Meritage
Anderson's Conn Valley Eloge Napa Valley Red 2009 750 ML
$89.99
95 points Robert Parker- The 2009 Eloge bursts from the glass with juicy dark cherries, flowers, mint, tobacco, licorice and earthiness. I especially like the immediacy of the fruit here. There is pure plushness and juiciness in the 2009 that is impossible not to love. Black cherries, tobacco, smoke and graphite all wrap around the intense, juicy finish. This is a terrific showing from Todd Anderson and his team. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2029. I was quite taken with these new and upcoming releases from Todd Anderson and his team headed by Assistant Winemaker Robert Hunt. A number of these wines showed quite a bit better than they did last year. The Cabernet Sauvignon-based Eloge and the Cabernets Sauvignons are the highlights among the reds." (12/ 2012)
Booker Fulldraw Vineyard Red 2016 750 ML
$79.99
Fulldraw is new to the line-up with fruit sourced from the vineyard immediately adjoining Booker. The soils are pure white calcareous shale, and getting a crop is almost impossible. Thus making it both a widely unique site as well as borderline unsustainable due to the miniscule yields. As with most young vines in a site that has no vigor, the fruit you get it fresh and exciting but it is key to refrain from getting carried away and making a wine that is over the top in ripeness.
Cain Concept Benchland Napa Valley Red 2010 750 ml
$75.00
The Rutherford Benchland Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards did very well in 2010, both on the east side, near the Silverado Trail in Andy Beckstoffer’s George III, and on the west side, in Mike Morisoli’s vineyard west of Highway 29...These Cabernets provided all the structure we needed, together with a great deal of aromatic complexity. We found just a touch of Merlot (10%) and Cabernet Franc (9%) from the Truchard Vineyard was necessary to balance the blend. A drop (1%) of Petit Verdot completed the picture."
Vineyards: Rutherford: Morisoli Borges, Beckstoffer — George III, Garvey, Hudson; Carneros: Truchard; Atlas Peak: Stagecoach; St. Helena: Stanton. 4,286 cases produced.
Cain Cuvee NV11 Napa Valley Red 750 ml
$36.00
Cain Cuvee reveals the beauty and harmony that the blend of two harvests can create. Tension of the 2011 (76%), married to the warmth of the 2010 (24%), creates a most focused Cain Cuvee: NV11.
For Cain Cuvee, the winemaker works with the same vineyards, the same rows, the same vines, year after year: Cain neighbor York Creek (since 1994), Nord-Trio C in Yountville (since 1995), Gallegos in Rutherford (since 2002), and Stanton in Oakville (since 2006). Each year these vineyards comprise more
than 60% of the cuvee. Then accent notes are contributed from Truchard in Carneros, Morisoli in Rutherford, and the Cain estate vineyard. The key to selecting the lots is lightness and aromatic freshness.
Continuum Oakville Red 2011 750 ml
$170.00
95 Points Antonio Galloni- The 2011 Continuum is a dark, brooding beauty. The heavy presence of Petit Verdot, 11% in this vintage, is clearly felt in the wine's somber, intense personality. The 2011 is going to require significant patience. It boasts superb density and pedigree, but it was also bottled just a few months ago, and is a bit unsettled at this stage. The 2011 was made from virtually all estate fruit, with a splash of Petit Verdot from Mount Veeder. 95+.
Duckhorn Discussion Red 2013 750 ml
$134.99
Eden Canyon Jolie California Red 2006 750 ml
$19.99
Ruby tones with blueberry, chocolate, and cassis notes... this beauty has earned her name. Jolie (the French word for "pretty") is a Bordeaux style blend of 85% estate cabernet sauvignon and 15% merlot. Soft tannins, medium-bodied, and approachable, Jolie is wonderful company for any dinner. Drink now or age for 5+ years.
Estancia Reserve Meritage 2013 750 ml
$19.99 $29.99
Deep crimson with aromas of mocha, ripe plum, and blackberry, with cocoa and a mélange of baking spices. Displays a rich, exquisite mouthfeel, velvety tannins, and ripe fruit balanced with notes of chocolate and French vanilla with velvety tannins that complement a lengthy, utterly elegant finish.
69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot
GB Crane El Coco Red 2016 750ml
$74.99
Decandent and rich, the nose opens with ripe boysenberry, blackberry and dark chocolate with a touch of aromatic nuance - forest floor and a satiating minerality. The entry is expansive and weighty with dark berries, ripe stone fruits, a hint of bing cherry with a long chain of white pepper. The complex finish is lengthy with soft, supple tannins stemming from teh high percentage of new French oak.
94 pts Antonio Galloni
Joseph Phelps Insignia 2011 750ml
$199.99
93-95 points Antonio Galloni-The 2011 Insignia is showing beautifully today. The cool vintage has given the 2011 distinctly European leanings in both the flavors and structure. At the same time, there is tons of energy and pure vibrancy in the glass. It will be interesting to see where the 2011 goes once it is in bottle, but it is almost likely to require several years to fully come together. The 2011 is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec, 2% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc.
Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa Valley red 2013 750 ml
$250.00
98 points from Robert Parker, who writes, "This could turn out even better than the 2012... An amazing, inky purple color offers up notes of pen ink, white flowers, blueberry and blackberry liqueur. Nicely coiled, its tense, but rich and extracted palate is full-bodied with layers of concentrated fruit, well-integrated wood, acidity and tannin, and a finish of a good 40 to 45 seconds. This stunner should hit its prime in 5-6 years and last 30 to 40 years."
