The unique volcanic soil composition of this site is exhibited in this Cabernet’s mineral texture and intensely structured palate. This latest release from the exceptional 2018 vintage presents a deep purple rim surrounding an opaque garnet core with an abundance of aromas emerging from bakers’ chocolate and dark cherry to crème de cassis to tapenade. Both graceful and bold on the palate, the broad tannins are balanced by pulsing acidity that brings tension and freshness throughout. Notes of boysenberry are interspersed with accents of sweet thyme against a backdrop of crush rock minerality, adding to the long finish and layers of complexity.
Paul Hobbs George Menini Estate Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Brilliant ruby red in the glass, the 2022 vintage follows the color with matching aromas of wild mountain strawberry, raspberry, and cherry infused with hints of black tea. On the palate, this wine has the texture of thick satin, evolving seamlessly with subtle energy and pleasant tension. Elegant, fine-grained tannins run through a lingering, juicy finish.
Review:
This has fantastic intensity and focus with firm and racy tannins that show blue fruits, orange peel, hibiscus flowers and plants. Medium body. Acid and tannin driven. Complex structure. 85% of this is heritage clones of Mount Eden, Calera and Swan. Drinkable, but better in two or three years.
-James Suckling 97 Points
Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Katherine Lindsay Estate is made from Pinot Noir.
Pure and vibrant, the ruby red 2022 Katherine Lindsay Estate Pinot Noir leads with a nose full of contrasts—fragrant violets, pleasantly bitter dried orange peel, and raspberry tea in an almost confection-like blend are answered by earthier red clay, hints of sage and thyme, and spring forest floor notes. Marked energy keeps the well-structured palate vibrant, with vanilla-kissed red fruit—mountain raspberry, pomegranate, cherry—fresh and seductive at the same time. Fine-grained, almost talc-like tannins edge the long, persistent finish with palpable energy.
Review:
Pouring a medium ruby hue, the 2022 Pinot Noir Katherine Lindsay Estate comes from the Russian River Valley and is mostly produced from the Calera clone of Pinot Noir, along with Swan. Spicy and savory on the nose, it opens to vibrant notes of rose hip rose petals, brambly wild herbs, cranberries, and orange rind. Medium-bodied, it offers compact tension, with fine tannins and elegant, lasting notes of cinnamon on the finish. It’s deserving of another year or two in a cool cellar and drinking over the coming 15 years.
-Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
The grapes for this wine come from a small parcel of 1.1 acre in the village of Beaune. This Chardonnay offers an intense nose on yellow fruits, apricot and peach. Beautifully textured, round and opulent on the palate, the wine combines a mineral character, power and freshness with a crisp and long finish.
Pair with grilled fish, Bresse chicken, Prawns.
Post & Beam by Far Niente Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Vibrant, refreshing and stunningly perfumed, the Post & Beam Chardonnay opens with aromas of fresh melon and wild honeysuckle. The palate is lush and round, with silky layers of melon and baked apple spice framed by soft, toasted oak and lifted acidity.
Winemaker Landon Donley considers Sauvignon Blanc to be the premier white wine of Napa Valley. Quattro Theory Sauvignon Blanc captures the best Napa Valley expression of this varietal.
Our Sauvignon Blanc is grown in our estate Mary’s Vineyard in Calistoga, containing some of the oldest Sauvignon Blanc plantings in Napa Valley at more than 30 years old. The old vines offer concentration and complimentary young vines add vibrance, and a small amount of Semillon from the estate adds a roundness to the wine.
Every step of the winemaking process is designed to heighten the natural aromatics, flavor and vibrant acidity of Sauvignon Blanc: each lot of fruit is chilled, then whole-cluster pressed over two hours with 23 check-ins to isolate exactly the press of juice we want.
With its intense aromatics, vibrant fruit and bright acidity, this Sauvignon Blanc is refreshing and offers concentration, complexity and long finish that make it enjoyable on its own, interesting from first sip to last, as well as an ideal complement to food.
Suggested pairings: fresh oysters, lemon-herb roasted chicken and goat cheese salad.
Review:
Brilliant and vibrant, this nicely nervy wine is packed with limes, lemons and grassy nuances. A touch of salinity gives it mouthwatering freshness plus a bit of food-friendly restraint.
-Wine Enthusiast 92 Points
Robert Mondavi Winery The Estates Red Blend is made from 49% Cabernet Franc, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot.
Robert Mondavi’s vision was to elevate Napa to the world stage. In celebration of his achievement, our Napa Tier wines are sourced from distinctive vineyards throughout the Napa Valley and truly emulate a classic Napa Valley style.
Aromas of blackberry, cherry, toasted almond, bay leaf and mocha. Luscious ripe cherry and cassis, with savory notes of dried herbs and toast. Rich, weighty, and mouth-coating, with classic fine To Kalon tannins.
Review:
This has a pretty fragrance of violets, green peppercorns, salted olives, blackcurrants and black raspberries. Creamy, salted dark chocolate and praline to follow. Medium-to full-bodied with fine-grained tannins. Delicious and superbly balanced. 50% cabernet franc, 47% cabernet sauvignon and 3% petit verdot.
