Wine & Spirits

Winemaker Notes Ruby red in color, the wine shows a youthful hint at the rim. The nose reveals interesting and complex aromas of ripe fruits in perfect balance with spices, toffee, roasted coffee and balsamic notes. The palate is soft with silky tannins, good, fresh acidity and a long finish with a balsamic aftertaste. In terms of matching, this wine is a perfect companion for any dish of the Mediterranean cuisine. Blend: 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, 5% Mazuelo Critical Acclaim JS95 James Suckling I like the medium-velvety tannins with firmness, brightness and freshness. Full-bodied, racy and energetic. Elegance with structure. 85% tempranillo, 10% graciano and 5% mazuelo. Needs four to five years in the bottle, but already impressive to taste. D93 Decanter Plush, polished, rich and plump with a ripe redcurrant, vanilla and clove nose, layers of red berry fruits and form-giving tannins. Rather lovely!

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Winemaker Notes The 2018 growing season started with late winter rains then a spring marked with intermittent cloudy skies likely delayed bud-break and flowering, which was then followed by ideal fruit set conditions, driving up overall volumes by 20 – 30%.Steady summer heat accumulation with only a couple of short hike spikes combined with a near-perfect fall season created great phenolic accumulation without high sugar concentration. Grown on the rocky slopes of Mt. Veeder, the 2018 is mountain Cabernet at its finest. Aromas of blue and red fruits intermingle with a touch of baking spice. The tannins are firm yet refined while the weight on the palate is dense and lush. Compelling now, one can only imagine its true cellaring potential. Critical Acclaim Vinous The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from Mt. Brave is fabulous. Inky, rich and explosive, the 2018 possesses tremendous depth and tons of personality. Graphite, blue/purplish fruit, blackberry jam, bittersweet chocolate, sage, lavender, menthol give the 2018 tons of character to match its explosive feel. The brooding, backward wine is going to need quite a bit of time to unwind, but boy is it gorgeous. Jeb Dunnuck Lots of cassis and black raspberry fruits as well as classic Mount Veeder notes of lavender, violets, bouquet garni, and rocky, mineral-like notes emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon. A deep, full-bodied mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, it has a plush, layered texture, beautiful tannins, a deep, concentrated mid-palate, and a great finish. Another head-turning wine from this label, it’s a candidate for the best Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon out there at the price point.

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Tasting Notes This vintage was a winemaker's dream come true; beautiful, ripe fruit making gorgeous rich, supple, and intense wine. Aromatics of black currant, tobacco, and mushroom lead into notes of fennel, plum, violet, blackberry fruit leather, and earth on the palate. Pair with smoked meats and hard cheeses. Accolades 92 points, Seal of Approval - Blue Lifestyle, Anthony Dias Blue “Shimmering red. Ripe, spice-tinged cherry and raspberry aromas are complicated by suggestions of candied flowers, musky earth and licorice. Palate-coating red and blue fruit flavors show fine definition and an exotic spice flourish on the back half. At once powerful and lively in style, offering impressive depth and thrust as well as mineral and spice qualities on a very long, subtly tannic finish. 17% new oak.” - Vinous, Josh Raynolds, 92 points: “Aromas of plum, cherry, mushroom and vanilla with cedar undertones. Medium-bodied with plush tannins and fresh acidity. Spicy and vibrant with juicy, slightly sweet character on the palate. Supple finish.” - James Suckling, 91 points

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99 points James Suckling  Incredibly spicy and aromatic with pumice and cloves. Pops out of the glass. Cedar, too. Full-bodied with soft, polished tannins adding tension and creaminess. Long and beautiful. All about class and breeding.  (4/2022) 97 points Jeb Dunnuck  The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana, from chalk soils with western-facing exposition, is the most exuberant in terms of its aromatics, with candied flowers, cherry liqueur, sweet tobacco, and graphite. The fruit fills the palate up front and through the mid-palate, with a refreshing spine of acidity and great mineral texture. The tannins are ripe and well-integrated. This is a delicious wine out of the gate and will be worth holding onto and checking in on over the next 20 years.  (8/2022)

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The 2020 El Jabali Pinot Noir presents a dark ruby color in the glass and showcases the expressiveterroir of our estate vineyard. This stunning wine has complex aromas, with notes of rose petals,lilac, black tea and rhubarb, followed by strong notes of red fruit, tart dark cherries, raspberries,a hint of cocoa and white pepper. Chalky tannins are well integrated and balanced, giving this gorgeous Pinot Noir a long, mouthwatering finish.

