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 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 World's End Good Times Bad Times immediately stacks up to the top tier of To-Kalon producers in its premiere. With the number of wines that emanate from this vineyard, World's End like to think of it as the Clos de Vougeot of the Napa Valley. Made with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Critical Acclaim Wine Enthusiast Brambly and spicy red and black fruit mark this mighty Cabernet, sourced from the famed To Kalon Vineyard in the heart of Oakville. Despite its name it offers only Good Times, a well-composed, unabashedly hedonistic taste of juicy ripe Napa fruit and overtly lush tannins. James Suckling A soft, pretty cabernet with currant, berry and lemon-peel character. Full body with fine tannins and a fruity finish. Fresh and clean.

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Winemaker Notes A wine of elegance, The Dreamer is dark and brooding with fine and structured tannins. Sourced from small, family vineyards and aged for 24-30 months in the finest French oak barrique. The stave wood is hand-selected for ultra-tight grain, then air dried for three years before being made into barrels. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Critical Acclaim Jeb Dunnuck Coming from two vineyards, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon The Dreamer sports a vivid purple hue to go with beautiful aromatics of darker currants, ripe cranberries, leafy tobacco, and spring flowers. I love its balance, it's medium to full-bodied, has gorgeous tannins, and a great finish. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate A blend of two undisclosed vineyards, Fortunate Son's 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon The Dreamer is darker, richer and warmer than the 2018 version, yet still balanced, delivering ripe black cherries, loamy earth and dried spices. It's medium to full-bodied, softly dusty and long on the finish.

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Winemaker Notes This wine is full of energy and mouthwatering zippiness. The aromas show that gravelly minerality which we love about this wine, and there’s an evocative inner perfume that gives scents of pineapple guava, melon, and mint. You find an elegant rounded entry on the palate, full of cooling juicy melon flavor. Then the wine tightens into notes of lime, white peach, and kiwi, with a refreshing tanginess that leaves mineral echoes and pithy citrus notes. Critical Acclaim Jeb Dunnuck Coming from a site in the Santa Ynez Valley, the light gold-hued 2021 Sauvignon Blanc McGinley Vineyard gives up a beautiful, clean, fruit-forward bouquet of ripe citrus, honeyed grapefruit, and peach, with just a touch of sappy herbs. It's balanced, medium-bodied, has integrated acidity, and is just one delicious, classy Sauvignon Blanc to enjoy over the coming couple of years.

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Winemaker Notes This fresh and vibrant Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is brimming with aromas of blackberry, mulberry, cassis, and violet. On the palate, bright flavors of cranberry, red plum, cherry, and lavender are intertwined with supple tannins, balanced acidity, and a long, smooth finish.

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Fruit sourced from core vineyards on Santa Rosa Rd corridor of Sta. Rita Hills. Ruby in color. Aromas of cedar, some earthy notes, darker and more brudding than the Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir. More fleshy, rich, ripe, more integrated with a soft mid-palate. Great acidity, great length and balance with fine tannins. Would of given another half point but the price held me back. --Trevor Loomis  

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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 WW94 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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FROM THE CELLAR “Panthera Pinot Noir showcases dynamic tension in winestyle as this wine displays both a vibrant purity of fruit and a confident oak profile. Expansive and silky on palate, notes of red plum, raspberry compote and Bing cherry work in harmony with elegant tannins, supported by a signature backbone of acidity nurtured on the Sonoma Coast. The deft baseline of toasted oak introduces hints of clove and baking spice to round out the perfectly balanced, lingering finish.” – Stephanie Pope, Winemaker

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Imperial purple in color with ruby edges, slow long legs; aromas of vanilla, oak, ripe plum, baking spices & leather on the nose with a hint of licorice; flavors of blackberry, cassis, damp forest floor, cherry & chocolate on the palate with a kiss of mint; bold, off-dry, medium acidity, moderately semi-smooth silky tannins, medium earthy finish; patiently decanted 4 hours which opened it up, starts with big juicy dark fruits, just the right amount of Malbec added to this CS helps make it silky smooth, lovin’ it! --Waylan J

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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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