Winemaker Notes The 2022 Château Gazin (Pomerol) is a rich, fleshy wine dominated by Merlot, showing aromas of dark berries, licorice, cherries, and spices, with sweet tannins and excellent depth. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with excellent depth at the core, sweet tannins, and a long, expansive finish. Classic Pomerol elegance with richness and balance, approachable yet structured for aging composition: 93–94% Merlot, ~3% Cabernet Franc, ~3% Cabernet Sauvignon About Winery The Chateau Gazin vineyards cover 64.2 acres in a single lot, with 56.8 acres under vines, located on the renowned clay-gravel plateau of Pomerol. The estate can produce up to 100,000 bottles a year. A second AOC Pomerol wine "l’Hospitalet de Gazin", was created in 1986 in order to reserve the best of the harvest for Chateau Gazin. The grapes are fermented in small cement vats. The wine is aged for 18 months in oak barrels (50% new) according to the Bordeaux tradition: malolactic fermentation in casks, rackings to separate the fine wine from the lees, fining with egg whites and, if necessary, light filtration.

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Duo Holiday - Maison Noir Pinot Noir OPP + Mystery Bottle Enjoy a curated bundle featuring our best Collection of Maison Noir Wines and your choice of any other of our Holiday Best Pick from Vin Perdu, Caymus, and Joseph Phelps  

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Duo Holiday - Maison Noir Pinot Gris OPP + Mystery Bottle Enjoy a curated bundle featuring our best Collection of Maison Noir Wines and your choice of any other of our Holiday Best Pick from Vin Perdu, Caymus, and Joseph Phelps  

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Duo Holiday - Maison Noir Knock on Wood + Mystery Bottle Enjoy a curated bundle featuring our best Collection of Maison Noir Wines and your choice of any other of our Holiday Best Pick from Vin Perdu, Caymus, and Joseph Phelps  

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Duo Holiday - Maison Noir in the Sheep's Clothing + Mystery Bottle Enjoy a curated bundle featuring our best Collection of Maison Noir Wines and your choice of any other of our Holiday Best Pick from Vin Perdu, Caymus, and Joseph Phelps  

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2018 | V 95 The warm growing season gave this wine it’s rich and dark character. The nose is filled with black cherry, blackberry, cassis, and fig, which is perfectly complimented by the classic PlumpJack sage and mint. The palate is silky upon entry and opens up to juicy blackberry and black cherry. The balanced acid and well-integrated tannin give this wine energy and length and leads to a beautiful raspberry and spice finish. Blend: 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot About Winery PlumpJack Winery sits squarely in the heart of Napa Valley's renowned Oakville region, surrounded by a 42-acre estate vineyard highly-regarded for the quality of its Cabernet Sauvignon. Both their winery building and their vineyard date back to the 1800s, when winemaking pioneers first took advantage of a unique position on the valley floor. The east side of their vineyard lies along the foothills of the Vaca mountain range and yields grapes with the kind of bold fruit character that comes from well-drained hillside soils. To the west, their estate lies in the Napa River flood zone. Here, their vines take root in rich, deep clay soild, for grapes with softer, more supple varietal character. From their oldest, rockiest section - the "I" Block, where they source their Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - to more recent plantings, they strive to maintain balanced vines.

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Winemaker Notes Emily’s is our eponymous offering in remembrance of Emily Miner, co-founder of Miner Family Winery. This blend is as expressive and elegant as our muse. We honor her by crafting a decadent and rich wine layered with aromas of black fruit and hints of mocha, espresso and toasted oak. Truly iconic Napa Valley for a truly iconic woman. About Winery Founded in 1988 by Dave Miner, president of Oakville Ranch Vineyards, along with his wife Emily and his parents, Ed and Norma, Miner Family Vineyards produces small lot, handcrafted wines using fruit from Oakville Ranch, Ed and Norma's vineyard and other carefully selected California vineyards. Best known for their Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, they also produce limited quantities of other varietals using a combination of old world winemaking techniques and modern technology. Their focus is on producing high end, reserve-style wines that reflect the unique characteristics of individual vineyards or terrior where those specific varietals grow best.