-James Sucking 94 Points
The 2019 Red Blend Estate comes all from the To Kalon Vineyard and is close to an even split of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a clear step up over the base Red Blend and offers terrific, full-bodied aromas and flavors of darker fruits, dark chocolate, violets, and a kiss of spring flowers. With silky tannins, terrific balance, and outstanding length, it's going to evolve for 15 years or so.
-Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
Rombauer Vineyards Proprietor Selection Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Proprietor Selection is a reserve Chardonnay produced only in exceptional vintages by blending the best barrels from the finest lots. The 2022 represents the 16th vintage in 44 years. Like all of our Chardonnays, this wine comes from Carneros where the cool climate and clay soils offer ideal growing conditions for the varietal.
This wine comes from elite vineyards in the Carneros region owned by the Rombauer family and select growers including the Sangiacomo family, long-term grower partners who have farmed this land for three generations
Expressive and concentrated aromas of grapefruit and lime sorbet with hints of clove are present in the glass. It is rich and intense on the palate with sweet peach, clove, and freshly baked pastry flavors. There is a bright refreshing acidity that gives way to more stone fruit flavors that continue to build on the very long and concentrated finish.
Rombauer Vineyards Proprietor Selection Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Proprietor Selection is a reserve Chardonnay produced only in exceptional vintages by blending the best barrels from the finest lots. The 2020 represents the 14th vintage in 41 years. Like all of our Chardonnays, this wine comes from Carneros where the cool climate and clay soils offer ideal growing conditions for the varietal.
This wine comes from elite vineyards in the Carneros region owned by the Rombauer family and select growers including the Sangiacomo family, long-term grower partners who have farmed this land for three generations
A beautiful pale yellow, there are multifaceted layers of aromas including caramelized pineapple, lemon rind, baked green apple, toast, and vanilla. The densely concentrated palate features notes of powerful stone fruit, floral honey, baking spice, and vanilla, all building, with a fresh, mouthwatering acidity, to a long and lingering finish.
Rubus Chardonnay Colchagua Valley is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Attractive yellow color with some green tones. Its intense varietal character reminds one ripe fruits like pineapple, with notes of melon and honey well harmonized with oak. In the mouth it is full, rich and buttery.
Grapes are harvested in the morning in order to avoid high temperatures.
At the winery, the grapes are gently pressed.
Alcoholic fermentation is held between 15º and 16º Celsius.
Then, 25% of the wine goes into American Oak barrels for 3 months.
After this, the blend is made, clarified, cold stabilized and filtered. Right before bottling, the wine goes through an on-line filtration system (plate and sterile membrane) to ensure microbiological stability
As far as the food pairing, it is delicious with pasta, fish, seafood and mild cheeses. It is also delicious on its own as an aperitif.
Sainte-Marie Bourgogne Blanc Vieilles Vignes is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The wine has a perfect light yellow color with green hues. Nose of white flower, sweet spice and bitter orange. Fresh and delicious attack. It shows roundness and a slight buttery note with a very saline finish that makes you slightly salivate.
Excellent with Seafood, grilled fish, clams and oysters of course. Also great with goat cheese or Comté cheese.
Aged on lees for 6 months in stainless steel vats. Adjustment of sulphites at the end of MLF and before bottling. Filtration on earth then on 1.2µ cartridge after bonding with bentonite.Machine harvest, and direct pressing with a pneumatic horizontal press. Static settling. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel vats with native yeast and bacteria.
Saumaize-Michelin Macon Vergisson Cru Sur La Roche is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Harmonious, fresh and clean aromas of fresh apple, lemon, orange blossom, white flower. Pure, crisp, silky and fine texture. Ripe fruit flavors and good acidity.
Saumaize-Michelin Macon Vergisson Cru Sur La Roche is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Harmonious, fresh and clean aromas of fresh apple, lemon, orange blossom, white flower. Pure, crisp, silky and fine texture. Ripe fruit flavors and good acidity.
Sherwood Estate Pinot Noir is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
A juicy Pinot Noir with rich ripe fruit flavours of plum and blackberries. Subtle oak complexities lead to a beautifully rounded palate with a silky smooth finish. This Pinot Noir is so versatile with food, it pairs well with BBQ,'s and salads to comforting winter style dishes. A secret favorite, a seafood pasta.
Most of the blend is tipped into open-top fermentation tanks for preferment soak prior to the fermentation starting naturally with indigenous yeast, another portion is tank fermented with pump over, then a very small portion is kept as whole berries and sealed for carbonic maceration fermentation. Once the fermentations have finished, a partial micro-oxygenation is started which helps the wine to remain softer and rounder earlier.
13%
Summer BBQ’s, salads and fresh seafood pasta.
Sherwood Estate Riesling is made from 100 percent Riesling.
A Riesling that captures the true essence of a Waipara Valley aromatic wine. Full flavoured with delicate fruit and floral elements balanced with a smooth mouthfeel and subtle sweetness.
