Archery Summit Estate Pinot Noir Dundee Hills is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Archery Summit Dundee Hills Pinot Noir touts all the hallmarks of this storied appellation. It begins with hints of ripe plum skin, ocean air, baking spices, and cocoa powder dustiness on the nose. The palate is just as expressive, with fresh, juicy red fruit backed by graceful tannins, a complex brininess, and a mouth-watering acidity. Finishing with spiced oak and a mouth-coating basalt minerality, this wine is great now and will be for years to come.
The Dundee Hills Pinot Noir touts all the hallmarks of Archery Summit's storied appellation. It begins with brambleberry, ripe rainier cherry, blackberry blossoms, cocoa powder, and spice on the nose. The palate is just as lively, with fresh, juicy red fruit backed by graceful tannins and acid. Finishing with spiced oak and a mouth-coating minerality, this wine is a case study in the magic of the Dundee Hills.
Yet, thanks to water reserves in the soil itself and some timely viticultural movements, the vineyards persevered through the heat and water limitations. The dryer season accelerated picking times, making the fruit ripen a bit earlier than normal. September rewarded us with cool nights and the lower-than average yields set us up to make wines with abundant character, intensity and balance. The winery is so grateful for the moisture-abundant, microbially-rich and chemical-free soils that lovingly nudged the vines towards the finish line.
Review:
Expressive and sleekly built, with floral raspberry and cherry flavors laced with cinnamon and dusky spices. Finishes with medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2032.
-Wine Spectator 92 Points
Argot Cabernet Sauvignon 1555 Oakville is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Hailing from the historic Bonny’s Vineyard in the heart of Oakville. Cabernet Sauvignon vines thrive in the gravel rich soils here adjacent to the Napa River riverbed. Roots plumb deep into the valley floor, while vine canopies harvest Napa Valley’s plethora of summer sunshine. These conditions conspire to deliver unerringly perfect Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.
Pouring a deep opaque red-violet, 1555’s Cabernet personality leaps from the glass balancing opulent fruit, damp earth, chilling minerality and an alluring spice note that keeps pulling us back for more. Exquisitely ripe tannins provide a refined, velvety structure, delivering the deep and seductively rich palate. The pedigree displayed in the glass is undeniable.
Review:
"Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon 1555 Oakville wafts sensuously out of the glass with redcurrant jelly, black raspberries and rose oil scents, followed by a cassis and black plums core, with emerging suggestions of cinnamon toast, cedar and pencil shavings. The full-bodied palate is fantastically fragrant, delivering red and black fruit layers accented by floral and exotic spice nuances, supported by super ripe, velvety tannins, finishing long and perfumed. 250 cases were made. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (November 2021), 95+ pts
Argot Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Sugarloaf Vineyard is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Sugarloaf’s terroir continues to impress with its expression of classically-styled Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons — impeccably pure black and red fruit character; broad, rich, perfectly ripe tannins; classic Napa Valley notes of cigar leaf, eucalyptus, and freshly-tilled earth; and definitive complexities of clove, all-spice and bay leaf. Having assessed past vintages with a few years of age, we have come to greatly value the significant reward Sugarloaf delivers after a few years in the cellar.
From Block 6, an acre of fiercely steep, ferociously rocky hillside, located in Napa’s far south-eastern foothills, deeply affected by the cooling influences of San Pablo Bay. One of the latest harvests in all of Napa Valley each vintage. Mother Nature was kind to this site in 2019, being our most bountiful year here ever. With perfect set, and vines displaying great health, this normally stingy hillside delivered superlative quality, without restraint of yield. After a slow start in the Spring, 2019’s particularly warm September and October played beautifully to the vineyard’s strengths, and delivered a classic Halloween-time harvest.