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Winemaker Notes The 2023 Hanzell "The Sessions" Selection Pinot Noir is a delightful wine with a complex and inviting profile The nose is rich with fresh and juicy dark cherry, blackberry, wild raspberry, and hints of orange peel, Bergamot tea, cardamom, cinnamon, and anise. On the palate, you'll find beautifully textured, fine tannins carrying flavors of dark cherry, blackberry, and wild raspberry, complemented by a long, red-fruited finish. This wine is crafted from organically farmed grapes, ensuring a pure and expressive taste. It pairs wonderfully with a variety of dishes, making it a versatile choice for many occasions. About Winery Ambassador James D. Zellerbach founded Hanzell Vineyards in 1953 with a vision to create wines that could compete on the world stage.  Named after his wife Hana, Hanzell sits at the southern toe of the Mayacamas mountain range overlooking the south-western end of Sonoma Valley and San Pablo Bay.  After extensive time spent in Burgundy, Zellerbach returned inspired and educated by the region’s wines and grapes—Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  He then planted these two varieties at a time when there were less than a few hundred acres of each planted in North America.  Since 1975, Hanzell has been solely owned by the de Brye family, who is dedicated to the preservation of tradition with a progressive and holistic approach which will ensure the sustainability for generations to come.

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Winemaker Notes The 2023 Hanzell "The Sessions" Selection Pinot Noir is a delightful wine with a complex and inviting profile The nose is rich with fresh and juicy dark cherry, blackberry, wild raspberry, and hints of orange peel, Bergamot tea, cardamom, cinnamon, and anise. On the palate, you'll find beautifully textured, fine tannins carrying flavors of dark cherry, blackberry, and wild raspberry, complemented by a long, red-fruited finish. This wine is crafted from organically farmed grapes, ensuring a pure and expressive taste. It pairs wonderfully with a variety of dishes, making it a versatile choice for many occasions. About Winery Ambassador James D. Zellerbach founded Hanzell Vineyards in 1953 with a vision to create wines that could compete on the world stage.  Named after his wife Hana, Hanzell sits at the southern toe of the Mayacamas mountain range overlooking the south-western end of Sonoma Valley and San Pablo Bay.  After extensive time spent in Burgundy, Zellerbach returned inspired and educated by the region’s wines and grapes—Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  He then planted these two varieties at a time when there were less than a few hundred acres of each planted in North America.  Since 1975, Hanzell has been solely owned by the de Brye family, who is dedicated to the preservation of tradition with a progressive and holistic approach which will ensure the sustainability for generations to come.

