Country: | France |
Region: | Maconnais |
Winery: | Croix Senaillet |
Grape Type: | Chardonnay |
Organic: | Yes |
Vintage: | 2014 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Croix Senaillet St. Veran Les Rochats is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
This Saint Veran Les Rochats is produced from 50-year-old Chardonnay vines, grown organically on Jurassic-era limestone (Entroque limestone), covered by pebbles that act as a filtering soil. The parcel is southeast facing on half hills.
Clear golden color with light green reflections. The wine has a rich and complex bouquet with a wide array of aromas: pear, nougat, wild peach and kiwi. The mouth is rich and dense bringing freshness with a nice volume and finishing on a light exotic note.
Vineyard
Surface area : 1 Ha.
Soil : limestone soil from the Jurassic period, covered by pebbles acting like a filtering soil.
South-east facing parcel on half-hills.
Grape variety : organically-grown Chardonnay.
Plantation density : 8.500 vinestocks per ha.
Age of vines : 50 years.
Mâconnais style pruning quite short, with 10 to 12 buds.
Hand-harvesting at optimal maturity.
Destemming to avoid herbaceous taste.
Slow and gentle pneumatic pressuring guarantees purity of juice and extraction of the finest aromas.
Very slow alcoholic fermentation in stainless still tank.
Malolactic fermentation.
Aging in stainless steel tanks for 9 months with gentle stirring of fine lees.
Pairs well with shrimp risotto, sautéed veal with eggplant.
Croix Senaillet Saint Veran is made from 100 percent unoaked Chardonnay.
Fresh and fruity with floral, peach and citrus fruit aromas followed by mineral notes. Mineral, citrus and honey flavors. Rich and luscious palate with a long finish.
Produced from a selection of 40 parcels spread over 17 hectares. Some of the parcels include: Maillettes, Bergades, Poncétys, Terres noires, Pommards, Chênes, Surigny, Prâgnes, Bruyère, Chailloux, etc Average age of the vines is 45 years. The soil is made of clay and limestone. South, southeastern exposure - a few plateaux. Careful vinification. Minimal intervention in the vinification process. Modern equipment (pneumatic press, thermo-regulated tanks). Each parcel is harvested at full maturity. Destemming, slow press, slow fermentation, malolactic fermentation, aging on the lees.
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Croix Senaillet Macon-Davaye is 100 percent Chardonnay.
Pale brilliant yellow color. Fresh nose of citrus fruits (lemon, grapefruit). Mineral and salty notes on the palate. Fresh, supple and harmonious in the mouth.
Produced from 7 different parcels of vines spread over 3.77 hectares, planted on clay and limestone based soils. Average age of the vine is 28 years. Careful vinification. Minimal intervention in the vinification process. Modern equipment (pneumatic press, thermo-regulated tanks). Each parcel is harvested at full maturity. Destemming, slow press, slow fermentation, malolactic fermentation, aging on the lees.
Excellent as an aperitif and pairs well with grilled fish and Asian food.
Stags Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars stunned the world in 1976 when its 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon bested some of Bordeaux’s first-growth wines in a tasting in Paris. It was the winery’s first commercial vintage, a wine produced from young, three-year-old vines. While the “victory” over the French in “The Judgment of Paris” continues to be hailed throughout the world – and the winery is still humbled by the achievement – Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars enters its golden anniversary year with a commitment to producing more complex and age-worthy wines. No resting on laurels, no autopilot, no complacency, but rather a drive to ensure the next 50 years are even more glorious than the first 50.A step back in time puts Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ current and future plans in perspective.
The estate was founded in 1970 with the purchase of orchard land in what is now the Stags Leap District AVA in southeastern Napa Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes replaced the prunes and walnuts, and the winery was built in 1972. A wine was made there in that year, but it was the 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon that impressed – and shocked – a panel of experts on French wine. In the 1976 Paris Tasting, a blind tasting, they chose S.L.V as the finest red wine in the group, without knowing its provenance. The outcome brought international recognition to the infant Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, the nascent Napa Valley wine region, and the entire American wine industry and put all on a path to worldwide renown.
S.L.V. Vineyard S.L.V. soils are predominantly volcanic in nature and contribute multilayered structure, concentration and spicy intensity, often referred to as the “fire-like” elements. S.L.V., also known as Stag’s Leap Vineyards, is the winery’s first vineyard. Planted in 1970, this vineyard achieved international fame when three-year old vines from the 1973 harvest produced a Napa Valley wine that triumphed over some of France’s greatest Bordeaux in a blind tasting among French wine experts in Paris. This history-making Stags Leap District vineyard continues to produce wines with complex black fruit and berry character, spicy intensity, excellent structure and complexity, promising long life and ageability. Today, the property encompasses roughly 35 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 1.5 acres of Cabernet Franc. The vineyard soil is volcanic and alluvial with good drainage, and benefits from warm afternoons and cool evening breezes.
