Miner Family Vineyards selected
as Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting Winery Of The Year 2006!
 "The winery's flagship wine is The Oracle, made with fruit contracted from Stagecoach Vineyards, in the hills just above Oakville Ranch. The 2002 was the winery's top-scoring red this year. It has sleek, generous texture and just enough granitic minerality to distinguish it from valley-floor Oakville wines. It tastes like it was grown in the hills."
Featured Winery & Tasting Room - Touring & Tasting Summer 2011 click here for the micro-site or click here to view to PDF.
To download press reviews for both current and previous vintages: click
here.
Red Wines - Current Vintage
The Oracle, Napa Valley Red Wine 2007
90 Points Wine Spectator June 13 2011
A rich, gutsy style, with dense, extracted currant, graphite, espresso sage and cedar flavors. Full-bodied and concentrated, finishing with firm tannins. Needs aeration. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Best from 2012 through 2022.
-J.L.
95 Points Wine Enthusiast April 2011
"Miner 2007 The Oracle (Napa Valley) $90. A wonderful wine, delicious and satisfying, and another great example of the '07 vintage in Napa. Made of the five classic Bordeaux varieties, it's full-bodied, dry and richly tannic. The flavors are enormously complex, suggesting blackberries, cassis, olive tapenade and cedar, with a long, sweet finish. Already throwing some sediment, it should age well for the next ten years." –S.H.
The Oracle, Napa Valley Red Wine 2006
93 Points Connoisseurs' Guide April 2011
This lovely, deeply filled blend of varietals grown in the famed Stagecoach Vineyard is a reminder that great vineyards make for great wines even in what for others may be difficult years. A big and very rich opus, Miner's Oracle makes no apologies for its ripeness or oak, but the terrific, very well-extracted dark fruit that runs its length is what earns it a place among highly recommended wines. It has the structure and potency to grow for a good many years, and we caution against pulling its cork before at least a half-dozen years have come and gone.
SF Wine Competition 2010 Gold Medal Winner for Premium Bordeaux Blend
Wine & Spirits Year's Best Cabernet & Blends, December 2010
93 Points, Wine & Spirits Magazine, April 2010
"Dave Miner sources most of the grapes for this blend from Stagecoach Vineyard, planted at 1,500 feet on Altas Peak...It's a cool savory red with fine tannin ripeness. While oak is a formidable part of the structure, the fruit tannin is what gives a lasting impression, with a complexity that includes ferrous elements and a mushroom-like fruitiness. This has the concentration and stature to benefit from ten years in the cellar."
Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville 2006
4 STARS, Decanter Magazine
"Attractive, concentrated nose, polished and modern, cassis and mocha. Weighty, dense, flavourful palate, intense fruit backed by integrated velvety tannins. Long and quite delicious. Drink from 2010." (17 points)
91 Points, Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine, August 2009
"Miner's Oakville bottling scores big points for its very evident depth and its decidedly generous fruit...at least three to five years need to pass before this begins to fulfill its considerable promise."
92 Points, Wine Enthusiast, Sept. '09
"This is a good, young Oakville Cabernet, showing the firms tannins and black currant and cassis flavors you get from this splendid part of Napa Valley...it should develop through 2015." - S.H.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Stagecoach Vineyard 2008
91 Points Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
"If somewhat smoky and briary in scent, this wine is at first a bit dry and reluctant as far as fruit is concerned. Once in the mouth, it surprises with deeper and better endowed flavors than promised, and its combination of ample extract and balanced structural tannins puts it squarely on the varietal track. It has the richness and depth to grow into better, and five to seven years of patience should be rewarded by increased complexity."
Pinot Noir, Garys' Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands
2007
Vinography, June 2009
Best Pinot Noirs in California - Pinot Days Tasting 2009
Piedmont Post, July 2009
"This fine wine comes from the latest Pinot Noir growing to hit the big time, the Santa Lucia Highlands near Salinas. The nose is a bit reticent but soon reveals aromas of plum, dark cherry and hoisin. The palate is full-bodied and firm, saturated tannins and more fed-cherried fruit on the well-structured masculine finish."
San Francisco Chronicle Recommends, July 2009
"Miner Family Winery's Gary Brookman is one of several winemakers with access to great fruit from both the Rosella's and Garys' Vineyards. Smooth ripe cherry laced with vanilla, baking spice and hint of savory herb. Bright and focused, with a lingering finish." Click here to read more.
90 Points, Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine, June 2009
"Showing its youth in its slightly direct fruit, but rich and deep in the manner of top wines from this location, this interesting wine features lightly toasted notes of toffee, sweet grains and vanilla in its aromas, and despite being noticeably ripe it is also quite well-balanced and lively....time is clearly going to bring it softer stance and increased range and openess."
San Francisco Wine Competition, Silver Medal June 2009
Vinography, June 2009
Best Pinot Noirs in California - Pinot Days Tasting 2009
95 Points, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
An outstanding Pinot, absolutely, decadently good, that combines attributes of the fine vintage with some fine parcels from this celebrated vineyard. Softly lush, it shows fabulous flavors of cherries, red currants, licorice, cola, orange peel, sandalwood and Asian spices, but never loses structural balance and control. --S.H.
Pinot Noir, Rosella's Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands
2009
90 Points, Wine Spectator, June 2011
"...intense and concentrated, marked by dried cherry, raspberry, mineral and dusty cedar notes. Ends with an aftertaste of cherry and raspberry. Drink now through 2017."