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Winemaker Notes A series of undulating hillsides form this vineyard along Westside Road in the Northern Reach of Russian River Valley. Due to this mixed orientation, our designated blocks have multiple exposures that add complexity of character. The two blocks designated for us are planted to the Pommard and UCD37 clones, which are well suited to this early ripening area. Our winemaker, Heidi, works closely with vineyard owner John Bucher to farm this site to our exacting standards.This dramatic Pinot is destined for bigness! The extremely dark color is a reflection of its brooding aroma, which seems, for now, to be somewhat restrained but with pulsing undercurrents poised to break free with time. Violets, cassis, dark cherry, blackberry and black raspberry are interlaced with scents of sarsaparilla, leather and alpine forest. There is good carry-through of these aroma components into the palate. The intense mouthfeel is dense with firm, age-worthy, ripe tannins. It blossoms and broadens at the midpalate, revealing firm acidity and a cascade of cocoa, cherry and toasty oak at the finish line. About Winery Merry Edwards Winery was founded in 1997 and produces terroir-driven, single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, including the winery flagship Meredith Estate, from 80 acres of estate vineyards in the Russian River Valley. Over two decades, as Merry assembled this stellar collection of vineyards, she employed meticulous attention to detail to become known for crafting Pinot Noirs of immense depth, elegant structure and exceptional longevity. The winery also makes three appellation wines. The Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs showcase the art of blending. These core wines highlight the best qualities of each AVA and are made to be approachable from release. The winery’s fragrant, barrel-aged Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc is among the most sought after made in California. A single-vineyard Chardonnay from the venerable Olivet Lane Vineyard and Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc round out the portfolio. Now a Certified California Sustainable Winery, the brand entered a new chapter after Merry’s retirement in 2020. Merry’s handpicked successor, Winemaker Heidi von der Mehden, and Winery President Nicole Carter have taken up exactly where Merry left off and will continue to make wines treasured by legions of Merry Edwards’ fans well into the future. One of California’s first woman winemakers, Merry Edwards began her career in 1974 after graduating with a master’s degree from UC Davis’ winemaking program. She worked as winemaker for multiple brands, including Mount Eden and Matanzas Creek, and consulted for dozens of wineries before creating the Merry Edwards label in 1997. She was integral in putting Russian River Pinot Noir on the map over the next decade and completed construction of her own winery on the site of her Coopersmith Vineyard in 2008. She was among the first California winemakers to embrace the importance of clonal selection and firmly believed that site-specific, terroir-driven viticulture was the only way to achieve broad success. Merry had begun her quest to acquire complete control over the winemaking process in 1996, when she purchased land in the Sebastopol Hills of Russian River Valley that would become the winery’s premier single-vineyard Pinot Noir bottling, Meredith Estate. Her decision to follow this path would prove to be prescient. When Merry decided to retire and sell the winery, among the suitors was Champagne Louis Roederer, since the 200-year-old company’s winemaking philosophy mirrors that which Merry embraced her entire career. It was a match made in Heaven. In 2018, Merry named Heidi von der Mehden as her successor. Heidi had trained with Merry since 2015 and had been a key player at such notable Sonoma County wineries as Mauritson and Arrowood, where she was winemaker. Heidi’s drive and talent, love of the challenging Pinot Noir grape and her commitment to Merry’s winegrowing principles ensure the continuation of this legendary brand. Heidi employs gentle, traditional, labor-intensive winemaking practices, the same processes developed and perfected by Merry Edwards using no shortcuts. In the winery, all Pinot fermentation tanks are open-top, but fully convertible to closed-topped tanks for blending and storage. Each tank is heated and cooled at the flip of a switch so that proper cold soaking, warming prior to yeast inoculation and any desired extended maceration can be achieved. Punch downs by hand have evolved to a unique, pneumatic stainless steel foot operated by a joy stick. This allows repeatable, consistent and thorough management of the fermenting Pinot Noir cap. All of the color, flavor and tannins so carefully vine grown can then be captured by full extraction. The Pinot Noirs age solely in French oak cooperage for approximately 10 months. For the Sauvignon Blanc, full fermentation takes place in French oak barrels, 18% new, which moderates green flavors. Elevage in barrel also allows for a twice-weekly lees-stirring protocol, vital to developing rich mout

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Winemaker Notes This wine opens with a big, aromatic burst of sweet sassafras, baking spice, blackberries and stone fruits. In the mouth, it is full and robust with ripe fruit and round tannins. As the wine continues to open, it shows a true purity of fruit and becomes silkier on the palate. Juicy, sweet notes of black cherries, violets and sweet vanilla oak carry though in a long, pleasing finish. Lamb is a classic protein to pair with their Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, and these herb-filled, juicy Mediterranean-Style Lamb Burgers are no exception. What sets this recipe apart are the topping suggestions: spiced yogurt, olive tapenade, feta cheese, tomatoes, fresh spinach leaves, sautéed onions, mushrooms. You can do one, some or all of the toppings, the more the messier. About Winery Merry Edwards Winery was founded in 1997 and produces terroir-driven, single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, including the winery flagship Meredith Estate, from 80 acres of estate vineyards in the Russian River Valley. Over two decades, as Merry assembled this stellar collection of vineyards, she employed meticulous attention to detail to become known for crafting Pinot Noirs of immense depth, elegant structure and exceptional longevity. The winery also makes three appellation wines. The Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs showcase the art of blending. These core wines highlight the best qualities of each AVA and are made to be approachable from release. The winery’s fragrant, barrel-aged Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc is among the most sought after made in California. A single-vineyard Chardonnay from the venerable Olivet Lane Vineyard and Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc round out the portfolio. Now a Certified California Sustainable Winery, the brand entered a new chapter after Merry’s retirement in 2020. Merry’s handpicked successor, Winemaker Heidi von der Mehden, and Winery President Nicole Carter have taken up exactly where Merry left off and will continue to make wines treasured by legions of Merry Edwards’ fans well into the futur

