Wine & Spirits

Clear medium ruby with quickly fading edges big dark cherry and purple flower aromas. Violets. Rather hot fumey alcohol notes. Sharp bold with some cedar and late more cherries. Dry and quickly evaporated trailer. Quite punchy and bold but clean finishing. Quite nice. Wish I would have had it with a big rare steak. --Ken Bates  

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“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve is fabulous. Inky, rich and explosive, the 2018 is a fine addition to the lineage of one of Napa Valley's most historic wines. Inky red fruit, chocolate, leather and licorice all open in the glass. Aeration brings out floral top notes, raspberry and a hint of blood orange. There is plenty of depth, but the tannins are finer than they were a few years ago. Shorter time on the skins and a reduction in barrel fermentations really allow the pedigree of these Rutherford sites to come through. The 2018 is sensational.” - Antonio Galloni, March 2021

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Medium plus ruby in color with a pronounced nose. Drank after sitting in the glass for about two hours. Smoke, tar, roasted espresso, cherry, raspberry syrup. Candied fruit, black cherry, stewed herbs, black tea. Dry, high acidity, medium plus tannins, medium plus tannins, full bodied, high alcohol and pronounced flavors. Red fruit, stewed fruit with some cooked herb notes. Smokey finish. Outstanding quality of wine.

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96 points James Suckling " Amazing aromas of decadent fruit, spice and meat. Mushrooms, too. Full body and ripe, caressing tannins that fan out on the palate. Goes on for minutes. From organically grown grapes. " (10/2019) 94 points Vinous "Luminous red-ruby. Beautifully expressive nose hints at red cherry, coffee, herbs and sweet spices. Then at once graceful and powerful, with outstanding acid-tannin balance and sweet spices complicating the ripe red cherry fruit flavors. Closes long and youthfully chewy, with above average density and a multilayered complexity that makes this one of the very top classico Brunellos of the vintage. (ID) "(4/2020)

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94 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Dr. Crane Vineyard is a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. It has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and an earthy nose with kirsch, black berries, cassis and baking spices plus cigar hints. The palate is medium to full-bodied, plush, intense and earthy, finishing long and spicy. (LPB) 94+ " (12/2018)

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Winemaker Notes Black cherry, berries, hints of cola, and minerals joined by a touch of cardamom and vanilla are in the aromatics of this wine. Focused cherry liquor and refined tannins are at the core of its flavor and structure, a central core of intensity that lingers on and on. Balanced and intense, the wine will complement heartier dishes but has the refinement to be an increasingly graceful table companion for many years to come. Critical Acclaim CG90 Connoisseurs' Guide Storybook Mountain Zinfandels are rarely, if ever, dramatic wines of exuberantly juicy fruit, but they are typically deep, and well-structured offerings that rely less on bombast and more on balance and varietal precision, and this one does just that. If slightly pulled back in ripeness and a tad tight just now, it has the right pieces in place to age handsomely, and, given its maker's track record for making long-lived Zins that reveal a certain claret-like elegance with time, we have no reservations about setting a few bottles aside for drinking when five or six years have passed.

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98 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate "The 2012 Haut Brion (65% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc) is certainly one of the candidates for the wine of the vintage, with a dense purple color, classic nose of crushed rock, lead pencil shavings, black raspberry, blueberry and flowers. The wine shows subtle barbecue smoke notes in the background, but is full-bodied, stunningly concentrated and builds incrementally, yet finishes with luxurious, almost extravagant amounts of fruit and intensity. From only 46% of the production, this is an absolutely remarkable effort from the Dillon family and their winemaking team of the two Jean-Philippes. Drink it over the next 30-40 years. (RP) " (4/2015)

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100 points Jeb Dunnuck One of the wines of the vintage, as well as a legendary Napa Cabernet that will compete with anything out there, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate reveals a deep purple hue as well as extraordinary notes of pure crème de cassis and blackberry-scented fruits intermixed with lots tobacco leaf, lead pencil, spice, and hints of flowers. Reminding me of the 2016 with its purity as well as its balance, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless texture, and a blockbuster of a finish. Based on 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, this is a wine you don’t want to miss! It’s going to take 7-8 years to hit its early drinking plateau and cruise for 30-40 years in cold cellars. (1/2021)

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96 points James Suckling This is so aromatic with redcurrants, flowers and crushed stones. Some bark and rose stem, too. Full-bodied, yet so refined and textured with a lovely finish of fruit and hints of berry and light chocolate. So delicious now, but will develop nicely in the bottle.

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Winemaker Notes Deep, shiny ruby in appearance with touches of magenta and Ferrari red. Beautiful aromatic nose with touches of flowers such as lilac, violet and fruit such as blueberry reduction, cotton candy, rose candy, cassis jelly, apricot jam and watermelon gum. Fresh, fruity entrance, evolving on a aromatic mid-palate lingering on fresh fruit and granular tannins with touches of boysenberries, red currant, pomegranate and grapefruit. Critical Acclaim This is gorgeous with extra fine and chewy tannins, complementing a complex and vivid aroma and palate. Medium to full body. Juicy and savory finish. Drink now. -- James Suckling

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Deep ruby color. Bold, medium+ acidity, well integrated tannins. On the nose, raspberry, blackberry, cherry, leather, smoke, and herbs. Ripe red fruit, blackberry, blueberry, cassis, leather, pepper, cocoa, anise, caramel, and smoke. Really excellent. -- Ansley Waters

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