February 5th, 2019 Newsletter - The Grape Tray

February 5th, 2019 Newsletter

Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
2015 Bootleg Prequel Proprietary Red Blend

One of the newer estates under the Jackson Family umbrella, Bootleg is managed by Kristy Melton, who’s turned out a brilliant Syrah blend in 2015. Made from 85% Syrah and 15% Petite Sirah, its deep purple color is followed by a peppery, meaty, dark fruited beauty that has full-bodied richness, complex notes of olives and spice, sweet tannin, and a great finish. It’s a pleasure-bent 2015 that should keep for a decade. $40 Our Price $29.99

Wine Enthusiast 87 Points
Spagnol Extra Dry Prosecco

Floral aromas of wisteria and jasmine mingle with ripe orchard fruit. On the palate, bright acidity lifts white peach, ripe pear and candied lemon drop. A silky mousse adds softness. $15 Liquidation Price $9.95 (Limited to stock on hand)

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
2016 Foxen Bien Nacido Block UU
Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay

The 2016 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Block UU comes from a great vineyard located just east of the town of Santa Maria and was brought up in 20% new French oak. A classic Bien Nacido bouquet of honeyed orchard fruits, crushed rocks, oyster shells, and white flowers flow to a rich, beautifully textured, concentrated Chardonnay that has everything you could want from this variety. With terrific balance, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish, it's brilliant stuff that should evolve gracefully for 5-7 years. $35 Our Price $28.99

Wine Spectator 93
SPRING VALLEY Uriah
Walla Walla Valley 2013

Broad and expressive, playing red plum, black cherry and peppery spice flavors against lightly prickly tannins, coming together on the long and generous finish. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2017 through 2023. 3,178 cases made. –HS $50 Our Price $24.95

Wine Spectator 90
ROTH Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2016

Rich, featuring an enveloping spiciness to the dried cherry, berry and forest floor flavors. The creamy finish offers light smoky and peppery accents. Drink now through 2022. 4,000 cases made.—K.M. $28 Our Price $18.45

Vinous 93 Points
Kinero 2016 Chardonnay Talley Vineyard

Limpid straw-yellow. A highly perfumed bouquet evokes mineral-tinged pear nectar, orange zest and honeysuckle, along with a hint of leesiness. Sharply focused citrus and orchard fruit flavors stain the palate and put on weight with aeration. A suave floral quality builds as the wine opens up and carries through an impressively long, focused finish that features a resonating mineral note. $35 Our Price $30.99

2017 Toad Hollow Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: We are excited about our 2017 Toad Hollow Chardonnay! We started our winery more than 20 years ago with our unoaked 1993 Chardonnay and have maintained the same vibrant style since the first vintage. This Chardonnay is clean and crisp with flavors of mango and melon. Slow malolactic fermentation with tie on the lees help to create a full, rich mouth-feel that perfectly balances the bright acids and stainless steel aging. We love the depth in this 100% unoaked Chardonnay and a lower RS adds to its complexity. $14 Our Price $10.45 (Arrives 2/6/19)

2016 Acacia Carneros Pinot Noir

Winemaker Notes: The 2016 Carneros Pinot Noir opens beautifully offering layers of red-fruit aromas; Bing cherry, cranberry, and sun-ripened raspberry. The aromas ring true on the silky textured palate where the juicy fruit core intermingles with baking spice, black tea, and wet stone minerality. The wine offers a fine balance with perfectly ripened Pinot Noir fruit and bright ‘Los Carneros’ acidity, underpinned by the carefully selected oak barrel regiment. This is a refined and elegant style of Pinot Noir offering a graceful and long-lasting finish. $22 Our Price $17.95