Grown on our Waipara Valley vineyards the grapes were harvested over a period of two weeks at varying degrees of ripeness allowing for a range of fruit flavours and complexity. This shows in the final wine with great depth of flavour throughout the palate with well-balanced acidity leaving you wanting more.
12%
Fresh seafood, cheese dishes and spicy food.
100% Chardonnay aged 14 months in 30% new French oak.
Review:
“Stone fruits, buttered citrus, white flowers, and a subtle hint of green almonds all emerge from the 2021 Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard, a medium to full-bodied, ripe, yet elegant Chardonnay. I love its overall balance, and it brings an impressive mix of richness and elegance.”
Jeb Dunnuck, 96 points
Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Corazon del Rio is made from 100% Chardonnay aged 14 months in 20% new French oak.
Review:
“The 2021 Chardonnay Corazon Del Rio Vineyard is another brilliant Chardonnay (these are all made by Thomas Rivers Brown) from the Russian River Valley. Bright citrus, honeyed flowers, and subtle toasty oak notes define the aromatics, and it's medium-bodied, has a fresh, focused mouthfeel, terrific balance, and a great finish. I'd be thrilled with bottles in the cellar.”
-Jeb Dunnuck, 95 points
Siegel San Elias Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
This Chardonnay has a light yellow color with green highlights. The nose shows fresh and intense tropical fruit aromas of pineapple, citrus, herbs and a touch of honey. On the palate it is lush, smooth and well-balanced with good acidity and lovely tropical fruit flavors.
Siegel Special Reserve Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
This Chardonnay has a pale yellow color. On the nose is is complex with citrus and tropical fruit aromas balanced with notes from the oak aging. On the palate it has good acidity with a long finish.
VINIFICATION: Alcoholic fermentation occurs at 16-17 degrees C. When the alcoholic finishes part of the wine is kept on a pump-over program.
FINNING AND FILTRATION: Once the wine has been blended it is clarified and then undergoes cold stablisation and is later filtered through clay.
AGING: Aged in French oak barrels for 6 months.
Pairs well with fish like Tilapia, salmon and white meats.
Sojourn Chardonnay Sangiacomo Vineyard is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The core of Sojourn Sangiacomo Vineyard Chardonnay is from the same vineyard source as the highly-acclaimed Sojourn Sangiacomo Vineyard Pinot noir wines. This wine features a combination of Clone 95 Chardonnay from Sangiacomo Roberts Road Vineyard and Old Wente Clone from Sangiacomo Vella Ranch. The Roberts Road block, planted in 1998, provides minerality and vibrancy. The Old Wente Clone selection is known to produce distinctively small clusters, low yields, and results in elegant, complex wines that round out this blend. These ranches are perfectly suited for growing Chardonnay, with cool climates and well-draining soils.
Sojour Chardonnay is fresh and lively, fruit-forward with bright acidity, stone fruit, citrus and apple flavors that leave your mouth watering.
Sonoma Bench Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Rich golden in color. Balanced oak and toast aromas transform into layers of vanilla and brioche amid pear and apple. A luscious wine on the palate; flavors progress with lime citrus, white peach and lemon curd. Texture is silky and rich with just enough firm acidity to achieve a balanced wine whose flavors linger on the palate. Enjoy now or cellar for 2 years.
Morlet Family Vineyards Ma Douce Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The cool maritime breeze and mild and sunny mountain climate create ideal conditions for this hillside vineyard located on the second ridge from the Pacific Ocean. Handcrafted using classical Burgundian winemaking techniques, this wine is dedicated to Jodie Morlet. It is ‘My Sweet’ or ‘Ma Douce.’
Full yellow color. Aromas of lemon drop, Crème Brulée and orange zest intermixed with strong notes of minerality (wet stones) and fresh hazelnut. Full-bodied, mineral driven, this wine displays a creamy texture and very long mineral finish. Built to age gracefully for a decade, this wine is already very approachable.
Propietary Name Ma Douce
Name Meaning My Sweet “Douce brize” from the Ocean
Varietal composition Chardonnay
Type of wine Vineyard designated
Appellation Fort Ross-Seaview
Vineyard singularity On the second ridge off Ocean High elevation Goldridge soil
Typical harvest date End of October
Picking Manual, small lugs, refer truck
Sorting Cluster by cluster
Fermentation In barrel through native yeast 100% Malolactic
Upbringing Sur lies with bâtonnage
French oak from selected coopers
Bottling Unfiltered
Cellaring time 5-10 years
Serving Slightly below room temperature Decanted when served young
Review:
"Lots of white peach, quince, white flower, and green almond notes emerge from the 2020 Chardonnay Ma Douce, a full-bodied barrel sample with beautiful depth as well as freshness."96 Points Jeb Dunnuck:
Pomerols Beauvignac Syrah Rose is 100% Syrah
Pink colored, firm in the style of a Tavel rosé, the wine shows strawberry aromas, candy notes on the nose and cherry and pomegranate flavors on the palate. The wine is silky, elegant, crisp and refreshing.
The Syrah is bled off after 8 hours of maceration.