Press
Acclaim for Waterstone Winery
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
Very Highly Recommended
"Medium to medium-dark ruby; attractive, cedary, plumy, cassis and black cherry fruit aroma with a hint of cocoa; full body; forward, rich, textured, layered, slightly herbaceous, dark currant and ripe berry flavors with notes of green olive and sweet oak; velvety mouthfeel; medium-full to full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Good Value. Very highly recommended."
- California Grapevine, December 2008 - January 2009 Download PDF
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon
89 points
"The rumor surrounding this wine is that it is made from declassified lots of some cult Cabernet producers (one in particular), but since that cannot be proven, I will just comment on the wine. The color is a deep ruby, and the bouquet offers lovely scents of spice box, black currants, and cherries. There is good body, abundant fruit, a nice tactile impression, and a lush, heady finish with no hard edges. Undeniably a very fine value in Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, it will drink well for 3-4 years."
- Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
87 points
"Rustic in style, with a dense, murky core of currant, earth, iron, anise and cedary oak flavors. Young and a bit awkward, it nonetheless is concentrated and structured and at this price is hard to beat. Best from 2004 through 2011. 1,829 cases made."
- Wine Spectator
93+ points
"This is a big, lush wine that is full of cherries, chocolate and tobacco. The structure is there and so is the intensity. You can identify the blue-chip pedigree with the first sip, plus this is from the excellent 2001 vintage. At this price, it's a fantastic house wine, wedding wine, everyday wine, but it tastes shockingly similar to many high-end cult wines"
- David Sokolin
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
91 points
"Shows a marked improvement over any Cab Waterstone has produced, a rich, layered wine that should improve in the cellar. Bone dry and thick in tannins, it shows deep flavors of black currants, baker's chocolate and herbs. Decant for a few hours if you're drinking it now, or stash through 2012."
- Wine Enthusiast, Buyers Guide, November 2008 Download PDF
"Medium to medium-dark ruby with brackish edges; attractive, herbal, cedary, dark currant and blackberry fruit aroma with hints of dill and pepper; full body; relatively mature, thick, tarrish, cedary, black cherry and blackberry fruit flavors with notes of tobacco and chocolate; full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Highly recommended."
- California Grapevine, June-July 2008
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
90 points
"Harmonious and well-proportioned, especially
for the vintage, with well-integrated currant,
blackberry and wild berry fruit supported by firm
tannins and lively acidity, finishing with a long,
detailed aftertaste. Drink now through 2012."
- J.L., Wine Spectator, May 15, 2007 Download PDF
2007 Carneros Chardonnay
87 points
"Distinctive spicy citrus-grapefruit flavors merge with green apple in this crisp, medium-bodied white, gaining complexity on the finish. Drink now through 2012."
- J.L., Wine Spectator, June 30, 2009
89 points
"A very nice Chardonnay for drinking with grilled salmon or chicken. It’s light and delicate, with pleasant flavors of citrus fruits, pears and vanilla and bracing minerality. Really likeable for its balance."
- Wine Enthusiast Magazine, February 2009 Download PDF
Critics Silver
"Little green; soft low intensity fruit. Light finish."
- Gerald D. Boyd, Critics Challenge International Wine Competition 2009
"This wine offers a somewhat opulent apricot– and peach-tinged chardonnay aroma with just the right amount of oak and flavors to match. It’s a big wine that somehow avoids the grotesqueries so common to California wines of this mass. I recommend it, especially to those who want their chardonnays big and bold but not out of kilter, a testament to the Carneros microclimate’s possibilities."
- Jon Christensen, The Columbus Dispatch, November 8, 2005 Download PDF
Highly Recommended
"Medium-light yellow; pleasant, floral, nutty, citrus and green apple aroma with hints of vanilla; medium-full to full body; crisp, lemony, nectarine and green apple flavors; firmly structured. Highly recommended."
- California Grapevine, December 2008 - January 2009 Download PDF
2005 Carneros Chardonnay
97 points
- justwinepoints, April 2007 Download PDF
87 points
"From its properly ripened, fresh-apple aromas to its rounded, oakenriched,
fruit-focused flavors, this very clean, well-defined Chardonnay
hits all the right varietal marks. It is smooth and slightly oily in feel with
a nice note of finishing firmness, and if it wants a bit more concentration
to win higher scores yet, it is a friendly and wholly enjoyable offering
suited to warm-weather drinking in the upcoming months."
- Connoisseur's Guide to California Wine, April 2007 Download PDF of review
2004 Carneros Chardonnay
"The Waterstone Winery, launched just six years ago, sources grapes from
the cool Carneros region of Napa Valley. The 2004 vintage is the winery
s second Chardonnay. It s less about oak than it is about the fruit,
which has compelling crisp green apple character."
- Food & Wine, April, 2006 Download PDF
89 points
"Smooth and juicy with depth and lovely richness; balanced, long and
stylish. "
-Anthony Dias Blue Reviews, Patterson's Beverage Journal, March 2006 Download PDF
87 points - Good Value
"Bright, mildly blossomy, lemon-like fruit in the aromas sets the tone of
this fresh, crisply balanced bottling right from the start, and, while by no
means a wiry wine in the mouth, it definitely leans to the citrusy side of
the varietal spectrum. It shows a scant edge of pithy bitterness, but it
still makes the cut, and a brief bit of bottle age could bring it all the
smoothing it needs."
- Connoisseurs's Guide to California Wine, March 2006 Download PDF
2007 Merlot Napa Valley
Best New Wine Deals - 2007 Vintage
Waterstone gets the majority of its fruit from Napa Valley’s Truchard Vineyards, one of the largest and best vineyards in the region. The wine is lush and deeply flavorful, reminiscent of ripe black cherries.
- Food & Wine Magazine, May 2010 Download PDF
2006 Merlot Napa Valley
88 points
"A very dry, somewhat herbal Merlot, with a brittle, tannic mouthfeel. It has flavors of black cherries, currants and sage. Feels elegant and sophisticated in the mouth, a wine to drink now."
- S.H., Wine Enthusiast Magazine, February 2010
2002 Merlot Napa Valley
"Merlot may have taken a beating in Sideways, but that wouldn't have been the case if Miles had wrapped his lips around a bottle of the 2002 Waterstone Napa Valley Merlot. You won't find a bigger, more complex Merlot for less than 20 bucks and don't overlook Waterstone's equally fine Carneros Chardonnay."
- 805 Living, Wine Taste, Chris Rubin Download PDF
2007 Carneros Pinot Noir
Chairman's Award, Unanimous Gold
2009 Riverside International Wine Competition
Download PDF
2003 Carneros Pinot Noir
3 Stars
"Waterstone Pinot Noir Carneros 2003 Rhone-like, with meaty and gamy flavors. Some tart strawberry notes. Medium complexity. Soft texture."
- The Press Democrat, March 8, 2006 Download PDF
2001 Pinot Noir
86 points
"Marked by the cherry, cola and peppery spice flavors and silky tannins that characterize the Carneros, this light-bodied wine is also a good value. It s not a blockbuster, but has plenty of charm and some complexity."
- S.H., Wine Enthusiast Magazine, October 2004 Download PDF
2002 Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley
86 points
"Delivers ripe, concentrated fig, honey, straw and melon tones, with fine focus and citrus rind acidity lingering on the finish. Drink now."
- Wine Spectator Download PDF