" We don't sell the wine without touching the vine "
Betz Family Besoleil 2018
No longer available.
| Country: | United States |
| Regions: | Washington Washington (Columbia Valley) |
| Winery: | Betz Family Wines |
| Grape Type: | Grenache |
| Vintage: | 2018 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
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Morlet Family Vineyards Mon Chevalier Cabernet Sauvignon is made from Cabernet Sauvignon (86%) Cabernet Franc (8%) Merlot (3%) Malbec (2%) Petit Verdot (1%) .
Located on the hillsides of Knights Valley, near Calistoga, this vineyard benefits from its proximity to Mount St. Helena, whose warm and windy climate is ideal for the long ripening of the Bordeaux red varietals. Handcrafted by using classical winemaking techniques, this special wine is dedicated to our son, Paul Morlet.
Dark red with a hue of purple. Intense and complex bouquet of red, black and blue berries intermixed with notes of blueberries, minerals (graphite, wet river rocks) licorice, fresh blond tobacco and a hint of lavender. Full bodied, the palate is reminiscent of the nose, with a richly tannic yet round frame and a great intensity. The hillside tannins and the classical aromatic complexity create a harmonious ensemble, leading to a very long and elegant finish. Built to age for decades, this collectible wine opens up after a few years of cellaring and is particularly representative of this special vineyard from the hillside of Knights Valley. Mon Chevalier features the interaction of the loamy, well drained and rocky volcanic soil, the typical sunny mountain climate and the low-interventionistic Morlet winemaking approach.
Property Name: Mon Chevalier
Name Meaning My Knight Named after our son, Paul Morlet
Type of wine Vineyard designated
Appellation Knights Valley
Vineyard singularity Morlet Family Estate Hillside 1100-1200 feet elevation Rhyolitic, loam & volcanic ash
Typical harvest date End of October
Picking Manual, small lugs, refer truck
Sorting Cluster by cluster, berry per berry
Fermentation Through native yeast Tank and Puncheons
Upbringing 16 months French oak from artisan coopers
Bottling Unfiltered
Cellaring time Decades
Serving Room temperature
Decanting recommended
Review:
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Mon Chevalier comes from the Knights Valley, just north of Napa Valley in the larger Sonoma County, and it always seems to me to have one foot in Napa and one foot in Sonoma. Boasting a similar ruby/purple color (as do all of the releases here), it’s slightly more reserved and stately (knightly, if you will), with building aromas and flavors of blackcurrants, toasted bread, dried violets, baking spices, and loamy earth. These carry to a pure, full-bodied, multi-dimensional Cabernet that’s flawlessly balanced, has ripe yet certainly present tannins, a notable sense of minerality, and a great, great finish. It’s just another incredible wine from Luc Morlet that can be drunk today with ample pleasure or cellared for 20-30 years if, for some reason, you feel the need to delay gratification.
-Jeb Dunnuck 99 Points
Hahn Estate Lucienne Chardonnay Lone Oak Vineyard is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Reviews:
Lemon blossom, grapefruit rind, pastry flake and a hint of ash show on the nose of this single-vineyard expression from the Hahn family. It's suave and broad on the palate at first, then it chisels down to pinpoint acidity, delivering flavors of apricot, lime zest and chalk before the slightly nutty finish. Matt Kettmann
-Wine Enthusiast 94 Points
Intense violet, hints of lavender, black cherry, fresh leather and spicy flavors (white pepper and clove), rich and concentrated with a lingering spicy finish. Will age gracefully for several decades.
Review:
Morlet doesn’t make much of it, but their Syrah is beautiful and well worth seeking out. The 2018 Syrah Bouquet Garni comes from the cool climate, higher elevation Bennett Valley in Sonoma and offers a big, exotic nose of blackberry and blackcurrant fruits as well sandalwood, dried flowers, new leather, and white pepper. The fruit is ripe and opulent, yet it still holds onto loads of classic cooler-climate Syrah gaminess and peppery notes. Full-bodied on the palate, it’s balanced and has a lively, clean texture, beautiful depth of fruit, and a great finish. Enjoy bottles any time over the coming decade.
-Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
Volker Eisele Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is made from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot.
Volker Eisele Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of vineyard blocks from throughout the entire estate. Varying terrain, different clones, and different rootstocks produce a patchwork of flavor identities between the vineyard blocks and their resulting cuvees, brought together in a blend that is essentially a snapshot in time of a dynamic, ever-changing vineyard.
The 2015 Volker Eisele Family Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a brilliant garnet color in the glass. The nose is extroverted and effusive with bright red aromas of ripe cherries and plums, with a touch of peach and hint of anise and white pepper. In the mouth, the wine shows excellent oak integration, with prominent flavors of juicy huckleberries, milk chocolate, and sweet barrel spices. The lengthy finish carries nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla through to the end. ~Molly Lippitt, Winemaker.
Review:
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon V is an ample, rich wine. Black cherry, leather, sweet ripe tobacco, cedar and earthy notes all build in this sumptuous yet classically built Cabernet. There is plenty to like. The 2018 has so much to offer. It is not an obvious wine, but it is very pretty and impeccably balanced.
