The 2004 Rubicon reflects the warm growing conditions of the vintage, displaying a telltale scent of violets and sour cherry flavors, which are the hallmark of this wine. Its super-ripe character delivers a sweet impression, supple tannins, and a prolonged finish of licorice, dark berries, and vanilla.
A blend comprised primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon that is articulate and powerful, La Joie expresses the richness and depth of a Pauillac-style wine. It begins with a deep, dense purple color, offering up aromas of black currants, coffee, caramel, spicebox, herbs, and smoke. This is a full-bodied, complex and multi-layered wine...
A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, Le Désir represents the grace and opulence of the best St. Emilion-style wines. An intense purple color is followed by aromas of blackberries, tobacco, roasted coffee, dark fruit preserves and fruitcake. Rich, dense and chewy on the palate, it is smooth in...
Fans of smooth and elegant wines will love this lucious Red Meritage. Meritage (rhymes with heritage”) refers to domestic wines that are blended in a style similar to the great Bordeaux wines of France. Since no term existed in the US for this style of wine, Estancia’s founder Augustin Huneeus in...
What one notices first is the conjunction of concentrated black-cherry Merlot fruit and a texture somewhere between satin and velvet. What one notices last is the broad finish that lingers. The 1998 Vérité can be enjoyed now or cellared for even greater drinking pleasure.
All wines start in the vineyard. Great wines only come from the very best terrior and Napa Valley is blessed with arguably the best Cabernet Sauvignon terrior in the world. Terlato Family Vineyards is honored to present to you their fifth vintage of EPISODE, which represents the culmination of a lifetime...
At Cardinale they christened this the vintage of Alice's Rabbit”, in that everything was very late. Their rainy season slowed down enough in March to initiate bud push but was followed by the return of the rains not long after, which delayed bloom and fruit set. Already looking at a later...
Years ago, legendary Napa Valley winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff tasted wines from Franciscan’s Oakville estate and suggested that this vineyard would reach its finest expression as a blend in the style of the eminent wines of Bordeaux. Many of the great wines of the world are blends, but when Franciscan started making...
In 2005, careful yield management and a truly ideal fall ripening climate gave them wines with structure, refined tannins, elegance and potential for long aging. The 2005 Quintessa opens with beautiful complexity, perfume and nuance on the nose. In the glass, the wine amplifies with time and a quiet entry builds...
The 2005 harvest was distinguished by the long hang time on the vines. The wine has completed fermentation and is ageing gracefully in French oak. According to Heidi Barrett, the 2005 harvest delivered some of the most 'lush fruit' she has ever worked with. Amuse Bouche anticipates another wine of power...
Erratic temperatures throughout the first few months of the season caused some shatter in the grape flowers and uneven rates of maturation. The resulting smaller crop and smaller berry size yielded tannic, full-bodied wines of significant potential. A very complete wine from a challenging vintage. Medium weight, with cherry, herb, tea and coffee notes, finishing with mellow tannins.--Opus One vertical. Drink now through 2003. 14,500 cases made. –JL - Rated 86, Wine Spectator While the best Opus One to date is the 1987, the 1988 is certainly one of the finest red wines I have tasted from this uninspiring vintage. Impressively dark ruby-colored, it reveals an attractive nose of currants and smoky new oak. In the mouth, the wine is medium-bodied, with excellent concentration, a velvety texture, soft tannins, low acidity, and a smooth, attractive finish. Although it is hard to resist now, it should age gracefully for 7-8 years. - Rated 88, Robert Parker
Rains in August were followed by dry, windy weather in September that protected Napa Valley's red varieties from exposure to rot. A greatly reduced crop level produced lean, well-balanced wines for medium-term aging.
Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow 3L 2006
Diamond Creek's second coolest microclimate is their five-acre Gravelly Meadow vineyard. Originally a prehistoric river bed, this stony, gravelly soil drains rapidly and the vines struggle for moisture. Gravelly Meadow is their lowest yielding vineyard. The wines are described as earthy, cedary, jammy and ripe blackberry with a spicy expansive finish.”...
Diamond Creek Red Rock Terraces 3L 2006
Red Rock Terrace, a warm microclimate, is 7 acres of north facing vineyard. The red tinted soil is high in iron content. The wine from Red Rock Terrace is the most accessible and earliest drinkable of all Diamond Creek's wines. Their winemaker describes Red Rock Terrace as having velvety tannins, rich...
Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill 3L 2006
Volcanic Hill is comprised of 8 acres of south facing hillside vineyard. It is the warmest of all Diamon Creek's microclimates. The color of the soil is gray, and the consistency is that of fluffy, volcanic ash, originally deposited from the eruption of Mt. Konocti 8 million years ago. Volcanic Hill...
