Long Shadows Pedestal Merlot is made from 82% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Malbec.
Michel Rolland, Pomerol vintner and consultant to many of the world's top wineries, teamed with Washington State wine visionary Allen Shoup to produce this limited release wine.
With its intense color and inviting aromas of dark berries, licorice, baking spice and a hint of smoke, the Pedestal is a bold wine that leaves a lasting impression. Dark fruit flavors integrated with sweetness from the barrel and richness from the tannins come together seamlessly, lingering across a structured mid-palate and lengthy finish.
Winemaking: Hand-harvested grapes were double-sorted to remove green material that might impart harsh tannins, then most of the lots were cold soaked to build richness and flavor before undergoing whole-berry fermentation in 55L upright French wood tanks. This, combined with gentle pump-overs throughout fermentation, enhanced the wine’s color, texture and mouthfeel. The finished wine was aged 22 months in 85% new French oak barrels.
Review:
Vinous 96 Points
"The 2016 Pedestal Merlot has a precise nose of dusty plum, red flowers and soft oak tones with an elegant aroma of pencil lead fluttering about. The medium to full-bodied palate is clean and correct, with plush dark red fruit, dusty tannins, purple flowers and soft oak spices of vanilla, cardamom and nutmeg. The wine ends with a long, thoughtful, well-balanced finish that delivers complexity and pleasure simultaneously. Michel Rolland made this beauty of a bottle. - Anthony Mueller"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #246, December 2019), 94 pts
Roland Champion Champagne Non Vintage Brut Rose Carat (magnum) is made from 33% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Meunier and 33% Pinot Noir
The Champagne rose shows an orange salmon color coming from the red wine base. The pinot meunier brings red fruit aromas of strawberry and raspberry with hints of spices. The palate is juicy and harmonious with good depth and minerality. A delicate balance between Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir.
It is a blend of 93% White juice (made from 33% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Meunier and 33% Pinot Noir) and 7% Pinot Noir red wine. The grapes used to produce the Coteaux Champenois red wine are coming from their vineyards near the Village of Verneuil.
Review:
"Eye of the partridge color. With a bouquet that evokes leesy hints of red cherry and berry with a touch of stone fruit, this is a finely sculpted wine, beautifully balanced with rich flavors of cherry, shortbread,and a hint of honeyed apricot. A rosé Champagne that’s complex and dry with good palate depth and length. A blend of 20% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, and 40% Pinot Meunier; 7-85% of the juice is red wine (Pinot Noir) from 2013 vintage of Coteaux Champenois Rouge from the village of Verneuil. 3+ years on the lees." - I-WineReview (Champagne: Diversity and Change, January 2020), 92 pts
"A delicate, subtle Champagne, delivering aromatic notes of mulling spices and yeast that accent the flavors of kirsch, bread dough, candied lemon zest and rose petal. This is finely tuned, with lively acidity and a minerally finish. 330 cases made. –AN"
- Wine Spectator , 91 pts
"Bright orange. Aromas of blood orange, dried rose, allspice and minerals, with a subtle note of anise. Juicy and precise, with very good depth to its spicy red berry and citrus pith flavors. Finishes smooth and long, with excellent clarity and lingering spiciness."
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar , 91 pts
"Champion is a small grower in Chouilly, in the Cotes des Blancs, an area known for fantastic chardonnay. This rosé — of which he makes only about 330 cases — includes 10 percent red wines (pinot noir, pinot meunier) to give it a pale, salmonlike color and a beguiling palate of cranberries, strawberries and currants. Wow. And yum."
- Washington Post, ***
Siegel Single Vineyard Los Lingues Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Viña Siegel Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is the result of our family's continuous search for quality wines with personality which faithfully reflect the best of our terroir. This wine comes from selected grapes from our "Los Lingues" vineyard in Alto Colchagua.
Located in the foothills of the Andes where the influence of the Andean winds result in an elegant Cabernet Sauvignon with great concentration of ripe red fruits, cassis and chocolate, and a balanced, richly structured, and long finish.
An intense violet color. Smells of cassis and is complemented with notes of mature red fruit and chocolate. A round and elegant wine with an excellent final persistence.
After carefully determining the moment for the harvest, the grapes are harvested by hand and later de-stemmed and marinated in cold temperatures for 5-6 days. Alcoholic fermentation is between 26ºC and 29ºC during which daily reassembly is implemented according to taste.Post-fermentation infusion lasts for two or three weeks. Once the blend is made, the wine is gently clarified and stabilized in cool temperatures if necessary.
