Ancien Chardonnay Coombsville Haynes Old Block is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Inspired by the classic and most revered Chardonnay vineyard in the world, Le Montrachet, Ancien winery utilizes the same classic techniques. It is fermented in tight-grained French Oak cask after a gentle squeeze as whole clusters. The wine is not moved through the fermentation and aging period, only pushed by inert gas in gentle fashion into the bottling tank. In vintages where the wine achieves good clarity through natural settling, the wine is not filtered – otherwise it undergoes a light polish to help reveal is core of fruit.
The effusive nose welcomes with layers of lemon meringue, ripe apple, citrus zest, honey and grape blossom. The palate is vibrant and fresh, and the richly textured mouth-feel is expansive. Baked apple tart and stone fruit emerge as this opulent wine reaches the depths of your palate, with further notes brioche. The finish is a focused amalgamation of minerality and ripe fruit. Give this cellar worthy Chardonnay time to open up and it will reveal increasingly lush and creamy layers as it evolves over minutes in the glass and the years in the bottle.
Andrew Will Winery Sorella 2019 is made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petite Verdot.
Sorella means sister in Italian and was named after Chris Camarda late sister Jane Camarda. This first vintage was from 1994. This wine is made from 100% Champoux Vineyard fruit and represents the nature of the vineyard by highlighting the Cabernet Sauvignon, which is considered some of the best in Washington State. The picture on the label is a portrait of Annie Camarda (Chris’s late wife).
Review:
Flirting with triple digits, and perhaps the best Sorella yet, the 2019 Sorella explodes from the glass with a fantastic mineral essence that sways between dark red fruit tones, oak essence and freshly opened flowers. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is impeccably balanced with a silky-smooth mid-palate that bestows a stunningly beautiful wine with gobs of complexity and a ripe frame of glossy black raspberry and blackberry fruit tones. Unwinding across the finish, the wine unpacks gorgeous layers that seduce me for a second, third and fourth sip and finally begs me to finish the glass. Buy this ASAP!
-Wine Advocate 99 Points
Ancient Vineyard Rested Veneto Red
bright ruby color. The nose evolves bright cherry, wildberries, and a touch of spice. The palate is deep and rich, with a long-lasting finish.
Tenuta di Arceno Valadorna is made from 60% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot .
The first impression of the nose is earthy with notes of cypress, vanilla bean, and spice. There are deep fruit flavors of black cherries, plums and blueberries followed by pleasant hints of chocolate and dried rose petals. On the palate, the tannins are chewy and accompanied by lively acidity; contributing to a long finish dominated by flavors of dried figs and licorice. The 2016 Valadorna is a time bomb of joy that will stand the test of time and age well in the cellar if patience permits.
This Merlot-led blend is sourced primarily from the Valadorna and Capraia blocks, which produce the estate’s most complex and mineral-based expressions of this variety. The blocks are located within the cooler part of the estate, naturally irrigated by the stream that undulates through it, and feature sandy brown soils and lower yields than typical. These blocks are often the last Merlot blocks to ripen on the estate.
Review:
Solid and radiant in the glass it shows notes of pink grapefruit, flowering geraniums, pressed blueberries, plums and rosemary. There is more in the background in the brightness of the lemon, lime and bergamot notes. Full body, well-polymerized tannins that are decidedly vibrant and tense at the moment and an impressive long finish that will relax over time. Better from 2024.
-Raffaele Vecchione - WinesCritic.com 96 Points
Argot Cabernet Sauvignon 1555 Oakville is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Hailing from the historic Bonny’s Vineyard in the heart of Oakville. Cabernet Sauvignon vines thrive in the gravel rich soils here adjacent to the Napa River riverbed. Roots plumb deep into the valley floor, while vine canopies harvest Napa Valley’s plethora of summer sunshine. These conditions conspire to deliver unerringly perfect Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.
Pouring a deep opaque red-violet, 1555’s Cabernet personality leaps from the glass balancing opulent fruit, damp earth, chilling minerality and an alluring spice note that keeps pulling us back for more. Exquisitely ripe tannins provide a refined, velvety structure, delivering the deep and seductively rich palate. The pedigree displayed in the glass is undeniable.
