Wine & Spirits

Started the weekend off early with a cheeky alfresco lunch at a nearby wine store. Clear pale lemon color. Clean medium intensity nose of yellow apple, pear, lemon, light oak and cream. Dry, medium body, medium alcohol and medium+ acidity. Medium intensity flavors of yellow apple, light oak and lemon on the palate leading to a crisp medium length finish. Very good. Very Burgundian in style and great value at $22 a bottle retail. Paired nicely with smoked salmon on rye with an Israeli couscous salad. TGIF!!

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Winemaker Notes The deep gravel soil has as much impact on the profile of the wine as the grape variety though, so each year the Left Bank Red is delightfully perfumed with an underlying note of violets and red fruit. The aroma is intense but hardly simple or direct. You must take some time to search for it, but you’re rewarded by its complexity. That remarkable softness remains, along with a blend of flavors that are approachable and satisfying. We seek elegance here, and in vintages like the 2018 Left Bank Red we find it.

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Winemaker Notes The 2015 vintage opens with gentle aromas of ripe cherries, cassis and hints of violet and sage. Its immediate accessibility on the palette offers up elegant notes of black cherries, crème de menthe and sage with an underlying belly of gravelly notes and minerality. As the wine expands on the mid-palette, the soft tannins and smooth acidity help extract the subtle notes of rich boysenberry, ripe cherry and plum to take center stage. The understated flavors of red licorice and tobacco help finesse the 2015 vintage to its long, elegant and complex finish. Best drunk at cellar temperature and decanted for a half hour before consumption. Critical Acclaim Robert Parker's Wine Advocate This wine is a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Merlot and 1% Malbec, coming from the Lewelling Vineyard and aged for 18 months in French oak, 60% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon delivers notes of red and black currants, mulberries and warm plums with touches of cedar chest and lavender. Medium to full-bodied with great elegance and bags of finesse, it features very fine-grained, silky tannins and a long, perfumed finish. 225 cases were made

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Winemaker Notes The 2016 Hallberg Ranch Pinot is pure, elegant, layered and complex. The wine is reminiscent of a warm black cherry tart dusted with cinnamon. There are hints of caramelized sugar and freshly toasted almonds. The wine is driven by dark spices and earth, with a sturdy frame from fine-grained tannins. All of these elements seamlessly combine to create the distinctive wine that is Hallberg Ranch. Critical Acclaim Tasting Panel Lattin picks at lower sugar levels, and it shows in an acid structure that remains high-toned from vintage to vintage. Composed of 11 different clones, this wine comes in on the lower end of ripeness, with bergamot and earth joining the fruit. The spice is augmented on the palate, with deep-dish cherry pie and marzipan on the finish. James Suckling Very attractive aromas of ripe dark cherries here with a swath of blueberries and violets, too. The palate has a supple, smooth and glossy feel with a sleek array of fine tannins, folding out long and smooth at the finish. Solid pinot here. Drink or hold.

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Winemaker Notes This rich and harmonious cuvee of our 12 Pinot Noir clones showcases Wayfarer’s vibrant spectrum of single-vineyard, estate-grown fruit and a distinctive minerality. A deep iridescent ruby, the wine interweaves aromas of sun-drench blackberry, wild strawberry and dark cherry with fresh notes of forest floor and sea salt, followed with savory prosciutto and baking spice. A supple entry leads to a generous mid-palate flush with juicy summer berries and fine sweet tannins. Rich and elegant yet focused, the wine takes it time as it finishes with sweet notes of lemon peel and lightly roasted coffee. Beguiling upon release, this wine will continue to evolve over the next 10 years. Critical Acclaim Wine Enthusiast Crafted from 12 different clones planted throughout the estate vineyard, farmed to perfection, this is a delicious and exuberant expression of blueberry crumble that's succulent and inviting in every way. Full bodied, it retains enough acidity to remain mouthwatering and yet complex, a subtlety of white pepper and cardamom biting at the its heels. Drink now through 2024. Cellar Selection.

