Winemaking: This wine is a classic Bordeaux blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malbec, 8% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot.
. The 2010 growing season was moderate, thus promoting slow ripening and full flavor development. We hand-harvested and fermented each variety separately, then moved the wines to barrel, where they aged twelve months. Once we determined our blend, we returned the wine to barrel for an additional twelve months, to 'marry' the varietals. We used tight-grained French oak barrels (45% new) from coopers Taransaud, Vicard and Bossuet.
Winemaker Notes:
Complex, rich aromas foretell rich flavors of black currants, allspice and a hint of clove. The wine is full bodied, with velvety texture, smooth tannins and an extensive finish. Beautifully balanced, this Cabernet will age for ten more years.
Alcohol: 14.25 percent by volume
Review:
"Savory, dried red capsicum with cedar, cocoa powder and dried mushrooms on top of black cherries. Juicy and layered with some currants and savory earthy spices on the palate. Not quite deep, but a very elegant and savory expression of cabernet with a very long, subtle finish. A little sweet-sour, but quite refined and approachable, too. Drink now."
- James Suckling (June 2022), 93 pts
Winzer von Erbach Riesling Eiswein is made from 100 percent Riesling.
The Eiswein has aromas of concentrated yellow fruit and a fruity sweetness. It's a high end product with a very long aging potential.
The grapes were picked frozen which resulted in a concentration of sugar, acidity and aromas and a low yield.
Pairs with blue cheese, fois gras, French apple cake.
Opaque color. Very rich, dark chocolate aromas with some black cherry and mature fruit coming through. There is also a pleasing freshness to the port originating from its floral and cistus (rockrose) bouquet. The Quinta de la Rosa Vintage 2017 is a powerful wine with much potential but at the same time elegant and generous on the palate. Full of flavors, very complex with fine tannins that gives the wine a nobility and persistence. A great vintage made to give pleasure now and in the next few decades.
Review:
The 2017 Vintage Port was bottled a few weeks before tasting after spending 18 months in used tonels. It is a field blend, mostly Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca, coming in with 98 grams per liter of residual sugar. Wonderfully aromatic and filled with flavor, this got plenty of aeration and didn't blink even a little. It was still vibrant and expressive. Aeration only made it more tannic. It is also delicious. This is potentially a great Port, and it seems like the best I've seen from La Rosa. This is sort of approachable in the near future, but it really needs (at least) a decade of cellaring. It has a lot of muscle and should age well.
-Wine Advocate 95 Points
Very floral in profile, with violet and lilac accents leading off, followed by a decidedly red-fruit spectrum of raspberry, cherry and red currant coulis flavors that race throughout. Has grip, but this is more reliant on acidity, showing a nearly piercing feel as the tightly focused finish zips along, leaving a mouthwatering impression. Delightfully idiosyncratic. Best from 2033 through 2050. 112 cases imported. — JM
-Wine Spectator 95 Points
This is a rounded Port, showing layers of black fruits, ripe tannins and spice. At the same time, it does have a solid structure that will allow it to age. The acidity comes through at the end. Drink from 2028.
-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
Fullerton Three Otters Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir - 40 years old
11 months in 25% new Oak and 75% neutral
Bella Vida Vineyard is perched high in the heart of the Dundee Hills. This picturesque site provides elegant fruit from the storied Jory soils of the AVA. LIVE certified.
Aromas of cherry and raspberry flow into finely-tuned layers of cedar, cocoa, licorice, and baking spices. The palate pulses with energy as the silky tannins and gorgeous mid-palate captivate your senses. A radiant and profound experience.
