La Despensa Boutique Colchagua Grenache is made from 100 percent Grenache.
Clean and fresh, like all our wines, with varietal typical notes of fresh summer fruit but with slightly grippy tannins that will enable the wine to age. Translucent in color, typical of newer vine Grenache.
Very versatile and pairs well with almost any type of food. Would go great with pulled pork and rich tomato based pasta sauces
La Jota Howell Mountain Cabernet Franc is made from 100% Cabernet Franc.
The 2019 Cabernet Franc opens with aromas of cassis and graphite when poured in the glass. The firm tannins set the stage on the palate melded with rich flavors of boysenberry and pain de grille with a silky mouthfeel and lingering finish.
Review:
Savory in black pepper, smoked meat and cigar box, this wine is high-toned aromatically, with lovely hints of violet and dried herb, sage and bay leaf. Mountain-sturdy tannins give it structure, power and room to age, with lasting acidity to keep it fresh. Enjoy best from 2029–2039
.-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
La Jota Vineyard Merlot Howell Mountain is made from 100 percent Merlot.
Sourced from vineyards with pedigrees dating back to the 1800s, this wine continues to carry the torch of Howell Mountain’s greatness. e aromatics are lifted with plum, huckleberry and minerality leading the way. Bittersweet chocolate and dried herbs add the punctuation to an incredibly long balanced finish.
-Wine Spectator 95 Points
In general, 2018 was a great vintage for this variety, and the deep purple-hued 2018 Merlot is stunning stuff. Lots of cassis, candied violets, scorched earth, and graphite notes give way to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully textured, elegant 2018 with polished tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. It’s going to evolve for 15 years or more.
- Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
- James Suckling 95 Points
Lady Hill Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Intense hues range from wine purple to sangria showcasing Cabernet Sauvignon’s genetic predisposition to tiny berries packed with color making molecules called anthocyanidins. Chocolate covered cherry and subtle blackberry liqueur combine New World fruit flavors with savory olive tapenade, dried herb de provence and a tinge of minerality found in ancient volcanic soils. The subtle wood impact of 10% new and once filled barrels keeps the focus on fruit and spice, while maintaining the characteristic dusty tannins and lingering finish that Cabernet Sauvignon has become famous for.
Pair with pan roasted veal chops, grilled veggie pizza or a can of Cougar Gold Cheddar.
Lady Hill Pinot Gris Willamette Valley is made from 100% Pinot Gris.
An aromatic procession of passionfruit and Meyer lemon embraces the delicate floral side of honeysuckle and white flowers. Bright flavors of citrus rind and white peach are highlighted with a crisp minerality. The mouthfeel indicates almost no malolactic conversion, showcasing the crisp refreshing acidity of Granny Smith apples.
Finn Hill Vineyard and Bellevue Cross sit on opposite sides of the Yamhill-Carlton and McMinnville AVAs, but offer a very similar profile of bright citrus and a grassy herbaceousness. Delicately pressed into a stainless steel tank, the juice was inoculated with a commercial yeast bred to enhance fruity and floral aromatic esters. 2 neutral French oak barrels from Bellevue Cross were blended into the remaining stainless portion to balance any tight acidity the wine was showing.
Pair with sushi, goat cheese, and every salad imaginable from a classic Greek horiatiki to its grainy cousin tabbouleh.
Laird Cabernet Sauvignon Flat Rock Ranch is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Laird's Flat Rock Ranch vineyard is located near the north corner of where Yountville Cross Road meets Silverado Trail, on State Lane. This prized, complex fruit from the Yountville Appellation is a result of unique geological and meteorological conditions: volcanic soils similar to the adjacent Stags Leap District, but also display ancient coastal deposits, and sedimentary and alluvial soils that provide beneficial stress for our vines. Marine air currents from San Pablo Bay to the south are caught when they reach the "Yountville Mounts," providing a natural cooling effect that balances warm, sunny days that ripen the rich tannins of our hallmark Cabernet Sauvignon to elegant distinction.
Bold violet-red color introduces a captivating bouquet of blueberries, tea leaf, and vanilla. This full-bodied wine has flavors of cassis, hazelnut and briary undertones with fresh acidity and chewy tannins on the palate
Review:
"The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Flat Rock is laced with crème de cassis, menthol, lavender, spice and blueberry jam. Inky and plush, the 2018 also has quite a bit of energy backing it all up. The 2018 is a gorgeous wine from Laird.- Antonio GALLONI"
- Vinous (The 2019 Napa Valley Cabernets: A Deep Dive, January 2022), 93+ pts
All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collectors cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.
Bastgen Kestener Paulinshofberg Riesling Kabinett is 100 percent Riesling.
Kesten is a small village right by the Mosel surrounded by steep vineyards called Paulinsberg (=hills of Saint Paul). The vines grow on bridle clay slate near the river - a classic terroir that has been cultivated with vines ever since Roman times. Riesling is the most typical grape of the Mosel region that produced a fruity Kabinett with beautiful peach aromas on the nose, rich and ripe fruits on the mouth with honeyed notes and a refreshing acidity. This is a very pleasing wine.
They meticulously tend 4.5 ha (11.11 acres) of which 80% is Riesling. The soil is made of slate. Their vineyards are located in Kesten and Brauneberg, on a steep terrace, and planted to 50-year old vines. Fortunately for Bastgen, they own part of the famous Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr. The vines produce very small, ripe berries that are very tasty.
The grapes are strongly selected, only minimal amounts of botrytis are tolerated. At time of the harvest the grapes are fully ripened with a golden color and tart acidity. After a natural sedimentation process the fermentation occurs in stainless steel tanks under cool conditions. The wine remains on the lees until April, then is gently filtered once, and bottled.