Sep
19
2019
Winery Notes: “The Arietta White Wine “On the White Keys” is a blend of hillside Sauvignon Blanc and old vine Semillon. We ferment and age the White Keys for nine months in a combination of new and second-use oak and stainless steel barrels. The label incorporates the manuscript of the Arietta movement from Beethoven’s last piano sonata, Opus 111. The key to the name “On the White Keys” is the melody of the Arietta theme, which is played in its entirety on the white keys of the piano.
Arietta 2017 “On the White Keys” Proprietary White Blend
GGWC 69.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6 or more!
Use code SHIPFREE6 during checkout
Tasting Notes by winemaker Andy Erickson: “On the White Keys is crafted in tribute to our favorite white wines from Graves and Entre-Deux-Mers, the goal to produce a wine with great structure, depth, and ageability. The 2017 vintage is no exception. A blend of 64% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Sauvignon Musque, and 11% Semillon, the wine presents a vivid spectrum of aromas and flavors, delivered in high definition. Candied citrus peel, flint, lemon grass and Thai basil are only a few of the descriptors that come to mind as the wine opens in the glass. This aromatic intensity is matched by the wine’s brilliant gold color. On the palate, the wine is nothing if not incredibly generous, fresh and energetic, having a near-electric quality. Flavors of bergamot, lemon curd, and vanilla bean are held together by an impressive lattice of phenolic strength and complex oak tannin and toast.”
Vinous 95 Points: “Arietta’s 2017 On the White Keys is ample and creamy in the glass, yet also has quite a bit of supporting structure and overall freshness as well. Lemon confit, white flowers, apricot and chamomile add nuance to a host of Sauvignon Blanc-driven varietal flavors. The interplay of richness and vibrancy is simply compelling. In 2017, the blend is 89% Sauvignon Blanc and 11% Semillon from Farina, Sonoma Mountain and Hyde, all done in a mix of stainless steel and neutral oak.
Click here or on the links above to order!
Sep
18
2019
“Site” is a new venture from Jeremy Weintraub (longtime Seavey winemaker). He sources from the best “Sites” in California. This latest Grenache is just a good example. The 2015 Site is sourced from the Larner Vineyard. The Larner Vineyard would be considered a “Grand Cru” if it was located in France.
Accolades: “Top Grand Cru Vineyards in California by Wine Spectator ~ Top Five California Vineyards by Wall Street Journal ~ Top 25 Vineyards in the World by Wine & Spirits ~ California’s Best Single Vineyards by Wine Enthusiast ~ Top 5 Vineyards You Can Trust by Pinot Report ~ Ten Best Vineyards by Food & Wine, etc.”
Site 2015 “Larner Vineyard” Grenache, Santa Barbara
GGWC 54.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6
Use code SHIPFREE6 during checkout
Brilliant ruby. Ripe red berries, candied flowers and Asian spices on the highly fragrant nose. Juicy and expansive on the palate, offering alluringly sweet raspberry, cherry and boysenberry flavors that show a refreshingly spicy edge on the back half. Rich yet energetic in style, featuring seamless texture and very good focus. Closes on an emphatic red fruit note, delivering soft, rounded tannins and outstanding persistence.
Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points: “I always love the Grenache from this team and the 2015 Grenache Larner Vineyard is no exception. Youthful, backward and concentrated, it’s going to require patience, but has tons of potential in its darker fruits, black raspberry, spice and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and structured, forget bottles for 3-4 years and enjoy over the following decade. This cuvée is 100% Grenache that saw 15% whole clusters and 18 months in 500-Liter neutral puncheons.”
Click here or on the links above to order!
Sep
17
2019
In 1972 Jack and Mary Novak purchased the orginal “Spottswoode” property In 1977, when Mary Weber Novak’s husband passed away unexpectedly, leaving her with five young children and a newly replanted vineyard, she became one of the first women to run a major Napa Valley winegrowing estate. In the years since, through her hard work, insight and perseverance, she has established Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery as one of the valley’s great family-owned wineries and first growth-caliber properties. The first commercial wine was produced in 1982 by Tony Soter (Etude & Soter wines). Many other great winemakers have passed the review, all making highly rated wines from this great estate. Today the winery is run by the daughters Beth & Lindy.