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Winemaker Notes It comes from a cooler Russian River site and offers a complex bouquet of red currants, smoked earth, ground pepper, and exotic floral and rosehip notes. Rich, medium-bodied, and seamless on the palate, it's incredibly classy as well as perfectly balanced. About Winery Kistler Vineyards is a small winery in the Russian River Valley specializing in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Founded in 1978 on the notion that compelling wines of site can and should be made in California. Kistler has been working with their own heritage selection of Chardonnay since the mid-1980s and is known the world over as a single clone Chardonnay house. They plant one heritage selection of Chardonnay across fifteen vineyards, giving rise to eleven vineyard designate Chardonnays. Similarly, Kistler produces four Pinot Noirs; each of these wines is crafted from the two small-clustered, low-yielding clones that were imported from a Grand Cru vineyard in Burgundy, which they began propagating over 20 years ago. Geoff Labitzke, MW, is the National Director of Sales for Kistler Vineyards and will be our guide as we explore five distinct bottlings of Kistler’s highly sought-after wines.

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We have compiled a selection of wine mix best pick for any occasion special for you. Our wine Bundle are meticulously crafted with flavour, quality, and premium selection. Bundle Include : 1x 2021 JLohr Cuvee St. Emilion Bordeaux Blend1x 2023 JLohr Pure Paso Proprietary Red Blend

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We have compiled a selection of wine mix best pick for any occasion special for you. Our wine Bundle are meticulously crafted with flavour, quality, and premium selection. Bundle Include : 1x 2019 JLohr Hilltop Estate Cabernet Sauvignon1x 2020 JLohr Seven Oak Cabernet Sauvignon

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We have compiled a selection of wine mix best pick for any occasion special for you. Our wine Bundle are meticulously crafted with flavour, quality, and premium selection. Bundle Include : 1x 2021 JLohr Bay Mist White Riesling1x 2021 JLohr Wildflower Valdiguie Red Blend  

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We have compiled a selection of wine mix best pick for any occasion special for you. Our wine Bundle are meticulously crafted with flavour, quality, and premium selection. Bundle Include : 1x 2022 Annulus Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley1x 2023 JLohr Flume Crossing Sauvignon Blanc   2022 Annulus Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley Floral aromatics include honeyed acacia and chamomile, white pepper, and fennel seed. The palate offers up Asian pear, lemon confit, and lychee. Hints of oyster shell and a firm phenolic backbone give this wine excellent persistence and a mouthwatering finish.   2023 JLohr Flume Crossing Sauvignon Blanc Wine Enthusiast | 91 This widely available and affordable bottling is a great option for stacking in the fridge for summertime pool parties. Classic aromas of wet sidewalk and lime zest lead from the nose into a palate that's zippy in energy and packed with bell pepper, green peppercorn and lime zest flavors.     

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We have compiled a selection of wine mix best pick for any occasion special for you. Our wine Bundle are meticulously crafted with flavour, quality, and premium selection. Bundle Include : 1x 2021 Annulus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley1x 2019 Tuck Beckstoffer Mad Hatter Napa Valley   2021 Annulus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley D | 97 This wine is intensely aromatic, pure, and bright with lifted dark berry fruit, sagebrush, and earthy minerality with lilacs. Medium to full-bodied with the finest tannins, a slight chocolaty edge, and mouthwatering blood-orange acidity on the finish. Seamless.   2019 Tuck Beckstoffer Mad Hatter Napa Valley Vivino | 4.3 The 2019 Tuck Beckstoffer Mad Hatter Napa Valley is a red wine blend, with the majority being Cabernet Sauvignon, complemented by other Bordeaux varietals like Merlot, Petit Sirah, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. It is known for aromas of plum, raspberry, and cocoa, with flavors of black fruit, chocolate, and spice on the palate. The wine has a rich profile with velvety tannins and is recommended to be drunk now or aged.     

