Wine & Spirits

TASTING NOTE: Even a cool vintage does little to nudge Roll Ranch Syrah away from a lavish expression of fruit. This 2019 bottling is all about it. Still, there’s lots of cool-climate intrigue and freshness to this big Syrah. Rich aromas of ripe red plum and black cherry dominate, but brighter beams of apricot poke through and there are pretty botanical qualities of jasmine tea, fenugreek and sage-y herbs. Lots of that is on the palate too, which gives luscious stone fruits before turning toward mouthwatering berry notes with spiciness and roasted herbs in the finish. The tannins are fine but plentiful—pair it with fatty meat dishes like carnitas, ribeye or cassoulet in the meantime. Not a meat-eater? The big fruit of this wine is a tasty counter to the bitter edge of crispy roasted vegetables. VINTAGE & WINEMAKING: 2019, like its sister vintage 2018, will go down as one of our favorite vintages. The cool Spring led to a later start for the vines, then onshore coastal weather dominated throughout veraison. We obtained perfectly healthy fruit throughout a long, staggered harvest that stretched into the end of October. This Syrah was harvested in the wee hours of the morning on September 16th. We loaded the tank with 71% whole-clusters, including a bit of Viognier. Then added our house-cultured yeast (derived from fruit picked while sampling) and gently pumped over the juice twice a day until the wine became dry. It was then aged in French oak barrels (21% new) for 20 months, with just one racking before bottling. Like almost all our reds, it was bottled unfiltered and unfined with minimal effective sulfur.

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Winemaker Notes On the nose, echoes of healthy and mature red fruit in after a perfect maturation. Floral and balsamic notes add freshness, all together in harmony with subtle toasted notes from its time in barrel. In the mouth, fine and subtle with nice tannins and perfect acidity that make it a persistent wine with a long finish. Critical Acclaim James Suckling Black cherries with cedar and dried flowers, as well as dusty earth. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm tannins that are long and polished. Lots of structure. Very typical and focused. Drinkable now, but better in 2024. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate I tasted two vintages of the estate red that represents the blend and the character of the place. The 2018 Reserva comes from a cooler year and is a blend of 86% Tempranillo, 6% Mazuelo, 6% Graciano and 2% Garnacha with 14.12% alcohol and a pH of 3.48. The grapes ripened thoroughly and the wine is tasty but has a vibrant palate with freshness and depth. It has a classical nose and is complex and spicy with an earthy touch, a little developed and with fine-grained tannins. Very tasty. It spent 18 months in oak barrels, 90% of them French and 10% American; they are reducing the amount of American oak in this wine.

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Winemaker Notes Deep red with purple hue. This Cabernet is abundant with aromas of black cherry, mocha, with subtle hints of mint and floral. This Cabernet is graceful and elegant with black cherry flavors on the entry. On the palate, this wine is luscious in the midpalate, while the tannin structure and finish are supple and round. Critical Acclaim James Suckling A creamy, succulent red with aromas of mulberries, raspberries, walnut cream and sweet spices. Full-bodied with firm, velvety tannins. Plush, flavorful finish. Delicious already but better after 2023. Decanter Winemaker and general manager Elizabeth Vianna first began working at Chimney Rock as a harvest intern in 1999, and has served as president of the Stags Leap District Winegrowers Association. Here she's crafted an elegant expression of the AVA, with plenty of power and drive. Lifted aromas of bright red and black berry, graphite and a sweet minty herbaceousness continue on the palate, alongside sandalwood, lavender and cassis.

