April 11th 2024 Newsletter - The Grape Tray

April 11th 2024 Newsletter

Special tasting event this Saturday benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society®.

See details and RSVP information in the Saturday Tasting Section.

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On deck for wine tasting next week at VRW:

2022 Robert Sinskey Vin Gris of Pinot Noir

Winemaker Notes: A rosé for all seasons - this organically farmed, whole cluster pressed Vin Gris of Pinot Noir deserves attention year ‘round. The glimmering salmon color provides a clue that this wine is a pure, vibrant, well-crafted beverage. Bright, spring strawberry leads into summer raspberry, guava and peach, contrasted by notes of juicy winter citrus like orange and Meyer lemon. High tone rose petal and lavender add to the allure. $39

2022 Alma Cattleya Sonoma Pinot

Winemaker Notes: Harnessed within its medium ruby core, this Pinot Noir packs pure aromas of berry pie, pomegranate, and spicy sandalwood. Rich and textured on the palate, the senses are dazzled with fruit driven flavors of macerated blackberry and mulberry that pair seamlessly with more savory notes of dried herbs and hints of fresh earth. The youthful acidity and fine-grained tannin offer an exciting and approachable finish to this luscious wine. $30

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Taste 2021 Quilt Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, 2022 Caymus California Cabernet Sauvignon and 2021 Caymus Napa Cabernet at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Thursday, April 11th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

2021 Quilt Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: Dark plum in color with exuberant aromas of dark cherry strudel, ripe blackberry, and cocoa nibs. Bold and opulent flavors of boysenberry jam, dark chocolate, and Malabar plum with a hint of clove. This Cabernet Sauvignon is elegant on the palate, with strong acidity and a long, smooth finish accompanied by velvety tannins. $55

2022 Caymus California Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: This wine is a California-appellation Cabernet Sauvignon - supple, dark and rich, bearing the signature hallmarks of Caymus. It is sourced from sites throughout the state which feature climatic conditions, soils and topography that are ideally suited to Cabernet. This project stems from excitement over California's diverse vineyard land, often in lesser-known areas, with the potential to produce exceptional Cabernet. $80

2021 Caymus Napa Cabernet

Producer Notes: Caymus has a signature style that is dark in color, with rich fruit and ripe tannins – as approachable in youth as in maturity. Since its founding in 1972, Caymus has become renowned as a consistent leader in the production of Napa Valley Cabernet. Grapes for this wine are farmed in a range of Napa’s sub-appellations – from Coombsville to Calistoga – with fruit from the valley floor creating lushness and the hillsides providing backbone. Diversification enables us to make the best possible wine in a given year, featuring layered, lush aromas and flavors, including cocoa, cassis and ripe berries. $90

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James Suckling 97 Points
2021 Domaine Drouhin Roserock
Zephirine Pinot Noir

Beautifully fragrant notes of cocoa-dusted raspberries and crushed blueberries with dried rose petals, sencha tea, cherry chocolate and crushed rocks. Ground spices, too. It shows both delicacy and power, with a compact and silky feeling to the tannin structure and impressive acidity which carries the freshness and tone through to the finish. Attractive tension of crunchy blue fruit and spices. $75 Our Price $64.99 (Available GT)

Wine Spectator 92 Points
2016 Revana Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Ithaca Vineyard

Warm plum and black currant paste flavors are lined with singed cedar, tobacco and warm earth notes, picking up a light leathery tug as the fruit keeps pace through the finish. Best from 2020 through 2030. 500 cases made. $190 (Available GT)

Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points
2019 Macauley Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Kalyteros

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Kalyteros is largely in the same style, and it’s a hedonistic bomb of a wine offering a deep purple/plum color, complex notes of darker currants, blueberries, eucalyptus, spicy oak, and crushed stone, full-bodied richness, ripe, polished tannins, and beautiful overall balance and length. Drink bottles over the coming 15-20 years as well. $200 (Available GT)

Jeb Dunnuck 97-100 Points
2021 Andremily No 10 Syrah

Lastly, the Syrah-dominated 2021 No 10 reveals a dense purple hue as well as a wild bouquet of blueberries, wild strawberries, ground pepper, game, iron, and assorted floral, meaty nuances. Stunningly complex even at this young age, this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a pure, layered, seamless mouthfeel, ample tannins and underlying structure, and a finish that won’t quit. It will clearly be a match for the 2020, and this puppy is going to flirt with perfection at maturity. $155 (Available GT)

Wine Spectator 94 Points
2019 Revana Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Terroir Series

This is packed with waves of steeped plum, boysenberry compote and açaí reduction, dripping with fruit but keeping its form and detail thanks to underlying tar and graphite notes. Presents pretty violet and anise accents, which fill in the background. Best from 2023 through 2036. 1,400 cases made. $105 (Available GT)