Review:
All from the estate S.L.V. Vineyard in Stages Leap and aged 21 months in 90% new French oak, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon S.L.V. sports a deep purple/ruby color to go with a Saint-Julien like notes of blackcurrants, damp earth, tobacco and lead pencil. With medium to full-bodied richness, ripe, sweet tannin, beautiful purity and a great finish, it’s another terrific wine from this estate that can be drunk today of cellared for 15+ years.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
Early to bud and early to ripen, the 2014 vintage was our third drought year in a row. Dry, even temperatures marched the grapes along at a steady clip all year and created a wine with beautifully integrated fruit, acidity, and tannin.
Dense and dark magenta in color, this is a lithe and energetic vintage with lifted aromatics and a purity of fruit that lights up the medium-bodied tannin structure. The nose promises fresh black fruits, cherries and a touch of graphite, and the palate completely delivers. Juicy blackberry, plum, and bright cherry explode in the mouth, and develop into savory notes of baked black fruit and fresh pencil shavings on the mid-palate.
Eagle Summit Vineyard’s signature eucalyptus appears on the back palate to brighten the fruit, showing fragrant peppermint and warm, toasty spices through the finish. Whether you open it young or wait a few decades, this vintage does Howell Mountain proud--sophisticated and smart, with a rustic wild side.
Cresta Velia Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Aged in 100% French oak (86% new)
• 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Eagle Summit Vineyard on Howell Mountain
• Equal amounts of clone 4 and clone 7
• unfined and unfiltered
Review:
"The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet aged 20 months in 86% new French oak, with the typical suspects in terms of cooperage – Darnajou, Taransaud, and Remond. This opaque purple-colored wine has plenty of mulberry and blackcurrant fruit along with hints of blackberries, camphor and incense. The are some notes of unsmoked cigar and licorice as well. Ripe, medium to full-bodied and luscious, it is a classic to drink over the next 15 or more years. - RP"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #228, December 2016), 90 pts
Unoaked Chardonnay. Fresh and fruity with floral, peach and citrus fruit aromas followed by mineral notes. Mineral, citrus and honey flavors. Rich and luscious palate with a long finish.
Produced from a selection of 40 parcels spread over 17 hectares. Some of the parcels include: Maillettes, Bergades, Poncétys, Terres noires, Pommards, Chênes, Surigny, Prâgnes, Bruyère, Chailloux, etc Average age of the vines is 45 years. The soil is made of clay and limestone. South, southeastern exposure - a few plateaux. Careful vinification. Minimal intervention in the vinification process. Modern equipment (pneumatic press, thermo-regulated tanks). Each parcel is harvested at full maturity. Destemming, slow press, slow fermentation, malolactic fermentation, aging on the lees.
Review:
"Crisp, textured and with great acidity, this wine is still developing. It is packed with fresh citrus and apple fruits cut with strong minerality. Drink this structured wine from 2017. — R.V."
- Wine Enthusiast (October 1st 2015), 90 pts
The Domaine de la Croix Senaillet Estate
This second generation old estate is located in the town of Davaye, in southern Burgundy. The winery was founded by Maurice Martin in 1969. His son Richard took it over in 1990 and was joined by his brother Stéphane in 1992. While Richard takes care of the vinification and the sales, Stephane is in charge of the vineyard. They sell 80% of their production in bottle and 20% to negociants. Currently, they export 40% of their wine outside of France.
"Domaine de la Croix Senaillet" takes its name from a cross that had been given by an ancient mayor of the village called Benoit Senaillet. The records show that the mayor donated the cross to Davaye in 1866 to replace the one that was destroyed in 1793 during the French Revolution. According to the common believes, the cross that was blessed in 1867 would protect the inhabitants of the village and everyone that would pass by.
The Domaine de la Croix Senaillet Vineyard
The vineyards are located on the south/southeastern slopes of the Solutre and Vergisson rocks. The estate spreads over 52 parcels in the town of Davayé and measures 22 hectares total (54.3 acres): 17 ha in St Veran, 5 ha in Macon, less than 1 hectare in Pouilly-Fuisse. The soil is both chalk and clay. The vines are 40 years old on average. In order to increase the quality of the grapes, Stephane has decided to use "culture raisonnee", which means that they watch carefully and daily the vineplant, checking for the sanitary level in the vineyard and use very small amount of pesticide and chemical products if necessary.
Saint Veran's AOC represents 696 hectares (1,726 acres) in total.
The total production for the AOC is around 42,775 hectoliters (474,089 twelve-bottle-case equivalent)
Exceptionally aromatic with aromas of violets, hints of blackberry, blackcurrant and black plum on the nose. There is some spice that is balanced with fresh acidity and minerality. A long finish with ripe but firm tannins.
Dow's Senhora da Ribeira can be enjoyed anytime and pairs wonderfully with chocolate desserts and soft cheeses like creamy Stilton or Roquefort.
Review:
Rich and fruity, this wine is packed with intense black-currant flavors. It is perfumed, ripe with a good tannic background. The density of the wine and the firm structure point to a long aging process. Drink this beautifully structured wine from 2026.
