Country: | Italy |
Region: | Piemonte |
Winery: | Gaja |
Grape Type: | Sauvignon Blanc |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Cardinale Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot.
Super structured and with minerality to spare, this Cabernet Sauvignon offers a real presence on the palate from start to finish. Generous notes of dark chocolate balance beautifully with a blue and black fruit flavor explosion, finishing with a subtle whisper of rose petal.
Reviews:
- James Suckling 98 Points
Clif Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap is made from 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot.
The fruit was sourced from the hillside terraces of our Poetry Vineyard, our Twin Peaks Vineyard estate surrounding the winery, and a few neighboring vineyards in the Stags Leap District. The wine is composed of small lots from our best blocks, representing a diverse range of carefully selected clones and rootstocks. From Poetry’s exposed, rocky terraces boasting volcanic origins, to the ancient riverbed alluvial soils of Twin Peaks, the breadth of contributing sites translates into a wine of impressive complexity.
Grapes were picked in the darkness of the early morning hours. The freshly-harvested fruit immediately underwent rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process, which included our cutting-edge optical sorter. Whole berries were gently delivered by gravity to tank using our crane system, minimizing disruption of berry integrity. Cold soaks lasted approximately seven days, and fermentations were managed via a combination of délestage, pumpovers, and punchdowns. Extended maceration ranging from four to five weeks fine-tuned our tannin profiles, allowing us to perfect mouth feel and wine complexity. The wine was aged in French oak barrels, 38% of which were new, for twenty-one months.
Review:
This wine substantially overdelivers on its price point, presenting a dark fruit profile, generous tannin and oak, and an expansive full-bodied style. Blended with 8% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, it is approachable while never forgetting its structured, complex roots.
-Editors' Choice Wine Spectator 95 Points
Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon 4% Merlot 4% Petit Verdot 2% Cabernet Franc.
20 months in French oak (only about a third of that is new oak) and for 20 more months in bottle before release
Our winemaking "style" is solely determined by this place or terrior we call "Paradigm." Winemaking is agriculture when you own your vineyards and are able to farm them to promote the very best Earth will give you. All of our selections of wines are made from five varietals on the estate. Every wine is 100% farmed and grown by us.
Complexity in our wines supported by luscious fruit and acidity is our hallmark. Our efforts during harvest and barrel cellaring concentrate on maintaining the freshness from the first day we handpicked each vineyard block. Simple winemaking protocols are employed while crucial “timing” oriented winemaking decisions rule each day.
Dark Cabernet color with beautiful aromas of black cherry, cassis, plus 5-spice, vanilla. Big, ripe and mouthcoating across the palate. The flavors are similar to the aromas with ripe fruit, berry/cherry pie, moderate tannins, and nice length. This wine shows enough structure to be age-worth, yet soft and balanced enough to enjoy upon release. Flavors linger in this tasty, dense wine. Tastes like Oakville. -Heidi Barrett
Double Diamond by Schrader Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon stands to outshine the award-winning 2019 vintage with even deeper concentration and complexity. On the nose, the wine leaps from the glass with ripe blackberry, cassis, black cherry, and red plum, with a lovely herbaceous undertone. The palate expresses juicy red and black fruits with hints of black tea, damp earth, vanilla bean, lavender, and just a touch of flint. With fine-grained tannins and mouthwatering acidity that lingers through the long finish, this wine is ready to drink upon release but will cellar well for years to come.
Double Diamond is sourced exclusively from a complement of prime vineyard estates. Sourced from the same famed vineyards as its beloved inspiration Schrader Cellars in Napa Valley’s world-renowned Oakville AVA, including our To Kalon Vineyard.
Review:
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is cut from the same cloth, with plenty of richness and depth, yet it stays slightly more focused and tight on the palate, with medium to full-bodied richness as well as beautiful darker currant, cassis, darker chocolate, graphite, and hints of flowers. It's concentrated and has beautiful mid-palate density, ripe yet building tannins, and a great finish. It's another undeniably delicious, hard-to-resist Cabernet Sauvignon from the talents of winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown. Give bottles a decant if drinking any time soon and enjoy over the coming 10-12+ years.
-Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
2021 Rossj-Bass displays the main features of the vintage well, with intense fruit concentration and floral notes. The nose shows ripe citrus notes of lemon peel and orange evolving into tropical fruits. The richness of the nose and the same notes are reflected on the palate, where remarkable acidity balances the fruit concentration. The wine is rich, full-bodied and creamy, with a long finish.
Review:
The 2021 Gaja Rossj-Bass starts off with very, crisp, green fruit and much more Sauvignon Blanc dominant aromas of grassy, bright, fragrant green apple and green pepper - all very bright and cheerful. Then Chardonnay seems to take over in the medium-full bodied and pleasing creamy texture of the wine. This is balanced again by the tangy, juicy acidity of Sauvignon. This is very elegant blend of Sauvignon Blanc aromas and zestiness and the textural comfort of Chardonnay. The name Rossj is a nickname of Angelo Gaja’s second daughter, Rossanna.
-Wine Independent 94 Points
Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc
20 months in French oak (only about a third of that is new oak) and for 20 more months in bottle before release
Our winemaking "style" is solely determined by this place or terrior we call "Paradigm." Winemaking is agriculture when you own your vineyards and are able to farm them to promote the very best Earth will give you. All of our selections of wines are made from five varietals on the estate. Every wine is 100% farmed and grown by us.
Complexity in our wines supported by luscious fruit and acidity is our hallmark. Our efforts during harvest and barrel cellaring concentrate on maintaining the freshness from the first day we handpicked each vineyard block. Simple winemaking protocols are employed while crucial “timing” oriented winemaking decisions rule each day.
The 2015 vintage produced delicious concentrated wines in smaller quantity than normal. This black raspberry colored Cabernet has lovely open aromatics of black cherry, berry, and plum layered with a perfect balance of new and used French Oak.
Reviews:
"Owned and managed by the Harris family, Paradigm winery produced its first vintage in 1991 in Oakville with winemaker Heidi Barrett. A self-contained winery estate with 50 acres of vineyards, Paradigm maintains a hands-on approach to all winemaking and vineyard operations. The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon consists of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, and is aged in both new and used French oak for 20 months, then aged a further 20 months in bottle before release. The total production for this vintage was 5,544 bottles." Blind tasted by Dave Allen, Stephen Brook, Terry Kandylis (at Decanter Magazine's December 2019 Californian Cabernet 2015 Panel Tasting, London, 17 Sep 2019) - Decanter 95 Points
Gaja Alteni di Brassica Sauvignon Blanc is made from 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc.
Fresh and floral, featuring a sleek note of white flowers: jasmine, acacia and lily. Tomato leaf, combined with sage and pink grapefruit, lead the way for a juicy display of mango, papaya and passion fruit.
Alteni di Brassica has a powerful style and a rich bouquet. A vivid structure with bright acidity, yet it displays a mineral accent on the mid-palate. The finish is long, sweet and focused.
Review:
The 2019 Alteni di Brassica is bright, focused and full of energy. Sage, mint, tomato leaf ‘and a whole range of varietal accents lend vibrancy to this beautifully sculpted, phenolic in feel Sauvignon from the Gaja family. The 2019 was fermented and aged in a combination of steel and cask, with no racking until bottling. | especially admire the precision here.
-Antonio Galloni Vinous 94 Points
Located in Piedmont in northwestern Italy, the GAJA winery is widely considered to be one of the greatest estates in the world, producing coveted and collectible labels. From its classic Barbaresco and Barolo and its single-vineyard bottling, to its ground-breaking Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, GAJA is a pioneer and guardian of tradition, a legacy that continues to reshape the standard for excellence in the world of winemaking today.
2021 Rossj-Bass displays the main features of the vintage well, with intense fruit concentration and floral notes. The nose shows ripe citrus notes of lemon peel and orange evolving into tropical fruits. The richness of the nose and the same notes are reflected on the palate, where remarkable acidity balances the fruit concentration. The wine is rich, full-bodied and creamy, with a long finish.
Review:
The 2021 Gaja Rossj-Bass starts off with very, crisp, green fruit and much more Sauvignon Blanc dominant aromas of grassy, bright, fragrant green apple and green pepper - all very bright and cheerful. Then Chardonnay seems to take over in the medium-full bodied and pleasing creamy texture of the wine. This is balanced again by the tangy, juicy acidity of Sauvignon. This is very elegant blend of Sauvignon Blanc aromas and zestiness and the textural comfort of Chardonnay. The name Rossj is a nickname of Angelo Gaja’s second daughter, Rossanna.
