Wine & Spirits

Winemaker Notes This deep, garnet-hued wine reveals profoundly concentrated aromas and flavors of black cherry and blackcurrant, layered over classic Rutherford notes of cedar box, graphite, dust, earth, and a subtle suggestion of Portobello. A medium-bodied wine with gracefully refined tannins, this exquisite Cabernet Sauvignon culminates in an exceptionally long finish. Critical Acclaim COMMENTARY: The 2017 Alea Fina Cabernet Sauvignon is beautifully packed and generous on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits aromas and flavors of bold black fruit and attractive oaky notes. Enjoy it with a grilled, well-marbled ribeye. (Tasted: October 16, 2021, San Francisco, CA)

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Winemaker Notes Sinegal’s 2018 Cabernet is a wonderful expression of a superb Napa Valley vintage, exhibiting elegance, power, and purity. The nose has enticing aromas of baked blueberry crumble, ripe blackberries, with notes of sweet leather and baking spice. The wine is inky dark and concentrated with flavors of black cherry, dark chocolate, and hints of dried thyme. The wine leaves a lasting impression on the palate with supple tannins, rich blue fruits, and has lift and length from the bright acidity. Upon opening the wine delivers impressive aromas, flavors, and texture, but is worthy of ageing for over a decade. Critical Acclaim The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon turned out beautifully. Rich, sumptuous and incredibly alluring, the 2018 will drink well right out of the gate. Dark red fruit, mocha, spice and licorice are some of the notes that build in the glass. I would give it a few years in bottle, or alternatively open it in advance. Aeration and the passage of time did wonders for the 2018. It spent 20 months in barrel, 85% new.  COMMENTARY: The 2018 Sinegal Cabernet Sauvignon is a delicious and classic Cab with excellent persistence on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine deftly combines aromas and flavors of bold, black fruit, anise, and earth. Enjoy the wine's al dente finish with a mildly-seasoned, oven-roasted Porchetta. (Tasted: January 11, 2021, San Francisco, CA)

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I have always enjoyed Paul Hobbs Cabs and once again tonight was no different. Bold, full bodied, dry, smooth with medium acidity. 14.6% ABV A wonderful intense nose with dark fruit, spice, vanilla and tobacco. On the palate there is oak, vanilla, tobacco, blackberry, plum, cassis, leather and slight earthy notes. A very nice lush and velvety mouthfeel. The finish is pleasant, long and lingering. This is simply a delightful cab that pairs with a variety of meats and poultry. 👍 --MK

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Winemaker Notes Exhibiting a nose of dark cherry and blackcurrant, nuanced with notes of creosote, graphite, cloves and vanilla. This dense and full-bodied wine is layered from the start and finished with powerful coating tannins. This wine has an incredible oily texture and a multi-dimensional structure with amazing balance, power and sophistication - it is sure to age gracefully for years. Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot Critical Acclaim Jeb Dunnuck What could be thought of as the entry level wine of the estate and a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, the ruby/purple-hued 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon CJ offers a charming, classic Napa bouquet of blackcurrants, red plums, spice, and earthy/flowery/forest floor aromas and graphite. Rich, full-bodied, balanced and classic, with good minerality, it’s far from a simple, entry-level wine and has real depth and character. There are 1,500 cases and it’s a smoking good effort that will keep for 10-15 years.

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Winemaker Notes On the nose, this aromatic wine displays inviting layers of black raspberry and blackberry pie, along with notes of cinnamon stick, vanilla bean and a touch of brown sugar. The lush fruit character continues on the palate where rich currant and cherry flavors are supported by bright acidity and velvety tannins that draw the wine to a silky, berry and spice finish. – Winemaker Don LaBorde  Production Other than being approximately a month earlier than usual, our 2015 harvest was smooth and successful, yielding exceptional quality grapes. To allow us ample opportunities for blending, we harvested 16 different grape varieties over the course of 12 weeks. During this period, Mother Nature provided heat to speed up ripening when we needed it, and equally well-timed cooler temperatures when the vines needed a respite. The extended harvest allowed us to pick all varieties at optimal ripeness. As a result, our white grapes show lovely aromatics and varietal character, and our reds show beautiful depth and concentration.

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Decanter Another lovely wine from Ulysses, a property which is rapidly establishing itself as one of Napa's top addresses. The 2014 reveals a complex bouquet of briary fruit tones, wild plum and rich soil. On the palate the tannins are beautifully fine-grained, powdery and ample - a powerful but elegant frame for the wine's vivid fruit. Drinking Window 2022 - 2040 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, which was aged for 17 months in 45% new French oak, is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The wine is dense purple, with sweet cedar wood, unsmoked cigar tobacco, crème de cassis, and black raspberries in a classic, almost St.-Julien/Pauillac style. This emerged from a valley floor vineyard on the west side of Napa, where Christian Moueix told me that 2014 was characterized by generally slightly higher than average temperatures for the summer with only minor heat spikes in June and July. August and September went off without a hitch, and the harvest took place during the month of September. This full-bodied wine will hit its peak in 3-5 years and last for 25-30.