Review:
"Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon 1555 Oakville wafts sensuously out of the glass with redcurrant jelly, black raspberries and rose oil scents, followed by a cassis and black plums core, with emerging suggestions of cinnamon toast, cedar and pencil shavings. The full-bodied palate is fantastically fragrant, delivering red and black fruit layers accented by floral and exotic spice nuances, supported by super ripe, velvety tannins, finishing long and perfumed. 250 cases were made. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (November 2021), 95+ pts
Argot Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Sugarloaf Vineyard is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Sugarloaf’s terroir continues to impress with its expression of classically-styled Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons — impeccably pure black and red fruit character; broad, rich, perfectly ripe tannins; classic Napa Valley notes of cigar leaf, eucalyptus, and freshly-tilled earth; and definitive complexities of clove, all-spice and bay leaf. Having assessed past vintages with a few years of age, we have come to greatly value the significant reward Sugarloaf delivers after a few years in the cellar.
From Block 6, an acre of fiercely steep, ferociously rocky hillside, located in Napa’s far south-eastern foothills, deeply affected by the cooling influences of San Pablo Bay. One of the latest harvests in all of Napa Valley each vintage. Mother Nature was kind to this site in 2019, being our most bountiful year here ever. With perfect set, and vines displaying great health, this normally stingy hillside delivered superlative quality, without restraint of yield. After a slow start in the Spring, 2019’s particularly warm September and October played beautifully to the vineyard’s strengths, and delivered a classic Halloween-time harvest.
Review:
"It is not often that you see a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon coming from this rising star, cooler-climate vineyard in south Napa. This wine comes exclusively from the low-yielding, steep, rocky "Block 6." Deep purple-black in color, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Sugarloaf Vineyard needs a little coaxing to reveal wonderfully pure scents of blackcurrant cordial, juicy blueberries and ripe blackberries, plus suggestions of iris bulb, dark chocolate, molten licorice and cedar chest. The big, rich, seductive, full-on full-bodied palate is laden with ripe, energetic black berry layers, framed by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and perfumed. A stunning, true-blue Napa blockbuster with its own very evocative signature, this comes highly recommended! 175 cases were made. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (November 2021), 97+ pts
Argot Chardonnay Sonoma County is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Pouring a green-tinted gold, our Sonoma County Chardonnay is a beautiful wine from word go. Radiating from within, a blast of apple/pear fruit informs this wine both aromatically, and on the palate. As flavors unfurl, a progression of orange blossom, pineapple, white peach, and hazlenut are followed by a finish dominated by ginger, baked apple, with a trailing kiss of mint’s freshness. A stunning wine — wholly informed by the perfection of 2018’s growing season — defined by its dichotomy of massively intense flavors, and superb acidity and freshness.
Raised by minimalistic methods, often associated with the classic Chardonnay winemaking techniques of Meursault. With a focus on the coolest Chardonnay region in Sonoma County, 2018’s long, even growing season favored our vineyards’ moderate climate, old vines and deep volcanic soils. These grapes were allowed an extended ripening period on the vine, resulting in perfect balance and concentrated flavors.
Argot Le Rayon Vert Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
"Le Rayon Vert", the phenomenon which occurs as the sun dips below the horizon, and a brilliant green flash occurs when sunlight prisms through Earth's atmosphere. Jules Verne wrote "a green which no artist could ever obtain on his palette”, akin to the ethereal, green halo all truly pedigreed Chardonnays radiate from the glass.
Wafting from the glass like a freshly opened stick of Wrigley's gum. Both intense and vibrant, the full-bodied palate delivers Granny Smith apple and stone fruits; confections of custard and sticky vanilla bean; animated by bursts of spearmint and pine forest.
Review:
The 2019 Chardonnay Le Rayon Vert comes from fruit grown on Sonoma Mountain. It slides out of the glass with graceful notes of lemon tart, lime leaves, and fresh grapefruit, leading to suggestions of almond croissant, sea spray, honeysuckle, and aniseed. The medium-bodied palate is fantastically tight-knit with gorgeous tension and layer upon layer of citrus and mineral flavors, finishing very long and chalky. This is amazing.
-The Wine Independent 97 Points
Argot Le Rayon Vert Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
"Le Rayon Vert", the phenomenon which occurs as the sun dips below the horizon, and a brilliant green flash occurs when sunlight prisms through Earth's atmosphere. Jules Verne wrote "a green which no artist could ever obtain on his palette”, akin to the ethereal, green halo all truly pedigreed Chardonnays radiate from the glass.