-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
Winemaking:
Senhora da Ribeira has one of the most advanced specialist wineries in the Douro, combining the best of traditional winemaking practice, evolved over centuries, and the latest state-of-the-art automated systems. Three granite ‘lagares’ for foot treading are complemented by three ‘robotic’ lagares, designed by the Symington family and installed in the quinta’s winery in 2001.
It has long been recognised that traditional treading produced some of the finest Ports, but there are some drawbacks involved in traditional treading; temperature control is difficult, there is a limit to how long people are willing to tread and they need to sleep. The winemaker’s options are therefore limited, he or she cannot order treading at different times through the night, or pull people off the picking team at will. Furthermore, emptying the traditional lagar takes a long time; in the meantime the fermentation process is accelerating away. A further handicap arose over recent years, when an increasing scarcity of labour obliged producers to look for less labour-intensive vinification solutions. The Symingtons opted to devise a mechanical means of replicating the proven method of foot treading. The result was the Symington ‘robotic lagar’, an automated treading machine which exactly replicates the gentle action of the human foot and which has revolutionised winemaking in the Douro Valley. This equipment is very expensive but the results have been so good that an increasing proportion of Dow’s finest wines are now made in these automated lagares. Approximately half of the wines for Dow’s much praised 2003 Vintage were vinified in them.
The Senhora da Ribeira’s Quinta Vintage Ports have amassed a highly impressive number of awards: three Gold Medals at the International Wine Challenge, (2008, 2006 and 2001, for the 2005, 2002 and 1999 Vintages, respectively) as well as seven Silver Medals and two Gold Medals at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (London, 2008 for the 2005 Vintage and 2002 for the 1998 Vintage). In September 2006, Jancis Robinson MW wrote, “One very exciting new bottling is Dow’s Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira 2004...this single quinta bottling demonstrates superb quality with wonderful vibrancy. Great wine in any context - not that unlike some California reds! This is definitely a wine to look out for when it is released.”
Wine Profile
The very hot climate through the summer at this vineyard results in highly complex and concentrated wines but very low yields. Colours of the musts in the fermentation tanks are always purple-black due to the very high skin to juice ratio. The old vines add further to the intensity of the wine as they make up a very large percentage of the vineyard. The resulting wine can be described as being the essence of Vintage Port, with powerful wild red-fruit flavours, leading into rich black chocolate notes, the whole balanced by complex, attractive and peppery tannins.
One of the Douro’s most beautiful vineyards, Senhora da Ribeira is located 24km (15 miles) upriver from Quinta do Bomfim in the remote Douro Superior. The vineyard commands a magnificent north bank position, overlooking a broad sweep of the Douro, directly opposite another famous Symington owned vineyard: Quinta do Vesuvio. Senhora de Ribeira was built close to an ancient river crossing, guarded by two 12th century castles on either side of the river built by the Moors during their centuries long occupation of Iberia. A small chapel dedicated to the ‘Lady of the River’ (literally: Senhora da Ribeira) has stood here for centuries and gave the quinta its name. Travellers would pause here to ask for a safe river passage and onward journey.
Senhora da Ribeira’s wines are some of the finest in the Douro and they complement those from Bomfim in the composition of Dow’s classic Vintage Ports. The quinta’s high proportion of old vines (45% are over 25 years old) is of critical importance. The old vines are very low-yielding, producing on average less than 1Kg of grapes each, giving intense and concentrated musts which are ideal for classic Vintage Port. The remainder of the vineyard was replanted as follows: 21% in 2001 and 34% from 2004, the latter involving mainly Touriga Nacional vines. This grape variety - very important for Vintage Port - now represents almost exactly a third of the total planted at the quinta. The entire vineyard has the maximum ‘A’ rating.
As with Bomfim, the consistency of the climate plays a key role, although the rainfall is only half of that experienced at Bomfim: 448mm is the 10 year average. This more extreme climate, hot dry summers and cold, equally dry winters results in wines with unique depth of colour and complexity.
As with Quinta do Bomfim, the best Ports from Senhora de Ribeira are used to make Dow’s Vintage Ports in the great and rare ‘Declared’ years. In the good year’s when Dow’s does not ‘declare’ a Vintage, the best wines of ‘The Lady of the River’ are bottled as Dow’s Quinta de Senhora da Ribeira Vintage Port. They will tend to mature a little earlier than the very rare ‘Declared’ years, but can be every bit as good as some other Vintage Ports.
From the most recognized Napa Valley red blend comes a distinct, new wine. Made in the same iconic style as The Prisoner Red Blend, we proudly introduce The Prisoner Cabernet Sauvignon. Redefining taste once again.
On the nose, blackberry, currant, and plum are layered with dried, crushed herbs and licorice. On the palate, cedar, vanilla, nutmeg, and toasted coconut lead as plum and dried blackberries culminate in a lush, full mouthfeel and a lengthy, balanced finish.
Chef Brett recommends pairing The Prisoner Cabernet with Grilled Ribeye or Aged Gouda Cheese.