Early to bud and early to ripen, the 2014 vintage was our third drought year in a row. Dry, even temperatures marched the grapes along at a steady clip all year and created a wine with beautifully integrated fruit, acidity, and tannin.
Dense and dark magenta in color, this is a lithe and energetic vintage with lifted aromatics and a purity of fruit that lights up the medium-bodied tannin structure. The nose promises fresh black fruits, cherries and a touch of graphite, and the palate completely delivers. Juicy blackberry, plum, and bright cherry explode in the mouth, and develop into savory notes of baked black fruit and fresh pencil shavings on the mid-palate. 
Eagle Summit Vineyard’s signature eucalyptus appears on the back palate to brighten the fruit, showing fragrant peppermint and warm, toasty spices through the finish. Whether you open it young or wait a few decades, this vintage does Howell Mountain proud--sophisticated and smart, with a rustic wild side.

Cresta Velia Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Aged in 100% French oak (86% new)

• 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Eagle Summit Vineyard on Howell Mountain
• Equal amounts of clone 4 and clone 7
• unfined and unfiltered

Review:

"The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet aged 20 months in 86% new French oak, with the typical suspects in terms of cooperage – Darnajou, Taransaud, and Remond. This opaque purple-colored wine has plenty of mulberry and blackcurrant fruit along with hints of blackberries, camphor and incense. The are some notes of unsmoked cigar and licorice as well. Ripe, medium to full-bodied and luscious, it is a classic to drink over the next 15 or more years. - RP"

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #228, December 2016), 90 pts

Croix Senaillet Macon-Davaye is 100 percent Chardonnay.

Pale brilliant yellow color. Fresh nose of citrus fruits (lemon, grapefruit). Mineral and salty notes on the palate. Fresh, supple and harmonious in the mouth.

Produced from 7 different parcels of vines spread over 3.77 hectares, planted on clay and limestone based soils. Average age of the vine is 28 years. Careful vinification. Minimal intervention in the vinification process. Modern equipment (pneumatic press, thermo-regulated tanks). Each parcel is harvested at full maturity. Destemming, slow press, slow fermentation, malolactic fermentation, aging on the lees.

Excellent as an aperitif and pairs well with grilled fish and Asian food.

Sequentis is a limited-edition Reserve Merlot that advances our devotion to Bordeaux varieties. The remarkable 2021 vintage opens with heady aromas of rose petal, plum, blackberry jam, cooked strawberry, ripe black cherry and baking spice. A medium-bodied mouthfeel floods the senses with extraordinary complexity, including layered flavors of pomegranate, raspberry, blackberry, coconut, tobacco and vanilla. Balanced acidity and fine tannins converge on a smooth, velvety finish.

Review:

The Daou hallmark of toasted pecan and walnut aromas show on the nose of this Merlot, which also offers ripe berry and toasted herb touches. The palate carries the savory, nutty tone as well, with dark cherry providing fruit and firm tannins holding strong. Drink now-2035.

-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points

DAOU Vineyards Bodyguard Red is made from 65% Petit Verdot, 35% Petite Sirah.

The 2020 Bodyguard is the newest edition to this exceptional collection from winemaker Daniel Daou. Bold and brooding, it displays a vivid, deep purple hue accompanied by an intense nose of chocolate-covered blueberry, black raspberry, Zante currant, pencil lead and damp forest floor. Secondary layers reveal notes of kirsch, fennel, black olive and a hint of cool wintergreen. A lush palate of black plum, dried cherry and blackberry is supported by a firm structure with polished fine-grained tannins. Highlights of dusty leather, dried sage and truffle add layers of complexity that complement the rich, dark fruit. The finish strikes an impressive balance of power and grace, with lingering notes of currant, dark chocolate and crushed stone minerality that enhance the fullness of the experience.

Review:

DAOU Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is made from  77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Petit Verdot.

The 2021 DAOU Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is emblematic of Paso Robles as a world-class region for Bordeaux-style wines. Intense purple-red hues foreshadow deep aromas of black fruit, pomegranate, tobacco, mocha, and bay leaf. Trailing notes of clove, nutmeg, and vanilla emerge as the wine opens up in the glass. Opulent textures expand across the palate with flavors of red fruit, blueberry, and chocolate-covered raspberry. The overall experience is fresh and rich, concluding with velvety tannins and impressive length.

 Review:

 
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is blended with 23% Petit Verdot, made entirely with free-run juice, and it will be matured for 16 months in 50% new French oak. Opaque ruby, it offers pure aromas of cassis, violet, grilled meats, desert sage and bell pepper. The full-bodied palate is powdery, energetic and detailed with a long, layered finish.

-Wine Advocate 94-96 Points

Delas Hermitage Les Grandes Vignes Ligne de Crete is made from Syrah. 