Wafting from the glass like a freshly opened stick of Wrigley's gum. Both intense and vibrant, the full-bodied palate delivers Granny Smith apple and stone fruits; confections of custard and sticky vanilla bean; animated by bursts of spearmint and pine forest.
Review:
The 2020 Le Rayon-Vert comes bounding out of the glass with bold notions of lemon meringue pie, fresh apricots, and sea spray, giving way to nuances of struck flint, wet pebbles, and Marcona almonds, plus wafts of lime leaves and mandarin peel. The medium to full-bodied is simply electric, delivering super-intense citrus and mineral layers with a crisp backbone and a very long, chalky finish.
-The Wine Independent 96 Points
Argot Mosaic Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Sourced from both high-elevation and valley floor vineyards, located in the cool-climate AVAs of Sonoma Mountain, Bennett Valley and Petaluma Gap. A drama-free growing season allowed for a leisurely harvest of perfectly ripe, healthy fruit. Low-stress, clean ferments, led to an exceptionally pure Pinot Noir, laden with fruit, earth and spice.
A dramatic, ridgetop landscape — rising 1500 feet above Lake Hennessey, staring west over Pritchard Hill — persistently influenced by a push/pull draw between The Valley’s floor and Lake Berryessa. This wild, untamed, eastern frontier of Napa Valley, produces singular, terroir-driven wines of captivating beauty, power and lift. An unseasonably wet and cool springtime produced significant shatter at Sage Ridge in 2019, reducing our yields by 50%, leading to a particularly flamboyant edition of this wine.
An incomparable expression of Cabernet Sauvignon — massively pure red fruit character, delivered on a ribbon of ultra-suave tannins and gorgeously seductive high tones. The palate never relents its come-hither posture. Aromatically, puts forth an intriguing botanical complexity that is unmistakably site-specific. As our experience with this one-of-a-kind terroir deepens, we remain endlessly excited for the potential of these unique ridgetop vineyards. Get your hands on a bottle and pull the cork…a wine built for immense near-term gratification.
Review:
"Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Sage Ridge Vineyard opens with open-knit notes of plum preserves, baked blackberries and boysenberry jam, leading to a core of crème de cassis, mocha, camphor and Indian spices with a touch of unsmoked cigars. The palate is full-bodied, concentrated and dense with black fruit preserves, framed by soft tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and very spicy. Only 75 cases were made. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (November 2021), 95 pts
Argot Starstruck Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot (15-25 years old)
An explosive nose of Cabernet—singular only to the Napa Valley—introduces the 2019 Starstruck with classically elegant red and black Cabernet fruits, enhanced by notes of smoked sage and rosemary. Red-fruits carry the mid-palate, dancing on a pillow of wonderfully sweet tannin and pie spice complexity. As the wine transitions from the mid, acid emerges lifting Starstruck's massive palate into a warming finish that continues to reveal dark fruits and intriguing spice accents. A gorgeous Cabernet that remains approachable, while its structure and earthy complexities keep bombast at bay.
Review:
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Starstruck has a classic Napa Valley Cabernet nose of crème de cassis, violets, lead pencil, and flowery incense. This carries to a medium-bodied, supple, nicely textured Cabernet with moderate tannins, terrific overall balance, and a great finish. It's ready to go and should keep for 10-12 years or more.
-Jeb Dunnuck 92 Points
THIS OFFER IS FOR HALF-BOTTLES
Arzuaga Ribera del Duero Crianza 95% Tempranillo and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Dark cherry color with purple highlights. Powerful nose and high aromatic diversity of ripe red and black fruits, spicy and balsamic notes, and a roasted finish. Soft and mellow in the mouth with a great fruitiness and length.
Arzuaga Gran Arzuaga Ribera del Duero is made from 92% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Gran Arzuaga is a special cuvee coming from the selection of vineyards on the two banks of the Duero River. Tempranillo is planted in the Olivares de Duero area and Cabernet Sauvignon in La Planta estate that rich in limestone soils. Both areas bring richness and typical characters to the wine.
Tasting notes:
The wine has a bright cherry red color with violet rims. On the nose, it shows great aromatic complexity. In the first place, the primary aromas of red fruits such as blackberry predominate, herbaceous and floral touches that give way to tertiary aromas where balsamic and spicy aromas stand out. On the palate the wine is creamy and silky, with a fresh entry that quickly becomes meaty and unctuous as it goes through the mouth.
Perfect with Roast Lamb, Meat Stews, and even dark Chocolate.
