Wine & Spirits

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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Winemaker Notes Super structured and with minerality to spare, this Cabernet Sauvignon offers a real presence on the palate from start to finish. Generous notes of dark chocolate balance beautifully with a blue and black fruit flavor explosion, finishing with a subtle whisper of rose petal. Blend: 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot Critical Acclaim James Suckling So much crushed lead pencil, tile and dried flowers, together with blackberries and brambleberries. Full-bodied with round, polished tannins. Layered and so delicious. Black olives and graphite at the end. This potpourri of Napa cabernet character takes your palate on a tour of so many of the regions, including all the mountains, such as Howell, Veeder and Spring Mountain, as well as Atlas Peak, Stags Leap, Yountville and St. Helena. Precision and polish to the wine. Drinkable now, but better to hold. Jeb Dunnuck Pure, classic California notes of crème de cassis, spicy oak, chalky minerality, graphite, and spring flowers emerge from the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot that's sourced from multiple mountain AVAs in the valley. Full-bodied and powerful on the palate, it has a deep, rich mid-palate, beautiful tannins, notable acidity, and a great, great finish. It's another brilliant wine from Carpenter that can offer pleasure today yet also evolve for 20-25 years or more.

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Winemaker Notes Stunning with a deep garnet color and aromas of blueberry pie and baked plums layered with savory notes of grilled meats, roasted lamb and tilled earth. The full-bodied palate has opulent black fruit with a firm, velvety body that finishes long and fresh.

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2019 AMUSE BOUCHE NAPA VALLEY RED WINE "The 2019 Amuse Bouche, a Right Bank-inspired Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend is superb. Expansive, sweet aromatics are immediately seductive. Silky tannins wrap around a core of plum fruit, sweet tobacco, chocolate, spice and leather. This wonderfully expressive, elegant Napa Valley red hits all the right notes in a mid-weight, nuanced style that is all class. 96 POINTS."- Antonio Galloni, January 2022 "This is a beautiful, juicy, merlot-based red with melted-chocolate and berry aromas and flavors. It's full and creamy with lovely balance and attractive character, showing freshness and layers of fruit. Violets and berries at the end. Merlot and cabernet franc. Gorgeous. Drink or hold. 95 POINTS."- James Suckling, November 2021

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Winemaker Notes This Cabernet Sauvignon has great spice, minerality, notes of blue fruits, toast, and dark cherry that combine with bright floral notes, weight, and a wonderful finish. Critical Acclaim Robert Parker's Wine Advocate Composed of 87.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec and 1.5% Petit Verdot, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder gives up notions of crème de cassis, violets, baker's chocolate, licorice and yeast extract with a touch of beef drippings. Full-bodied, concentrated and wonderfully expressive, the palate gives lovely ripe tannins and great freshness, finishing long and earthy. 3,363 cases produced.

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The 2015 Dolce is fresh and fruitful, with aromas of orange, lime, and apricot along with sweet floral notes of honeysuckle. This Dolce lands on the palate with a coating and pleasing thickness that carries the citrus flavors long into the finish. Key lime pie comes to mind as bakery spices combine with a creamy texture and mouthwatering citrus flavors. Greg Allen winemaker for this Napa appellation blend of 90% semillion and 10% Sauvignon Blanc, aged 28 months in 100% new French oak barrels. 2015 vintage. --Andrew Savysky  

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Winemaker Notes Vecina is coined from the Spanish word for neighbor. This is our endeavor with the property situated directly southeast of the BOND winery. The beautifully terraced volcanic soil slopes of this property reside in Oakville’s western foothills. The 11-acre site faces due east and is the recipient of cool morning sun. Vecina, which appeared with the 1999 vintage in the inaugural BOND release, is always powerful, intense and savory. Vecina’s other hallmarks are blackberry fruit, with wild forest floor and mineral associated overtones. Critical Acclaim RP98 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate The 2014 Vecina displays a deep garnet-purple color and has a broody, baked blueberries, cassis and anise-laced nose with suggestions of garrigue, dusty earth and bay leaves. Full-bodied, rich, spicy and powerful in the mouth, it offers a lot of latent layers and promises great, great things to come with an incredibly long, layered finish. It needs a bit of time but should cellar beautifully for a good 25 years+. JD97 Jeb Dunnuck Another awesome wine is the 2014 Vecina and it’s from a vineyard on the western side of the valley, right up next to Harlan Estate. This deep, full-bodied, seriously concentrated 2014 gives up loads of plums, currants, toasty oak, chocolate, and chalky minerality. It picks up a touch of violets with time in the glass, but the theme here is deep, dark fruit and minerality. With the forward, supple style of the vintage, it still has serious concentration and structure, and is going to be long-lived.

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Clear, deep ruby. Clean, medium plus intensity aroma of blackberry, currant, leather, cedar, anise. Dry, high acidity, high tannins, full body and long finish. Palate confirms the nose. --Marcos Iglesias "The purity of fruit is fantastic with blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries and hints of walnut shell. Full-bodied, tight and very focused. Chewy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. " 99 points James Suckling  

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Winemaker Notes This profound and powerful Chardonnay exhibits a rich, complex tintensity that can only be found in unfiltered wines. The grapes are predominantly grown in the Carneros region where bay breezes and morning fog combine to create the cooler climate ideal for growing Chardonnay rich with concentrated flavors. Critical Acclaim James Suckling Pure and creamy nose with some toasted hazelnut to the lemons and nectarines. Lightly briny on the palate, with a fine, mineral touch to the long, creamy finish.

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Deep ruby color with a purple hue. Notes of black fruit, bay leaf and sage mingle with iodine and oyster shell characteristics, creating an extremely complex and pleasant bouquet. Wonderful now, but can age for another two decades.

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Flowers 2021 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir This is a full, present and black fruited style of Cali Pinot with oak, deep cherry, blackberries, sage, and warm baking spices. The palate has a presence to it with ample black fruits, some oak and a bit of nutmeg and clove. D&M Tasting Notes Red currants, earthy forest floor, bergamot and sea breeze. A balanced wine with persistent mid palate that is laced with acidity and tart cherry, finishing light and lifted with a twist of blood orange. Winery Notes

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95 points James Suckling “ Aromas of mint and currants with hints of fresh herbs. Then turns to plum jam. Full body, with well-integrated tannins and pretty fruit. Long and caressing. This is really outstanding. Better in 2017. " 95 points Wine Enthusiast " Giscours shows an initial character of great style and elegance. The shining fruit and concentrated tannins follow, making it both a seductive wine and one with a long-term future. *Cellar Selection* (RV) "  94 points Wine Spectator ” Features a lightly firm, singed alder frame around a core of dark plum, cherry and cassis bush notes. Taut tar and warm paving stone notes fill in on the finish. Shows serious, well-embedded grip, and the core of fruit is spot on. This has the range, length and cut for the cellar. Best from 2014 through 2030. (JM) “

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