December 5th 2024 Newsletter - The Grape Tray

December 5th 2024 Newsletter

On deck for wine tasting next week at VRW:

James Suckling 98 Points
2021 Pahlmeyer Napa Merlot

Delicious, velvety and mouth-filling, this wine could convert any merlot skeptic to being a fan. Mountain grown in the Stagecoach Vineyard and Waters Vineyard, it is intense and saturated with flavor but wrapped in luscious tannins that tempt you to drink it now. Blueberries, creme de cassis, cherries, cream and mint. 100% merlot. Drinkable now, but best from 2028. $130

Wine Spectator 96 Points, Top 100 #1
Viña Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon Puente Alto 2021

A remarkable effort that channels the finesse of the vintage with rich, muscular edges, offering a base of graphite and cassis notes that gather around elegant layers of dried rosemary and white pepper. The richly textured core of raspberry and plum flavors show precision and just enough acidity to keep things sailing onto the finish around well-integrated tannins and touches of cocoa. Best from 2026 through 2040. 5,000 cases imported.—Aaron Romano $175

Wine Spectator 92 Points
Alma de Cattleya Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma County 2023

Polished, with poached pear, lemon curd and mango on a supple, creamy frame, showing a touch of wild fennel. Details of orange blossoms, matcha green tea and dried ginger linger on the long, fresh and juicy finish. Drink now. 2,700 cases made. $25

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Wine Spectator 90 Points
Allegrini Veronese Palazzo della Torre 2021

Creamed black cherry and black raspberry fruit is structured by chewy tannins and fresh acidity in this balanced red. Shows a subtle underpinning of sanguine iron and earth accents, with appealing details of dark chocolate shavings, dried mint and anise that linger on the finish. Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Sangiovese. Drink now through 2029. 50,000 cases made. 28,032 cases imported. $25 Our Price $20.69 (Arrives GT this afternoon)

Kuentz-Bas Crémant d’Alsace Brut

Importer Anthony Lynch Notes: A dignified bottle of bubbles like this is certainly suitable for special occasions, and would beautifully complement the most refined cuisine. There is a rich, toasty complexity from lees aging, which highlights the delicate aromas you’ll find in your glass: honey, nectarine, citrus, and summer flowers. But at the end of the day, it’s simply a great sparkler that needs no excuse to be uncorked. You can most definitely count on Alsace for that. $25 Our Price $22.49 (Available GT)

Wine Spectator 93 Points
Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma County Old Vine 2022

Like a briar patch in a glass, this Zin offers spirited raspberry and cherry flavors that take on underbrush, dried sage and white pepper flavors before finishing with zesty tannins. Drink now through 2032. 6,900 cases made. $40 Our Price $34.95 (Back in stock GT 12/5/24)

NV Sommariva Prosecco Brut Conegliano Valdobbiaden

Tom Wolf Tasting Notes: I’ve never sipped from a stream running down from the Dolomitic Alps into the foothills of northeastern Italy, but I imagine it would taste as bracing, crisp, and pure as Sommariva’s Prosecco Superiore. $16 Our Price $14.99 (Arrives GT 12/5/24)

Jeb Dunnuck 94+ Points
2018 Robert Foley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is also incredibly perfumed, with lots of blue fruits, violets, and spring flower notes to go with a medium to full-bodied style on the palate. It brings this terrific mix of richness and elegance. As with the Claret, it was aged 18-20 months in 30% new French oak. $100 (Arrives GT this afternoon)

2023 Alma de Cattleya Sonoma Syrah

Winemaker Notes: This North Rhône inspired Syrah makes a bold first impression with it’s rich garnet hue and fragrant nose, offering generous aromas of fresh Jasmine and Violets. On the palate, flavors of licorice, blackberries and strawberry reduction are followed by subtle supporting notes of cinnamon and clove with just a hint of cigar box, creating a captivating and well balanced wine. $28 Our Price TBD (Arrives GT 12/6/24)

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Taste 2022 Walter Hansel North Slope Pinot Noir and 2021 O’Shaughnessy Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Thursday, December 5th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

