I find it fun to taste Napa Valley Cabernet after it's been in bottle for over five years and find out how it's held up. Did it age well? What does the color of the wine look like? Is it getting better or on the decline? These are all questions that define the magic of aging wine and keeps us enthusiasts coming back for more.

The 2004 Laura Zahtila Cabernet Sauvignon starts off with some really brilliant aromas of coco powder, cracked peppercorn, black cherry, tea leaf, tobacco, and dried herb.

On the palate the wine is still showing some firm tannin, however it reveals a special tactile sensation as if this wine at one time was enormously big and tannic and is now just starting to soften up. I get flavors of soft stewed cherry, milk chocolate, leather, sweet tobacco, and subtle earth tones.

The flavors are very well delineated and the wine is showing grace eight years after being made. I do however have to say that the wine is probably drinking at it's peak right now and should be consumed within the next year or so. 88 points

The four-acre Erdener Prälat vineyard produces some of the greatest wines in the Mosel valley. It has 100 percent south-facing red slate soil and an extraordinarily warm microclimate, yielding wines of unequaled power and nobility. The vineyard’s exposure, combined with the warming effect of the river and the massive, heat-retaining cliffs that surround it, ensures exceptional ripeness in every vintage.

I'm tasting this wine for the second time and actually reviewed the wine a few years ago here on the blog. I scored it 93 points then and can already tell by the aromatics that this wine has drastically improved in terms of complexity and depth. On the nose I get the most incredible honeysuckle, creme brulee, and dried apricot aromas. The petrol notes and mineral nuances beautifully underline those wonderful sweet fruit notes.

On the palate the wine shows beautiful and complex flavors of apricot nectar, white peach, honey, marmalade, and lychee. There are also secondary notes of mineral, petrol, and white pepper that add to the complexity. The finish is clean and medium length. 94 points

Click here to find out more about this wine

The quality of wine coming from Stonestreet winery never surprises me. One, because I've been there and understand how they run their amazing facility.....Two, because I've seen their amazing mountain side vineyards, and three because I've tasted their Chardonnay's for years and have constantly been blown away.

The 2008 Stonestreet Gold Run Chardonnay is sourced from block 27 on the Alexander Mountain Estate.Alexander Mountain Estate stands on the western ridge of the Mayacamas Mountains towering overthe Alexander Valley below. It's a really small 221 case production aged for 11 months in 100% new French oak barrels.

On the nose I get the most amazing aromas of baked apple pie, quince paste, creme brulee, guava, soft citrus, mineral, and just a hint of clove. It's a beautiful bouquet that expresses the essence of the varietal, but it also quite influenced by new and expensive French oak.

On the palate the wine explodes onto the palate with a full and lush texture and expresses flavors of buttered toast, creme brulee, yellow apple, baking spice, and white peach. The wine is rich without being cloying and packs quite a punch with it's big alcohol and stunning acidity.

To be completely honest this is one of the best Chards I've tasted in 2011. It has everything I enjoy with a world class California Chardonnay......texture, fruit, acidity, minerality, and the potential to improve in the bottle. 94 points

Click here to find out more about this wine

I'm trying yet another bottle of Chasseur Pinot Noir after previously trying the Sonoma Coast and second label called Cazar. I guess this winery really has made an impression on me and now I'm trying all of the wines! The Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is sourced from the Umino and Ferguson vineyards and uses all Dijon clones such as 667, 777, and 459. It's aged in French oak barrels for 10 months.

This is definitely a darker colored wine than the previous Pinot's I tasted from this producer, which to be honest is actually quite common of the appellation.

On the nose I get aromas of pomegranate, red raspberry, black cherry, and subtle hints of orange peel. There are also some secondary aromas of black tea and peppercorn if you search hard enough beneath the fruit.

On the palate the first thing I notice is the wines' seductive and rounded texture. It's a silky wine that glides across the palate, but then pierces down with sharp acidity on the finish. I get beautiful flavors of black cherry that combine with red currant, spice, rhubarb, red raspberry, and just hints of black tea. The tea quality is actually quite intriguing and perhaps has to do with the tactile quality of the tannin that this wine possesses. The finish is quite long and displays very nice fruit flavors and spicy undertones.

I guess what I really dig about the wines from Chasseur are their stunning purity. They're wines that perfectly represent the essence of Pinot Noir and express the ripeness and exquisite balance that can only be found in the California sunshine. Major Kudos to Bill Hunter.... 93+ points

Click here to find out more about this wine

I'm excited to taste this wine because last time I visited Napa I was lucky enough to taste the 2008 Napa Cab with Thomas Rivers Brown up at Outpost on Howell Mountain, and it turned out to be the best wine I experienced on the entire trip. (Tasted 100+ wines that week).

The 2009 Rivers Marie Cabernet is a 12 barrel blend of fruit sourced from various vineyards and AVA's : (25% Oakville, 42% St Helena and 33% Spring Mountain from the Baconbrook Vineyard.) It was aged in 50% new French Oak.

The color of the wine is indicative of it's ultra-young state and expresses a brilliant dark purple hue along the edges of the glass and a black core.

On the nose the wine is still pretty tight, but does show some very nice black currant and cassis notes, as well as secondary aromas of espresso bean, cedar, black licorice, mineral/crushed stones, and menthol. It's quite obvious that the wine is pretty wound-up and needs plenty of cellar time to release it's full range of complexity on the bouquet.

On the palate the wine opens up with some really delicious black raspberry flavors that combine with melted black licorice and creme de cassis liquor notes. The wine has beautiful balance and a silky smooth tannin structure that seems to melt over your tongue. Red fruits such as raspberry, currant, and red plum actually begin to pop-up on the mid-palate and the finish as well. 92 points

Click here to find out more about this wine