Roland Champion Champagne Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru 100% chardonnay.
Champagne with rich and structured aromas. Very pleasant and generous roundness, nice length in mouth. Golden color with buttery and fruity aromas. All the expression of a magnificent terroir for your most pleasurable moments.
Manual harvest; then pressing immediately to avoid oxidation & preserve quality. Free run juice only. Aged six years sur lattes.
It matches magnificently with foie gras!
Verite La Joie Red is made from 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc,5% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec.
The 2018 La Joie displays a brilliant violet core with a thin rim of bright ruby. Generous fruit-for- ward aromas of ripe black currant and black cherry are followed by earthy notes of fresh conifer, dried mushroom, black olive, dusty clay, anise and clove. The palate is rich and structured; possessing similar flavors of the nose, refined tannins, well-balanced acidity and a complex, luscious finish.
Review:
Blackberries, black mushrooms, violets, flowers, and dark tobacco. Black truffle, too. Full-bodied, yet in check and pretty. The fine tannins frame the wine perfectly. Really long and focused. Seamless. Elegance with power. This will age incredibly well, but already so gorgeous to try. 76% cabernet sauvignon, 9% merlot, 7% cabernet franc, 5% petit verdot and 3% malbec. Try after 2026, but attractive now.
-James Suckling 99 Points
Verite Le Desir Red is made from 82% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, 6% Malbec.
The 2018 Le Désir has a dark inky appearance with a violet hue that extends to the rim. The compelling characteristics of Cabernet Franc are expressed on the nose and palate with flavors of crunchy cranberry, ripe raspberry, red currant, dried sage, crushed mint, and cinnamon bark; followed by spice cake, subtle vanilla liquor, and singed toast. The persistent finish and bright acidity suggest the wine will continue to evolve in the cellar for many years to come.
Review:
The Cabernet Franc blend of the trio, the 2018 Le Desir is 82% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, and 6% Malbec, and as with all these wines, it was brought up in new barrels. Ruby/purple and not completely opaque, it offers up a classic Cabernet Franc nose of mostly red fruits, spring flowers, damp earth, cedary spices, and truffle. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shines for its incredible elegance and purity more than outright power, yet it still brings plenty of richness. With ultra-fine tannins, perfect balance, and one heck of a great finish, it's another great, great wine from this estate.
Jeb Dunnuck 98+ Points
The 2021 Shafer Hillside Select is crafted exclusively from grapes grown on Shafer's rugged hillside vineyards, where steep, rocky soils push the vines to produce low yields of intensely concentrated fruit. The unique terroir, combined with Napa Valley's hallmark climate of warm, sunny days and cool nights, contributed to a vintage with exceptional structure, lush tannins, and deep, vibrant color. The 2021 growing season exemplified these conditions, allowing the grapes to mature beautifully by early September, resulting in a wine with refined, pure aromas and flavors that reflect the richness and elegance of the vineyard.
“Such a beautifully balanced wine with tremendous staying power and expressive Stags Leap ironstone minerality with heady sagebrush and conifer notes with white pepper and walnut husk. The wine has an impressive depth of red-toned fruit on the mid-palate framed by tannins that practically dance across the palate, exuding length, tension, and power. Huckleberry and black cherry fruits, black truffle, dried violets, graphite, and salted dark chocolate are all framed by racy acidity, which keeps everything fresh and lifted. The 2021 releases mark Elias Fernandez's 38th vintage as Shafer's winemaker. He was hired by John Shafer in 1984, two weeks out of UC Davis.”
-Decanter, 99 Points
“The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select was tasted as a barrel sample. Deep garnet-purple in color, it charges out with powerful notes of creme de cassis, plum preserves, and juicy blueberries giving way to an undercurrent of tar, candied violets, and star anise. The full-bodied palate is concentrated and impactful, delivering a firm, grainy texture and well-knit freshness to support the generous black and blue fruits, finishing long with loads of mineral and exotic spices sparks. This is impressive!”
-The Wine Independent, 98-100 Points
“As always, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that will spend 28 months in new barrels. Its deep purple hue gives way to a behemoth of a wine that has incredible cassis, black raspberry, and even blue fruits to go with loads of camphor, minty herbs, graphite, and darker chocolate. It's full-bodied, concentrated, yet pure, flawlessly balanced, and has a great finish.”
-Jeb Dunnuck, 97-99 Points
Review:
“The medium-bodied palate is so tightly wound at this youthful stage, slowly revealing layer upon layer of fragrant black and red fruits with loads of mineral sparks, supported by beautifully fine-grained yet firm tannins and seamless acidity, finishing with epic length and a whole firework display of mineral and floral notes. This is gorgeous. ” Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent 100 Points
The Grade Cellar Kingly Project Cabernet Sauvignon is made from Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
"This is a noble expression of Cabernet Sauvignon" in full regalia, with decadent aromas and a mouthfeel viscous and sleek. "This vintage of the Kingly Project Cabernet Sauvignon enters the scene" -- Thomas Rivers Brown
Review:
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Kingly Project is fabulous. A wine of vertical power and thrust, the 2019 soars out of the glass, showing magnificent intensity from start to finish. Black cherry, scorched earth, licorice, plum and chocolate give this substantial Cabernet tons of complexity. I would cellar the 2019 for at least a few years to allow the tannins to soften. -
- Antonio Galloni 97 Points
Robert Mondavi The Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard is made from 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot.
The story of Robert Mondavi Winery begins here, with the To Kalon Reserve. This tier represents the pinnacle of the wines produced by the winery. The 2021 vintage offers fresh black fruit with dark chocolate, dried herbs, and hints of vanilla and violet. Flavors of black plum and blackberry with red fruit and a hint of graphite on the finish. Elegant and plush with sweet, beautifully integrated tannins and a lengthy finish.
Review:
2021 Robert Mondavi The Reserve To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautifully crafted wine with impressive intensity, depth, and a balanced structure that carries the day. From the To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville, the portion owned by Constellation, comes this blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. Pure blackberry fruit, cassis, graphite, and violet aromas leap from the glass, nuanced by fragrant, toasty new cedar wood. Full-bodied, framed by an array of plush dark black fruit notes, currants, crème de cassis, and polished tannins that are firm and elongated, with ironstone mineral accents. Dynamic in its length and texture, it is utterly intriguing, with a beckoning quality that lingers after each sip. You want to know precisely where this wine is going—demanding your attention.
- Decanter 98 Points
Hall Wines The Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 96% Cabernet, 4% Merlot.
The 2017 Kathryn Hall is deep, dark ruby in color and elegantly balanced with layered aromas of concentrated blackberry, freshly turned earth, and a hint of warm, spicy oak. The palate is fruit-forward with underlying notes of rich cocoa and leather. Layers of black fruit, nutmeg, cassis and brooding earthy notes are abundant. Supple, seamless tannin abounds, and the wine finishes with an incredible dark fruit feed-back that lasts several minutes.
Review:
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Kathryn Hall is a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot, brought up mostly in new barrels. It’s a killer bottle of wine offering lots of ripe black fruits intermixed with savory herbs, melted chocolate, and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shows the lush, round, velvety style of the 2019 vintage and is already impossible to resist. It’s going to evolve for 15+ years if well stored.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points