The 2016 Vintage is the 35th release from this venerable winery
Spottswoode 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate Napa Valley
GGWC 239.99
FREE SHIPPING on 4 or more
Use code SHIPFREE4 during checkout
Robert Parker 100 Points: “Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is still very tight and youthful, slowly unfurling to reveal a multifaceted wine with tons of black, blue and red fruit sparks—plums, cherries, black currants and red currants—with dark chocolate, cedar chest, black tea and red roses in the background plus wafts of pencil lead and prosciutto. Medium-bodied and firmly textured by superbly ripe, grainy tannins, it has a fantastic core of intense, complex layers, finishing on an edifying mineral note. Wow!”
Jeb Dunnuck 100 Points: “A perfect wine is the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, composed of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot, which is a classic blend from this incredible estate. Sporting a deep purple color as well as an extraordinary bouquet of ultra-pure creme de cassis, blueberries, camphor, scorched earth, and licorice, with subtle background oak, it hits the palate with a full-bodied, deep, powerful texture that carries sweet tannins and blockbuster length. With a stacked mid-palate, straight-up awesome purity of fruit, and a huge finish, it’s as classic and brilliant as it gets. Reminding me of the 2013 with its pure yet backward style, give bottles 4-5 years of bottle age and it will keep for 3-4 decades. Hats off to the team at Spottswoode for this legend in the making!”
Winemaker Notes: “Raw, dynamic, and so expressive! This wine is glowing with personality, vivacity, and youthful exuberance. The palate has a rustic charm and sense of umami carefully balanced with notes of blueberry, blackberry, and resinous pine forest. Beautifully expressive now, the 2016 Estate Cabernet is a wine that will only improve with time in the cellar to integrate and mature into its full epic potential.”
Also check out:
SPOTTSWOODE 2016 CABERNET SAUVIGNON IN MAGNUM – 100 POINTS
SPOTTSWOODE 2018 SAUVIGNON BLANC, NAPA/SONOMA
Click here or on the links above to order!
Sep
16
2019
The much-anticipated releases of Paul Lato’s fall “Rhone” releases (Syrah & Grenache) have arrived. As always, this is the smallest part of Paul’s Portfolio and sell out even faster than his “Burgundy” offering (a.k.a. Chardonnay & Pinot Noir)
Paul Lato 2017 “Il Padrino” Syrah, Bien Nacido, Santa Maria Valley
GGWC 94.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6
Use code SHIPFREE6 during checkout
Mix & match with other Lato OK
This has been one of the best California Syrahs for years in a row. If Paul Lato was located in the Rhone Valley, he would put many of the big names to shame! In a recent tasting Paul’s Il Padrino bottling beat out 100 point wines like Alban’s Reva, and others! I only get 5 cases of this gem, so jump on it NOW, as this might be the year of a 100 Point Syrah from Lato! This wine gets an average 95-98 points every release!
Jeb Dunnuck – 98 Points: “The Paul Lato Syrah il Padrino Bien Nacido Vineyard is also inky colored and has a distinct marine-like character in its smoked black fruits, crushed rock, iodine, and peppery herb aromas and flavors. It’s deep, rich and concentrated, yet stays fresh and balanced. As always, it’s in the same qualitative ballpark as the Larner Vineyard yet has a singular, distinctive character.”
Paul Lato says: “Once again, Bien Nacido Syrah produces one of our most complex and intriguing wines, creating harmony between many worlds of flavor. Ripe blueberry, lavender, incense, and leather all emerge as a symphony of aromas from this full-bodied, structured wine. Deep, rich, fabulously concentrated, and pure on the palate, it stays tight and compact, with notable precision and length. Whether it’s a few minutes in the glass, or several years in the cellar, this wine becomes increasingly layered with time.”