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Winemaker Notes The 2015 Aftermath Cabernet Sauvignon is dark garnet in the glass. The nose opens with complex aromatics of blackberry, coffee, cedar and cloves, with a hint of graphite and crème caramel. The palate is soft and pleasing with ripe dark berries and stone fruits. Consistent with previous vintages, the finish is very long and lingering, with flavors of plum and mocha. The wine is medium to full bodied.

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The debut of Napa native winemaker and entrepreneur Josh Phelps’ own label, this is a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot. It delivers tremendous value for the quality, a mix of chocolate-covered cherry, blueberry and vanilla cola wrapped in smooth, seductive layers of robust elegance. Tobacco, pencil shavings and cigar box add alluring seasoning. The debut vintage of Steady State is a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 7% Petit Verdot, 6% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc coming from vineyards in Rutherford, Oakville, Saint Helena, and Yountville.  Juicy, rich, and balanced, this wine is layered with complexity yet oh so drinkable and friendly.  Seductive aromas of toasted vanilla, forest floor, and Christmas spice are lightly laid on a palate of juicy, ripe black cherry, blackberry, and rich mocha.  The tannins are round and seamlessly integrated along with perfectly balanced fresh acidity and body.  A truly impeccable wine

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Excellent Napa representation of a Bordeaux blend. Went very well with Chipotle beef burrito. Deep ruby color throughout with long, thick legs. Nose of dark fruit, leather and toast. Opening of black fruit favoring black cherry and black plum with dried leaves, violets, licorice and granite. Medium-plus bodied and medium acidity with lovely, complex tannins that emerge slowly and fade gracefully. Peace and cheers! --Ed Lamb

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Winemaker Notes This elegant red blend is structured with length and a graceful, fine grain of tannin. Vibrant and deep reds and purples introduce Élu, with aromas of black plum and juicy blackberry. The fragrances of anise, graphite, dark cocoa, espresso and toasted barrel add extra depth and richness. Flavors of black plum and youthful blackberry are complemented with a hint of cassis, together with notes of espresso, black pepper and black licorice. Blend: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 4% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot Critical Acclaim A very polished and integrated wine here with a coal-smoke edge to the ripe-plum and black-cherry aromas. The palate has a super plush, seamlessly polished and bright, red-plum core with a very fresh and expansive finish. A blend of 70 per cent cabernet sauvignon and 22 per cent merlot with touches of malbec, cabernet franc and petit verdot. Wine Spectator Juicy bramble and red and black currant flavors mix in this forward offering, with good fruitcake and spice notes filling in on the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

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Winemaker Notes A vibrant cherry red, the Red Schooner by Caymus Voyage 8 opens with a warm, alluring nose. Aromas of ripe plums mix with the rustic scents of the high desert - scrub brush, wild sage, saddle leather, the smokiness of a campfire, and a hint of pomace. The palate is silky and smooth, with lush plums and grippy tannins that touch the side of the tongue. An earthy character of leather and cooking over an open fire carries through to the long finish, whose fruit tapers off and yields to toasted wood. Critical Acclaim Wilfred Wong of Wine.com COMMENTARY: The Red Schooner by Caymus Voyage 8 shows ripe fruit and a trace of residual sugar. TASTING NOTES: This wine is an easy-drinking wine. Its aromas and flavors show black fruit and dried leaves. Pair it with grilled, Teriyaki burgers.

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Winemaker Notes Embodying the cool-climate essence of California’s famed Sonoma Coast this wine offers lovely texture and tension and generous fruit. On the palate, alluring layers of blackberry, raspberry, and cranberry mingle with hints of forest floor and subtle toasty oak, carrying the wine to a rich and polished finish. Critical Acclaim Rose hips and red cherries abound here with a sappy edge, too. The palate has a bold, sweet-fruit core with plenty of succulent, fresh and layered tannin on offer. The plushness here is impressive, as is the direct serving of fruit flavor. Drink or hold. COMMENTARY: The 2017 Migration Pinot Noir is a substantial wine with a slightly layered palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine delivers from start to finish. Enjoy is generous aromas and flavors of dark berries and chalk with a crusted, rosemary/black pepper accented roast leg of lamb. (Tasted: November 25, 2019, San Francisco, CA)

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