Cab.Sauvignon

This wine, awarded a gold medal at the Concours Général Agricole in Paris, is everything one could want from a Bordeaux Supérieur. It’s a blend of Merlot (70%), the Cabs and Malbec (all 10%), made by Hervé Lhuillier, the fourth-generation owner of Château Fleur Haut Gaussens. Hervé achieves remarkable consistency year on year, but still manages to capture the characteristics of the vintage: his ’14 is delicately perfumed, with an array of dark fruit aromas, and shows crisp acidity yet sufficiently supple tannins to be uncorked now, in summer 2017. 6 months in new oak might overwhelm a lesser Bordeaux Sup, but are just right in this case, contributing extra complexity on the nose and roundness to the palate.
A truly marvellous accompaniment to roast beef, lamb or venison.
Will Heslop - Wine Buyer

A remarkably full-bodied and fruit expressive Cabernet Sauvignon, with masses of ripe blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, ably supported by spicy French oak notes. The fine, ripe tannins make this a very page-worthy wine.
Martin Hudson MW, Wine Buyer

Although this wine is classified as a “humble” Bordeaux Supérieur, its grower, Hervè Lhuillier, lavishes Grand Cru levels of care on its vines. This shows in the wine, which is incredibly sleek and polished for this level – a quality further enhanced by the generosity of the 2015 vintage. Lovely plum and cedar aromas are evident, and the wine is long, but not overdone. Overall, it’s a very impressive effort. 

Beautifully proportioned, this has fine-grained tannins, lively acidity and plenty of matter. Notes of cassis fruit and smoke lead to a dense and concentrated core of dark fruit. Delicious now, it will open up and evolve with time.
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

David Ramey’s premier single vineyard Napa Cabernet has masses of concentration but has a foil of fresher acidity from the cool 2011 vintage.  Undoubtedly ageworthy, the ripe cassis fruit makes it delicious now.

In contrast to Bin 707, Bin 169 is the expression of the fruit and terroir from one single region, Coonawarra, perhaps the region more closely associated with Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia than any other. Matured for 14 months in new French oak, contemporary style showing both regionality and maturation of Cabernet Sauvignon in fine grained French oak. Until 31st August 2017 this product is discounted by 20%. Prices shown include discount; no further discount will be applied at checkout.

The best vintages of Solaia are 1990, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010 and now 2013. Marchesi Antinori's 2013 Solaia is a profound and meaningful wine that is based mostly on Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc in supporting roles. It sports a dark and thick texture with plump fruit and spice, grilled herb and black pepper. The bouquet is intense and layered with the kind of complexity that is best admired as the wine shifts and evolves in the glass. The textual impact is also impressive—you feel the inherent power and the structure, but these elements are never overdone. The best is yet to come; this Solaia is built for long cellar aging.
Monica Larner - The Wine Advocate, 30th Dec 2016

Solaia is derived exclusively from its namesake vineyard, Solaia—meaning sunny one—a 10-hectare, southwest-facing site that is comprised principally of marl soils and albarese rock.. The Marchesi Antinori firm produced this wine for the first time in the 1978 vintage with an initial blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc, a blend repeated again in 1979.

Solaia is a 50 acre (20 hectare), southwest-exposed vineyard of the Tignanello estate situated between 1150 and 1320 feet (350-400 meters) above sea level on stony soils consisting of calcareous clays and limestone rock. The Marchesi Antinori produced this wine for the first time in the 1978 vintage with a blend consisting of 80% Cbernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc, repeating the initial production in 1979. In the following vintages 20% of Sangiovese became part of the blend and certain corrections in the ratio of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc were made as well until the current composition of the blend was defined and became definitive. Solaia is produced only in high level vintages and was not produced in 1980, 1981, 1983,1984, and 1992.

A great vintage for a perennially high class ‘Californian Cabernet’ has produced a wine of intense colour with ripe, dark fruit, well balanced tannins and a lovely seductive sweetness at the finish. Jancis Robinson goes so far as to describe it as “almost Lafite like in its raciness”.

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Cask emerges with scents of grilled herbs, cedar, red fruit, crushed rocks and smoke. The 2011 possesses lovely balance in the tense, wiry style of the vintage. There is plenty of potential here. The blend is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and 2% Merlot.
Antonio Galloni Wine Advocate #204 Dec 2012

The 2011 Monte Bello (87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc) emerges from the glass with tobacco, grilled herbs, smoke, incense and plums melding together in this soft, beautifully textured Monte Bello. The 2011 is a wine of exceptional textural finesse. The 100% new oak is totally integrated. In 2011, Ridge used a total of 18 of a possible 24 lots for the final blend. The presence of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon is the highest since the 1980s. I expect the 2011 to be a relatively early drinking Monte Bello, but time will be the judge.
Antonio Galloni - Wine Advocate - Issue#202 Aug 2012

The 2010 Solaia is even better than the Tignanello. Here, too, it is the wine's energy and sheer vibrancy that stand out most. Blackberry jam, graphite, tar, espresso, violets, crushed rocks and spices all take shape in the glass. The 2010 is a wine I have followed since its infancy, and it has never failed to deliver the goods. Earlier this year I had a chance to taste every vintage of Solaia back to the inaugural 1978. It is still early, but there is little question the 2010 is one of the greatest – if not the single greatest Solaia ever made
97/100 Antonio Galloni - Aug-2013