Paul Lato 2017 Syrah “Cinematique” Larner Vineyard, Santa Ynez 97 Points
GGWC 89.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6
Use code SHIPFREE6 during checkout
Mix & match with other Lato OK
This is in my book “THE” best Cinematique to-date bar-none! I believe strongly that is equal, to the great 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2008 and 2007 vintages
Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points: “The inky colored Paul Lato Syrah Cinematique Larner Vineyard checks in as 100% Syrah that spent 20 months in 60% new barrels. From a site in the Ballard Canyon AVA, its inky purple color is followed by fabulous notes of blackberries, melted licorice, smoked earth, and bacon fat. Deep, full-bodied, multi-dimensional, and layered, it’s going to benefit from short-term cellaring and shine for a decade or more. It’s certainly the sexier and more hedonistic of the two Syrahs.”
Paul Lato says: “This Blockbuster Syrah has a larger-than-life presence in the glass. Plums, blackberries, blueberries, ground pepper, and olive notes all flow to a powerful, full-bodied Syrah that has a luxurious, layered character. Fine and elegant tannins lead to a long, seamless finish, a true expression of the beautiful 2017 vintage. After you finish this bottle, you’ll be asking for an encore.”
Paul Lato 2017 Grenache “Ora Labore” Bien Nacido 97 Points
GGWC 74.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6
Use code SHIPFREE6 during checkout
Mix & match with other Lato OK
Paul Lato says: “This wine has a seductive nose of kirsch, potpourri and white pepper with touches of garrigue and dried lavender. The palate is full-bodied, rich and concentrated with notes of blackberry preserves and layers of spice. With a focused style and a structured backbone, this wine finishes with smooth flavors of cranberry and vanilla. Lay this bottle down for 2 to 3 years and it will truly shine.”
Tasting Notes: A big, bold Grenache that offers lots of cassis and black raspberry fruit to go with underlying notes of wet gravel, peppery herbs, licorice and pepper. Full in body, seamless, elegant and multi-dimensional on the palate, with a weightless mouthfeel, it’s acidity is nicely integrated and it never puts a foot wrong. Given its balance and overall purity, it’s a killer drink today, but it will evolve beautifully.
SMALL AMOUNTS OF PAUL’S 2017 CHARDONNAY & PINOT NOIR ARE STILL AVAILABLE
(FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED)
Click here or on the links above to order!
Tags: 2017, Bien Nacido, Cinematique, Il Padrino, Ora Labore, Paul Lato, Santa Maria Valley, Syrah | 
Comments (0)
Comments (0)
Sep
15
2019
The best ways of choosing and serving rosé wine
By Anne Krebiehl MW
from The Buyer
from The Buyer
It is the right time of year to re-think your rosé strategy
They shimmer at al fresco tables across the country: shades of rosé from the palest tinge to lurid pink and every nuance in between. Rosés are an opportunity: for refreshment, for food-pairing and for revenue. So why is rosé the most frequent victim of wine list tokenism?
Rosé has undoubted visual appeal but that does not mean it should be taken less seriously or chosen less carefully than any other wine. People want to drink pink – the better your rosé fits your purposes, the more successful it will be. Make sure you choose well – here’s how:
Know your business and your product:
You need to know the answers to all of these questions to home into the best rosé/rosés for you: Know your or your client’s outlet: is it casual but eclectic, upmarket but traditional, ethnic but affordable, trendy but rural, classic but neighbourhood, etc.? Is there someone to explain the wine or does it have to sell itself from a list?
If you know the answers to the questions above you know who your clients are, what their spend is, how adventurous or safe your choices can be, whether price is everything or whether you can get clients to trade up: remember that giving value is the most important thing at any price point.
Once you know your business make sure you know the product, too: many – even in the trade– still say their eyes glaze over the moment anyone mentions winegrowing or –making – but this is your product and you need to understand it, just as you need to understand your business. Being in possession of the relevant facts enables you to understand in which situation the wine will work – and no, this does not include geeky stuff about rootstock, geology or pruning. For pink you need to know that:
There are two kinds of rosé:
- Directly pressed wines
- Macerated wines
Rosé gets its colour from the grape skins, just like red wine. It is the time of contact with the skins that determines how deep the colour is. How long that takes depends on the grape variety. However, it is not only colour that comes from the grape skins, but also some tannins and more importantly, flavour precursors. For directly pressed wines the only skin contact is the time they have in the short hours it takes to complete a press cycle in a pneumatic press.
Macerated wines have more time: depending on grape variety and quality, they have a few hours or overnight. Both methods can make great wines – the difference is one of style not quality.
