and tannins almost silky. Really nice. Terrific value at $25 from WTSO. — 5 months ago

Ali Copp

9.7

R Stuart wine club
One of our favorites we've had from them!
Smooth, subtle fruit tones.
Went great with steak night and cheese night — a year ago

Ming L

9.2

Have had lucky with Rosé lately, and this continues the streak.
Raspberry, pink grapefruit, strawberry, apricot, melon…. Fruit galore! Chalky minerals and light herbs as well. Very structured on the palate with good texture, racy acidity, and hint of tannins.
50% Cinsault, 26% Grenache and 24% Syrah from dedicated blocks of the vineyard. — 3 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

After reading the story of this producer, I inspired to try it. Especially, at $59.99 for a quality Napa Cabernet. These two brother’s are true pioneers of the Napa Valley. They do their own thing. Don’t follow trends and are not aggressive with their bottle price, nor do they really wish to. More rare than common in today’s Napa Cabernet market. I have a lot of respect for that and Napa Pioneers.

This also drinks pretty well for a young Napa Cabernet. I was expecting bigger/bolder based on write up. Not that this won’t benefit from cellaring.

The fruits are nicely ripe; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries, cherries & blueberry hues. I was expecting more teeth. Think it is showing the finesse & balance of most 21’s I’ve had. Dark spice, grilled meats, light black pepper, barrel dust, dry tobacco, leather, savory herbaceousnes, moist clays, dry crushed rocks, cola, flower bouquet of red, blue & purple fresh flowers, rainfall acidity with a well balanced, softly structured, elegant finish that lasts just over a minute and lands crushed rocks and touch of spice.

It will be interesting to see if this shows more in 5 years.

Photos of; Smith Madrone vineyards and brothers Stuart and Charles Smith — a year ago

Chance Miller

8.9

Rose of Pinot noir — 3 years ago

Ricardo Perez

9.1

60% Mourvèdre 20% Syrah 10% Grenache 10% Craignan — 4 years ago