Red

St. James Winery Blackberry - NV is made from blackberries
10.4% Alcohol by Volume
12.7% Residual Sugar
Is it fresh picked blackberries in a bottle or St. James Winery Blackberry wine? Tough call.
Sweet and delicious served chilled with your favorite dessert or for no reason at all, except to enjoy.

Select Wine Competition Awards:
2011 GOLD San Francisco Chronicle
2010 SILVER San Francisco Chronicle

Young and present, this is an energetic and bold expression of violets, lavender, and cassis mixed with dark chocolate, cherry, plum, and graphite. A wine happy to be tucked away in the cellar, and it’s also expressing itself beautifully now.

Review:

Lovely fragrant blackberry and black cherry fruit, cassis, and rich tobacco spices with lovely fresh earth notes and a sweet kiss of new wood cedar. Incredibly concentrated dark berry fruit with fabulously angular tannins with smooth long beams with crisp edges. Purple florals, dried sagebrush, and chocolate shavings with lids of graphite and deep iron-like mineral character. And a finish of dark saturated fruit that goes and goes for days. There are purple floras too. Polished and bright, with vivacious acidity and freshness evident from the sip to the finish. Wow, this wine.
-Decanter 98-100 Points 

Opulent floral top notes carry you into an opaque purple core, imparting aromas of black currants, dark red cherry coulis, cigar box, and allspice berries. Powerful yet soft tannins are balanced with a delightful freshness of acidity. The palate is silky with nuanced flavors of cassis, ripe blackberry, and Morello cherry. The long finish invites you to discover the wine’s evolving layers.

Review:

This is, as usual, a beauty, perhaps more so thanks to a great vintage. It is classically Napa Valley, and classically “house styled” by Aron Weinkauf, with black and blue fruit, supple, approachable tannin structure and great depth of aroma and flavor. That said, keep in mind that this isn’t the winery flagship offering. Even in this price range Lyndenhurst is always a solid value, and is so again – maybe even a little more than usual. Decant well if you crack into this in the near term, or age it for the long term. Contains 10.6% Merlot, 3.8% Petit Verdot, 3.5% Cabernet Franc and 2.9% Malbec. (Rich Cook)

- Wine Review Online 95 Points

A juicy red with black currants and balsamic. Bark and mushroom. Iodine, too. Medium body, creamy texture that tightens at the end. An energy and firmness in the finish.

-James Suckling 94 Points

La Spinona Cru Bergera Barolo is made from 100 percent  100% Nebbiolo Lampia 

The Beruttis bought 4 hectares in 1994 in the then relatively unknown zone of Novello which lies on the confines of Monforte and Barolo. A Sorì is an entirely south-facing vineyard. This Sori lies at 230 meters. It is named for the great grandfather that started the Barbaresco vineyards. The vines are an average of 40 years old. Bergera comes from the mid part of the vineyard and is dedicated to Pietro's grandfather who started the estate.

Brilliant deep ruby red with garnet reflections.  Rich fruity bouquet with hints of cherries, violets liquorice and mint.  Good structure with full, cherry-ripe flavors. The tannins are gentle and the spice subtle. It is an elegant wine of great finesse and drinkability.  Excellent with wild game, roast, braised or stewed red meats, truffle dishes and aged cheeses.

Spinona Bricco Faset Barbaresco is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.

This single-vineyard Barbaresco comes from Pietro Berutti's 8 hectares of coveted vineyards on the top of the historic hill, Faset. It is 270 meters above sea level with a south, south-east exposure. The vines are an average of 35 years old. Only organic farming practices are used. The natural fertilizer comes from the 100 head of cattle that they have and no herbicides or pesticides are used.

Barbaresco shows a deep ruby red color with garnet reflections. An intense bouquet with hints of ripe cherries, wild berries and spice. White pepper, licorice and mint blend with enticing floral notes. Mouth-filling and well-structured with a full, velvety body and an austere and long finish.

HARVEST: late October. The grapes are harvested by hand in perforated baskets to allow air to pass through the bunches. The pressing is soft. Cold maceration for 24 hours at 12°C (for certain years).

WINEMAKING: Soft pressing with an initial cold maceration on the skins for 24 hours at 12C. Specially selected yeasts are used. Fermentation takes place for 12 to 14 days in stainless steel at 28-29 °C under temperature controlled conditions. There is a pumping over on the skins. After malolactic fermentation, the wine is racked and goes through a delicate pressing to obtain only the best wine.

AGING : 12-15 months in large 25 hectolitre wooden barrels of Allier and Slavonian oak.

REFINING: in the bottle for 12-15 months in a temperature-controlled environment.

Excellent with game, red meats, truffle dishes and aged cheeses.

 This single-vineyard Barbaresco comes from Pietro Berutti's 8 hectares of coveted vineyards on the top of the historic hill, Faset. It is 270 meters above sea level with a south, south-east exposure. The vines are an average of 35 years old. Only organic farming practices are used. The natural fertilizer comes from the 100 head of cattle that they have and no herbicides or pesticides are used.

Barbaresco shows a deep ruby red color with garnet reflections. An intense bouquet with hints of ripe cherries, wild berries and spice. White pepper, licorice and mint blend with enticing floral notes. Mouth-filling and well-structured with a full, velvety body and an austere and long finish.

Review:

La Spinona Barbaresco Secondine is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo. 

This single-vineyard Barbaresco comes from his 3.5 hectares on the cru of Secondine. It is the commune of Barbaresco below the zone of Rabaja Basa and Paje and is where Gaja’s San Lorenzo is located. It is 230 meters above sea level with a southern exposure.

Excellent with game, red meats, truffle dishes and aged cheeses.

Color: Deep ruby red with a hint of garnet in the reflections.
Bouquet: Bright bouquet full of cherries, raspberries, licorice and floral notes.
Taste: Elegant and refined with delicate, soft tannins. It is fresh, velvety and extremely well balanced.

Review:

-James Suckling 94 Points