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Happy Bordeaux Sunday everyone! Not sure what Vita in Vinum had in mind this week, but I went with a St-Julien left bank beauty, off the menu at the golf club. Château Beychevelle is Grand Cru, a fourth growth producer. This is a blend of Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot (54, 38, 5 and 3%). From the fabulous 2010 vintage. Very floral, with licorice, graphite, red and blue berries, and earthy notes. --Mike Benson Every parameter is on high level, acidity and tannins are strong enough to support this wine to develop in the following two or three decades. Very impressive to me, before swirl it in glass, giving nose of cedar, forest floor and tea leaves, when swirl it, fruity aromas energetically pop up, with currants and cherries. Like a mystery lady opening her heart but still hide a lot to make you guess. --Olivine Hou

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Winemaker Notes The 2014 Maya, a blend of our finest Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, is dark, dense, muscular, and refined. While still distinctively focused, the wine is all about fruit intensity, with a rush of red fruit and exotic spice aromas rising from the glass—fresh bing cherry, dried currant, cardamom, fenugreek, cocoa and cinnamon. Mainly one is struck by the sheer purity of the wine, its seamless impression from start to finish. The tannins are highly structured but finely polished, and while there is plenty of girth and scaffolding to help the wine age for a very long time, the length is very impressive, carrying the shiny velvet sensation on for quite a while. This vintage of Maya will easily age for two decades or more. Critical Acclaim Robert Parker's Wine Advocate It is excellent, but not one of the great efforts from this iconic winery situated on the eastern Vaca hillsides above the Oakville corridor. That said, the 2014 Maya Proprietary Red may not be as perfect as the 2013 was, but it is a fabulous effort. Finishing at 14.6% alcohol, this wine (generally a blend of about 60% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon) has incredibly gorgeous aromatics of black and blue fruits, forest floor, violets, and an almost Graves-like, scorched earth, gravelly nuance. The wine hits the palate with a full-bodied richness and terrific harmony among its structural elements such as alcohol, acidity, tannin and wood, with moderately sweet tannins in the finish. It is a good 30- to 35-year wine, as most Mayas have tended to be, and is impressive and surprisingly structured for a 2014. Forget it for 3-4 years and drink it over the following 35-40 years.

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Critical Acclaim Jeb Dunnuck All from the Fortuna Vineyard in Oakville and bottled unfiltered after spending 22 months in French oak, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Prado sports a deep purple color to go with killer notes of blueberry and cassis fruit, awesome purity, a serious, plump, sexy texture, and loads of white chocolate, graphite, lead pencil, and cedar nuances. It shows the forward style of the vintage, yet has ample mid-palate depth and sweet tannin, all suggesting it will keep for 15-20 years. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Prado, which also hails from the Oakville appellation, is 100% unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 21 months in French oak. This is an enhanced, richer version of the previous wine, similar in style, with loads of crème de cassis, blackberry and floral notes, slightly more concentration and spice box, some licorice and graphite. The velvety tannins and opulence of this beauty suggest drinking it over the next 15-20 years.

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Winemaker Notes The deep red-purple color gives the hint of what follows in the nose and mouth. Aromas of black plums, black currants, sweet aromatic herbs, talcum powder, and tar combine to produce a bouquet that is so evocative of the Coombsville area in late fall. It enters the palate with a thick and sweet sensation, flows evenly to all corners of the mouth, and then tapers to a clean and polished finish. This is a classic beauty of a wine. Blend: 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, 2% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot

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Winemaker Notes Deep violet-ruby-red in color. Sena is complex and intense on the nose, with abundant fresh red fruit that recalls raspberries and cherries harmoniously mingled with notes of cinnamon and red tobacco, along with a light touch of incense and cedar. The palate confirms what the nose perceived and shows a predominance of red fruit nicely accompanied by sweet spices, a balsamic touch, and flavours that recall hazelnuts and walnuts. Vibrantly textured with fine-grained tannins lend liveliness and structure to the blend in a wine that is long and very elegant. With refreshing acidity, all signs point to a wine with tremendous longevity in the bottle. Blend: 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Carmenere,12% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot Critical Acclaim Robert Parker's Wine Advocate The 2010 Sena is more generous on the nose than the 2009, with crisp, ripe blackberry, boysenberry and graphite notes that are tightly coiled and, at the moment, not as expressive as the 2009. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. This is silky smooth in the mouth, harmonious and the oak is deftly interwoven into the structure. This is a sophisticated Sena. Drink 2014-2022.

