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Ready, but will keep,
Winemaker John Williams has long been an advocate of dry farming, and organic and sustainable practices. His aim was to produce a more restrained style of Zinfandel. The 2017 was a good vintage, and picking early gave juicy acidity as well as carefully managed alcohol. Wild strawberries, strawberry jam and sweet spice notes combine with mocha and vanilla hints to provide a complex and gratifying wine, while the ripe, chocolate tannins provide a luxurious mouth-feel.
Ready, but will keep,
Bright lemon colour with golden tints, this has a ripe stone-fruit and lemon citrus peel profile. Orange blossom notes mingle with ginger and white pepper spice, adding definition and complexity. Attractive toasted hazelnut flavours that persist on the palate, combined with nervy acidity and a tightly wound core that gives focus on the finish. This is so wonderfully Old World in style, it reminds me of Chablis or White Burgundy.
Fiona Hayes, Buyer (September 2019)
Fiona Hayes, Buyer (September 2019)
Ready, but will keep,
This is distinctively Cabernet on the nose, with an attractive perfume of cassis and dark black berry fruits, as well as a subtle herbal top note. The tannins are powdery and firm, supporting the concentration and density on the palate. The length is extraordinary and the savoury finish delicious, inviting you to pour a second glass. Drink 2020-2035.
Fiona Hayes, Buyer (September 2019)
Fiona Hayes, Buyer (September 2019)
DeSante,
Ready, but will keep,
DeSante is a small grower and their Cabernet comes from the prestigious Oakville area within the Napa Valley, home to some of the most highly regarded and sought-after wines in California. I love this Cabernet: although it displays the typical generosity and power of a Napa Cabernet, there is a purity and elegance that defines the wine and makes it incredibly accessible. Wines of this quality can be rather expensive and unaffordable, but DeSante – who make only 1,000 cases in total – really deliver with this wine, both in terms of price and quality.
Fiona Hayes, Wine Buyer (winter 2018)
Fiona Hayes, Wine Buyer (winter 2018)
DeSante,
Ready, but will keep,
This wine is a bin-end, discounted by 20%.
A blend of Alicante Bouschet and Petite Sirah, only one barrel of this wine is produced. The fruit undergoes whole-cluster fermentation, and if the team feels the wine needs more acidity, they add white varieties. The nose offers red fruits and floral aromatics with a blueberry top-note. The tannins are firm and fine-grained, balanced by a juicy fruit core with a long finsih. This wine defines the style of Desante, offering great concentration and complexity as well as restraint and freshness.
Fiona Hayes, Wine Buyer
A blend of Alicante Bouschet and Petite Sirah, only one barrel of this wine is produced. The fruit undergoes whole-cluster fermentation, and if the team feels the wine needs more acidity, they add white varieties. The nose offers red fruits and floral aromatics with a blueberry top-note. The tannins are firm and fine-grained, balanced by a juicy fruit core with a long finsih. This wine defines the style of Desante, offering great concentration and complexity as well as restraint and freshness.
Fiona Hayes, Wine Buyer
Cardinale Estate,
For laying down,
A brilliant wine from winemaker Chris Carpenter and the Kendall-Jackson family, this blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Merlot, mostly coming from mountain vineyards owned by the Jackson family, is fabulous.
The 2013 Cardinale Proprietary Red Wine is dense purple-colored, a big, sweet kiss of crème de cassis as well as licorice, blackberry and espresso are all present in this full-bodied, rather sublime and intense Cabernet Sauvignon that should drink well for 25 or more years. This was aged in about 91% new French oak for 18-20 months prior to bottling. It is certainly one of the finest Cardinales I have tasted in my experience.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - The Wine Advocate, Oct 2015
The 2013 Cardinale Proprietary Red Wine is dense purple-colored, a big, sweet kiss of crème de cassis as well as licorice, blackberry and espresso are all present in this full-bodied, rather sublime and intense Cabernet Sauvignon that should drink well for 25 or more years. This was aged in about 91% new French oak for 18-20 months prior to bottling. It is certainly one of the finest Cardinales I have tasted in my experience.
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - The Wine Advocate, Oct 2015
For laying down,
Purity and brilliance on the nose with so much currant and flower character. Roses, currant bush and fresh leaves, too. Brightness is the word that comes to mind. Full-bodied and broad-shouldered. Juicy and so gorgeous now. Balance is so wonderful here. All about harmonious fruit and tannin balance. I like it slightly better than the excellent 2014. 81% cabernet sauvignon, 4% petit verdot, 7% cabernet franc, 6% merlot and 2% malbec. Drink or hold.
James Suckling
James Suckling
Colgin Cellars,
Ready, but will keep,
When I first heard about the wine, prior to opening a sample bottle, the concern at the back of my mind was that it was going to be another heavily-manipulated, over-extracted, over-oaked Napa Valley Cabernet, utterly lacking in elegance and finesse. Well, nothing could be further from the truth; the bouquet displays intense aromas of cassis, plum and black cherry, with hints of graphite and crushed rocks. On the palate the richness fills the mouth, with liquorice notes combining with the dark, berry fruit flavours. The tannins are very present but are exceptionally well-managed, so no harshness or austerity intrudes. The finish is extraordinary, with massive length but one is left with an overriding sense of grace and elegance rather than sheer power. In short, this is a wine of sublime sophistication which is highly reflective of its terroir, and is more than a match for top-level Classified Growths of Bordeaux in quality terms. Can be drunk from 2015 but capable of a further 25 years ageing.
The 2008 IX Estate wine is 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot. After fermentation the wine spent 21 months in new French oak barrels before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
The 2008 IX Estate wine is 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot. After fermentation the wine spent 21 months in new French oak barrels before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Araujo Estate,
For laying down,
The wines from the extremely hot drought year, 2014, were just bottled prior to my visit. The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon reflects the vintage’s precociousness and front-end loaded, flattering style. It is medium to full-bodied, shows beautiful fruit purity, deep black raspberry and blackcurrant fruit, moving toward blacker berries. There is a floral characteristic, spice, and a full-bodied, lush mouthfeel with silky tannin. Drink it over the next 25 years.
Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advicate (autumn 2016)
Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advicate (autumn 2016)
Lemon in colour, with gold hints, the nose offers aromas of grapefruit, melon, citrus and hints of thyme. The palate has energy combined with zesty acidity, with a weight that you would expect from a warm climate origin. With the alcohol and fruit in perfect balance, this is excellent as an apéritif or with food. Drink now to 2021.