Top 10 Products

Paul Golitzin, Director of Winemaking, comments:
The 2014 growing season started with early heat and vine development. High heat throughout the summer and promoted vine stress, with final ripening occurring in late September and October under ideal conditions. The 2014 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley is an absolutely amazing wine. Packed to the brim with floral aromas and flavors of blackberry, blueberry, black cherry and plum fruit intertwine with nuances of cacao nib, anise, soy, forest floor and minerals. Incredibly pure and complex, this richly textured wine is totally seamless in all of its parts, allowing for its silky texture to shine through on the palate with a finish that last for minutes. Drink now – 2036. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Review:

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is another tour de force from this estate that's reminiscent of first growth Bordeaux from a vintage like 2009. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged in new barrels, it offers incredible notes of blackcurrants, graphite, lead pencil shavings and crushed rocks in a full-bodied, decadent, insanely layered and seamless style. This beauty possesses ultra-fine tannin, no hard edges and a forward, already hard to resist style, yet it's going to keep for more than two decades. - Wine Advocate 100 Points

Color: Vibrant and deep; vivid crimson-purple
Aroma: Pungent mix of ripe black fruits, spice, licorice and anise enhanced by superbly integrated French oak nuances.
Palate: Full bodied and silky smooth, the highlights are lifted black currant and licorice, combined with mocha and swirls of five-spice characters. The elegant yet rich flavours are persistent, balanced with harmonious French oak and supple tannins leading to a lasting luscious finish.

Fermentation of each parcel of fruit occurred separately in upright static fermenters at around 25-27°C, and remained on skins for about 10 days. The wines were pumped over skins twice per day, and pressed at around 2 degrees Baume. One-third of each wine was added to new French oak hogsheads to complete fermentation, and the balance was added to older oak when dry. The wines were finally blended a month prior to bottling.

Vine Age: 85 (60%) -120 years (40%)
Alcohol: 14.6%
Residual Sugar: 0.8g/L
Total Acidity: 6.9g/L
pH: 3.45 

Reviews:

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2011 Old Vine Shiraz Reserve Release is intensely scented of spiced blackberries, black cherry tart and mulberries with underlying Chinese five spice, incense, Szechuan pepper and star anise hints. Full-bodied and loaded with muscular, blackberry and exotic spice flavors, it displays a good backbone of medium to firm, rounded tannins and lively acid before finishing long and layered. Approachable now, it should drink to 2024+. -Robert Parker 93+ Points

Bright and light golden-yellow in color. Exotic and sweet vanilla bean aromatics backed by pear and kiwi with a slight orange peel. The palate resonates with texture and depth as stone minerality and cream brioche to match. Flavors of roasted plantains, gravenstein apple, and lemon zest frame the wine for a long yet soft finish.

Planted in the early 90’s, this is the coolest vineyard site in the Russian River Valley, located at Lee Martinelli Sr.’s home ranch in Forestville, CA. After riding around with Lee in his pick-up truck when we visited his Woolsey Road, Zio Tony, and River Road Vineyards, he decided to take me to this gem. He kept this particular vineyard in his back pocket until we hit it off. We did, and I think you’ll enjoy the ride as well.

Review:

Elusively crisp and inviting on the nose, this is a thickly intriguing wine, floral in orange blossom and fresh apple. Structured and lengthy, it retains a tangy acidity and structured finish, the grapes sourced from a dry-farmed vineyard. - Wine Enthusiast 92 Points

Begude Bandol Rouge is made from 90% Mourvèdre, 10% Grenache.

Eye: dark ruby colored

Nose: Intense, aromatic, fresh and elegant

Mouth: Structured on black fruits flavors, lightly woody , tanins are strong an firm in their early days (<5years) Good acidity give freshness backbone and great fruit/alcoholic balance . Delicate final on spices.

Opening: Decant 4-6 hours before serving

Soil: Clay-limestone Culture: Organic without pesticides nor chemicals additives Yield: 20 hectoliters/hectare Harvest: Manual in small cases Winemaking: Double sorting, 100% destemming, skin contact, with daily sticking in order to optimize color and aromatic extraction Alcoholic fermentation 15 days followed by malo lactic fermentation. Aging: 18 months in oak cask Bottling:  

Grilled lamb, meat cooked with sauce, southern French cuisine and tasty dishes (tajines, couscous, paellas).

Review:

"This is an impressively rich, still very young wine. Dominated by Bandol's own Mourvèdre grape, it is dense and concentrated. Spice and dark red fruits are shot through with a wonderful herbal character that conjures the southern warmth. The wine is still just setting out and will not be ready to drink before 2019.. -R.V."

- Wine Enthusiast (July 2017), 94 pts

​Thorn Clarke William Randel Cabernet is made from 100 percent Cabernet

Deep red in colour. The nose is lifted and expressive with lovely Christmas cake and mint characters along with black olives and tobacco leaf adding complexity. The palate is medium to full bodied with blueberry and hints of cassis as the primary fruit flavours. The palate has great poise with the vibrant fruit, spicy French oak and fine tannin structure all wonderfully balanced, and the wine finishes with great length of fruit.