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We have compiled a selection of wine mix best pick for any occasion special for you. Our wine Bundle are meticulously crafted with flavour, quality, and premium selection. Bundle Include : 1x 2021 Annulus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley1x 2018 Skipstone Preface Proprietary Red    2021 Annulus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley D | 97 This wine is intensely aromatic, pure, and bright with lifted dark berry fruit, sagebrush, and earthy minerality with lilacs. Medium to full-bodied with the finest tannins, a slight chocolaty edge, and mouthwatering blood-orange acidity on the finish. Seamless.   2018 Skipstone Preface Proprietary Red  Vivino | 4.2 The 2018 Skipstone Preface Proprietary Red is a Bordeaux-style blend, led by Cabernet Sauvignon, that offers bright red fruits like cherry and raspberry, layered with fresh violets and a hint of cedar. Winemaker notes highlight the cooler 2018 vintage, which resulted in long hang time, leading to full flavor ripeness, moderate alcohol, and a medium body with purity, density, and freshness. It has a potential decade of aging and is best enjoyed between 2020–2028, with a recommendation to decant for 30 minutes if opened in its first year.     

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We have compiled a selection of wine mix best pick for any occasion special for you. Our wine Bundle are meticulously crafted with flavour, quality, and premium selection. Bundle Include : 1x 2021 Annulus Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville1x 2018 Lateral Kathryn Kennedy  Oakville   2021 Annulus Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville D | 98 Husband-wife Luke Evnin and Deann Wright own Annulus Cellars. Nigel Kinsman met them through Bart Araujo. They make the wine at Wheeler Farms in Rutherford and source grapes from some of Napa's top sites. This is from Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard in Oakville, entirely from Block 2 on the southern side up against Hopper Creek. Incredibly polished and refined with no hard edges. Superfine tannins are intricate and lengthy, underscored by a firm spine of lacy acidity. The fruit profile is pure, ripe, and succulent, with a density lifted by that bright spine of acidity. Flavours and aromas of blackberry and black cherry are nuanced by crushed cocoa nibs, tobacco and rich earth on the lengthy finish. Gorgeous now and capable of long-term cellaring. (JC)   2018 Lateral Kathryn Kennedy  Oakville Fresh, clean and powerful flavors center on sweet oak and roasted fruit. Bright berry flavors are carried along by pleasant fine tannins very much in balance for early drinking. This vintage is never ponderous but instead ideally structured in a classic European style meant to accompany food.      

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We have compiled a selection of wine mix best pick for any occasion special for you. Our wine Bundle are meticulously crafted with flavour, quality, and premium selection. Bundle Include : 1x 2021 Annulus Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville1x 2019 Silver Ghost Cabernet Sauvignon   2021 Annulus Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville D | 98 Husband-wife Luke Evnin and Deann Wright own Annulus Cellars. Nigel Kinsman met them through Bart Araujo. They make the wine at Wheeler Farms in Rutherford and source grapes from some of Napa's top sites. This is from Vine Hill Ranch Vineyard in Oakville, entirely from Block 2 on the southern side up against Hopper Creek. Incredibly polished and refined with no hard edges. Superfine tannins are intricate and lengthy, underscored by a firm spine of lacy acidity. The fruit profile is pure, ripe, and succulent, with a density lifted by that bright spine of acidity. Flavours and aromas of blackberry and black cherry are nuanced by crushed cocoa nibs, tobacco and rich earth on the lengthy finish. Gorgeous now and capable of long-term cellaring. (JC)   2019 Silver Ghost Cabernet Sauvignon JS | 92 This red is ripe and spicy on the nose with notes of blueberries and cassis, licorice, vanilla and coffee. Full-bodied and rich with ripe, mellow fruit. The round tannins turn firm at the end. Savory aftertaste. Better after 2023 (JS).    

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Winemaker Notes Lifted aromas of Key lime, honeydew melon, and passion fruit all jump out of the glass supported by hints of freshly cut grass in the background. Those fresh lime and honeydew flavors continue to the palate, joined by kiwi and subtle herbaceous notes, all mingling together in a lively way. The wine is linear and focused, ending with enticing, mouthwatering acidity that will leave you wanting more. About Winery Founded in 1980, by Koerner and Joan Rombauer, Rombauer Vineyards has been producing acclaimed wines from Napa Valley and the Sierra Foothills ever since. Still family owned and operated, our winery is known for its high-quality wines, exceptional vineyard sites, and family-style hospitality. In 1972, when Koerner and Joan Rombauer moved their two children, two horses and five dogs to Napa Valley, they were already well acquainted with the natural relationship between food and wine. Koerner’s great aunt Irma Rombauer wrote the internationally renowned cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, and his German ancestors had deep roots in the winegrowing region of Rheingau. Koerner and Joan established Rombauer Vineyards in 1980, and in 1984 they released their first California-style Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Four decades later–and still family owned–the winery has become widely acclaimed for its distinctive, fruit-driven expressions. Our first vintage was our 1980 Cabernet followed by our 1982 Chardonnay. We still make and cherish those wines as well as many others. 