-Wine Independent 94 Points
Gaja Sperss is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.
Vibrant and intense notes of herbs and spices such as thyme, cloves and black pepper. On the palate the wine is tense, loaded with energy that will need serious ageing to fully develop although extremely approachable in its youth. Impressive fruit concentration, with dark and ripe fruits – prunes and black cherries. Acidity and tannins lift this wine to its freshest expression.
Nebbiolo based wines have not only complexity and structure but also great elegance and finesse. The distinctive silky tannins of the Nebbiolo make it the right wine to drink with meat. Usually a young vintage goes very well with richer dishes because of the stronger tannins; mature Barolos are more suitable with delicate white meat courses or braised meat courses with sauces or concentrated red wines reductions.
Review:
The 2018 Barolo Sperss is a gorgeous, gorgeous wine. The aromatics alone are beguiling. Then again, that's one of the things that makes Barolo such a totally seductive wine. Sweet black cherry, lavender, spice and leather give this unusually translucent Barolo striking layers of dimension. Potent Serralunga tannins are present, but they are beautifully woven into the wine's fabric. Sadly, production is around 11,000 bottles, down sharply from the 18,000 or so that is more typical.
- -- Antonio Galloni 97 Points
Prager Smaragd Klaus Riesling is made from 100 percent Riesling.
Franz Prager, co-founder of the Vinea Wachau, had already earned a reputation for his wines when Toni Bodenstein married into the family. Bodenstein’s passion for biodiversity and old terraces, coupled with brilliant winemaking, places Prager in the highest echelon of Austrian producers.
Smaragd is a designation of ripeness for dry wines used exclusively by members of the Vinea Wachau. The wines must have minimum alcohol of 12.5%. The grapes are hand-harvested, typically in October and November, and are sent directly to press where they spontaneously ferment in stainless-steel tanks.
Klaus sits adjacent to Achleiten and is one of the Wachau’s most famous vineyards for Riesling. The vineyard is incredibly steep with a gradient of 77% at its steepest point. The southeast-facing terraced vineyard of dark migmatite-amphibolite and paragneiss produces a tightly wound and powerful wine. The parcel belonging to Toni Bodenstein was planted in 1952.
Tasting Notes:
Austrian Riesling is often defined by elevated levels of dry extract thanks to a lengthy ripening period and freshness due to dramatic temperature swings between day and night. “Klaus is not a charming Riesling,” says Toni Bodenstein with a wink. Klaus is Prager’s most assertive and robust Riesling.
Food Pairing
Riesling’s high acidity makes it one of the most versatile wines at the table. Riesling can be used to cut the fattiness of foods such as pork or sausages and can tame some saltiness. Conversely, it can highlight foods such as fish or vegetables in the same way a squeeze of lemon or a vinaigrette might.
Review:
What a stunning example of cool climate riesling. It’s full-bodied and deep, but so cool and delicate, packing in sleek layers of honeysuckle, apricots, lemons and grapefruit married to thyme and crushed rock. So long and seamless, with tension and focus that just keeps going. Sustainable. Try from 2025.
-James Suckling 98 Points
Maysara Asha Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir
22 months in 40% new French oak barrel
Asha is an ancient Persian Word describing one who has a clean conscience for good thoughts, words, and deeds with a pure demeanor and performance.
A bejeweled glassful of garnets, Asha snakes onto your palate with amarena cherries, clove and a tantalizing whisp of … what is that? A distant campfire? Elegant and slippery tannins sway to a tune played upon vanilla violins.
At Maysara Winery & Momtazi Vineyard, we are committed to cap-turing the complete expression of our land and conveying it to you through superior quality in every bottle. We practice only low-impact, holistic farming methods in our Demeter Certified Biodynamic Vineyard. We are confident these practices are the best way to capture the true essence of the soil in our fruit and ensure health of our vines and the unique accent of our terroir for generations. This philosophy is carried into the cellar, where Demeter Certified Biodynamic wine-making practices produce wines with intensity, sophistication and elegance while maintaining a purity of both fruit and earth.
Pair with dishes that utilize slow braised meats, something with complex layers of spices and caramelization, as the mid-palate is ensorcelled with lively acidity and don't forget those tannins!