2005 Hall Diamond Mountain Cabernet Shines
My trip to Napa had many highlights as well as some exceptional new discoveries. A group of my friends traveled to
Napa to find great wine, food and of course to relax. We stayed at
La Residence in Napa, which was a fantastic new boutique hotel.
I have written a series of articles which cover my visits to Anomaly,
Modus Operandi and Trefethen wineries.
The highlight of my Napa trip was our visit to Hall Winery; a special tour and dinner at their Rutherford
winery. My tasting group were special guests of Craig and Kathryn Hall for an evening of wine,
fellowship and great food. The night was best described as "magical" as our gracious hosts rolled out the Red
Carpet for my friends.
 The drive to their Rutherford winery was a challenge as we followed winding roads up to their hilltop estate. The
Hall Rutherford Winery is not far from the luxurious
Auberge Du Soleil hotel and spa. From their property you have a breathtaking view of the valley in the most
comfortable setting imaginable. The Hall's have a beautiful hilltop estate with beautiful architecture and
artwork filling their living areas. The entire estate design and decor makes a uniform statement; Craig
and Kathryn Hall are a first class team.
After our tour of their hilltop estate, winemaker Richard Batchelor, took us downstairs to the wine
cellar and when he opened the grand doors to the cellar everyone’s mouths dropped. A long arched hallway stretched
before us , made of special ancient bricks imported from Austria.
At the end of the hallway was a breathtaking chandelier, in the form of an upside down tree, provided the room with
magnificent lighting. A table grand enough for the Queen of England was prepared for our pre-dinner tasting and
eventually dinner. At one end of the table was a pre-dinner tasting setup for us and at the other end of the table
was setup for our dinner.
The photos below are a feeble attempt to capture the grand elegance of this room. Rolling out the red carpet took
on new meaning as we were surrounding with great architecture, lighting and the hospitality of Craig and Kathryn.
We sat down with Richard to taste four wines before dinner, which included two wines that are from their “Artisanal
Series”. The four wines were
- 2004 River Ranch Napa Merlot
- 2004 T Bar T Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2004 Kathryn Hall Napa Cabernet Sauvignon - BP94 points
- 2004 Bergfeld Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Napa Valley - BP95 points
Of these wines I really enjoyed the 2004 Berfeld Cabernet
and the 2004 Kathryn Hall Cabernet. It was a close race also between the two but in the end the
Bergfeld wine had a bit more masculine fruit and tannins that reminded me of a great Dalla Valle Maya. The Kathryn
Hall cabernet was powerful and elegant and much more enjoyable today. Both wine merits high scores; The 2004
Kathryn Hall Cabernet I rated 94 points and the 2004 Berfeld Cabernet I rated 95 points.
Both should be added to your cellar.
When we completed the tasting with Richard, we ventured back upside to meet with Craig and Kathryn Hall and to enjoy
their Hall Rose. I’m not a big Rose consumer but their version was fantastic. Anyone looking for a nice summer
afternoon wine or a wine to serve at brunch would be best served to get a case for the house supply. The wine had ample
fruit, balance and clarity that everyone in our group just raved about.
 We
then headed back to the wine cellar for our glorious dinner in the wine cellar and tasted yet another four wines with
dinner. The wines served at dinner were:
- 2006 Hall T BAR T Ranch Sauvignon Blanc - BP92 points - WOW
- 2005 Hall Diamond Mountain Cabernet - BP97 points
- 2004 Kathryn Hall Cabernet - BP94 points
My absolute favorite of the night was the 2005 Hall Howell Mountain Cabernet which I rated
97 points. The 2005 HM cabernet tasted like a finely aged California Cabernet. This was the first time I
experienced the sensation of tasting a young wine that behaved in this manner. I could have sworn this was a wine
that had aged 5-7 years due to the soft tannins, seductive aromas and elegant fruit finish.
This wine is a must purchase for any serious collector of fine California Cabernet wines.
It was amazing that on our last night in Napa I found
two of the Top Ten red wines of the trip at Hall. I am very finicky about giving praise to wines on
this site and this experience solidified my thoughts that Craig and Kathryn Hall are building a portfolio of wines that
will be legendary in time.
The wines that I loved the most are only available through the Hall Winery directly and certain wines are on a very
tight allocation. Readers of my newsletter will get VIP treatment from the Hall wine club manager so
fill out the form below if you are interested in gaining access to these great wines. You must act quickly because
the 2005 Hall Diamond Mountain Cabernet
went on sale for existing hall Wine Club members on February 20, 2008.
** If you want to purchase the 2005 Hall Diamond Mountain Cabernet (BP97) and their Artisanal wines
like the amazing Berfeld Cabernet (BP95), you will need to join their amazing wine club. It's a no brainer for
access to the quality wines they are offering.
Brian Pasch -February 19, 2008
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