2022 Raeburn Sonoma Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: Raeburn Chardonnay shows an array of complex fruit tones ranging from pear and Gravenstein apple to nectarine. The fruit is beautifully complemented with toasted oak, vanilla and hints of Crème Brûlée with a balanced and elegant finish. $18 Our Price $14.99 (Available GT and VRW)

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Taste 2021 Coho Headwaters Proprietary Red, 2021 Lancaster Winemaker’s Cuvee Cabernet and 2020 Long Shadows Cabernet Sauvignon Feather at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Friday, April 12th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

2021 Coho Headwaters Proprietary Red

Winemaker Notes: The 2021 COHO Headwaters Napa Valley Red Wine boasts rich red and black fruit flavors of Bing cherries and black plums accompanied by hints of mocha and subtle graphite characters. This approachable yet complex wine shows a vitality from its natural acidity supported by a supple tannin profile that promises enjoyment for years to come. $45

2021 Lancaster Winemaker’s Cuvee Cabernet

Winemaker Notes: This wine delivers the epitome of complexity and depth. The combination of warm climate and alluvial and gravelly loam soil found on our estate is ideal for creating balanced wines of concentration and richness. Dark purple in the glass, this wine opens with aromas of indulgent, dark berry fruit with savory undertones and notes of toasted oak. The palate is full bodied with multi-layered flavors of black cherry, currant, tobacco and graphite. 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot. $80

Wine Advocate 98 Points
2020 Long Shadows Cabernet Sauvignon Feather

Instantly impressive, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Feather opens to silky, fresh and fleshy dark red and black fruit tones with picturesque rich and ripe notions that sashay out of the glass with elegance, power and precision. Medium to full-bodied, the Cabernet shows incredible depth and breadth with succulent acidity and fine-grained tannins. This will have no trouble aging past its 20th birthday. World-class and devastatingly beautiful, the wine continues to somersault across the ever-evolving finish, and it will undoubtedly be well received upon its release in the fall later this year. Mark your calendar now, and run, don’t walk to add this to your cellar. Just under 48,000 bottles were filled after the wine rested for 22 months in all French oak, 90% first fill. $75

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Saturday, April 13th. Special Tasting Event

SWIRL. SMELL. SIP. REPEAT!
WINE TASTING FUNDRAISER
Come enjoy wine tasting, small bites, and live music! Part of proceeds go to the LLS fundraiser.
$50 per person
Saturday, April 13th 12-3PM
Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW)
1552 E. Champlain Drive, Ste 109 Fresno, CA 93720

PLEASE RSVP TO SUSAN (559)352-9214

KATS CRITTERS CHASING DOWN CANCER
katscritters.org

Taste 2022 Ghost Block MorgaenLee Sauvignon Blanc, 2021 Capiaux Starscape Russian River Pinot Noir and 2019 Aston Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Estate at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) fundraiser $50 per person.
Saturday, April 13th. Available 12:00 noon - 3:45 PM

2022 Ghost Block MorgaenLee Sauvignon Blanc

Winemaker Notes: Beautiful aromatics of grapefruit and white peach jump from the glass followed by subtle tropical fruit notes of guava and papaya. $25

Antonio Galloni, Vinous 96 Points
2021 Capiaux Starscape Russian River Pinot Noir

The 2021 Pinot Noir Starscape is one of the most potent, virile wines in the range. These old vines planted in the 1960s with the wide row spacing typical of the era yields a decidedly potent, muscular Pinot. Most of the 2021s here are quite refined, but the Starscape is all about power and structural intensity. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, graphite mocha and spice linger on the finish. This is a dazzling effort from Sean Capiaux. $60

Wine Spectator 94 Points
Aston Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Estate 2019

In the not-shy style, this pumps out tasty boysenberry and blackberry puree fruit, liberally laced with anise and singed mesquite. Shows a bit of a wild brambly edge through the finish as the fruit pumps through, with the requisite acidity for support. Very distinctive, and should be fun to cellar. Drink now through 2030. 500 cases made. $75

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Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW)
1552 E. Champlain Drive, Ste 109 Fresno, CA 93720
Via Montana Center (NE Corner Shepherd and Champlain-Two doors south of Big 5) www.vintagereserve.biz 559-878-3953
Tuesday-Friday 12:00 Noon-6:00 PM
Saturday 12 Noon-4:00 PM


The Grape Tray (GT)
6023 N. Palm Avenue Fresno, CA 93704
Opus One Center (NW Corner Bullard and Palm)
www.grapetray.com 559-226-6828
Tuesday-Friday 10:30 AM-5:30 PM
Saturday 10:30 AM-4:00 PM



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