Winemaker's notes: Deeply pigmented, the 2013 Insignia opens with heady blackberry and plum aromatics laced with baking spices, cardamom and espresso. Focused and fresh, this exceptionally concentrated wine showcases elegant tannin structure and a silky mouthfeel layered with dark fruit, sweet vanilla bean, cracked black pepper and bittersweet chocolate. 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 3% Merlot, 3% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc from 100% estate-grown Napa Valley vineyards: Stags Leap District (28% Las Rocas Vineyard and 11% Barboza Vineyard), Napa Valley (22% Suscol Vineyard), Rutherford (16% Banca Dorada Vineyard), Oak Knoll District (12% Yountville Vineyard) and St. Helena (11%
Home Ranch Vineyard). 24 months in 100% new French oak.
Joseph Phelps Insignia Proprietary Red Wine 2014 750ML
$255.00
96 Points Robert Parker- The 2014 Insignia is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot and the rest Malbec and Cabernet Franc (no Merlot whatsoever). Production was slightly higher at 14,500 cases. This wine has an inky bluish purple color, a big, sweet kiss of crème de cassis, blackberry, blueberry, and hints of graphite and charcoal. It is floral, full-bodied, with tremendous opulence and richness. It is more approachable than the more structured and muscular 2013, but its is certainly no wimpy wine, given its level of extract and richness. It is another beauty, with the oak well-disguised by the extravagant fruit extract. Drink it over the next 30+ years.
Linne Calodo Perfectionist 2016 750 ML
$81.99
95 Points: "Deep ruby. A highly complex, spice-laced bouquet evokes black and blue fruit preserves, incense and Moroccan spices, and a smoky mineral quality adds lift. Stains the palate with concentrated, sharply delineated boysenberry and cassis liqueur flavors that are energized by a spine of juicy acidity. Definitely rich, but shows outstanding energy and clarity as well. Finishes sweet, velvety and extremely long, leaving notes of candied flowers and spicecake behind.."
Linne Calodo Sticks and Stones 2016 750 ML
$91.99
94 Points: "Blended of 68% Grenache, 17% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah and 5% Cinsault, the 2015 Sticks and Stones has a medium garnet-purple color and is scented of kirsch, red currant jelly and dried mulberries with hints of baking spices, potpourri and dusty earth, plus a waft of lavender. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is laden with spicy red fruit preserves and earthy layers, supported by soft, velvety tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long."
Marciano Estate Napa Valley M Red 2015 750ml
$124.99
The 2015 M Red wine boasts aromas of black cherry, crème de cassis, violet and espresso. On the palate, the Cabernet Sauvignon adds beautiful concentration, lush fruit flavors and incredible depth. Conditions in 2015 were ideal for the Cabernet Franc, which achieved perfect ripeness and contributed to the wine’s expressive bouquet and silky, refined texture. The addition of Petit Verdot completes the blend, resulting in a seamless wine, and showcasing the complexity and amplitude of our ten-acre estate vineyard.
Opus One Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend 2015 750
$349.99
WINE WILL BE IN STOCK FOR PICKUP OR SHIPMENT IN FIRST WEEK OF OCTOBER.
98 points James Suckling
Purity and brilliance on the nose with so much currant and flower character. Roses, currant bush and fresh leaves, too. Brightness is the word that comes to mind. Full-bodied and broad-shouldered. Juicy and so gorgeous now. Balance is so wonderful here. All about harmonious fruit and tannin balance. I like it slightly better than the excellent 2014. 81% cabernet sauvignon, 4% petit verdot, 7% cabernet franc, 6% merlot and 2% malbec. Drink or hold.
97 points Robert Parker's Wine AdvocateComposed of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot and 2% Malbec, Opus One's 2015 Proprietary Red Wine is truly an iron fist in a velvet glove, delivering a powerhouse of flavors and structure with a seductively plush texture. It opens with a deep garnet-purple color and wonderfully spicy notes of cinnamon stick, cloves and fenugreek with a core of cherry preserves, redcurrant jelly, blackberry pie and warm plums plus hints of camphor, lavender and cigar box. Full-bodied, rich and bold in the mouth, it fills the palate with exotic spice-laced black and red fruits, framed by firm, beautifully ripe, grainy tannins and great freshness, finishing with epic persistence. Although it is already approachable, allow it another 3-5 years in bottle for its myriad of subtle accents to fully blossom and then drink it over the next 30+ years. (LPB)
96 points VinousThe 2015 Opus One is just as fabulous from bottle as it was from barrel. Dark, sumptuous and voluptuous in the glass, with no hard edges, the 2015 captures all the essence of the vintage while retaining a good bit of aromatic freshness. At this stage, the new oak is still a bit prominent, but that should not be an issue as the wine ages. There is more than enough depth for the 2015 to develop positively for 20-25 years, perhaps more. Just bottled a month prior to this tasting, the 2015 is naturally a bit more reticent than it has been in the past. Winemaker Michael Silacci add that the 2015 will, in his view, follow a similar trajectory to the 2008, which he later opened for the sake of comparison. In my view, the 2015 will always be more extroverted, although it does need time to be at its most expressive. The blend is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec.