-Antonio Galloni (Vinous) 94 Points
Black pepper and road-tar aromas lead to potent, superripe blackberries and good, grippy tannins in this full-bodied, generous and concentrated wine made from organic grapes. It combines power with grace as the midpalate and finish lighten up and bring out mint, cloves and cedar nuances. Best from 2028–2038.
-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
A medium-to full-bodied red with aromas and flavors of wild blackberries, dried...
-James Suckling 92 Points
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon V is a beautiful, already complex 2018 with lots of red, blue, and black fruits as well as notes of cedary spice, dried flowers, new leather, and camphor. With medium to full-bodied richness, ripe, velvety tannins, and a great finish, it can be drunk today (give it a decant) or cellared for over a decade.
-Jeb Dunnuck 91 Points
Chateau Talbot Saint-Julien Grand Cru Classe is made from 69 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 26 % Merlot, 5 % Petit Verdot.
The wine presents a delicate and captivating nose of black fruits, fresh tobacco, peppermint and floral nuances. Ripe and juicy fruit flavors of black currants on the palate with well integrated velvety tannins and a beautiful refreshing acidity to the long finish.
For the 2018 vintage, a special packaging with a unique silkscreen printing bottle was created to mark the 100th anniversary of the Cordier Family's acquisition of Chateau Talbot
Pair with red meat, roast pork, game meat, poultry, hard cheeses, poached pear.
Review:
"Rich aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, chocolate, tobacco and licorice. Oyster shell, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, well integrated tannins. Polished, silky layers with a long finish. Gorgeous ripe and bright fruit in the center palate. Best in a long time. Try from 2025."
- James Suckling (January 2021), 96 pts
Review:
Shows range, with cassis, blueberry and plum fruit and a nice snap of licorice throughout. Fleshy, but with latent drive on the finish. A concentrated, solid wine.
-James Molesworth (Wine Spectator) 96 Points
This estate is on a roll and the 2018 Chateau Talbot might just be the best yet. A deep purple/blue color is followed by a mammoth-sized bouquet of creme de cassis, dark chocolate, tobacco, and lead pencil. Rich, full-bodied, and powerful, it nevertheless stays pure, balanced, and elegant, with a beautiful finish. Its tannins are ripe and integrated, it has balancing acidity, and this is unquestionably another beautiful vintage for this estate.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
Very attractive core of pretty fruit and polished yet chewy tannins. Medium to full body, integrated tannins and a driven finish. One of the best Talbots in a long time.
-James Suckling 95 Points
A bicentennial vintage marking the acquisition of the cru by the Cordier family, 2018 comes in a unique screen-printed bottle. The wine does it justice, well-structured, with a palate that is both straight yet coated on the finish. It lacks neither charm nor depth, with a finish that remains vibrant.
-La Revue du Vin de France 95 Points
Force Majeure Epinette is made from 79% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot .
Epinette is Force Majeure's Right-bank Bordeaux-inspired blend, and was named after an avenue in Libourne (France) that leads to Pomerol and Saint-Émilion, the home of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Epinette is also the name of a musical instrument akin to a piano, as well as a word for pine tree, which is a fitting nod to their home in Washington state.
The wine itself is a blend of primarily Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, proportions of which change depending on the vintage. The Merlot and Cabernet Franc are grown in lower areas of the vineyard with deep, well-drained soils, much less rocky than the soils of our Rhone varietals.
Review:
The 2018 Epinette is the Merlot-dominated release from this team, and it's 79% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, all from the estate vineyard on Red Mountain. Lots of smoky black cherry and darker currant fruits as well as notes of chocolate, graphite, lead pencil, and chalky minerality emerge from the glass, and this full-bodied beauty is beautifully textured, with a stacked mid-palate, velvety tannins, and a blockbuster finish. It's up with the finest Merlots in the New World and will drink brilliantly for at least a decade, if not longer. Previously known as Grand Reve, Force Majeure has skyrocketed to the top of the pyramid in Washington State, in no small part due to their talented winemaker, Todd Alexander, who moved from Bryant Family in Napa to Washington State to focus on this estate. While the focus is on their Red Mountain Vineyard, they make a bevy of world-class wines from throughout the Columbia Valley. Anyone doubting the quality coming from Washington State these days owes it to themselves to try these wines.
-Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
Product Description
Betz Family Besoleil is made from 55% Grenache, 23% Mourvèdre, 11% Syrah and the rest Cinsault,
Grenache is the star of Besoleil, but it's not the whole story. Additional southern Rhone varieties have found their way into the blend and today the wine includes Counoise, Cinsault, Syrah and Mourvèdre . Our cellar treatment has also evolved in several ways in order to promote additional nuance from these southern Rhone gems. Larger, neutral oak cooperage of 300 and 500 liters provides less surface-to-volume ratio, resulting in slower evolution and less oak influence in the final wine. Aging up to two-thirds of the blend in concrete vessels helps maintain a bright, fresh fruit character.