The paler the better?
The logical conclusion would be to assume that the palest wines have the shortest maceration – however, many rather pale wines have been macerated to ensure there is enough flavour and some tannic structure and fined later to get rid of excess colour so that the rosé is elegantly pale, has the right kind of Provençal look but enough fruit flavour not to be boring. Not easy but something that can be done successfully.
Unsurprisingly, AOC Provence allows both direct pressing and maceration. Directly pressed wine will almost work like a slightly more full-bodied white: if you do a roaring trade in sashimi or seafood platters, this might well be the choice for you. It also works well as a wine just to be sipped without food.
Direct pressing also is a good idea for wineries with red grapes that are barely ripe. Here, direct pressing avoids any green flavours from unripe skins. Another reason for direct pressing might be red grapes from young vines that do not yet have enough concentration to make serious reds. This is often the case with Pinot Noir and can result in very fruity, fresh, fun wines at great value.
There also are different kinds of macerated wines: some are made from grapes that are purposely grown for rosé, macerated to extract colour, flavour and some tannin, pressed and fermented. Some appellations, like DO Navarra, known for its lusciously fruity rosados, prescribe this. If left unfined, they come in beautiful, beguiling shades of pink.
Other macerated rosés are the drawn-off juice from red-wine ferments, known as ‘saignée’ they are bled off to concentrate the resulting red wine. But don’t frown on them: if this is a rosé drawn from an exquisite red ferment, of fully ripe, low-yielding but flavoursome grapes, you are in for a treat. Its antithesis would be a bled-off wine from a hot ferment of over-cropped, overripe red grapes.
An awful lot of such contingency product rosé sloshes about – so choose carefully. In any case, macerated wines tend to be the ones with more flavour and body, they cover the entire spectrum from slender to full and can be chosen with different foods in mind: they work in place of fuller whites and lighter reds.
How to choose:
The most important bit: now you know what you need, choose with care. Here are some useful markers that should be a given at ANY price point:
Colour: While the intensity of the colour is no clue to quality, the hue of pink gives you clues about age and freshness. Whether pale or lurid, the colour should still be in the purple not orange spectrum of pink.
Aroma: You are looking for appetising aroma: the wine should smell and taste fresh even at room temperature – this is a great stress test for both whites and rosés.
Balance: The palate should have crisp acidity and the slightest hint of tannin. There should at least be some length. As long as the wine has sufficient acidity a smidgeon of residual sugar, as little as 3-4g/l, can act as an enhancer of fruit flavours. Even slightly sweeter rosés work well; sufficient acidity is the deciding factor here.
Age: Unless you are dealing with really top-notch rosé that can take a bit of age you should stick to the most recent vintage and avoid any special cut-price deals when someone’s trying to dump last year’s overstock. Stick to these rules and you’ll be able to sniff out great pink wines from across the globe.
One or more?
Offer choice: it allows people to trade up – but you have to give them a good reason to.
By the glass: Of course! That’s a no-brainer!
What else to consider?
Grape variety: Grenache with its full-fruited berry and cherry notes and its thin skins is the most popular staple for rosé wines: it shines with fruit and easy flavour and gets, depending on country, more backbone and spice from Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre or Tempranillo.
Sometimes white grapes are added to the press for extra freshness and acidity: Vermentino, also known as Rolle, often comes into its own here. These wines are fruity, easy to like and lovely to look at – they need little hand-selling. If you have a Carmenère rosé you might get the tell-tale leafiness of this variety, if you get Cabernet Sauvignon rosé, you might get some more backbone…
Appellations: There is Chinon Rosé or Sancerre Rosé so if there is someone to hand-sell, this can be a useful hook: it has the comfort of a familiar name: same but different.
Popularity: There is Pinot Grigio rosé – make use of its popularity and familiarity. Some of it is Pinot Grigio that has been macerated on its pink skins for hours to have a lovely coppery colour, Italians refer to this as Pinot Grigio ramato, even though ambitious winemakers can do this across the world. Other PG rosés have some red grapes in the blend (European rules state that a varietally labelled wine can have up to 15% of other grapes– but note that the mixing of red and white wine to make a rose is only permitted in Champagne and totally verboten for any other European wine.)