The nose discloses aromas of spice and leather intertwined with deep berry aromas (blackberry, redcurrant) and heady floral notes, liquorice and incense. Its richness, complexity and elegance are by no means a contradiction. The finest granite soils of the Hermitage hillside are to thank for this wine's incredible minerality and finesse. The wine is rich and dense on entry to the palate, where it shows an elegant, broad and flavorsome character. The ripe, smooth and well-integrated tannins contribute to the wine's powerful yet harmonious structure. The palate reveals the same aromas as those found on the nose with nuances of blueberry, raspberry, violet and bitter chocolate. Ligne de Crête is characterized by its exceptional structure, harmony and balance.

This remarkably smooth and elegant wine makes the perfect partner for a pigeon pie, beef tartare ravioli or a roast fillet of deviled duckling with cranberries. It also makes an excellent choice for woodcock, hare "à la Royale" or even a roast rack of lamb in a herb crust.

Review:

Whiffs of espresso, ore and charred meat mingle into thunderous flavors of crème de cassis and roasted plums in this wine. A single-site expression of Les Grandes Vignes from a ripe yet fresh vintage, it's a showstopping Syrah marked with a creamy texture and ripe tannins. Hermitage is not known for youthful pleasures but this rare bottling embraces the hedonism of adolescence along with its potential to gain power and complexity far beyond 2050. Anna Lee C. Iijima

-Wine Enthusiast 97 Points

Inky ruby color. Expansive, smoke- and mineral-accented black and blue fruits, licorice, smoky bacon, mocha, violet and licorice on the highly perfumed nose. Appealingly sweet, mineral-accented cassis, boysenberry, fruitcake, floral pastille and vanilla flavors show superb depth and become spicier with aeration. Shows superb detail and mineral lift on the youthfully tannic, extremely persistent and incisive finish, which features resonating floral and exotic spice notes.

-Vinous 97 Points

Destroyer North Coast Red is made from 65% Cabernet Sauvignon 20% Merlot 10% Zinfandel 5% Syrah

DESTROYER Red Wine Blend is a whimsical blend of North Coast varieties. We start with Cabernet Sauvignon 65%, and then add Merlot 20%, Zinfandel 10% and finish with Syrah 5%. 65% is grown in Lake County in the Red Hills AVA, the balance is Napa Valley. This wine is aged in French oak for 10 months.

DESTROYER is rich and flavorful. Red and dark fruits are apparent in the nose with Plum, Cherry and Blueberry tones. The aroma is elegant and shows subtle signs of oak nuance. The pallet explodes with deep deliciousness! The finish lingers and invites a second glass or two. Invite your favorite friends to try, and share with your hottest date.

All older vintage wines have been purchased from a single collector’s cellar. Pictures can be requested before shipment.

Louis Jadot Montrachet Grand Cru is made from 100 percent Chardonnay. 

Le Montrachet is situated to the south of the Côte de Beaune, on both villages of Puligny Montrachet and Chassagne Montrachet (like the Batard Montrachet Grand Cru).

The terroir is extremely chalky with a lot of stones, perfectly drained and easy to overheat with south-south-eastern exposition.
The Montrachet is produced with Chardonnay

Grapes are harvested by hand and put in small cases in order not to damage the fruits. Grapes are pressed softly, they ferment in oak barrels produced by our cooperage. 1/3 are new barrels. Aging usually lasts 15 months on fine lies before bottling.

Review:

Aromas of buttered toast, honeyed peaches, white flowers and mint introduce the 2019 Montrachet Grand Cru (Maison Louis Jadot), a full-bodied, layered and enveloping wine that's satiny and sumptuous, with lively acids and fine depth at the core. While I'd give the nod to the stunning Demoiselles as Jadot's best white wine this year, this Montrachet—purchased from the Chassagne-Montrachet side, from the house's usual source—is undeniably promising.

-Wine Advocate 94-96 Points

Dr. Leimbrock Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett is made from 100 percent Riesling. 

Brauneberger Juffer and Juffer-Sonnenuhr are one of the most prestigious vineyards in the winegrowing region Mosel. The vineyard faces south and provides best conditions to plant the Riesling vines. 

Juicy and aromatic with a wonderful drinking flow and aromas of melon, stone fruit and apple. Makes you want the next sip.
ABV: 9.1%
TA: 7.5
RS: 36.5 g/liter

Dr. Leimbrock Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett is made from 100 percent Riesling. 

Brauneberger Juffer and Juffer-Sonnenuhr are one of the most prestigious vineyards in the winegrowing region Mosel. The vineyard faces south and provides best conditions to plant the Riesling vines. 

Juicy and aromatic with a wonderful drinking flow and aromas of melon, stone fruit and apple. Makes you want the next sip.
ABV: 9.1%
TA: 7.5
RS: 36.5 g/liter

Dr. Loosen Riesling Eiswein is made from 100 percent Riesling. 