Review:
"The 2017 vintage of the Los Lingues Cabernet Sauvignon is in every respect the equal of the 2016, which we rated highly. It begins with smoky, dark fruited nose and proceeds to a round, silky, well balanced palate of mineral-inflected, herbal-tinged dark cassis. There’s a sense of refinement and balance to this wine."
- I-winereview.com (March 2022), 92+ pts
Sinegal Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, 7% Petit Verdot.
The 2017 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a beautiful and dense wine, with blue and black fruit aromas followed by savory notes of grilled herbs and sweet tobacco. Initially, notes of blueberry compote and baker’s chocolate give way to beautiful oak aromas of cedar and baking spice. On the palate bramble blackberries, red currants, and Chambord are met with flavors of black clove, vanilla, and graphite. This wine exhibits depth, nuance, and energy, and will be cellar-worthy for many, many years to come.
Thirty majestic acres in the heart of Napa Valley – once a welcoming landmark for the Pony Express – is now home to the Sinegal Estate Winery. The philosophy of our founders, Jim & David Sinegal, is to honor both tradition and innovation. They have fully restored the 1881 Victorian home and its companion guesthouse on the estate and are taking meticulous care farming the twenty-plus year-old vines they inherited when they purchased the historic property in 2013. And they have shown an equal commitment to making the best wine possible, integrating innovation and technology into winemaking practices; our new state-of-the-art winery is replete with an optical sorter and custom-built automated fermentation tanks and our process involves no less than 1,403 steps from vine to bottle. Proprietor, David Sinegal, and Winemaker, Ryan Knoth, are both steadfast in producing wines approachable in their youth (yet fit to age) that capture the true spirit our magnificent estate. A Bordeaux varietal house at heart, Sinegal Estate produces an exquisite Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and some of the best Cabernet Franc the Napa Valley has ever seen.
Review:
Still aging in mostly in new Taransaud barrels, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, and 3% Malbec) offers a saturated purple color as well as a big perfume of black and blue fruits, espresso, some background oak, full body, a silky, charming mid-palate, and sweet tannins. It's not going to match the 2016, but it’s a pure, seamless, powerful and incredibly impressive 2017.
Jeb Dunnuck 94-97 Points
Tenute Cisa Asinari Marchesi di Gresy Gaiun Martinenga Barbaresco 2016.
Bright garnet red with slight orange reflections. Intense and pleasant hints of plum and cherry blend sinuously with balsamic nuances of mint, tea leaves, dried flowers and blond pipe tobacco.
The Grade Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Winfield Vineyard is made from Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
“This wine expresses a focused balancing act of dark, rich black fruit, and a fine tannin structure, illuminated through the core with a laser-like acidity. The wine displays a deep purple-red hue with a cranberry halo. Aromas of cassis, cinnamon, citrus oil, roasted meat, and lilac swell from the glass.
“The palate is marked by a wave of jet-black brambly fruit up front, followed by an exotic spice mid-palate and a long, complex finish that lasts and lasts expressing notes of flowering jasmine, and oolong tea. The silky tannins hold everything together and will certainly allow this wine to evolve in the cellar for at least 7-10 years.” - Thomas River Brown
Review:
Coming from the Winfield Vineyard in Calistoga, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is another brilliant wine from the hands of winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown. This deep purple-colored effort boasts tons of blueberry and jammy blackberry fruits as well a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, yet elegant style on the palate. It has the purity of fruit that’s the hallmark of the vintage, ripe, sweet tannins, and no hard edges, and is already hard to resist.
-Jeb Dunnuck 94 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
Alain de la Treille Rose d'Anjou is made from 50% Gamay, 50% Grolleau
The Rosé d'Anjou AOC, also known as Anjou Rosé AOC, produces medium-sweet rosés. Wines are made predominantly from Grolleau, with percentages of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Malbec and Pineau d'Aunis permitted. Anjou soils reflect the geological identity of its border position between Armorican and Parisian basins. The terroirs consist of metamorphic and crystalline rocks (schist, sandstone) known as Anjou Noir, and ‘Terres Blanches’ (white earth) limestone known as Anjou Blanc. The AOC covers 1,890 hectares (4,668 acres).
The Grolleau grape derives its name from the French word ‘grolle’, meaning crow – a reflection of the dark black color of the grapes.
Crisp and refreshing with vibrant aromas of strawberry and raspberry. Juicy and well-balanced with a long finish.
Selective juice extraction to preserve color & aromas. Temperature controlled fermentation is followed by aging on the fine lees. No malolactic fermentation; no oak.
To be served chilled (10°C/50°F) with barbecued meats, salads, any spicy food, poultry dishes and of course appetizers.