Takes on a lot of chocolate, walnut and herb aromas. Full-bodied, layered and very juicy and savory. Toasted oak, coffee and tobacco. Delicious finish. Holding on nicely. Drink now.
94 points, James Suckling (May 2019)
The 2010 Proprietary Red Wine continues to drink well, showing just a slight color change at the rim. Representing a different winemaking team than current efforts (and a relatively cool vintage), it's a crisp, streamlined effort, with cigar box notes tightly framing cherry fruit, a silky feel and a lingering, mouthwatering finish.
93 points, Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (Sep 2022)
Full medium ruby. Pretty, claret-like aromas of dark raspberry, flowers, mocha, tobacco and bay leaf. Suave and fine-grained on entry, then juicy and still a bit tight in the middle palate, offering lovely inner-mouth aromatic lift and savory herbal complexity, plus a complicating hint of brown spices. Showing no easy sweetness, but builds subtly on the vibrant back half, finishing with firm, harmonious tannins and rising perfume. Not a weighty style at all--and a lovely showing.
93 points, Stephen Tanzer, Vinous (May 2020)
As luscious and luxurious as this wine may be, it has transparency to its flavors and a cool feel that keeps the fruit feeling fresh rather than superripe. The core of the blend comes from the center of this 280-acre estate, where the soils are gravel over rhyolite. The vineyards are planted on a series of hills between the Silverado Trail and the Napa River; the eastern hills of the property are white volcanic ash over rhyolite and the western side of the property is the kind of alluvial soil that’s more typical of Rutherford. Charles Thomas culled more than 10 percent of the fruit to diminish the impact of the heat wave in 2010 and ended with a finely ripened wine with the flavor of fat black cherries. The fruit meets firm, precise tannins in a dark and spicy cabernet with drive. For roast duck.
93 points, Wine & Spirits (Jun 2014)
Pure, rich and supple, with a mix of mocha, dark berry, cedar and black licorice notes, all coming together on the finish. The tannins keep the reverberating flavors in check. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenère. Drink now through 2026. 9,000 cases made.
92 points, James Laube, Wine Spectator (Mar 2014)