Vinous Media 92 Points
2022 Walter Hansel North Slope Pinot Noir

The 2022 Pinot Noir The North Slope Vineyard is quite dark and brooding in feel. Black cherry, plum, spice, leather, lavender, game and mocha add to an impression of somber intensity. Give this a year or two to soften. Clone 777 Pinot yields a wine of notable breadth here. $47

Antonio Galloni 96 Points
2021 O’Shaughnessy Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is another impressive wine from O'Shaughnessy Estate Winery. Bright acids and beams of tannin run through a core of dark red/purplish Howell Mountain fruit. Potent yet refined, the 2021 is a fine effort. Blueberry jam, plum, lavender, chocolate and graphite all build into the huge, vibrant finish. $120

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Taste 2022 DAOU Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, 2021 Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve and 2021 O’Shaughnessy Napa Cabernet Sauvignon at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $20 per person.
Friday, December 6th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

Wine Advocate 92-94 Points
2022 DAOU Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is a barrel sample of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Petit Verdot maturing for 16 months in 50% new French oak and is due to be bottled in the spring of 2024. The nose offers wild berry fruit streaked with graphite and nuances of truffle, forest floor and oak spices. The full-bodied palate is highly concentrated and floral, with approachable, clay-textured tannins, satisfying bursts of acidity and a long, perfumed finish. $55

James Suckling 96 Points
2021 Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve

A layered and lightly chewy red with currant, orange peel and hints of hazelnut. Fine tannins. Some pine, cedar, graphite, black currant and iodine. Perfumed. Tannins turn fine and bright. Excellent length and serious tension. One of the best I have had. A blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 15% petit verdot, 11% cabernet franc, 9% malbec and 5% merlot. Drinkable but will age nicely. Best in two or three years. $65

2021 O’Shaughnessy Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: Blended from our three Estate vineyards in arguably the three best appellations within the Napa Valley: Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder and Oakville. Howell Mountain gives us structure and ripe red fruit, while Mt. Veeder adds an extra punch of tannins along with savory mineral driven qualities, Oakville balances out the mountains with its silky texture and pure fruit. This Cabernet Sauvignon is ruby red with an opaque center. A sweet entry of milk chocolate and fresh caramel greets the nose. The palate is lush and rich with black cherry, plum, and blueberry. Fine-grained tannins are integrated seamlessly, making this an approachable wine with a long finish that can be enjoyed now or cellared for years to come. $85

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Taste 2022 Walter Hansel Winery Pinot Noir The South Slope Vineyard, 2021 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley and 2019 Scarlett Rutherford Napa Cabernet at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person
Saturday, December 7th. Available 12:00 noon -3:45 PM

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
2022 Walter Hansel Winery Pinot Noir The South Slope Vineyard

The 2022 Pinot Noir The South Slope Vineyard is made entirely from the Dijon clone 777 and pours a deep magenta hue. In the glass, it gives off a more floral perfume, with notes of violets, black raspberry coulis, sweet cedar, and mossy forest floor, and brighter fresh red fruit comes through on the palate. Medium-bodied, it reveals more focus on the palate, with a mouthwatering feel, and it has fine tannins and a light, salty finish. A very lovely wine, it’s going to reach its tenth birthday with ease if stored properly. 405 cases were produced. $47

Wine Spectator 94 Points, Top 100 #4
Faust Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2021

Packed and broad in feel, with a ganache note draped over black currant, blackberry and steeped cherry. Licorice root and alder smoke flavors check in on the finish as the fruit pumps through, ending with a flash of violet. Hard to resist now, but this has some development ahead. Drink now through 2036. 50,000 cases made. $65

Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
2019 Scarlett Rutherford Napa Cabernet

Beautiful, sweet cassis and blue fruits, as well as lots of violet and floral notions, emerge from the Scarlett 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, a full-bodied, rich, concentrated barrel sample with wonderful purity of fruit, a good sense of freshness, and serious length on the finish. This promising, elegant yet powerful wine is going to shine with short-term bottle age and keep for two decades. $79

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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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