 Byron Kosuge has been making wine for over 3 decades now. He honed his skills at various great wineries in California and France. While working in Carneros he befriended two guys who ran a vineyard management company. When they planted a small vineyard next to their work shop, Byron came up with the name “The Shop” and the rest (10 years later) is history. Byron has created a good following for his brand, and so have many of my customers. But his Chardonnay making goes back 30 years and has been his big passion, although he did not add this to his portfolio till 2008. The 2014 is truly amazing and a great wine for your Buck! |
B. Kosuge 2014 Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast
Retail 36.99 – GGWC 34.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6
Use code KOSUGE at checkout
Mix & match with Kosuge “The Shop” Pinot Noir
Winemaker Notes: “2014 may turn out to be the best wine since the new millennium began. Don’t quote me on that, but I am very excited about the quality of all of my 2014 wines. Why am I so high on the 2014? They have an enviable combination of richness, purity, freshness and concentration–ripe without being heavy–that doesn’t happen very often. I find a mineral streak in the Chardonnay in its youth which is particularly appealing. Over the course of the summer, if it follows the pattern of my previous Chardonnays, it will put on weight and develop some mid-palate richness, but I like that it is a touch steely at the moment.”
Check out these other Kosuge wines:
B KOSUGE 2013 PINOT NOIR THE SHOP
B. KOSUGE 2012 PINOT NOIR “HABITAT” SONOMA COAST
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| On this Memorial Day, let us remember our heroes.
Remember, honor, and pay tribute to all who have fought and selflessly surrendered the precious gift of life, so that others could live free. Give thanks to those who believed in something greater than themselves. And let us not forget their families whose pain will never go away, but may lessen with our thanks and prayers.
God Bless our fallen, their families, and the men and women in uniform all over the world.
And raise a glass to the United States of America! |
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My tasting group doesn’t often conduct Zinfandel tastings, so we were due for one. We called it the “Battle of the Zins”. The line up of 2013 Zins was impressive and the winner a big surprise. We tasted the following wines:
- Turley “Estate” (95 Parker)
- Epoch (95 Parker)
- Bella Barrel 32 (95 Parker)
- Limerick Lane “Rocky Knoll” (95 Parker)
- Harford “Fannuci” (95 Galloni)
- Carlisle Pagani (95 Parker)
- Saxum “Paderewski (94 Galloni)
- Williams Selyem “Bacigauipi” (94 Parker)
- Ridge “Lytton Springs” (95 Galloni)
- Saxon Brown “Fighting Brothers”
The “Battle of the ZINS Winner
SAXON BROWN received 8 first, 4 second and 3 third place votes, ahead of Carlisle 4 First, 4 Second and Turley 2 First, 2 Second place votes, so a clear winner!
Saxon Brown 2013 Zinfandel “Fighting Brothers” Sonoma Valley
Retail 44.00 – GGWC 39.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6
Use code SAXON upon checkout
The 2013 Fighting Brothers Zinfandel is a big, concentrated wine offering a mouthfilling blend of rich plum, blackberry bramble, raspberry compote, dark cherry and chocolate with lovely accents of allspice and clove. On the palate the wine’s jammy core of concentrated fruit gains exquisite structure from polished, sweet oak tannins that linger on the endless finish. Decant within first year of release. Cellar for up to 7-12 years. Only 393 cases produced.
Robert Parker 93 Points: “The 2013 Zinfandel Fighting Brothers displays notes of Provençal garrigue, pepper, kirsch liqueur and black currants in a complex, intense style. This is very Mediterranean in character, but full-bodied, hedonistic, and just a total joy to smell, taste and appreciate. Drink it over the next 4-6 years.”
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The Gianulias’ had been farming and making wine for centuries in Greece, so it was only normal that they would do so after emigrating to the US. It started in 1926 when the Gianulias family planted their first vines in the Napa. So decades later they are still at it and they say “
Levendi” or “Celebrate Life”
Levendi 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon “Sweetwater” Napa Valley
Retail $60.00 – GGWC 49.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6
Use code LEV13 upon checkout
The Sweetwater is back and better than ever. On the nose this youngster offers up gorgeous black currant, black plums and white pepper aromas. The wine if lush and full in bodied with very lively and forward flavors of black stone fruits, hints of chocolate and a whiff of spice and very modest acidity, balancing it well with the toasty vanilla flavors from the French oak barrels. This wine is lush, bold yet extremely silky on the mid-palate leading into a long-lasting finish. A pleasant wallet-friendly experience!