Review:
"This wine's aromas of black cherry, caramel and violet pave the way for dark berry, clove, menthol, orange zest and rose-petal flavors. Polished tannins and a nice sense of brightness fill the mouth and recede into a finish marked with chocolate and orange zest. Drink through 2043. - Mike DeSimone"
- Wine Enthusiast (July 1st 2023), 97 pts & Cellar Selection
Avennia Arnaut Syrah is made of 100% Syrah
For our taste, no one grows finer Syrah in the state than Dick Boushey. We named this wine after the Provencal Troubadour Arnaut Daniel, who invented the Sestina poem form, thus creating a connection between our two flagship efforts.
"Deep, dark Syrah notes on the nose, with dark blackberry, blueberry reduction, grilled meat, crushed olive, black licorice, camphor, pen ink, and cracked black pepper. The palate is super concentrated and dense, tightly focused, and deeply complex. Savory blueberry, pan drippings, a hint of orange essence, and hand-rubbed sage come through on the extremely long and nuanced finish. A compelling wine that will age for a couple decades at least." - Chris Peterson, Winemaker
We make this wine with minimal manipulation, using native yeasts and bottling unfined and unfiltered, to allow the "place" to shine through.
AVA: Yakima Valley
Blend: 100% Boushey Vineyard Syrah
Winemaking: 15% whole cluster, native yeast, 15% new French oak, aged 16 months, bottled unfined & unfiltered.
Review:
The 2019 Syrah Arnaut is the tenth edition of this wine, which utilizes 100% Boushey vineyard fruit from the Yakima Valley. The nose is deep and concentrated, presenting iodine alongside ripe blackberry cordial, tar, white pepper and black licorice tones. Rich and layered in the mouth, with a beautiful texture, this shows outstanding length and a glorious core of dark fruits with bacon fat and chocolate undertones.
Vinous 95 Points
Bachelet Bertrand Chassagne Montrachet Rouge is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
The Chassagne-Montrachet appellation is originally better known for its white wines, but also produces high quality red wines. The complexity of the terroir allows both varieties to thrive side by side.
The wine is produced from vineyards located in the villages of Les Lombardes and Les Benoites that benefit from iron rich clay soils. A ruby garnet color, and an expressive nose of spices and red fruits that echo on the palate.
Pairs well with a nice cut of red meat.
Bertrand Bachelet Meursault Clos du Cromin is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Meursault, the world-renowned appellation, has produced mostly fine white wines for centuries.
Meursault Clos du Cromin takes its name from the village "Le Cromin", situated in the north-east of the appellation, close to the Volnay vineyard, in rich, clay soil.
The wine reveals a beautifully transparent and brilliant color, a subtle nose of citrus fruits, butter and honey, and a long finish.
Pairs with a noble fish, or white meat in sauce.
Bertrand Bachelet Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Saint-Aubin is situated in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, between Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet; both white and red wines are produced here but Chardonnay remains predominant. The Saint-Aubin appellation covers a wide area, with an altitude ranging from 300 to 450 meters, and with very varied expositions and soils, which makes each climat unique.
Saint-Aubin En Remilly is located in the south-east of Gamay, a hamlet near the village of Saint Aubin and next to the Puligny-Montrachet et Chassagne-Montrachet appellations. This area benefits from a south-western exposition.
The wine offers a pale yellow color, with gold nuances; a mineral nose, a dense texture on the palate, bringing together substance and tension.
Perfect as an aperitif, pairs very well with firm-textured fish or with shellfish.
Shiny gold the wine is lively and crisp, with medium-bodied notes of melon, citrus blossom and flowers. Perfectly balanced between richness, fruitiness and freshness.
Excellent with seafood (scallops and fish) as well as poultry (chicken and turkey)
Benjamin Romeo Predicador Tinto is made from 96 percent Tempranillo, 2 percent Garnacha, 1 percent Graciano and 1 percent Mazuelo.
Predicador, or “Preacher,” named after Clint Eastwood’s everyman character in the 1985 film Pale Rider, is composed of 96 percent Tempranillo, 2 percent Garnacha, 1 percent Graciano and 1 percent Mazuelo. The grapes are sourced from 15 different plots within San Vicente and Briones in Rioja Alta which on average yield less than 2 kg per vine. The wine is fermented in oak and stainless steel with a two-day cold maceration and aged for sixteen months in new French oak. The wine was filtered but not fined. This vintage some La Cueva del Contador, Contador and La Vina de Andres were added for concentration and balance.