Review:

Eden Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from an excellent vintage. Deep, dark fruit crashes over firm, ropey tannin. To say that this will live and mature over a long period is an understatement. Mint, cassis, clovey oak, undergrowth. A substantial wine with a substantial future. - The Wine Front 94 Points 

Raymond Chan, NZ, April 2016

 Dark, deep, near saturated black-red colour with a touch of garnet on the edge. The nose is very firm and tightly bound with concentrated aromas of blackberry fruit harmoniously entwined with layers of menthol and cedar, revealing nuances of eucalypt, black olives and cassis. The aromatics build in intensity with aeration. Full-bodied, the palate features a firm and tightly concentrated heart with layers of rich and lusciously sweet, blackcurrant fruit with cassis, blackberries, menthol. mint and cedar. The palate is well-constructed with plenty of fine-grained tannin extraction forming a firm and dense core, with integrated acidity lending tension and drive, and enhancing the fruit sweetness. The structure carries the flavours to a long, lingering finish. This is a finely concentrated, firm, but fine-grained Cabernet Sauvignon with sweet blackcurrant fruit and layers of cassis, menthol, mint and cedar. Serve with lamb and beef, and with hard cheeses over the next 7-10 years. Fruit from ‘Milton’ Park, Eden Valley, fermented to 14.5% alc., the wine aged 16 months in French oak hogsheads. -18.5/20 Raymond Chan, NZ, April 2016

Rich garnet color. Aromas of vanilla, clove and cooking spices with hints of ripe berry, pomegranate and toast. Soft entry, balanced tannin and berry fruit mingled with pleasant acidity and lingering finish.

Review:

Dark, concentrated and grippy, this is a sizable Pinot from a cool, coveted vineyard. Juicy blue and blackberry fruit dominate on the nose and palate, surrounded by exotic cedar, clove, oak and toffee, a swipe of vanilla lurking behind the front flavors. The big tannins will appreciate time in the cellar, through 2022–2024. - Virginie Boone" - Wine Enthusiast (February 1st 2015), 95 pts

Sweet, savory aromas lead the way, sort of a mineral-laden black fruit---dark berries and plums. Smoke, dried herbs, violet, meat, wet stones and a hint of ironstone complete the package. It penetrates yet is a broad fragrant expression. I've always felt the aromatic range of this wine has its foundation in the four clones we use.

The black fruits continue on the palate, with black cherry, dark plum and spices echoing the aroma. While it's rich, almost luxurious, there's a tannic foundation and a structured acidity. Floral and earthy, the dried herbs and stones emerge here too, along with tobacco, thyme and lavender. This is a food-lover's Syrah, with weight, brightness and dimension.

(Clones 174, 383, 99 and Phelps) Vineyards: Ciel du Cheval Ranch at the End of the Road Classic Red Mountain character defines the Syrah La Côte Rousse, despite being the product of a cooler vintage. The warm site vineyards, Ciel du Cheval and Ranch at the End of the Road accumulated more heat than our other sites and ripened the four Syrah clones to a greater extent; we’ve never seen Red Mountain deliver less than full physiological maturity, every vintage. Nevertheless this vintage retains a vibrancy and energy that isn’t often found on Red Mountain.

Review:

The 2015 Syrah la Cote Rousse is a blockbuster Syrah from Red Mountain that’s from the Ranch at the End of The Road and Ciel du Cheval vineyards. It’s a mix of four different clones and is brought up in barrel. This deep, inky, seriously black Syrah gives up Hermitage-like notes of scorched earth, charred meats, graphite and licorice. It’s a big, concentrated effort that’s going to benefit from short-term cellaring and keep through 2035. Robert Parker 96 Points

Anne Delaroche Cotes du Rhone Blanc Bejot  is made from 70% Viognier, 30% Roussanne

Our Touraine Sauvignon blanc is crisp and refreshing, with rich, ripe lime and grapefruit aromas. Great elegance with mineral style and despite everything some kind of roundness.

Average age of the vines is 20 years old.

We produce a part of this cuvee with 12 hours skin maceration and another part from directly pressed grapes

Wine was slightly filtered before bottling to ensure wine will remain stable.

Ideal for the Aperitif , any cooked fish such as smoked and grilled salmon but also obviously with a Goat Cheese.

Lexicon Sauvignon Blanc is made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc

The Lexicon line of varietal wines has been carefully selected by Fran Kysela MS to show the essence of each variety, along with its terroir of origin, both of which are essential elements of a really good wine.

Sauvignon Blanc, historically known for the great white wines of Bordeaux and Sancerre, has increasingly been associated in the “New World” as coming from New Zealand. Our 100% Sauvignon Blanc was produced from grapes grown in the renowned Marlborough region. Marlborough is recognized for growing outstanding Sauvignon Blanc with mouth watering fresh acidity, balanced by intense tropical fruit notes.
Tropical, zesty & citrusy. Hints of guava, passion fruit & gooseberries.