July 20th 2018 Newsletter
Wine Spectator 90
MAISON L'ENVOYÉ Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Straight Shooter 2016
Generous and lively, with supple raspberry and baking spice flavors that dance along the vibrant finish. Drink now through 2022. 4,000 cases made.—T.F. $20 Our Price $16.45
Wine Advocate 92
2016 Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc Estate
The 2016 Sauvignon Blanc Estate delivers intense passion fruit, white peach and grapefruit notes with touches of musk perfume, wet slate and bay leaves. Medium-bodied, the palate offers bags of stone fruit and citrus flavors, with a racy backbone and long mineral-tinged finish. 7,500 cases produced. $33 Our Price $19.45
2015 Pride Mountain Merlot, Half Bottles
Winemaker Notes: Our 2015 Merlot offers incredibly expressive aromas of strawberry, blueberry and plum, which carry through into a round, luscious palate full of bright berry and lollipop fruit notes. The finish is lengthy yet integrated, with plenty of tannin that is rich, ripe and velvety on the palate. $31/375ml
Wine Spectator 93
LEWIS Chardonnay Napa Valley Reserve 2016
Rich and full-bodied, deeply concentrated and loaded with ripe fig, apricot, melon and toasty oak notes that impart a buttery texture. Drink now through 2023. 500 cases made. –JL $75 Our Price $67.99
Wine Spectator 94
CHÂTEAU DOISY-VÉDRINES
Barsac 2015, Half Bottles
Richer in style than the typical Barsac, with notes of almond cream and orange curd along with honeysuckle, white peach and toasted pineapple flavors. The long, unctuous finish lets the almond hint linger longest. Best from 2020 through 2040. 3,000 cases made. –JM $21.95/375ml
Wine Spectator 92
GEORG ALBRECHT SCHNEIDER Riesling Spätlese Rheinhessen
Niersteiner Hipping 2015
Laced with pink grapefruit and peach flavors, this white is sleek and taut, with vivid acidity stretching the finish. Brown spice and slate accents emerge there, along with a lip-smacking feel. Drink now through 2035. 1,000 cases made. –BS $17 Our Price $12.55
Wine Enthusiast 92
Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt 2015 Graach Josephshöfer
Monopol Kabinett Grosse Lage Riesling
Dusty slate and spice tones intensify this brisk, grapefruit-laced Kabinett from the famed Josephshöfer site. Sweet-tart lemon and tangerine flavors are scintillating and brisk, enriched by a luscious mineral slick that lingers on the palate. Its sharp, linear style is attractive already but should meld gorgeously from 2021. $28 Our Price $19.99
Wine Spectator 95
LOUIS CHÈZE Côte-Rôtie Bellissima 2016
Bright, pure and racy, with a sleek, iron-edged structure supporting the core of red currant, bitter cherry and damson plum fruit. Light bay leaf and olive nuances add sparkly energy throughout. Cellar for maximum effect. Best from 2020 through 2035. 750 cases made.—J.M. $60 Our Price $49.95
Jeb Dunnick 95-97
2016 Domaine Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf du Pape
A wine that’s going to be up with the finest vintage ever from this estate, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape (75% Grenache, 10% each of Syrah and Mourvèdre, and the balance Cinsault) offers a southern Rhône smorgasbord of aromas and flavors including huge pepper, black raspberries, blackberries, new saddle leather and garrigue. Reminding me of the 1998 with its huge, full-bodied, unctuous texture and present tannin, it’s going to need 2-4 years of cellaring and keep for 15+. $75 Our Price $60.55
2016 Hahn Monterey Chardonnay
Winemaker Notes: Tropical aromas of banana, lemongrass, citrus, and orange zest. Bright acidity with viscous, luscious mouth-feel contributes to the wine’s clean finish. $15 Our Price $11.99
Wine Advocate 93
2014 Hayfork Wine Co Cabernet Sauvignon Llewelling Ranch
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Llewelling Ranch offers up notions of crème de cassis, black pepper, cedar chest and dried herbs with touches of tilled earth, menthol and mossy bark. Big, rich and full-bodied, it has a firm, chewy texture, lively backbone and long, spicy finish. $75
Wine Advocate 95-97
2015 Doisy Daëne, Half Bottles
The 2015 Doisy-Daene has a detailed bouquet, very correct, nothing showy or flamboyant as is typical of Denis Dubourdieu's Barsac. The palate is extremely well balanced and very pure: citrus fruit infusing the honeyed botrytis, veins of white peach and quince, leading to a very precise and sustained finish that leaves you with a smile on your face...and the wine ain't even finished yet! Just a wonderful wine - full of class and nascent joie-de-vivre. Chapeau Denis! $30/375ml. Our Price $26.29 Limited
Wine Spectator 98
GRAHAM Vintage Port 2000, Half Bottles
Smells like freshly picked orchids, with loads of ripe, clean fruit. Full-bodied, medium sweet and very powerful and racy. It lasts for minutes on your palate. Yet there's a balance and class to this young Vintage Port. This is the greatest glass of Graham I have ever tasted, young or old. Best after 2014. 9,000 cases made. –JS. CA Market Price $38-$55. Our Price $49/375ml bottle. (Please email stan@grapetray.com) Limited
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