95 Point Review: “The grapey/currant syrupy effect is attributable to the sunshine-filled 2013 vintage and this Cab shows it beautifully. The grapes are grown on rocky red-soiled slopes and the wine’s texture – strikingly rich – has a backdrop of slate and dried lavender, chocolate pudding surfaces heroically on the mid-palate. The creamy French oak drives texture further, enveloping the palate in what seems like forever. This is one to watch!”
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Everyone’s dream is to make great wine. That said, when these two friends createdLacuna and set out to do so, they had one problem – they had no winemaker! When they hooked up with ace winemaker Morgan Twain Peterson (Bedrock) their problem was solved and their 10 year dream came to fruition. This is the seventh release and it has created a great following among many of our clients. I’d be surprised not to see another high (95 point) rating, as this is on par with the Bedrock wines that have garnered 95-99 Point ratings regulary!
Lacuna 2013 Proprietary Red, Sonoma
Retail 36.00 – GGWC 33.99
FREE SHIPPING on SIX or more
Use discount shipping code LACUNA during check out
The Bedrock Man does it again! I am proud to introduce another release of Lacuna. This 700 case production was sourced from several revered vineyards in Northern California. Morgan Twain Peterson crafted this blend of 85% Syrah, 6% Carignan, 3% Mourvedre, 2% Petite Sirah and 4% Viognier (co-fermented) into a synergy of amazing aromas and flavors. The wine is high-toned with savory and bold aromas of white pepper, rosemary, and black stone fruit that are nestled in the warming embrace of currant and blackberry. This wine has an amazing, lush body with bold black stone fruit flavors that linger on the palate. This wine is well-balanced, although young, shows tremendous potential. I would suggest either decanting, and let it breathe for a good 2 hours, or put in the cellar for a year or two.
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Attune is a venture of two families who with a love for Chardonnay and Pinot. They planted 8.5 acres on their estate to two Burgundy clones from the Cotes d’Or, clones 667 and 115. Their winemaker is Ken Juhasz, who also owns and makes Auteur. Emphasis at Attune is not quantity, but quality. The production of both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are very limited. The
2014 Attune Chardonnay will wow you, both on the palate as well as the wallet!
Retail 42.00 – GGWC 39.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6+, use code ATTUNE upon checkout
Mix and match with Attune Pinot Noir
The
2014 Attune Chardonnay offers up copious notes of honeysuckle, green apple, and Anjou pear on the nose. The wine is medium to full in body, yet extremely elegant with a clean, lean underbelly of tropical fruit, tangerine, citrus and a whiff of minerality. The wine possesses a well-balanced acid-fruit ratio and lingers for a good 20 seconds on the finish. Only 140 cases produced!
Make sure to check out their stunning ATTUNE 2013 PINOT NOIR “ESTATE” SONOMA
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Back in 1995 Russell and Victoria were dating and their favorite game was “guess the wine”. After that they started taking regular trips to California’s wine country meeting some of the best winemakers. Soon they were searching for property in California. It was Kal Showket (Heidi Barrett was his winemaker) who helped develop their estate vineyard and also “gave” Russell 1a ton of his estate Cabernet and the rest…. is history. From their on out Russell has produced a bunch of 100 point and many more 94-99 pointers! I am proud to introduce a KILLER Chardonnay form his portfolio that will wow your senses, the
2014 Bevan Ritchie received a 95 point rating from Parker, not shabby!
Bevan Cellars 2014 Chardonnay “Ritchie Vineyard” Russian River Valley
95 Points Parker!!
Retail $70.00 – GGWC 66.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6
Use code BEVAN at checkout
OK to mix & match with other Bevan winesRussell Bevan’s notes: “The
2014 Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay is our most texturally decadent Chardonnay to date. It has an amazing mid-palate texture that lingers on and on. The flavors are pure Ritchie, stone fruits, minerality and a kiss of freshly caramelized Crème Brulee. With each sip, it gains power and length. While I enjoy drinking this wine so much now, I think it will really hit its stride in another year. The power of this vineyard makes it age worthy and there are so many layers that will develop with time, there is no rush to drink it right off the bat.
Robert Parker 95 Points: “His 2014 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard is 100% from this famous vineyard source for Chardonnay, planted with the old Wente clone. There are 250 cases of this wine, which is aged in three-fourths François Frères cooperage and the remainder in Remond. Light golden with a greenish hue, the wine reveals honeyed apricot, white peach, wet pebbles and floral notes. It is rich, full-bodied, loaded with minerality and extremely pure, with the oak well-concealed. This should drink well for 4-5 years, if not longer.”
