Wine & Spirits

Picking commences at 4am, when we meet the team in the vineyard and ride with the bins behind the tractor as the pickers dump 5 gallon buckets into the Macro Bins, which we then sort, looking to discard any subpar clusters. Fruit comes into the winery, gets further sorted and then we make final determination on what percentage of whole-cluster we’ll use. Whole-clusters then go into the 1.5 ton open-top bin and the remaining fruit is de-stemmed and placed on top of the whole clusters. The wine is punched down twice a day, once first thing in the morning and once at night. Primary fermentation finished in around two weeks, at which point the wine was racked off the skins to 3 Stockinger 600L puncheons and 3 barriques without any sulfur added. The skins were pressed gently and the juice was then moved to barrel on its fine lees. Malolactic fermentation finished mid-late winter and the wines were lightly sulfured and put to bed until bottling in mid June. 12.6% abv.

Read more less

Winemaker Notes Red garnet in color. Intense and fine aromas of fresh red fruit. The palate presents good freshness, excellent structure and fine, velvety tannins. Critical Acclaim James Suckling Lovely aromas of strawberries, plums, and berries. Bark and mushrooms. Complex and aromatic. Medium to full body with super fine tannins that are supple and gorgeous. Lovely length. So attractive now. Leave it for four or five years. Better after 2027.

Read more less

James Suckling 96 points, James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com: “Sweet berry, orange peel, cedar, bark and forest flower aromas follow through to a medium to full body, with linear and fine tannins and a crunchy undertone. It’s very subtle and fresh for a 2017. Crisp and vivid. It’s refined and acid-driven. Needs three to four years more to soften. Try after 2026.” 04/23 Other 96 Points, Aubrey Frick, www.jebdunnuck.com: “The 2017 Brunello Di Montalcino is surprising in its freshness, considering the warmth of the vintage, and speaks to the cooler, northern-facing exposition of the estate. It is refined with ripe red cherry, raspberry, anise, and incense and is fresh with cherry fruit, warming spices, macchia, and herbes de Provence. It is ripe though it maintains a medium frame, with well-managed tannins and balanced acidity. It is a lovely and charming wine and is rather approachable now. Drink 2024-2040.” 03/23

Read more less

The varying and distinctive landscape of the vineyard parcels meticulously selected for our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon offer a wine of complexity and incredible breadth. This wine possesses a lifted acidity and well-integrated raw mountain tannins that close in a persistent finish, distinct in its ability to be enjoyed at a youthful stage.

Read more less

Critic tasting note: "Polished and soft for a young Howell Mountain wine, with plenty of ripe, sweet, juicy, fruit, licorice, earth and tannins. Structured to age, yet for this appellation, the wine will probably be approachable with only a few years of age. 92 Points" - 92/100, Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

Read more less

Tasting Notes: Intense garnet red hue and aromas of fruit, oak, and spice on the nose. The palate reveals a smooth, rich attack, velvety tannins, and good balance. A delicate, seductive, and very elegant wine.

Read more less

Winemaker Notes Faiveley's old vines are over 35 years old and produce an exceptionally intense and aromatic wine that reflects the unique character of its terroir. With its deep, clear ruby red hue, it reveals notes of black fruits and excellent strength and concentration. Serve with beef bourguignon or a platter of mature cheeses.

Read more less

96pts Jasper Morris Full rich purple with a bevy of complex ripe fruits on the bouquet. An excellent wealth of fruit here on the palate but beautifully balanced, a little bit of blood orange in with the raspberry and cherry. The flavours linger beautifully across the palate. A peach note to finish, but the balance of freshness remains in place. 95pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate From holdings located exclusively in lieu-dit En la Chapelle, Trapet's 2018 Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru offers up an inviting bouquet of cassis, plums, dark chocolate and pungent spices, framed by a deft touch of toasty new oak. Medium to full-bodied, it's deep, layered and fine-boned, built around elegantly chalky tannins that are cloaked in a lively core of fruit.

Read more less

93 points Wine Advocate Heidi Barrett’s 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon (600 cases fashioned from Calistoga fruit) includes 2% Cabernet Franc in the blend. Having put on weight since last year, it is a powerful, dry, rich, fleshy effort boasting loads of cassis fruit intermixed with sweet barrique smells. (RP) 

Read more less

The fruit for the 2021 Kin Grenache was grown on young bush vines (planted 2016) in schist-based soils across two blocks in the vineyard. Approximately 60% whole bunches went into the ferment. It was then fermented and matured in the same vessel—concrete tulips. In the mouth, the wine is very fine, stalky and pure, with freshening almost pulverized tannins; they’re like a clap of chalk—they’re everywhere. They’re structuring and they’re shapely and chewy in an excellent way, and the fruit is bright but not sweet. This is elegant and thrilling. Gorgeous. It is polarizing due to its febrile, nervous nature—but stylistically modern and forward thinking. Terroir-based wine here. There are notes of delicate orange blossom, green raspberries, rhubarb acidity, strawberry top and green apples threaded through the palate." Robert Parker 92 Points

Read more less