Big Table Farm Chardonnay 2015

Barrel fermented in mixed age French oak producing a medium clear lemon color. This wine has a luminescent, straw color with a subtle sheen. Meyer lemon, white nectarine, baking spice, and salt water taffy on the nose. The palette offers up warm oak spice, sandalwood, and stone fruit.

With a lemon-butter-cream texture, this wine is lush yet still very bright and fresh. Lively acidity, with a custard type of roundness/richness, and the warm oak spice follows through on the pallet. Delicious balance between richness and freshness.

As with all our whites, this wine will reward you for cellaring.

Reviews:

Bright straw. Fresh citrus and orchard fruits, smoky minerals and ginger on the incisive nose. Silky and focused on the palate, offering nervy Meyer lemon and green apple flavors that give way to deeper melon and peach with air. Finishes silky and long, displaying an echo of bitter citrus pith and lingering spiciness. - Vinous 90 Points

Bright, taut and focused, with spicy pear and Meyer lemon flavors that dance into a long and lively finish. Drink now through 2020. 680 cases made. - Wine Spectator 90 Points

Argot Simpatico Ranch Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.

Powerful aromas of key-lime, white flowers, orange blossoms and a fierce, flinty, sauvage note define a wildly complex nose. Once in the mouth, gracefully pronounced textures coat the palate delivering an exotic interpretation of cool-climate Chardonnay character — lime peel, orange blossom, ginger and clove —lingerings deep into a vibrant finish.

Planted 1978. Shallow volcanic soils on the gently-sloped, south-facing foothills of Bennett Peak on Bennett Valley’s floor. One of California’s coolest Chardonnay vineyards. In the final year of 3-year draught cycle, Simpatico Ranch saw its earliest ever harvest and smallest crop, exposing a reserve of exoticism and minerality previously untapped. A watershed vintage for both the vineyard, and appellation. Night harvested by hand on 9/16, whole-cluster pressed direct to barrel; no settling to ensure maximum lees contact. Barrel fermented on heavy lees. Malolactic fermentation. 16 months in French oak, 50% new. Finished 2 months in steel tank, low Sulphur during barrel elevage.

Review:

"Wow—I just love the nose of the 2015 Chardonnay Simpatico Ranch, which sings of fresh grapefruit, lemon curd and yuzu with nuances of acacia honey, fresh ginger, lime blossoms and chopped almonds. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the mouth with a stunning array of citrus, spice and floral notions, backed by seamless freshness and packaged in a beautiful satin-textured frame, finishing with great length and depth. Yes, yes, yes! 150 cases produced. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown" - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #237, June 2018), 95+ pts

The Kasteelberg range of wines, celebrates the discovery of Riebeek and the Kasteelberg mountainsin 1661. Kasteelberg stands sentinal over the fertile valley below. From the slopes of the mountians, hand-selected grapes are expertly crafted with care to produce rare and expressive wines. The Kasteelberg range truly is the pinnacle of our Winemakers'art.

Rich and golden with strong tropical aromas, beautifully enhanced by subtle tones of well-integrated oak. Although upfront and bold, the secret of this wine is in its exceptional balance, an outstanding version of the classic Chardonnay.

Rich aromas of baked apple, almonds and brown sugar foretell the mouth-filling flavors. A full, silky texture on the palate leads to a lingering, clean finish. This Chardonnay will age beautifully for another three to five years.

Uvaggio Primitivo Lodi  is made from 87% Primitivo, 13% Barbera

As we traverse the highways and byways of the wine world, the number-one question we encounter is “are Primitivo and Zinfandel really the same wine?” Well, yes and no. After years of genetic research, ampelographers discovered both are clones of a Croatian grape called Crljenak Kaštelanski (aka: Tribidrag). This means they’re not exactly the same (but oh so very close). It’s lively and fruity, generally offering a brighter expression than typical Zin (think fresh blueberries, not blackberry preserves). Neither Croatian or Pugliese, ours is a perfect complement with America's farm-to-table cuisine.

Decades ago we helped pioneer an 'old vine' Zin revial in the Napa AVA, plus planted Napa's first Primitivo. We have moved-on to a more cost effective AVA, sourcing from a vineyard planted for the Prisoner program.