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Winemaker Notes Bright red with purple nuances. Respectable acidity and PH and a beautiful balance of musts that are well structured but harmonious and fruity. Blending wines with a non-invasive structure, a good balance in terms of acidity and density of the wine, combined with soft and well-integrated tannins. Beautiful spiciness. A pleasant palate of every day wine drinking, with juicy red fruits. A very good wine that is meant to be enjoyed young. Pair with grilled steak or steak salad, hamburgers and other casual but flavorful beef dishes. Has good acidity to compliment marinara and bolognese sauces. Critical Acclaim Vinous The 2021 Le Difese is redolent of crushed red berry fruit, rose petal, lavender, spice and sweet pipe tobacco. Medium in body yet nicely layered, the 2021 is impeccably balanced. It is also a sheer delight to taste at this early stage. In many vintages, Le Difese is a fruity, forward wine, but the 2021 has a nervy feeling of classicism that is hugely appealing. It's one of my favorite recent vintages. As it has been for some time, Le Difese is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon from the estate and Sangiovese purchased from several properties in Chianti Classico, with the energy of Sangiovese very much driving the feel in this vintage. Decanter Le Difese in 2021 sports a majority of Sangiovese – 55% – in a break from the traditional 70/30 split in favour of Cabernet Sauvignon. Third-generation at Tenuta San Guido, Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, explained that this decision was made to enhance the wine's 'local Tuscan' character, and to improve its drinkability early on as 'a first step into the Tenuta San Guido world.' While the Cabernet is grown on the estate, the Sangiovese is sourced, as always, from long–term partners based in Chianti Rufina. Bright, incredibly vibrant red, black and blue fruits introduce subtle, finely grained tannins with notes of wood and chocolate. It's at once juicy, tangy and crunchy, with good ripeness and great acidity. Matured for eight months in used barriques.

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The name Dana is Sanskrit, translating to “the Spirit of Generosity” and ties in to the “generosity” that nature gives each year with its production. In addition, each bottle of Dana Estates contains 12 lotus flowers, each representing the 12 months of the calendar year. Lotus flowers signify rebirth and symbolize the rebirth that the vineyards experience every year. Phillip Melka winemaker extraordinaire has crafted a truly extraordinary single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon that appeals to serious wine enthusiasts and collectors. Only 300 cases produced. Vinous - 97 Points "Graphite, crushed rocks, smoke, melted road tar, black fruit and incense explode from the glass in the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Hershey Vineyard. A huge, structured wine, the 2011 boasts stunning depth, power and richness. The intense salinity of the vintage and the trademark Dana intensity of fruit meld together in a Cabernet of true distinction. What a gorgeous wine this is. This is the first vintage to incorporate more than the original first acre of plantings. The first vintages were pure clone 1 Cabernet, while subsequent vintages include See clone fruit as well. The 2011 was fermented in barrel and spent 21 months in oak, 100% new." (November 2013) James Suckling - 97 Points "Amazing aromas of blackberries, blueberries, mushrooms and violets. Full body with a dense, precise palate and a firm, intense finish. Masculine but formed and polished. This needs at least four or five years to come even more together. " (May 2014) Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar - 93 Points

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Winemaker Notes Deep dark color. On the nose aromas of cold chimenea, Mysore sandalwood, Dhofar incense, fresh crushed ripe strawberries, plum and candied cherry. On the palate it is voluptuous and spicy, very seductive and round with extremely soft dense tannins and long salty mineral finish. Critical Acclaim James Suckling Now we see the reality of what this is. Dark berries, blackcurrants, wet earth, spices and slate. Full-bodied yet so in check and refined. Cool fruit and fine tannins. Glorious. Pretty fruit. So together. Needs three or four to come around but beautiful. Wine Enthusiast Heady aromas of black currant, black pepper, baking spices and eucalyptus set the scene for flavors of dark plum, cherry, black tea and ground pepper, with a touch of smoke. Tannins come on a touch strong at first, then subside into a mellow, spice-filled finish. Overall, the feeling on the palate is very luxurious, with a visceral sense of minerality in the mouth.

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