Theme: You don’t have to have a Provençal rosé if you predominantly serve non-French food: think Chiaretto – Italy’s pink answer from the Veneto, think Navarra for tapas, think Malbec rosé for prawn starters in an Argentine steak house. Think Istrian rosé for curious hipsters. Think barely off-dry Pinot Noir for Asian spice. Consider recognisability if you cater to well-heeled label hunters: like distinctly shaped Domaines Ott or fancy Château d’Esclans. Keep within your theme, whatever it is. Both classic and unusual choices abound.
Last but not least: communicate this in simple, convincing terms. Even the most casual, temporary staff should be armed with two or three snappy, appetizing attributes for every wine on the list and have tasted it.
CHECK OUT FRANK’S ROSE SUGGESTIONS:
1. ARNOT ROBERTS 2018 ROSE (TOURIGA NACIONAL) (One of the most unique Rose in CA)
2. LORENZA 2018 ROSE (RHONE BLEND) (Mother & Daughter Winemaking Team0
3. LUCIA 2018 “LUCY” ROSE ($1.00 of each bottle is donated to breast cancer research)
4. LULI 2018 ROSE OF PINOT & GRENACHE, CENTRAL COAST (Jeff Pisoni WInemaker)
5. MELIS FAMILY 2018 ROSE OF PINOT NOIR, SANTA RITA HILLS (made by Paul Lato)
6. SHANE 2018 ROSE OF PINOT NOIR “MA FILLE’ SONOMA COUNTY (Kosta Browne Winemaker)
Sep
14
2019
A Beginner’s Guide to Champagne
BY HANNAH SELINGER
in Wine Enthusiast
in Wine Enthusiast
If the distinction between Champagne, Prosecco and any other sparkling wine of the world seems a bit murky, consider this primer a jumping-off point. Champagne can feel confusing at times, and for good reason. It involves a complicated winemaking process and a dictionary of French terminology. So, let’s break Champagne down into its component parts.
What Is Champagne?
To be called “Champagne,” a wine must come from the Champagne appellation, a region of France slightly east of Paris. In France, such a region is referred to as an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, or AOC.
Within Champagne, there are several major growing areas, all known for particular grapes. The major areas from north to south are Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs and Côte de Sézanne and Aube. For sparkling wine to be classified Champagne, the grapes must be grown in the region, and the wine must be produced in a specific way. The process, known as the méthode Champenoise, is also referred to as the traditional method.
The Grapes of Champagne
The main three grapes used in Champagne production are red-wine grapes Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay, a white-wine grape. The mountainous Montagne de Reims region is known for its Pinot Noir, as is Aube, the most southern growing area. The Vallée de la Marne, which occupies a valley floor and has a warm microclimate, is known for Pinot Meunier. The eastern-facing Côte de Blancs is planted almost entirely to Chardonnay, as is the Côte de Sézanne. The predominant soil in Champagne is made of chalk, limestone and fossilized seashells, a highly regarded mix known as Kimmeridgian soil.
What Does Brut Mean?
You’ve probably seen this mysterious word on a bottle of bubbly. Brut is just one of many labels that indicate how much sugar is in a finished bottle of Champagne. The most dry wines, which contain no sugar, are called brut nature, followed by extra brut, brut, extra-dry/extra-sec, dry/sec, demi-sec and doux, which is the sweetest. A brut Champagne has a nearly imperceptible amount of sugar, which must fall with a specified percentage range. Because of the wine’s bubbles, this sugar is not perceived on the palate, but if you taste a glass of Champagne that’s become flat, you’ll likely be surprised about the sugar content.
A Brief History
Champagne as we know it was the product of both chance and circumstance. Early wine from the region was pale pink and still. The region’s cold winter temperatures often halted the fermentation of still wines housed in the cellars. The dormant yeast cells remained in limbo until warmer weather provoked an awakening. In spring, these yeast cells sparked a second fermentation in the wines, where the remaining sugar was converted to alcohol. The byproduct of that fermentation, carbon dioxide, remained trapped in the bottles and would force out corks or cause bottles to explode.