The story of Besoleil begins with our long-held belief that a precise marriage of soil and site can produce a profound expression of Grenache in Washington. We put that belief to the test with Besoleil's first vintage in 2003. While the Grenache in the earliest vintages of Besoleil was sourced from various vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley, two sites in particular (Olsen Vineyards in the Yakima Valley and Upland Vineyards on Snipes Mountain) have excelled as uniquely distinctive for Grenache. These two sites are the sources for the entirety of the Grenache in Besoleil today.
Besoleil is our Spanish/French whimsy for "kissed by the sun". It alludes to the warm, sunny days in the south of France that impart an intensity of character to the Grenache grape and its southern Rhone relatives. Imagine the windswept vineyards of Chhateauneuf-du-Pape, the inspiration for this wine, where Grenache thrives alongside a dozen or more other grape varieties.
Review:
"Grenache makes up 46% of this wine, with Mourvèdre and Counoise each accounting for 24% and the balance being Syrah. With the majority of the fruit coming from Olsen Vineyard in Yakima Valley, the aromas explode from the glass, with notes of raspberry, smoked meat, huckleberry and white pepper. The palate has dense, textured, layered fruit flavors but still remains fleet of foot. There is a compelling sense of freshness and texture to it. It's a complete dazzler. - SEAN P. SULLIVAN"
- Wine Enthusiast (March 2020), 94 pts
"The 2018 Bésoleil is made from 46% Grenache, 24% Mourvedre, 24% Couniose and 6% Syrah. The wine has a classic ruby color and opens with precision and focus on the nose, singing a beautiful song with strawberries and cherry skin, plus a spiced finesse and dusty minerality in the glass. Medium-bodied, flavors of red licorice and red spiced potpourri are balanced effortlessly on the palate, and it ends with a compact yet lingering oaky finish, making this wine food-friendly, expressing red and black spices with a soft dustiness." - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (December 2020), 93 pts "A medium-to full-bodied red with aromas of red berries, plums, orange zest, flowers, black pepper and dried herbs. Fine-grained tannins frame layers of herbs and spiced fruit with some saline undertones. Fresh and delicious. 46% grenache, 24% counoise, 24% mourvedre and 6% syrah. Drink or hold." - James Suckling (July 2021), 93 pts "The Southern Rhône blend from this estate, the 2018 Bésoleil checks in as 55% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 12% Counoise, and 3% Syrah that was 60% destemmed and brought up in used barrels. It's always a lighter hued effort and offers a translucent ruby color as well as perfumed flowers, sandalwood, herbes de Provence, and assorted red fruit characteristics. Medium-bodied, nicely textured, and balanced, it's a charming, undeniably delicious blend to enjoy over the coming 5-7 years or so." - Jeb Dunnuck (May 2021), 91 pts
Winery: Betz Family Wines
We raise our glasses to all of you and say;
alla famiglia – to our family!
Since our first vintage in 1997 we’ve had a single minded goal of crafting compelling wines with individual character that are approachable and ageworthy, and which showcase Washington as a distinguished wine region of the world.
By carving out specific vineyard blocks and being meticulous in the vineyard and cellar we are able to achieve the quality we aspire to.
As importantly over the years our winery culture has become a way of life in which everyone – our growers, winery team and customers are family.
Today, Betz family Winery is headed by our two families, both committed to be true to our heritage, our family members, and true to what Betz winery embodies: wines of dimension and pleasure, wines that allow the character of Washington to shine through. They are a blend of the best elements of the new and the old worlds; full ripe fruit and yet structured for longevity.
We believe our best wines are yet to come.
Our Values
Washington’s Columbia Valley is one of the world’s blessed sites to grow classic wine grapes.
- The Betz Family Winery is part of the bigger ‘wine community” family
- World class vineyards and practices, with quality constant improvement
- Nothing happens by chance pay attention to detail every step of the way
- Leave the planet better off than we found it
- back
Pulled from a Gentleman's cellar, all wines from this cellar have been purchased by the owner either from the importer or direct from winery. They stayed in his cellar until being moved to the Timeless Wines warehouse.
Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne 2020 is made from 100% Sangiovese.
Siro Pacenti was founded in 1970 when Siro Pacenti established the Pelagrilli estate northeast of Montalcino; his son Giancarlo Pacenti took the reins in 1988 and, after training in Bordeaux, modernized the cellar and added the Piancornello vineyard on the appellation’s warmer southern side. The Vecchie Vigne, or “Old Vines”, bottling is drawn from the estate’s oldest Sangiovese plantings across both sites and aged in French barrique.
Brunello di Montalcino is made entirely from Sangiovese grown on the hills around the town of Montalcino in southern Tuscany, and is aged for years before release. The 2020 vintage is a touch more accessible in youth while keeping the concentration and firm, dusty tannic structure that give the wine its long aging runway.
Review:
Aromas of black cherries, bark, black truffle, ink and lead pencil follow through to a full body with perfectly integrated tannins that are caressing yet impressive and add intensity and focus to the wine. The silky tannins caress every inch of your palate. Savory finish. Drink or hold.
-James Suckling 98 Points
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