The aromatics open up with crushed red cherries, balsamic notes and the sweet baking spices of cinnamon and clove. The fruity and spicy characteristics found in the nose follow through on the palate, along with dried cranberry, black cherry and elegant fine-grained tannin supporting the tart red fruit and adding to its length and depth.
Review:
The red 2021 Predicador has notes of ripe black fruit and dark spices and is a little earthy, powerful, concentrated and generously oaked but balanced and integrated. A modern, powerful red Rioja produced with Tempranillo and complemented with 3% each Graciano and Mazuelo and 2% Garnacha, it has a juicy palate with plenty of power and abundant, fine-grained tannins. It's ripe without excess at 14.7% alcohol. 90,000 bottles produced. It was bottled after spending 19 months in used French oak barrels.
-Robert Parker 93 Points
Colour ,cherry, purple rim. Aroma ,fruit expression, floral, spicy, red berry notes, black fruit, complex. Flavour ,flavourful, fruity, good acidity, long.
-Guia Penin 93 Points
Bernardins Beaumes de Venise Rouge Cru Cotes du Rhone is made from 65% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre and 5% Grenache Blanc.
Bright ruby color with cherry tinges. Complex black fruit aromas on the nose enhanced by spicy notes. Rounded palate with good length.
The wine is drinking well right now and can be kept for another 10 years.
Situation
Spreads out over the south-east side of the Dentelles de Montmirail hills, in Beaumes de Venise in the southern part of the Rhone valley.
Terroir
On a poor sandy, hungry and arid soil consisting of tender limestone and gritty zones of sandy mollasse.
In the vineyard
The vineyards and their terroir are the essence of our wines. This is where everything starts and where we focus our efforts throughout the year. You can’t make great wine without great grapes.
The viticulture is essentially done by hand. Five people work full-time in the vineyards. They are supplemented by seasonal employees who work during bunch thinning and the harvest in order to bring out the very best in our vines. Working by hand and the attention each vine gets are fundamental. Pruning, de-budding, trellising, leaf removal and picking are thus carried out by hand with the utmost care.
We prepare the soil by using good old-fashioned ploughing. Organic compost is made from grape marc (the discarded stalks and skins).
As a way of protecting the plants, we only use phytosanitary products when necessary and within strict guidelines by staggering the treatments appropriately, to minimise the amount of chemicals used. We prefer to use as much as possible manual and organic techniques . Leaving natural grass cover, removing buds and leaves from the vines, preserving biodiversity around the vineyard: olive, almond and cypress trees, wild rosemary and capers.
Winemaking
We make two red wines at the estate. Terroir wines shaped by the two classic Côtes du Rhône varieties: Grenache and Syrah. We don’t follow any winemaking recipe but are constantly searching for the perfect expression of terroir and each vintage’s particular characteristics. We don’t go for overripe grapes and over-extraction, as we think the wine has to stay refreshing and balanced.
Leaving the wine for 15 days in concrete vats, we try to gently extract the tannins and anthocyanins essential for the wine’s structure and colour. The wine doesn’t come into any contact with wood during ageing. This way the characteristics of our terroir can fully express
Serve with a meal especially red meat, game and cheese.
Review:
"Interesting blend, and it comes through on the nose - it's a fruity, floral style of Beaumes that's really appealing. Full-bodied, rounded, generous and fluid, with very fine tannins. This is a real success in 2021. Also contains 5% Mourvèdre and 4% Grenache Blanc. No destemming, aged 12 months in stainless steel."
- Decanter (September 2022), 93 pts
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 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Kingly Vineyard is endowed with tremendous richness and concentration. It emerges from the best spots within Block 5, which is a bit more protected from the elements. The 2018 is a bit closed today, but it has a lot of promise. Time in the glass brings out layers of inky dark fruit and the savory, minerally notes that are such signatures. This potent Calistoga Cabernet needs time to shine, but it is impressive today just the same.
-Vinous 96 Points
This fine and sensual wine, with hints of blossom and roasted hazelnut, has a concentration that makes it discreet in its youth but powerful over time. Located right next to Puligny-Montrachet, the plot of Les Charmes was planted in 1943 on a sandy clay-limestone soil that produces small, concentrated berries for an intense wine that is perfect for ageing.