In the mid-1600s, a Benedictine monk named Dom Pérignon, frustrated with the waste brought forth by such instability, took efforts to stop this fermentation. Perignon’s first contribution was to introduce a blending technique where grape varieties from different vineyards were used to create a single wine. He also developed a way for winemakers to produce white wine from red grapes. That method, like his blending technique, remains integral in Champagne production centuries later.
Around the same time, English physicist Christopher Merret discovered that the introduction of sugar could intentionally spur a second fermentation. It gave winemakers control of this unpredictable, and seemingly random, scientific occurrence. This immeasurable contribution meant that winemakers could create sparkling wine on purpose.
In 1805, Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, a 27-year-old French widow, assumed control of her late husband’s Champagne house. During that time, Madame Clicquot, also known as the veuve, French for “widow,” developed a process known as riddling, or remuage. In this process, wines are moved to bring the dead yeast cells from the second fermentation into the bottle’s neck, where they can be extracted. Prior to this, sparkling wines were cloudy with large bubbles. The technique yielded wines with small, fresh bubbles, known as a mousse, and no sediment.
Check out some great bubbly offerings we currently have in stock:
CLOTILDE BRUT “GRAND-CRU” CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE
FRANCOISE BEDEL NV BRUT CHAMPAGNE “ORIGNI-ELLE”
HENRI DOSNON BRUT ROSE CHAMPAGNE
MONTHUYS CHAMPAGNE NV BRUT, 750ML
EN TIRAGE 2010 BLANC DE BLANCS, BECKSTOFFER CARNEROS
ALLIMANT LAUGNER CREMANT ROSE D’ALSACE
CAZLAS, 2009 LA CHAPELLE DU CLOS, GRAND CRU BLANC DE BLANCS CHAMPAGNE
STEPHANE COQUILLETTE CARTE D’OR BRUT CHAMPAGNE
ANDRE ROBERT CHAMPAGNE BRUT “RESERVE” GRAND CRU, BLANC de BLANCS, LE MESNIL
LOUIS DE GRENELLE PLATINE CREMANT DE LOIRE
Sep
13
2019
Just from the color you can tell the 2016 Les Titans Syrah will be magnificent; it has an electric psychedelic purplish glow hinting at the energy present in the wine. The nose is a complete knockout with iron, grilled meat, hickory smoke, ink, and pain grillé aromas. The mouth is consistent with the nose combining power and precision. The finish is long and clean with great acidity and lingering notes of violets and squid ink. The Les Titans has everything you could hope for in cold climate Syrah with grace and focus and none of the one dimensional, heavy, leaden quality found in lesser wines. I suggest you drink a bottle upon release to see what is so exciting and then open a few every few years to watch it evolve into the single best Les Titans – and maybe even Syrah
Peay 2016 Syrah “Les Titans” Estate, Sonoma Coast
GGWC 59.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6
Use code SHIPFREE6 during checkout
Vinous 97 Points: ”Peay’s 2016 Syrah Estate Les Titans is utterly magnificent. Black cherry, plum, crème de cassis, graphite, black pepper and licorice marry perfectly with the wine’s vertical feel and sense of structure. A super-classic, cool-climate wine, the 2016 Titans dazzles from start to finish. I loved it.”
Click here or on the links above to order!
Sep
12
2019
Owner and Winemaker Curt Schalchlin has been producing high-quality Rhone blends at a very respectable price level for years. Curt worked for some of the best winemakers in industry and went solo about over a decade ago, and the rest is history. Today Sans Liege has a worldwide fan base among my clients, as far as Japan, Europe and South America. The 2017 Sans Liege “The Offering” is by far the best release to date!
Sans Liege 2017 “The Offering” Santa Barbara
GGWC 32.00
FREE SHIPPING on 12 or more!
Use code SHIPFREE12 during check out
The Sans Liege 2017 “The Offering” (a blend of of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and 1% Viognier) is a wine that captures the imagination and challenges expectations, it displays a beautiful purity and depth that is reminiscent of having a summer picnic in an ancient church. Resinous scents of black cherry cola, frankincense, fresh-peeled Clementine orange and vanilla extract lead to a well-structured and balanced palate of curried mix-berry cobbler, turmeric, dark chocolate cocoa nibs and black pepper with rocky, persistent tannins.
