Wine & Spirits

Philipponnat’s Royale Réserve Brut is one of the most traditional of non-vintage Champagnes. It’s a blend primarily of Pinot Noir grapes from the southern slopes of the fabled Montagne de Rheims – Champagne’s greatest vineyards – to which lesser amounts of Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier are added. Full, rich, and dry, Philipponnat’s Royale Réserve truly lives up to its reputation as a connoisseur’s Champagne. Royale Réserve is bright in color and redolent in aroma with the scents of apple, apricot, currant, freshly baked bread, nutmeg, and citrus zest. Moreover, it comes across as immediately gratifying. In the mouth, this delicately beaded Champagne caresses the palate as it continues to offer a wealth of creamy flavors and a textured, sophisticated feel before making a grand exit. Fresh, deep, and uncommonly persistent for non-vintage Champagne, the Philipponnat Royale Réserve Brut provides ideal drinking in the traditional style of grand Champagnes. We suggest serving this fine Champagne fairly well-chilled (38º – 40º F) and exercising caution when opening.

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Vinous: 94 Points Coulon's NV Extra Brut L'Hommee 1er Cru is gorgeous. Powerful and ample in the glass, with tremendous resonance, the L'Hommee dazzles with its energy and persistence. Orchard fruit, wild flowers and spice overtones take on shades of exoticism with time in the glass. L'Hommee is is a blend of Pinot Noir, Meunier (done in oak) and Chardonnay (done in steel) from Vrigny and Pargny. 

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Winemaker Notes A deep golden robe underlined by a line of fine sparkling bubbles. A substantial, flowery (violet) nose, notes of white fruit, very ripe pear, creamy, slightly woody, mushrooms. A fine, dense structure, white fruit (peach, nectarine), gingerbread. An ample mouth and a wonderful length. Blend: 50% PInot Noir, 50% Chardonnay Critical Acclaim James Suckling A ripe and generous palate with stacks of stone fruit character (ripe apricot). I love the creaminess and fresh baguette richness on the mid-palate, the acidity easily balancing this. Long complete finish with good mineral tension.

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Winemaker Notes Rose-hued gold with coppery notes and a fine bubbles. The nose shows red fruits of raspberry and wild cherries. Salmon pink in color with coppery glints. Full and ample on the palate, with good tension that brings out the notes of cherry, wild strawberry, citrus, and grapefruit peel. Blend: 75% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay, and 5% Pinot Meunier Pair with smoked fish and ham, bacon, veal, and lamb. Critical Acclaim James Suckling A freshness and drive to this with sliced strawberry and lime with some peach blossom undertones. Full-bodied with lovely creamy texture and a bright finish. Hints of cotton candy. Very polished and focused.

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Sourced from the Tenuta La Meirana in the Gavi di Gavi DOCG. The oldest document which states the origin of the name “Gavi” is preserved at the record Office in Genova mentions vineyard and chestnut woods on a spot called Meirana. That document dates back to 971 A.D.The Cortese varietal grape vines here average 30 years of age. After hand harvest, the grapes are fermented in Stainless steel tanks and aged there on the lees 6 months before bottling.James Suckling scored this 91 points saying "Lightly honeyed lemon aromas with hints of dried herbs and orange zest. Full-bodied with a dense, silky mineral underlay to the bright, lemony flavors. Despite the density here, it remains bright through the long finish. Drink now."

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98 points Jeb Dunnuck"Showing brilliantly, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon VHR is a thrilling, magical Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that offers a sensational bouquet of pure crème de cassis, graphite, white flowers, spring flowers, and subtle smoke and crushed stone. As with most 2018s, in has a dense purple color, full-bodied richness, building yet ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish. Certainly no dainty wine, it’s one of those powerful yet perfectly balanced Cabernet Sauvignons that has the fruit and texture to drink well even today yet will have 30 or 40, if not 50 years of longevity." 98 points Vinous"**Francoise Pechon - Vinous Winemaker of the Year 2021** The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon has filled out beautifully since I tasted it a year ago. Rich, sumptuous and enveloping, the 2018 captivates all the senses with its sensual personality. All the Vine Hill Ranch signatures come through so beautifully. The 2018 possesses tremendous intensity as it continues to open in the glass, revealing myriad shades of nuance. Black cherry, lavender, spice and chocolate all flesh out on a wine that balances the sumptuousness of the 2012 with some of the energy of the 2013."

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Winemaker Notes Lillian is not particularly Syrah-like. It doesn’t scream out the usual cocktail of blackberries, bacon fat, and lavender. It always feels a bit more about the people and the places than the varietal. The wines are lavish, but there is refined rocky quality in them that defies description. The 2013 vintage is no exception to this but it is a vintage that emphasizes the lace-like structure and perfume of the wine. Compared to recent vintages; the fruit is more intense than in 2011 and the tannins a bit more architectural. It has less of 2012’s salinity and has quite a bit more tension and energy. Critical Acclaim James Suckling This has an intense, smoky and meaty nose, together with aromas of charred herbs, blackberries, black cherries, spice box, earth, burnt orange and fresh leather. It’s full-bodied, rich and flavorful with firm, chewy tannins. Deliciously inky with a deep core of spiced, peppered black fruit. Intense and long. Drink or hold.

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Winemaker Notes The 2018 vintage was one of exceptional quality for Heitz Cellar. The cooler to moderate temperatures during the growing season allowed us to balance sugar and phenolic maturity in the fruit while maintaining natural acidity to help preserve the fresh characteristics of the vintage. The elegance and balanced structure of the 2018 vintage will make this an incredible wine to drink upon release and will continue to reward with cellar aging. Critical Acclaim James Suckling A pure, balanced and fresh Napa cabernet that is not just showing heady concentration and dark fruit. Here you get some violets, nimble flowers, redcurrants, graphite and fine spices. Some oranges, too. Fragrant and nuanced. Medium to full body with tight yet refined tannins. Rather linear, tense and elegant, but lacking neither power nor definition. Better to give it a few years to deliver more complexity.

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Deep ruby red colour. Pronounced nose with dark plum, blackberry, tobacco, sweet spices, leather and black pepper. Pronounced taste of dark plum, blackberry, tobacco, sweet spices, leather, cedar and black pepper. Long and dry finish. High acidity. High tannins. Medium body. An outstanding St. Emilion that has great potential for development going forward. Needs at least five more years. Goes well with beef or lamb. --William

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Winemaker Notes The 2019 “Cariad” bears a soulful mark of the land, with the polish and esteem of pristine fruit. A bevy of dark fruit flavors like blackberry, cherry, and black currant are woven together with generous notes of earth and spice. Commanding aromatics make way to reveal a wine loaded with the succulence of a tender cut of meat. Finely polished tannins melt across the palate as dark chocolate and herbal notes of mint build into the finish. Both classic and modern, the 2019 “Cariad” is a poignant example of the charm of this sophisticated vintage. Critical Acclaim Jeb Dunnuck One of the two perfect wines in the lineup, the 2019 Cariad is 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot and Merlot, all from David Abreu’s Madrona Ranch Vineyard. Brought up in two-thirds new French oak, it has a regal, noble, full-bodied style that carries incredible tannins and balance, as well as off-the-charts purity in its floral, chocolate, lead pencil, and assorted red, blue, and black fruits. The tannins’ quality is truly something, and it’s rare to find a wine offering this level of purity, balance, and intensity at the same time. As with most 2019s, it already offers ample pleasure, yet smart money will give these 3-4 years, and it’s capable of evolving for 30 to 40 years.

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