The Oracle Napa Valley Red Wine

This big red tastes interesting and delicious all the way through. A nice blend of red and black fruits, black olives and oak toast on the nose, then vivid dark cherries, star anise and cocoa on the palate. Firm, fine-grained tannins frame the complex fruit and spice flavors. Drink now or hold. – Jim Gordon

Blueberry, flint and graphite aromas follow through to a medium body with firm and silky tannins and a minerally, almost magnetic finish. Drink or hold. – James Suckling

This red is full-bodied, offering slightly austere black fruit, ample oak accents and moderate tannins. Good black cherries, red cherries, cedar and cinnamon on the palate. Drink now.

A blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, and 12% Merlot, this is the flagship wine of the Miner Family estate and their most structured offering from the 2022 vintage. It showcases lovely red- and black-toned fruits complemented by heady wood spices, notes of cinnamon, and dusty minerals. On the palate, the wine is focused, with a good depth of fruit character and very lengthy, structured tannins infused with tobacco. The finish lingers, leaving impressions of herbs and cedar—a refined and powerful expression of the estate’s craftsmanship. – Jonathan Cristaldi

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon The Oracle is made from 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Merlot. Deep garnet colored, it opens with evolving notes of crème de cassis, prunes, and Chinese five spice, leading to touches of tobacco, dried herbs, and incense. The full-bodied palate is chock full of black fruit preserves and exotic spices flavors, supported by firm, grainy tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and mineral-laced. – Lisa Perrotti-Brown

The flagship for this estate, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon The Oracle is based on 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Merlot. Deep ruby/plum-hued, it offers a classy, old school bouquet of currants, leather, savory herbs, and cedar pencil. It’s medium-bodied, concentrated, firm, and focused, with terrific balance and ripe tannins that warrant 2-4 years of bottle age. It should see its 20th birthday in fine form. Drink 2025-2045.

A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 14% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2019 Miner Oracle has a deep garnet-purple color. It rolls seductively out of the glass with notes of warm cassis, blueberry preserves, and black raspberries, followed by whispers of candied violets, dark chocolate, and dried lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers intense, electric black fruit layers, with a lovely backbone and firm, fine-grained tannins, finishing long and fragrant. Pretty! – Lisa Perrotti-Brown

A blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot and 2% each Malbec and Petit Verdot, Miner Family’s 2018 The Oracle features charming scents of cedar, cherries, cassis and red-skinned plums, plus attractive herbal nuances of sage and bay leaf… – Joe Czerwinski

This wine focuses on cabernet sauvignon (81 percent) and Stagecoach Vineyard, with contributions from Rutherford, Chiles Valley and Oakville (varietally, the blend includes some cabernet franc and merlot). Past the wine’s smoky oak, the flavors point toward the flowers and the roots of the vines, centering in on ripe strawberry and rhubarb flavors. Pour it with filet mignon.

A fragrant nose of mulberries, plums, dark cherries, dried thyme and dark chocolate. Full-bodied with firm tannins. Framed and layered, with a fleshy texture and a polished finish.

Plenty of currant and blueberry character with chocolate, following through to a medium body with medium chewy tannins and a structured finish.

Maturing, with sage and sassafras notes permeating the core of steeped plum and loganberry fruit. Mesquite and cedar details check in on the finish for added range. A bit on the chewy side, but shows lots of character. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Best from 2021 through 2028. 1,600 cases made. — JM

This has a very ripe feel with fruit that sits in the red-berry zone. Some baked berries, too. The palate has medium body and delivers a very ripe impression with tannins wrapping the finish firm. A blend of 55% cabernet sauvignon, 26% merlot, 13% cabernet franc, 3% malbec and 3% petit verdot. Drink now.

Mulled currant and blackberry fruit is wrapped in singed cedar and vanilla notes, with flickers of sage and sassafras on the finish. Shows a bit more weight than purity, but will have fans for sure. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Best from 2020 through 2025. 2,292 cases made. – J.M.