Winemaker Notes: “When you arrive the celebration is raging, much like the huge bonfire in the center of the crowd. You are met with scents of anise, mulling spices, kirsch and leather. A friend claps you on the back and hands you a bowl crafted from juniper proclaiming “wassail!” “Drink hail” you chorus with the rest of the group, taking a gulp and passing it on. Treats of olive tapenade and plums with cinnamon are shared as the merriment continues into the night.”
FYI: The 2017 Offering was sourced from some of the most amazing vineyards — Alta Colina, Larner, Alta Mesa, Derby, John Sebastiano and Zotovich.
Also check out these other great Sans Liege wines:
SANS LIEGE 2018 COTES DU COAST, WHITE BLEND (Just arrived)
SANS LIEGE 2016 PICKPOCKET TEMPELTON GAP, PASO ROBLES (Last Call)
Click here or on the links above to order!
Sep
11
2019
The farming heritage runs deep at the Hayfork Ranch, as their great-great-great-grandfather, John Lewelling, a horticulturist by trade, settled the St. Helena family ranch in 1864. They started growing walnuts, prunes, pears and afterwards grapes, they have been continuously farming the land for six generations. The past two decades the Llewelling vineyard has been the source for many highly-rated wines in Napa.
Hayfork 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon “Lewelling Estate” Napa Valley
Retail 79.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6
Use code SHIPFREE6 upon checkout
The 2016 Hayfork arrived with a big WOW, it’s here! This wine has created a real following. The Lewelling estate (dating back to 1864) has been producing some of the most amazing Cabernet and Blends in the Napa Valley. Many wineries have been very successful with this fruit!. Haley Wight’s version of the 2013 vintage is stunning! The wine is blend of 94% Estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot. On the nose you are greeted by blue and black stone fruit, a touch of chocolate with a whiff of toasty vanilla. On the palate this full-body, lush youngster is loaded with bright blue and black fruit, coffee, anise and a touch sweet oak. The finish is long and pleasant. Limited production
Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points: ”I loved the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch from winemaker Haley Wight, a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot that spent 20 months in 75% new French oak. It shines for its purity and elegance just as much as its richness and depth and gives up medium to full-bodied notes of red and blue fruits, violets, and espresso roast. With silky, ultra-fine tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish, it tastes like it cost 2-3 times the price.”
Robert Parker 95 Points: “The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch is a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot aged 20 months in 75% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it opens with exuberant red and black currants notions with hints of black truffles and rose hip tea plus fragrant earth, Chinese five spice, dried lavender and dusty soil. Big, full, rich and seductive, it has a plush frame of velvety tannins and wonderful energy, finishing long and spicy.”
Click here or on the links above to order!
Sep
10
2019
Celia Welch can easily be voted as one of the best winemakers in the world. That said, give this lady some of the best fruit and you have some of the best wine in the world.
The 2018 Rewa Sauvignon Blanc (Second release) is flat out stunning! Remarkable, a MUST HAVE! Very limited production wine. Only 168 cases were produced
Rewa 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, Estate Coombsville Napa Valley
GGWC 64.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6
Use code SHIPFREE6 during checkout
On the nose bright floral aromatics meld seamlessly into a core of generous orchard fruit as this ample, richly-textured white that shows off its considerable personality. It is 100% Sauvignon Blanc, and the wine has a spectacular bouquet of caramelized citrus, honeysuckle, orange blossom and brioche. It is amazingly rich and dense, with the bold, yet very elegant texture. If you wouldn’t know you are drinking a Napa white, you might believe it to be o a great Grand Cru White Burgundy!
Celia Welch Notes: “The lively and complex aromas of the 2018 vintage of Rewa Sauvignon Blanc include citrus, wild gooseberry, guava, green apple peel, kiwi and white flowers. On the palate, the wine is bright and lifted by notes of fresh pineapple and lemon curd combined with a stony minerality.
This wine was crafted from Sauvignon Blanc clone 1 from Rewa Vineyard fermented, and then aged in neutral oak and stainless barrels.”
Make sure to check out the stunning Rewa 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon “Estate” Coombsville, Napa Valley
Click here or on the links above to order!