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With a name like Coup de Foudre(pronounced koo dah foo drah) meaning the moment when lightning strikes, or something unforgettable occurs that you want to capture forever, my expectations were set high in anticipation of tasting the new 2016 Cuvee.  They were made even higher by knowing who’s behind the project… Coup de Foudre is owned by John Schwarts whom you might recognize from Amuse Bouche, Au Sommet, Vin Perdu and PharaohMoans.  John has an eye for exceptional talent and the ability to create brands that compete with the best in the world.  The 2016 Cuvee shattered my absolutely stratospheric expectations with a riveting bouquet and dense, polished core that’s stunningly balanced, poised and polished.  At $75 this wine has everything that I look for in an Ultra Premium Napa Valley Blend. The wine was carefully constructed by talented winemaker Kent Jarman whom you might recognize from his work at Kenefick Ranch winery or Duckhron Vineyards in the early 2000s. This distinctive Right Bank Bordeaux styled blend is built around a core of top-quality Merlot and enhanced with Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot.  The 2016 has already earned 94 Points from Vinous and with 450 cases produced, this one most certainly won’t be available for long.

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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate Tasted at the Château Giscours vertical, the 2005 Château Giscours is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot picked between September 22 and October 6. Conspicuously deep in color, both the aromatics and palate replicate the strong performance from earlier this year. The bouquet offers very fine intensity with blackberry and cedar, here a tinge of cassis that becomes accentuated with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, slightly grainy tannin. It is very well balanced and almost Saint Julien in style. It is clearly very focused with a sustained, mineral-rich finish that (as I said before) contains real energy. This is an excellent Giscours that will age nicely over the next 20-25 years. Connoisseurs' Guide Just a bit different in its slight bows to mint and tar, but wholly on point otherwise with concentrated cassis-like notes and hints of dried violets, new leather and toasted vanilla beans, this wine is fairly full and rounded on the palate to start and follows with extracted flavors that a bit on the chewy side but are not overly burdened by youthful tannins. Time is very much on its side, and a wait of some five to eight years seems in order.

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WINEMAKER'S NOTES: Baby Blue is always built for pleasure right out of the gate and this beautifully aromatic rendition is no exception. Loads of rich red and black fruits, plus a delightful hint of blueberry, all get the party started. This is followed up by a nice compliment of baking spices, vanilla, a kiss of gentle herbs, and just the right amount of beautiful French oak and earthy goodness to round things out on the finish. Wonderful length and supple tannins make for easy enjoyment of this joyous red. Perhaps the most versatile of Blue Rock's wines, you can pair this Baby Blue with just about any meal you care to match with a nice red. Of course grilled meats always come to mind, but poultry in rich sauces or exotic global cuisine such as Indian, Thai or Vietnamese will work equally well.

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Winemaker Notes Dark ruby in color, the flavors such as blackberry, boysenberry and Bing cherry dominate with nuances of milk chocolate, chocolate berry truffle dusted with cocoa powder, aromatic cedar and Herbs de Provence. The sweet oak spice is very well integrated, adding to the overall complexity. The body is very full, with a soft entry, coupled with dark cherry flavors that develop from start to finish. With great texture, integrated tannins, and pleasant mouth feel, this cabernet is full bodied, rich and opulent. In one word.... delicious. Blend: 75.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16.2% Merlot, 4.0% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc Critical Acclaim JS94 James Suckling Aromas of blackcurrants, spearmint, licorice and lead pencil follow through to a medium body with firm tannins and a fresh finish. Hints of chocolate and almonds. Really polished. Very drinkable now, but will age beautifully. JD91 Jeb Dunnuck There are roughly 25,000 cases of the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, which is sourced from all over the valley. Certainly a beautiful wine worth seeking out (and it should be easy to find), it has ample ripe cherry and cassis fruits as well as spicy oak and tobacco nuances. This impeccably made, medium-bodied, elegant Cabernet will shine for a decade. Best After 2021

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The nose is ripe blackberry, baked strawberry, black cherry, oak, vanilla, earth. The flavor is big blackberry, baked strawberry a tad, pepper, tannins, oak, limestone, bitter chocolate a tad. Center dense dark ruby color. Full body. Some tannin. Deep, rich fruit that leans less toward stewed fruit than my last try at this wine. Outstanding! My rating may have been slightly skewed by pairing this wine with marvelous churrascaria, brazilian style grilled meats at Chima, Charlotte. --Steve B

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