Review:
"It is not often that you see a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon coming from this rising star, cooler-climate vineyard in south Napa. This wine comes exclusively from the low-yielding, steep, rocky "Block 6." Deep purple-black in color, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Sugarloaf Vineyard needs a little coaxing to reveal wonderfully pure scents of blackcurrant cordial, juicy blueberries and ripe blackberries, plus suggestions of iris bulb, dark chocolate, molten licorice and cedar chest. The big, rich, seductive, full-on full-bodied palate is laden with ripe, energetic black berry layers, framed by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and perfumed. A stunning, true-blue Napa blockbuster with its own very evocative signature, this comes highly recommended! 175 cases were made. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (November 2021), 97+ pts
Babylons Peak Cinsault is made from 100 percent Cinsault.
Medium to light bodied. Fruit driven with spicy undertones. Soft tannins and fine complexity. A fruit driven wine with lively light palate and lingering mouthfeel.
Review:
"Savory aromas of black olives, grilled meat, thyme, peppercorns and dark fruit. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins and a flavorful, succulent and peppery palate. Drink now."
- James Suckling (December 2021), 90 pts
Bertrand Bachelet Maranges Blanc 1er Cru La Fussiere is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The Maranges appellation is the youngest of the Côte de Beaune family, making its debut in May 1989. It spans three villages, namely Dezize-lès-Maranges, Cheilly-les-Maranges and Sampigny-les-Maranges. Several hills and slopes make up this appellation, all south/south-east-facing, at an altitude of between 200 and 400 metres. The Maranges 1ers Crus are spread over seven distinct villages.
'La Fussière' is the main village of the Maranges appellation and is located in the Cheilly and Dezize-les-Maranges areas.
This wine has a pale gold robe, with plenty of sparkle. At first, the nose evokes notes of white flowers, like acacias, then the second nose delivers a flinty, slightly buttery aspect. Plenty of versatility and subtlety on the palate, with floral notes.
A good accompaniment to a cold starter or fish. Try with a slightly sharp hard cheese, such as Cantal or Gouda, to draw out its natural vivacity.
Bertrand Bachelet Meursault Clos du Cromin is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Meursault, the world-renowned appellation, has produced mostly fine white wines for centuries.
Meursault Clos du Cromin takes its name from the village "Le Cromin", situated in the north-east of the appellation, close to the Volnay vineyard, in rich, clay soil.
The wine reveals a beautifully transparent and brilliant color, a subtle nose of citrus fruits, butter and honey, and a long finish.
Pairs with a noble fish, or white meat in sauce.
Reviews:
On the savory side, this red opens with freshly mowed grass, hay and eucalyptus aromas before revealing cherry, strawberry, rose and mineral flavors. Fleshy, with a matrix of dense tannins flexing their muscles on the finish. Shows excellent potential. Best from 2023 through 2042.
-Wine Spectator 96 Points
Floral and red fruit nose. Supple attack, very polished and concentrated, with fine-grained tannins and ample acidity. This has a linear drive, precision. and a very long finish. The rewards will be substantial for the patient consumer.
-Decanter 97 Points
Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz is made from 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Shiraz .
Encompassing everything the Hill-Smith family stands for and the perfect representation of Yalumba’s history and ethos, The Signature is a sentimental favorite. A classic Australian blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, the first vintage release of The Signature was in 1962. Since then, this outstanding wine has acknowledged more than 57 Signatories; people who have enhanced the traditions and culture of Yalumba.
Seductive and alluring florals, cool mints, red pomegranate with fine blackberry fruits and dark cherry aromas. The palate is delightfully generous with dark red cherry fruit that merges into ironstone tannins. A medium to full bodied wine with a long, flowing tannin profile.
Review:
A full-weighted, archetypal Aussie blend. Cabernet and shiraz, both from the Barossa. The top wines of Yalumba have undergone considerable refinement in recent years. The tannins, better managed; the fruit, more restrained; the oak, judicious. Here, an example. Fresh and lithe. Scents of anise, bay leaf and kirsch, with a nourishing core of beef bouillon. An expansive sweetness grows in trajectory, with a douse of menthol at the finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.
-James Suckling 94 Points