The flagship 2016 Red Blend The Oracle is a blend of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc, 17% Merlot, and the balance Malbec and Petit Verdot. It’s slightly deeper colored than the Oakville Cabernet and gives up plenty of red and black fruits, spicy oak, tobacco, and graphite. A big step up on the richness scale, it still has beautiful purity and elegance as well as fine tannins, terrific balance, and a great finish. Drink it any time over the coming two decades.

The 2016 The Oracle has a deep garnet-black color and perfumed nose of roses and lilacs with kirsch, tea, earth, cassis and black cherries scents. The palate is medium-bodied, elegant, fresh and juicy with a firm frame of grainy tannins, finishing long and minerally. – Lisa Perrotti-Brown

A very ripe red with dried-berry and raisin character. Full body, round and chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. A little overdone, but still outstanding quality in a typical Napa way. Drink now.

Sourced primarily from Stagecoach Vineyard on Atlas Peak and blended with a small amount of Oakville Vineyard grapes, this is a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Cabernet Franc, with small percentages of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Big, tannic and overpowering in its youth, it reveals hints of cedar, pencil shavings and sage, with a rich black-cherry core. – Virginie Boone

The Oracle is always a unique, never repeated blend of Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec), meticulously constructed by Miner head winemaker Stacy Vogel and her small group of blenders and tasters. It’s this annual air of mystery, among other things, that places Miner Family Winery on Napa Valley ‘must lists.’

“Ripe and opulent aromas of jammy currant, blackberry, crème de cassis, bittersweet chocolate and dessert spice, over warm vanilla toast and cedar. Luscious on the palate, offering rich and ripe blackberry, plum and red currant, with notes of black licorice, espresso, clove and smoky oak. Smooth tannins on the long finish. Delicious.”

“There is a good deal of character to this ample, fairly full-bodied effort not the least of which is a full measure of currant fruit, a bit of briary spice and plenty of creamy, vanilla-bean oak. There is more than a bit of youthful tannin at work too, yet even though a touch rough and ragged at the finish, the wine ends on a positive note as its basic fruit emerges unscathed. It is not long on manners just now, but will find some much needed smoothing with age, and it is best left alone for six to eight years.”

“The flavors of dusty earth, oak, underbrush and dried flowers join dried berry and mineral notes, lending this a Bordeaux-like flavor profile and structure. Ends with drying tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2019. 1,814 cases made.” -JL

“Intense and raw in texture, this is a bold statement, featuring dense dark berry, spice and black tea notes, with angular tannins. Should benefit from cellar time, but the rustic side may persist. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Best from 2014 through 2026. 1,380 cases made.” -JL

“A rich, gusty 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. 2,169 cases made.” -JL

“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.”

“Herbal and earthy, full-bodied and concentrated, with chewy tannins. Tight and closed, slowly revealing loamy currant flavors. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2015. 3,000 cases made.” -JL

“While we like this wine’s aroma of deep, well-ripened cassis and sweet oak, we would like them more but for their faint scents of mushrooms and muddy earth. In the mouth, the wine exhibits good volume and ripeness but is a little rough and raw at the edges after a surprisingly supple start. Its uneven nature leaves us a bit in the dark as to where it might go with age, but it shows richness enough to wine at least qualified endorsement.”

“A Bordeaux style blend that delivers ripe fruit over the entire palate with a wonderful mouthfeel. Good balance and structure.”

“A beautiful wine from this Napa winery… Deep ruby/purple, with spicy aromatics intertwined with some lush blackberry and cassis fruit, opulent on the palate, with full body, silky tannins, and low acidity, this is a beauty that should drink handsomely for at least a decade. Drink 2007 – 2017.” –Robert Parker

“It’s a distinguished wine, classic in the modern Napa sense of softness and ripeness to the point of decadent drinkability. There’s a sweet olive-tapenade edge to the blackberry, cassis and cherry flavors. The finish, believe it or not, suggests blueberry pie, fresh from the oven.”