This vibrant, racy dessert wine conjures flavors of densely packed pear, apple and guava, with an intense, nervy edge in the aroma. It is luscious, silky and juicy on the palate, with bright acidity giving it a crisp, dynamic finish. 

Review:

This is extremely rich, yet the acidity keeps it on its toes. The palate is rich, sporting rhubarb and apricot flavors that are laced by hints of earth, coriander seed and honeyed oolong tea. It has an appealing sweet tart character that takes over and is matched by super suave texture. Shows incredible persistence through the long finish. Drink now through 2050.

-Wine Enthusiast 95 Points 

DuMOL 'Chloe' Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay. 

Winemaker’s Notes

Our first vintage of Chloe was 2000, and although the vineyard mix has changed over the years, the wine has always focused on the central Russian River Valley district to represent the richest side of DuMOL Chardonnay. The wine has lower acidity than our coastal wines, making it more approachable in its youth, and the flavors focus more on orchard fruits than citrus. The neighboring El Diablo and Flora Marie vineyards sit overlooking the river on gravelly loam soils and provide the wine's deep fruit generosity. These are the first vineyards we harvest each year as the lean soils really advance their crop’s ripening. We offset this fruit richness with grapes from our Green Valley Bressay Estate, which overflow with tense structure and coastal acidity. It’s a seamless combination that produces a thrilling result, and Chloe is the first of our designate Chardonnays you should open each vintage. 

The wine’s aromas and flavors are akin to peach, apricot, oatmeal and anise. Fresh thyme and honey notes combine with tangerine and lemon curd. It’s a deeply textural and expansive wine that gently glides along the palate. Lively acidity and spicy notes of ginger and white pepper provide lift and energy to the finish. A beautiful, layered, and richer style to enjoy soon after release. Drink between late-2024 and 2029 and serve no cooler than 55º F. 

Review:

A Central Russian River Blend, the 2022 Chardonnay Chloe is a bright yellow hue and captures a wide spectrum of citrus with notes of orange, Meyer lemon, fresh pineapple, toasted spice, and a hint of almond through the mid-palate as well as a nice lift of citrus on the finish. It’s a beautiful wine offering a richer tone through the range. Drink 2024-2034.

-Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points

The wine’s aromas and flavors are akin to red and black cherry, briary wild berries, pomegranate, dried rose, pepper and licorice. Significant umami notes develop with time, and it offers a chewy core of fruit on a lovely expanding palate. Despite its obvious richness, there’s polish and definition to the flavors and structure. The wine turns spicy and savory on its long finish. Drink between late-2024 and 2032. 

We’ve produced Ryan Pinot Noir since 2002, and it has always focused upon the mature dry-farmed Dutton-Widdoes Vineyard, deep in the heart of Green Valley. Widdoes produces a wild berry, truffley style of rich, dark Pinot that offers substantial hidden complexity which is revealed over time. In recent years we’ve balanced this power style with a block of vibrant, elegant, and red-fruited Pinot from Dutton-Jentoft, located at higher elevation closer to the coast. Both vineyards are sensitively farmed by our long-time partners, the multi-generational Dutton Family. Traditionally our most fruit-filled and approachable Pinot bottling, history shows that the wine ages gracefully for a decade-plus, revealing all its quintessential Green Valley Pinot beauty as it develops in bottle.  

Review:

From the oldest vines of the estate, the 2022 Pinot Noir DuMOL Ryan is fantastic on the nose, with notes of fresh leather, Asian spices, sandalwood, and fresh cherries. The palate is vibrant and salty with green valley character, revealing finely coiled tannins, mouthwatering acidity, a saline mineral flourish, and a long finish. This one of the most compelling wines in the vintage for me, and it’s going to age gracefully over the next 15-20 years.

-Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points

Ferme Blanche Cassis Blanc Excellence is made from 50% Marsanne and 50% Clairette.

On the nose, white fruits, citrus zest, hint of vanilla. Velvety well balanced mouth of ripe fruits and minerality.

Pair with trout, Scallop, or better yet lobster would complement this wine perfectly.

Ferrata Ceneris Etna Bianco is made from 80% Carricante and 20% Catarratto.

Ideal with shellfish, raw fish or preparations with more intense flavors, fresh and semi-aged cheeses.

COLOR: Deep ruby red
NOSE: Intense bouquet with hints of ripe fruit
TASTE: Full, balanced taste

Finca La Pared Syrah is made from 100 percent Syrah. 

Finca La Pared Syrah shows an expressive nose of dark fruit aromas and a mineral character.

"Blackberries, ground pepper, violets, and some gamey, bouquet garni-like notes all emerge from the 2021 Syrah, a medium to full-bodied, deep, rich, wonderfully layered Syrah that seems to be a hypothetical blend of a California Syrah with an Hermitage. Drink bottles through 2031."