PinotFile 2011 World of Pinot Noir
Moderate reddish-purple color in the glass. The nose is nicely nuanced with scents of strawberries, raspberries, herbs and biscuit. Tastes of darker fruits on the palate with a complimentary note of cola and brown spice. Beautifully composed with supple tannins and good length on the aromatic finish. Very good.
Pinot Noir, Rosella's Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands
2007
93 Points Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Just beautiful, so well-crafted and balanced. With an edge of tannins and acids, could be an ager for a while. Shows a delicate structure, with cherry cola, raspberry, orange peel, vanilla and anise flavors that taste sweetly appealing, but are really bone dry. Now though 2012. --S.H.
Syrah Napa Valley
2003
Food & Wine Magazine's Wine Guide 2007
"A heavy bottle holds a wine of surprising delicacy, with dark fruit, cocoa, flowers and fine minerals. Drink now -- eight years. Excellent."
2008 Miner "La Diligence" Syrah
Recommended by Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson, SKY Magazine.
Click here to view PDF.
Merlot, Stagecoach Vineyard 2007
90 POINTS - Connoisseurs' Guide April 2011
It is not all uncommon to find a bit of extra size and extract from wines born of this noteworthy site, and, while we are seeing a little more toughness and a little less juice in a good many contemporary Merlots, this one fills its ample frame with plenty of sweet-well-ripened, cherry-like fruit. It is a big wine to be sure, and its tightens up as tannin and acid take hold, but it should develop well and should be set aside for four to six years.
Petite Sirah, Napa Valley 2006
92 Points, Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine, July '09
"Petite Sirah's surly side has been tamed by winemaking polish and lots of very rich oak here, and while ample varietal tannins do make themselves known, even they seem somehow refined... careful crafting is only half the story, however, for it is dense, deep and nicely extracted with plenty of ripe, blackberry fruit emerging at every stop. It can be drunk now with hearty, well-seasoned braised meats, but its potential for better is clear and it will improve for at least five or six years."
Sangiovese, Mendocino 2005
4 STARS, RESTAURANT WINE
"Full bodied, crisp and toasty and ripe in style with a medium long finish, tasting of cocoa, spicy oak, plum, and cherry."- Ronn Wiegand, MS, MW
KCBS Radio, All News 740 AM, San Francisco
Narsai David's Wine Reviews 5/30/07
"Fine, rich aromas of ripe berries and a toasty touch of oak on the aroma, leads to a very appealing mouthful. Splendid balance between fruit, tannin, and acidity. I drank this with a pasta full of springtime vegetables - mainly favas ... a perfect combo, but any spicy dish or roast chicken would be fine."
Click here for the audio review in .mp3 format. (second review :59)
The Odyssey 2008
The Rhone Report, Issue 6
Very meaty and touch wild, the 2008 Miner Family The Odyssey, a blend of 77% Grenache, 17% Syrah, and 6% Mourvedre, shows loads of smoked red and black fruits, leather, underbrush, white pepper, and licorice aromas on the nose. While the fruit comes out with air, this leans heavily towards the dry, savory spectrum as opposed to your upfront, fruit forward versions. On the palate, it?s medium bodied, and possesses chewy, ripe fruit, a savory, rustic texture, and a persistent finish.... Pair this rustic, yet flavor-full and rich, wine with food and enjoy it over the next 5 to 8 years. Better with air.
Rosato, 2006
KCBS Radio, All News 740 AM, San Francisco
Narsai David's Wine Reviews 5/30/07
"Bright, glistening color... Red enough to suggest something like a more serious rose. Aromas of a berry bramble and a bit of spice lead to a delicious wine. Just enough tannin to provide a little mouthfeel. Certainly the perfect wine as the weather warms up. Picnics for sure. Baked ham, pizza, or just a chilled glass of Rose. A delicious wine."
Click here for the audio review in .mp3 format.
Washington Examiner 5/10/07
"... a wonderfully unique blush wine featuring notes of strawberry and earthiness on the delicate nose. Fresh flavors of red cherry and pomegranate are kept in balance, resulting in a crisp, refreshing finish. Serve well-chilled alongside grilled or chilled shrimp."
La Diligence, Syrah 2008
92 Points, The Rhone Report, Issue 6
Meaning "The Stagecoach" in French, the 2008 Miner Family Syrah La Diligence Stagecoach Vineyard sports stunning aromatics of blackberry liqueur and crème de cassis that are mixed with a definitely old school mix of smoked bacon, leather, licorice, pepper and a dash of tapenade. Some oak is hiding it there as well, and while the ripeness of the fruit says California, the complexity and profile says northern Rhone. Medium to full bodied on the palate with a round, ripe profile, solid concentration, and a moderately tannic, persistent finish, this delicious Syrah should drink beautifully for a decade or longer.
La Diligence, Syrah 2007
91 Points, 2 Puffs Connoisseurs' Guide, December 2009
"Rich and far-ranging in aroma and quite complex and rewarding in flavor, this concentrated wine delivers smells of Syrah spice, roast beef and energetic blackberry fruit. It is full and fleshy on the palate...it is the kind of Syrah that accompanies a savory leg of lamb better than any other wine."
91 Points, Wine Enthusiast, Sept. '09
"This is a huge, ripe, powerful Syrah. It would be a mere fruit bomb, with explosive flavors of blackberry jam, currants, plums, violets, cocoa, anise, orange zest and pepper, except for the structure, which shows the fine terroir of Napa Valley. Firm tannins and adequate acidity provide balance. Better after 2010." - S.H.
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