“This wine’s cool edges bring a North Coast conifer forest to mind. Ripe cherry flavors and espresso coffee scents give it sweetness, though the wine is balanced and understated. For duck with roasted cherries.”

“Big, rich textured, concentrated, ripe cherry fruit flavors with notes of vanilla and leather; firmly structured; full tannin; lingering aftertaste… Highly recommended.”

“Ripe berry and roasted coffee flavors are followed by polished minerals and spice. Outstanding.”

“Full bodied and complex, this is an excellent blend, with rich fruit character, good depth of flavor, evident complexity, and a long finish, tasting of plum, cedar, black licorice, spicy oak and blueberry.” – Ronn Wiegand, MS, MW

“Smooth and spicy with rich, dense plum and lush herbs; long rich and concentrated.”

“This masterful blend of Bordelaise varietals fixes on very deep and fairly classic Cabernet fruit while finding nuances of herbs, briary spice and just the right measure of complementary oak within its layered and involving mix. Its fraction of Merlot is made manifest by way of its plump and polished palatal feel, and its long, characterful finish is firmed by perfectly integrated tannins. Despite it many immediate charms, the wine promises more and better to come with cellaring.”

“Spicy, oaky nose, good balance of black cherry fruit and oak. Rich, plump, concentrated, sumptuous fruit, chocolaty finish. Drink 2012-2017.”

“Heady, full of aromas of cherry, smoke eucalyptus and cassis waft up from this deep, intense ruby-colored wine. Rich and full-bodied. A mouthful of roasted coffee bean, black cherry, plum, chocolate and pepper flavors evolve on the palate in the long finish.”

“Flowers, violets, red fruits, spice; red cherry, spice, cedar, floral notes; lovely entry, full-bodied, fine tannins; medium length of dark fruit and spice, extremely well-integrated, great now.”

“A fleshy, moderately intense blend that is full-bodied, smoothly textured, and long on the finish, tasting of plum jam, spicy oak, cooked meat and baked cherry.” – Ronn Wiegand MW

“Well-balanced, rich textured, cedary, black cherry fruit flavors with a full velvety mouth feel… Very highly recommended.”

“This is the second release of The Oracle made by Gary Brookman. All of the fruit comes from the Krupp Stagecoach Vineyard near Atlas Peak. Oracle is very dark; a deep purple-black. The nose is exceedingly rich with aromas of exotic sandalwood, grilled savory herbs, macerated black plum and currant. The palate is rounded and soft with black currant and chocolate merging into smooth cherry on the finish. Drink: 2006-2012.”

“This wine’s combination of grapes and generously laid on oak gives it a rich, juicy style that is somewhat “sweeter” in cast than the archetypical Napa Cabernet, and there is plenty to like in its mix of ripe, near succulent fruit and creamy, caramelly notes.”

“Harmonious and balanced from the moment it’s first poured… impressive for its length of fresh cherry and violet aromas. They’re supported by oak and a long arc of flavor, broadening and gaining intensity and spice over the course of several days. The fruit deepens from cherry to blackberry, the texture sleek and refined. Catch the fresh flavors this winter with roast leg of lamb and rosemary, or let it mature int eh cellar through 2012.”

“Sweet black fruit, spice, vanilla… a long finish of raisins, oak and vanilla with a lively dose of tannins.”

“Full bodied with concentrated berry fruit with ripe black and red fruits and a hint of spice.”

“This deep and riveting mix of Bordelais varietals is at once both wonderfully rich and very well polished, and it goes places that can not be explained by Merlot alone. Its generous themes of cassis and black cherries are laced with highlights of cocoa and rich loamy earth, and its considerable oak is placed in just such a way as to add richness and range yet not challenge the wine’s preeminent fruit. It has so much going on that it will tempt early drinking, but five or six years needs to pass before it grows into all it could be.”