A co-fermentation of Dijon clones 113, 667, and 777, this wine expresses the volcanic soils of the Dundee Hills elegantly, yet powerfully. Upon arrival, the grapes were immediately de-stemmed into an open-top two-ton fermenter. Following a seven day cold soak, the wine started fermenting slowly at a cool temperature. To manage extraction, we utilized one to two punch-downs and one pump-over per day, with two rack-and-returns at the beginning and middle of fermentation. As fermentation neared the end, the must was heated to achieve a peak temperature of 94° F resulting in optimum extraction, and then we immediately chilled the wine to extend the time on the skins, while switching to one pump-over per day to limit harsh, seed-tannin extraction. After a total of 19 days on the skins, we drained and pressed the wine, keeping the free-run and press fractions separate. This bottling contains only the free run fraction. Following two days of settling, the wine was racked to barrel and aged for 11 months in 25% new French oak and one month in tank prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Review:
Vivid red. Displays fresh red/dark berry and pungent floral aromas, along with suggestions of cola, mocha and five-spice powder. Appealingly sweet and energetic on the palate, offering intense black raspberry, cherry-cola, spicecake and rose pastille flavors that tighten up slowly on the back half. Fine-grained tannins frame the well-defined finish, which lingers with impressive, red fruit liqueur-driven persistence. (all de-stemmed fruit and 25% new French oak). - Josh Raynolds" - Antonio Galloni's Vinous (June 2019), 93 pts
Fullerton Three Otters Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir - 40 years old
11 months in 25% new Oak and 75% neutral
Bella Vida Vineyard is perched high in the heart of the Dundee Hills. This picturesque site provides elegant fruit from the storied Jory soils of the AVA. LIVE certified.
Aromas of cherry and raspberry flow into finely-tuned layers of cedar, cocoa, licorice, and baking spices. The palate pulses with energy as the silky tannins and gorgeous mid-palate captivate your senses. A radiant and profound experience.
A co-fermentation of Dijon clones 113, 667, and 777, this wine expresses the volcanic soils of the Dundee Hills elegantly, yet powerfully. Upon arrival, the grapes were immediately de-stemmed into an open-top two-ton fermenter. Following a seven day cold soak, the wine started fermenting slowly at a cool temperature. To manage extraction, we utilized one to two punch-downs and one pump-over per day, with two rack-and-returns at the beginning and middle of fermentation. As fermentation neared the end, the must was heated to achieve a peak temperature of 94° F resulting in optimum extraction, and then we immediately chilled the wine to extend the time on the skins, while switching to one pump-over per day to limit harsh, seed-tannin extraction. After a total of 19 days on the skins, we drained and pressed the wine, keeping the free-run and press fractions separate. This bottling contains only the free run fraction. Following two days of settling, the wine was racked to barrel and aged for 11 months in 25% new French oak and one month in tank prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
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:
There are 225 cases of the 2019 Chardonnay Simpatico Ranch, which is from a cooler, higher elevation site in Sonoma. Lots of peach, tangerine, honeyed minerality, and toasted hazelnuts all emerge from the glass, and while I don't think it matches the 2018, it's a brilliant Chardonnay offering medium to full-bodied richness, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish. It's beautifully balanced and is going to keep for at least 5-7 years."
- Jeb Dunnuck (September 2021), 94 pts
Buccella Cuvee Katrina Eileen Napa Valley is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Named after our first-born daughter, Cuvée Katrina Eileen is primarily composed of fruit from a vineyard in the Western Hills of Yountville, where yields are miniscule. The extremely rocky soil of the vineyard produces concentrated clusters of perfectly ripened Cabernet Sauvignon. In German, the name “Katrina” represents purity and fittingly, this wine is made entirely from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, providing a pure expression of this decadent varietal. It also reflects our daughter’s personality with flavors that are complex, unreserved and expressive.
Always a 100% Cabernet blend, our 2017 Cuvée Katrina Eileen is an opulent and mouth-enriching wine. Captivated by the inky-black color, luscious scents of dark espresso and cinnamon stick leap out, along with powerful elements of graphite and cassis. Remarkably rich and seamless, while boasting flavors of blueberry compote, dark chocolate and black raspberries, this is a compelling and luxurious wine focused upon velvety texture, silky tannins and incredible length. An intentional breadth on the palate and length in the finish are hallmarks of this wine.
John's Bay is a custom wine made for Kysela Pere et Fils.