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Description After inspecting the wine’s deep ruby hues, one is quickly drawn to its alluring aromatics of bold mountain fruit, redolent with black cherry, plum and hints of earth and savory sage. The attack does not demur, expounding with notes of crushed blackberries, cassis, graphite, cedar and baking spices in an arcing narrative that announces the fabled story of Howell Mountain itself, from which the rich history and great traditions of Napa Valley winemaking originate. Aged 22 months in 42% new French Oak, the wine divulges a delicious dialectic of depth, density, and dimension; striking, and strident upon introduction; knowingly forthright with grainy tannins through the mid-palate, only to finish satisfyingly in wizened and soulful repose.

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Winemaker Notes: “Boasting a garnet hue, the 2019 Morgan’s Way Vineyard entices with notes of black cherry, warm black currants, rich soil, and lots of smoked meats. is wine is powerful, full-bodied and layered with texture. e solid frame showcases the long, spiced finish.”

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94 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2019 Pinot Noir is racy and exuberant right out of the glass. Crushed flowers, sweet red berry fruit, blood orange, rose petal, mocha and spice abound. Racy and ripe, yet also understated the Pinot is absolutely joyous in 2019. Drink: 2021-2027. (Jan 2022)"94 points James Suckling: "This is really beautiful and balanced with bright fruit and hints of orange peel. Medium-bodied with creamy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Bright acidity. Best ever. Such finesse and brightness. Drink now. (Nov 2021)"

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98 points Wine Enthusiast  Lightly baked and hinting at raisin and fine herbs, the bouquet on this benchmark Spanish red enfolds aromas of tobacco, moss and ripe tomato. In the mouth, it's elegant and silky but also full and expansive. Flavors of baked berry fruits, baking spices, herbs and cocoa finish with a light coating of toast. This is an amazingly complete, exemplary wine that's just entering its prime. *Editors' Choice* (MS)    97 points Decanter  Recommended by Jasper Morris MW for a tasting we held together, this just jumped out of the glass. I am giving a drinking date from now, as it is getting on towards 17 years old, but it is still extremely young and has decades ahead of it, with bright black cherry and brambled autumnal fruits in the foreground, with tertiary leather and cigar just beginning to spiral upwards. Voluptuous, powerful, layered, complex, with all the subtle toast, tar, chocolate shavings and smoke hints that you would expect from a wine with such a slow and subtle ageing process (in this case 15 months in 20,000-litre vats, 25 month in new barrels, 17 months in older barrels and a further 26 months in large-sized oak vats). I love it when a legendary wine lives up to the hype, and this more than did so. (JA) 

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96 points James Suckling  The oak makes plenty of impact on the nose with some tarry notes across ripe-blue-plum, ccassis and chocolate aromas. Tannins are assertive. An essay in tannin structure and power, this has balance with impressive core strength. Flavors are in the purple-cherry, cassis and blackberry zone. Needs time. Great wine.  (10/2016) 96 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate  Since the 2010 harvest, they ferment plot by plot, and it shows. This Valbuena has almost 100 components in it, smaller lots, all of them corresponding to a plot of vines. It has all the signs of being one of the best vintages ever for this second wine from Vega Sicilia, mostly Tempranillo but with 5% Merlot that matured five months in 20,000-liter oak vats, 18 months in new barriques (equal parts French and American oak), three months in used barrels and then five months in the vats again before being bottled in May 2013. 2010 seems to have the exuberance of the 2011 and the seriousness and elegance of 2009. It has the Burgundian philosophy of terroir, with all plots fermented and aged separately, giving each vineyard what it needs in terms of vinification and elevage resulting in something like 40 separate lots to blend. This wine has gained in precision and sharpness, and is very pure with delineated aromas and flavors. It is a world-class wine, possibly the best Valbuena ever. (LG)  (8/2014)

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Jeb Dunnuck I was blown away by the 2018 Côte Rôtie Château D'Ampuis, which is certainly in the same league as the famed La Las. Coming from seven single vineyards and seeing the same upbringing as the flagship releases, this reveals a vivid purple hue as well as stunning aromatics of cassis, smoked game, spring flowers, and subtle smoke. It has background espresso-laced oak that’s perfectly integrated, it’s full-bodied, and it has ripe, polished tannins and a great finish.Barrel Sample: 97-99 James Suckling The very deep, smoky and spicy nose pulls you into this very concentrated, focused and elegant Cote-Rotie, with delicate notes of coconut and pomegranate adding to the very complex picture. Very long, polished finish with delicate sweetness and underplayed power. Drink or hold.

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Winemaker Notes Each year, they set aside the best barrels of their Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley to produce Special Selection. Distinguished by extremely fine, velvety tannins and enjoyable upon release or with aging. A wine of structure with intense concentration of supple flavors and dark fruits. Critical Acclaim Wilfred Wong of Wine.com COMMENTARY: The 2018 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon is powerful and lasting on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine offers aromas and flavors of bold black fruit and complementary oaky nuances. (Tasted: December 11, 2022, San Francisco, CA)

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