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BLUE REVIEWS Napa’s D. R. Stephens and Hunnicutt Are Aged 25 Years, France ($150) Dark amber; lush and mellow with creamy texture; extremely smooth and feminine with orange peel, flowers and spice; fragrant, aromatic and rich with sweet oak and long, luscious, lovely Borderies floral notes. TESSENDIER USA 96 92 Vieux Carré Absinthe Supérieure, USA ($50) Greenish yellow color; minty, herbal aroma; dry, intense with licorice that suggests anise and fennel; hot, raw and quite authentic; strong stuff. PHILADELPHIA DISTILLING Netherlands ($38) Bols is rehabilitating this superb liqueur that was almost KO’d by Harvey Wallbanger. Bright yellow color; smooth sweet herbal nose; creamy texture with sweet vanilla and anise supported by a complex blend of woodsy herbs and spices, licorice, mint, lemon and creamy vanilla—all backed by a stiff backbone of alcohol; one of the highest- proof liqueurs (84.6) and yet impressively smooth. LUCAS BOLS USA 94 ($60) This has been around so long it had a color named after it—a translucent light green; complex, lush, spicy nose; 130 herbs create a mystical sweet, potent and seductive flavor; beautifully balanced between spice, sweet and alcohol heat; creamy, fascinating and very long; hints of lime, mint, pine, licorice, and many more. Still superb after 405 years. 98 FREDERICK WILDMAN 60 / the tasting panel / january–february 201 1 Chartreuse Liqueur (Green), France Galliano L’Autentico, Comandon XO Cognac A Cut Above COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER Don Stephens got into the wine business in 1996 when he scored a prime unplanted parcel in St. Helena that others badly wanted to get their hands—and vines—on. Stephens planted Napa’s iconic variety on the new Moose Valley Vineyard and made the first vintage of D. R. Stephens Cabernet Sauvignon in 1999. A second Cabernet, the Walther River Block, comes from a close friend’s vineyard in Rutherford, and a Chardonnay is sourced from Green Mountain at the cool southern end of the valley. Stephens’s son, Justin, who held a business degree from U.C. Berkeley and was also a commercial real estate broker, found himself increasingly obsessed with wine and winemaking. In 2001, he moved to Napa Valley and began taking night classes in viticulture and enology. He worked as a cellar rat at Miner and did stints at several other Napa wineries before creating his own label, called Hunnicutt after his grandmother’s maiden name and his own middle name. Since 2004, Justin has run both D. R. Stephens and Hunnicutt. The Stephens wines are made by Mike Hirby and the Hunnicutt releases are crafted by Kirk Venge, although Justin is very involved in the blending. With production for both labels quite small, these wines are in limited allocation but worth seeking out, as I re-discovered in a recent tasting with Justin. D. R. Stephens Estate 2007 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Walther River Block, Napa Valley ($105) Smooth and luscious with velvety texture and elegance; plum, cassis and raspberry fruit; supple, rich and intense; very long, graceful and beautifully balanced. 93 Valley ($125) Rich and deep with ripe plum, blackberry and notes of mocha and spice; velvety and long, dense and pure with balance and elegance; concentrated and yet not overripe or jammy; lovely. 94 juicy, clean and fine-textured, with plum, raspberry and racy acidity; linear and pure. 91 Hunnicutt 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley ($48) Smooth and ripe with lush texture and rich black plum plus cassis and spice; long, balanced and lovely. 92 90 texture; deep color and good balance; dusty, complex and nicely restrained; elegant, long and juicy. 90 www.drstephenswines.com www.hunnicuttwines.com Hunnicutt 2008 Zinfandel, Napa Valley ($36) Ripe and juicy with blackberry fruit and silky Hunnicutt 2009 Chardonnay, Rancho Sarco Vineyard, Napa Valley ($37) Smooth and creamy with soft vanilla oak and lovely texture; ripe and balanced with great elegance and style; long, lush and loaded with finesse. D. R. Stephens Estate 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, D.R. II, Napa Valley ($65) The estate’s second wine; D. R. Stephens Estate 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Moose Valley Vineyard, Napa