The 2019 Ulysses Cabernet Sauvignon has notes of truffle, blackberries, cassis bud and tobacco with tight polished tannins. A vertical structure and persistent intensity.
Review:
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon (90%) with the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Incredible aromatics of red and black currants, spring flowers, graphite, camphor, and cedar define the aromatics, and it's incredibly polished and elegant on the palate, with medium to full body, gorgeous tannins, and a great finish. This is another awesome 2019 that matches ample richness and depth with a terrific sense of finesse.
-Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
Verite Le Desir Red is made from 82% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, 6% Malbec.
The 2018 Le Désir has a dark inky appearance with a violet hue that extends to the rim. The compelling characteristics of Cabernet Franc are expressed on the nose and palate with flavors of crunchy cranberry, ripe raspberry, red currant, dried sage, crushed mint, and cinnamon bark; followed by spice cake, subtle vanilla liquor, and singed toast. The persistent finish and bright acidity suggest the wine will continue to evolve in the cellar for many years to come.
Review:
The Cabernet Franc blend of the trio, the 2018 Le Desir is 82% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, and 6% Malbec, and as with all these wines, it was brought up in new barrels. Ruby/purple and not completely opaque, it offers up a classic Cabernet Franc nose of mostly red fruits, spring flowers, damp earth, cedary spices, and truffle. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shines for its incredible elegance and purity more than outright power, yet it still brings plenty of richness. With ultra-fine tannins, perfect balance, and one heck of a great finish, it's another great, great wine from this estate.
Jeb Dunnuck 98+ Points
Vilerma Blanco Ribeiro is made from 80% Treixadura, 6% Torrontes, 4% Godello, 4% Albariño, 3% Loureira and 3% Lado
Ribeiro blanco is produced from estate-grown grapes using traditional winemaking.
Pale yellow color with green highlights.
Intense white fruit aromas when young, it develops complex nuances after a few years in the bottle.
In the mouth it is ample, full and pleasant with a long and fruity finish.
Fermentation in Stainless Steel tank at controlled temperature.
W & J Graham's Vintage Port is made from 35% Touriga Nacional, 47% Touriga Franca and various others.
It is with great pleasure that Graham's announces the declaration of the 2000 Vintage, a wine that has been deemed to meet our very exacting standards, and one that shows every promise of living up to the reputation of the very best Vintage ports that the Twentieth Century provided.
This is a landmark wine for Graham's, not only being the first Vintage of a new millennium, but being the first Vintage wine to enjoy the extraordinary results achieved by the new robotic 'lagares' at Malvedos in the inaugural year of our remodelled winery. Significant also has been the decision to include a rather larger proportion of mature Touriga Francesa and Touriga Nacional from Vila Velha, a classic riverside Quinta a short distance downstream from Malvedos, and some spectacular old vine lots from Vale de Malhadas in the Upper Douro. These wines each from family-owned Quintas have been used to reinforce the predominant component from Malvedos and the traditional excellence of the Rio Torto lots from Lages, to produce a rounded and even blend in the hallmark rich Graham style.
Picking began at Malvedos on September 22nd and the last lagar was run off on October 10th, an unusually short and compact Vintage. Fruit arrived in good condition although yields were less than three quarters of a kilogram per vine, and the juice to skin ratio well below normal. 2000 was a year noted for a very low average yield across the Douro, and with the grapes unusually lacking in liquid, the extra amount of treading work required made it an ideal time to employ our new, tireless, mechanical treaders alongside the two original 1890 stone lagares still worked by human feet. It was evident early on in the Vintage from the colour and aroma of the fermenting musts that we were looking at a spectacular year, and after the usual waiting period of sixteen months or so to see how the lots would develop, we have now made our final selection and assembled the final blend.
The blend displays many of the typical Graham aromas of ripe plum and 'esteva' (gum cistus) and is pleasantly smooth on the palate despite its youth. It is full and rich in the mouth with fresh blackberry and red plum notes. Despite the hallmark Graham sweetness in the mouth the finish is long and clean.
As with all Graham Vintages, this is a wine made to last for years and the patience of laying down the wine for fifteen to twenty years will certainly be rewarded.
Walt Clos Pepe Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Deep ruby in color, the wine carries luscious fruit aromas of blackberry preserves and dark cherry, infused with exotic notes of spice, black tea and pomegranate. The palate opens to a dense and velvety texture laced with flavors of barrel char and salinity, leading to a structured and focused finish.
Review:
Big and rich, with luscious spiciness to the plush dark fruit and berry flavors that are supported by medium-grained tannins. There's plenty of creamy and toasty accents on the open-textured finish.
-Wine Spectator 93 Points
Another Sta. Hills release, the 2019 Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard saw 10% stems and 10 months in 40% new French oak. It's a little more focused and firm, with classic ripe black raspberry, red plum, and cherry fruits as well as orange blossom, spice, and floral nuances. It too is medium-bodied, textured, and beautifully balanced.
-Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
- The Clos Pepe Vineyard was founded in the late 1980s by Steven and Kathy Pepe. The vineyard is located just east of Lompoc in the Santa Rita Hills appellation. The 2019 ‘Clos Pepe’ revels in its aromatic range from peat moss and pipe tobacco to bright red fruits and wild blackberry. The palate is dense and fresh with beautiful red florals alongside orange rind with sandy soil undertones. Gorgeous now, this has a long way to go in the cellar.
-Owen Bargreen 95 Points
Wolfberger Alsace Pinot Blanc is 100 percent Pinot Blanc
This clean and crisp style of wine displays delicate peach aromas with a hint of almonds. Smooth on the palate, it is balanced, with a creamy texture and a clean finish.
Morlet Family Vineyards Mon Chevalier Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot .
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.
Propietary 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 estate-grown 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Mon Chevalier is a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. Very deep purple-black in color, it charges forth with intense notes of crushed black cherries, black berry preserves and cassis scents with touches of spearmint, Indian spices, espresso and dried lavender plus a waft of roses. Full-bodied, the palate reveals incredible restraint, slowly revealing earth and black fruit layers framed by firm, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing very long and spicy.
-Wine Advocate 96+ Points
Moving to the top releases, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Mon Chevalier comes from Knights Valley and was brought up in puncheons. A gorgeous bouquet of sandalwood, violets, loamy earth, and incense as well as some iron-laced black and blue fruits flow to a rounded, supple, incredibly textured Cabernet that has sweet tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and a great finish. It’s already terrific yet will keep for 20-25 years or more.
-Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points
Thierry Mortet Gevrey Chambertin Vigne Belle is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
The wine is produced from 20 different parcels (3 hectares total). The soils are a mix of clay and silt.
The age of wines varies between 15 to 60 years.
Yield: 45 hl/ha
Production: 15,000 bottles on average.
Manual harvest with a selection of the grapes; sorting table; 100% destemming; maceration for 15 days, cold stabilization for 4-5 days; M-L.; racking twice a day. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks for 4 months. Aging in oak barrels for 12 months (new and 1 or 2 year old barrels). Kieselguhr filtration before bottling.
The wine offers a subtle and complex nose. It displays a sweet and delicate mouthfeel. Very nice wine with black fruit aromas. Dense, good concentration. Good length and well integrated oak.