2016 Trentadue Old Patch Red

Winemaker Notes: The 2016 Old Patch Red blend is predominately Zin blended with Petite Sirah and Carignane resulting in very fruity yet complex and full-bodied Rhone-like style wine. The wine has a dark red color with intense black cherry aromas, blueberries, and cherry cola as an immediate impression. With aeration nuances of ripe plums, vanilla and cocoa are showing with a slight dose of oak and toast. On the mouth the wine is fresh and juicy with youthful brightness, finishing long and fruity. This is a wine that will drink well with a variety of foods but it is also very enjoyable on its own. Blend: 68% Zinfandel, 25% Petite Sirah, 4% Carignane, 3% Syrah. $15 Our Price $10.99

Wine Advocate 93
2015 Hall Winery Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon offers an earthy/savory nose with notes of fertile loam, tree bark and smoked meat over a cassis and black cherry core with touches of roses and menthol. The full-bodied palate delivers great expression and plenty of character, supported by chewy tannins and finishing on a savory note. $60. Our Price $49.99

Wine Advocate 93
2014 Galerie Cabernet Sauvignon Pleinair

The 2014 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon called Pleinair is a blend of 95.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest tiny quantities of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It is aged 20 months in 58% new French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. This wine has a similarity to a top-flight St.-Julien from Bordeaux. Loads of Christmas fruitcake, cedar wood, tobacco leaf, black currants and spice box all jump from the glass and from the flavors of this round, juicy, medium to full-bodied wine with silky tannins. Drink it over the next 15 or so years. $60 Our Price $49.99 (Back in stock)

2016 Sinor LaVallee SLO Syrah

Winemaker Notes: Classic cool climate aromas of white pepper and tar. In the mouth you may find blueberry and violets. This wine has lots of fruit, textural firmness, and finishes with graphite and tea. $30 Our Price $23.99 (Delicious)

2017 Bedrock Old Vine Zinfandel

Winemaker Notes: I am incredibly proud of this wine. I have said it here before but it bears repeating—even though this is one of the least expensive wines we make, in many ways it is the most important. First, it is the one Bedrock wine that trickles out to most markets, so if someone gets introduced to our wines, there is a good chance it is this one. As such, it has to be reflective of the style we place value on. Second, this is the wine that allows us to rehab old vineyards by giving us a place to put the fruit while we upgrade farming, pruning, and soil health; at an average of 80 years of age, these lovely old vines appreciate the attention. Third, we now farm over 50% of the fruit that goes into this bottling, which allows us to make the hard farming decisions (dropping fruit, picking in multiple passes, etc.) to ensure we get the quality we need. Fourth, it is a statewide blend of vines, which means we can flex towards the strengths of a vintage. In 2017 we were able to put extra focus on the great quality in Contra Costa County (27%), Dry Creek (12%), Sonoma Valley (17%), Alexander Valley (11%), and Lodi (10%) to create a delicious, balanced and juicy wine. Fifth, we want this wine to spread the gospel of Zinfandel from California, and as such this sees fruit from great sites such as Evangelho, Bedrock, Nervo Ranch, Teldeschi Ranch, Sodini and Pato Vineyard. The final wine is roughly 86% Zinfandel, 5% Petite Sirah, and 5% Carignan, with the balance being Alicante Bouschet and all the other crazy and lovely field-blended varieties found in our old vineyards. Drink 2019-2030. $25 (Arrives 2/6/19)

Wine Spectator 95
PRUETT Syrah Sierra Foothills
 Championship Cuvee 2016

Plump and polished, with a deep, structured core, offering blackberry, crushed stone, orange peel and licorice flavors that gather richness toward big-shouldered tannins. 75 cases made Drink now through 2026.—T.F $100

Wine Spectator 94
KEPLINGER SUMO Amador County 2012

A big, rich, hearty style that packs lots of dense dark berry, sage, dried herb and savory flavors, with chicory, coffee and underbrush notes in the background. Despite the size, tannic muscle and torque on display, there's a gracefulness to the texture and mouthfeel. Petite Sirah, Syrah and Viognier. Drink now through 2026. 200 cases made. –JL $60 (2 bottles in stock)


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