Wine & Spirits

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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Vintage Notes The 2018 growing season started with a cool spring with significantly higher than average frost hours (a measurement of hours below 36 F), which led to a late bud break. The growing season was also unique in terms of GDD (growing degree days), with 14% fewer on average than 2017. The cooler mild conditions and lack of extreme heat spikes combined to create an extended growing season and measured pace to harvest which resulted a high-quality, elegant crop with brighter acids and notes of cranberry, pomegranate and tart cherry. Winemaker Notes The fruit for our 2018 vintage was harvested from September 15th to October 15th. The grapes were hand-picked at night, carefully sorted in the vineyard, then brought to the cellar and de-stemmed. This meticulous care taken in the vineyard by Vineyard Manager Gustavo Alvina and his crew delivered bright, ripe fruit, with substantial mouthfeel and complexity. Following a cold soak, a high-temperature fermentation occurred to ensure maximum flavor and color extraction. The wine was racked to 30-percent new American oak barrels and aged for 18 months prior to bottling. 70% was aged in neutral French Oak to maintain the freshness and elegance of the vintage.

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Wine Enthusiast Magazine scored this 98 points saying "This is an exceptional vintage of this exceptional wine, its foundation built around 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, with dustings of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Beautiful in berry fruit, textured and refined tannin and hints of lavender, licorice and sage, it has complexity and energy in equal measure, lengthy and beautifully focused, a truly impressive achievement of site, vintage and winemaker."

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Fairly fruit forward but balanced. Blueberry, black currant, cassis. Leather, spice, bell pepper. Cocoa, maple syrup. Herbs. Lush full silky mouthfeel.

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Dancing Bear Ranch is an extraordinary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot from the Dancing Bear Ranch Estate Vineyard on Howell Mountain. Divided into 24 separate blocks based on varietal type, sun exposure, soil profile, and clonal selection, the vineyard is planted in dry, rocky, volcanic soils between 1,400 and 1,900 feet of elevation and enjoys a near 360-degree exposure, offering a diverse range of growing conditions. The well-drained soils and position high above the fog line routinely stresses the vines, yielding small crops of intensely flavorful grapes. Fermentation and maceration are carefully managed to monitor tannin levels and limit over-extraction of the small berries with intense mountain character. Free-run component wines are aged in French oak barrels and subsequently blended, for a total of 22 months in 60% new French oak prior to bottling.

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