Fruity and engaging; having a briary aroma of blackberry, floral notes like violet and a hint of spices like clove; with berry and cherry flavors, it has a bold and firm finish.

Harvest in mid Sept was followed by several days of cold maceration, after which the must was inoculated with a fruit enhancing strain of yeast. Immediately following the primary fermentation and pressing, the wine went into older neutral barrels for a malo-lactic conversion. While only minimally handled, late spring of the following year it was racked and we blended in a small percentage of Barbera, to enhance its expression and add complexity. Aging continued for another three months in neutral oak cooperage.
Bottled in Aug 2016; 14.9% alcohol, pH 3.58 & TA 6.0 g/l

Review:

"A wine for grown-ups, this is big but balanced and dry in style. It matches impressive layers of just-ripe blackberry and black-plum flavors with a sturdy structure of fine-grained tannins that clean the palate easily. It has considerable depth and focus, indicated by how the dark fruits seem to keep increasing in intensity even on the finish. - JIM GORDON"

- Wine Enthusiast (October 2017), 92 pts - Editors' Choice

Dark ruby color. Aromas of cherry, currant, vanilla bean and hint of tar. Full-bodied, with flavors of cherries, cocoa powder and oak. A touch of sweetness on entry with a little bit of air with soft tannins that are starting to integrate well.

The latest step in the project is Vinsacro (formerly Valsacro) Dioro. The earlier Valsacros were made from a field selection of the older vineyards. Now, thanks to the new facility Amador has been able to build an upmarket version of Vinsacro (formerly Valsacro) with a four-stage selection process that includes an initial field selection of the fruit followed by a second table selection as the grapes come into the winery. After fermentation wine from selected tanks is transferred to new French oak barrels for 12-14 months of barrel age. Finally, the best barrels are set aside for Dioro and the remainder used to "upgrade" the normal Vinsacro.

Vinsacro Dioro is a blend of grapes from 100+ year old "vidau" vineyards where many varieties were planted together in the same plot.

Today the grapes are harvested and vinified separately. The final blend depends on the vintage but typically it's Tempranillo (50%), Garnacha (20%) and remaining 30% is a mix of mainly Graciano (10%) & Mazuelo (10%) with a little of Monastrell (5%) & Bobal (5%).

Review:

"The top of the range is the 2015 Vinsacro Dioro, a wine that is only produced in excellent vintages. It's a blend of 40% Vidau (the old field blend) plus 45% Tempranillo and 15% Mazuelo, from a slope in the south of the Monte Yerga called Cuesta la Reina, from a big, 120-hectare plot that has been with the Escudero family for generations. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel with a long maceration. It matured in new French (70%) and American oak barrels for 18 months. It's still very young and a little shy, with a reticent nose where the lactic and spicy aromas are intermixed with earthy and dark fruit aromas. The palate is full-bodied but perfectly balanced, compact, powerful and serious, with abundant tannins, extract and clout. This should develop nicely in bottle, given its stuffing and balance. An excellent, modern version of a classical Rioja. 20,000 bottles were filled in June 2017. - Luis Gutierrez"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #235, February 2018), 92 pts

"(sourced from a 100+ year old plot of mixed varieties; aged in new and used French oak barrels for 14 months) Deep, bright-rimmed ruby. Ripe black and blue fruits on the expansive, spice- and smoke-accented nose, along with suggestions of vanilla, candied flowers and cola. The oak qualities recede quickly on the palate, which displays sappy, deeply concentrated boysenberry, black raspberry and spicecake flavors that show a suave blend of richness and energy. Supple tannins build steadily on the penetrating finish, which leaves cherry-cola and baking spice notes behind. - Josh Raynolds"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (February 2019), 93 pts

"I loved the 2015 Vinsacro Dioro Rioja, and this beauty is 50% Tempranillo, 20% Grenache, 10% each of Mazuelo and Graciano, and the balance Mourvèdre and Bobal, all of which spent 12-14 months in French oak. It boasts a deep ruby/purple color as well as smoking good notes of black currants, dried herbs, licorice, and background oak. Medium to full-bodied, seamless, and layered on the palate, with terrific fruit and impeccable balance, I suspect it will shine for over a decade."

- Jeb Dunnuck (March 2019), 93 pts