Make sure to check out these other amazing Bevan wines:
BEVAN CELLARS 2014 PINOT NOIR “PETALUMA GAP” SONOMA
BEVAN CELLARS 2014 PINOT NOIR “RITA’S CROWN” SANTA RITA HILLS
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2012 marks the 36th vintage for the
Robert Keenan Winery and the 12th consecutive vintage of “Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon. It all started in 1974 when Robert Keenan purchased 180 acres in the Spring Mountain District at an elevation of 1700 feet. The winery is now in its second generation on leadership of Michael Keenan since 1998. He replanted the vineyards and it paid of!
Keenan 2012 Reserve Cabernet Spring Mountain, Napa Valley
GGWC 109.99
FREE SHIPPING on 4
Use code KEENAN upon checkout
The 2012 Reserve Cabernet is a blend of all estate Cabernet Sauvignon (93%) and Cabernet Franc 97%). Offernig up deep aromatics. On the palate you’ll encouter a piercing and precise full rich, saturated mouth feel loaded with bold concentrated, yet well-balanced fruit. The long-lasting multi-layered finish defines this exemplary blend. Enjoy now or decades from now. Cheers!
Robert Parker 96 Points: “The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve from the estate in Spring Mountain Vineyards is the thirty-sixth vintage for the Robert Keenan Winery. This wine has 7% Cabernet Franc added into the blend and 700 cases were produced. A blockbuster wine for sure, with an inky/purple color, sweet crème de cassis, graphite, chocolate a hint of charcoal and burning embers – almost as if it wanted to behave like a Graves from Bordeaux. This is full-bodied, very rich, powerful and still moderately tannic. It’s a baby for sure, but what an impressive one. This wine needs a good 3-4 years of bottle age and should keep well for 25-30 years at the minimum.”
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Justin Wilett started out as an assistant winemaker and worked his way up owning his own label, which he created in 2005 producing 190 cases. His meticulous attention to detail has elevated him to “Must Have” status among many Chardonnay and Pinot Noir lovers. Working with some of the best vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills and Santa Barbara county, Justin has wowed many (including me) with his great craft. His latest releases all garnered big press (94 and 95 point ratings) and I’d say they could have been 96 and 97s but who am I to say.
Tyler 2014 Pinot Noir “La Encantada” Santa Rita Hills
Retail 64.00 – GGWC 59.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6
Use code TYLER14 at checkout
Stunning aromas of crushed red fruit, raspberry and ripe strawberries jump out of the glass on impact. The wine is full in body laced with beautifully balanced flavors of red fruits with a touch of cinnamon and earthiness (from the darker clonal selections). Lush, refreshing, energetic mouthfeel with a long, graceful silky finish that screams of stunning Pinot fruit with a touch a spiciness. This wine will be a good ager! Only 150 cases produced!
Parker 2013 review – 94 Points: “Coming from a west-facing slope in the cool Sta. Rita Hills AVA, the Tyler Pinot Noir La Encantada Sta. Rita Hills starts out dark and earthy, with plenty of mushroom, forest floor and decaying leaves, yet continues to show more and more bright berry fruit with time in the glass. Possessing medium-bodied richness on the palate, with fantastic purity and a great finish, enjoy this superb Pinot Noir over the coming 4-6 years.”
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Matthias Pippig is not your everyday mainstream winemaker. He’s an “artist” in the true sense of the worth. A creator, a dreamer, a visionary, a poet, a chef, a scientist. Mix this all together and you have
Sanguis. Matthias moved here from Germany some 30 years ago with plans to make it big in the Rock & Roll scene. Life took a different turn, as he had to make a living and he eventually stumbled onto the L.A. food scene. He worked as a waiter, and in time met Manfred Krankl, of La Brea Bakery fame, which whom he’d partner and work for several years. Krankl, created the infamous Sine Qua Non label and that inspired Matthias to go a similar route and the rest is history. During the day time he is a “food analyst” by night he makes amazing wines!
Sanguis 2013 “BeeKeeper” Proprietary White, Santa Barbara
Retail 55.00 -GGWC 52.99
FREE SHIPPING on 6
Use code SANGUIS at checkout
The 2013 BeeKeeper is a blend of Marsanne (43%), Chardonnay (27%), Vigonier (25%) and Roussanne (5%) sourced from the Watch Hill and Bien Nacido Vineyards in Santa Barbara. Only 125 cases of this great blend were produced. The wine’s aromas jump out of the glass upon impact. On the nose you are greeted by orange blossoms, jasmine and a touch of tropical fruit. On the palate, this lush yet extremely well-balanced wine offers up a bouillabese of great flavors from apricot, flowers, orange blossom , brioche all full-throttle with just a whiff of clean acidity on the backbone.
The BeeKeeper is a real crowd-pleaser that will surprise and please many! Sadly with only 125 cases produced, it will go fast! So hurry up!
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Tasting Notes | Frank May 31, 2016 | 
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