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Winemaker Notes The 2015 David Bruce Estate Syrah from the Santa Cruz Mountains is a bold, cool-climate expression of the varietal, offering concentrated aromas of blackberry, blueberry, and black pepper layered with floral notes and earthy minerality. On the palate, it delivers dense dark fruit, smoked meat, and graphite, supported by firm tannins and vibrant acidity that reflect its mountain-grown origins. The wine’s structured elegance and savory depth make it both age-worthy and a compelling match for grilled meats, wild mushrooms, and herb-infused dishes.   About Winery A fashionable country resort in the mid-twentieth century, popular with Hollywood due to its 1892 stone Manor House and historic gardens, legends of bootleggers and gangsters, ghosts and gypsies, Stags' Leap has been home to three major family groups up through the modern revitalization of the winery that began in the 1970s. Stags Leap Manor, as it was called in the 1920s, was known as one of the prominent country retreats in the Napa Valley at a time when resort and spa business was big. In addition to lodging and dining, amenities included lawn tennis, swimming, horseback riding, children's activities, golf, music, cards, a library, and Napa Valley wines and liquors (prior to and after Prohibition). An intimate valley within the greater Napa Valley, Stags Leap is a place of natural beauty, storied buildings and gardens, a lively history, and a reputation for elegant wines showing finesse and intensity.

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Winemaker Notes The 2017 Petite Sirah is vibrant and expressive with a cornucopia of blackberry, blueberry and black cherry fruits interwoven with floral musky notes of violet and jasmine, alongside more savory herbal notes of white pepper, earthy loam and crushed rock mineral notes. On the palate, juicy flavors of creamy cassis, macerated blackberry, cherry kirsch, black licorice and peppery plum envelope the rich, saturated mouthfeel, followed by a subtle black gunpowder tea, allspice and black pepper note from the oak ageing integrates seamlessly. This wine is intense and robust with velvety tannin's and a generous lengthy finish, with acidity supporting throughout, encouraging you to enjoy it now, but has the depth and complexity to age for many years to come.   About Winery A fashionable country resort in the mid-twentieth century, popular with Hollywood due to its 1892 stone Manor House and historic gardens, legends of bootleggers and gangsters, ghosts and gypsies, Stags' Leap has been home to three major family groups up through the modern revitalization of the winery that began in the 1970s. Stags Leap Manor, as it was called in the 1920s, was known as one of the prominent country retreats in the Napa Valley at a time when resort and spa business was big. In addition to lodging and dining, amenities included lawn tennis, swimming, horseback riding, children's activities, golf, music, cards, a library, and Napa Valley wines and liquors (prior to and after Prohibition). An intimate valley within the greater Napa Valley, Stags Leap is a place of natural beauty, storied buildings and gardens, a lively history, and a reputation for elegant wines showing finesse and intensity.

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#24 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2021 Dark garnet red with classic Geyserville nose of ripe black cherry and plum, gravel, wintergreen, and beautiful oak spice. Deep and sensuously layered with polished tannins, river-rock minerality, and a long finish. Blend: 71% Zinfandel, 19% Carignane, 7% Petite Sirah, 3% Alicante Bouschet About Winery Ridge Vineyards is a famed Californian wine producer founded in 1962, and based in the Santa Cruz Mountains, but with vineyards in several parts of the state. Its flagship wine, Monte Bello, is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Bordeaux blend known for delivering the complexity and elegance of Bordeaux wines, as well as typical California fruit intensity. It is also well known for its range of Zinfandel wines and Zinfandel-based blends, led by the Geyserville cuvée. Wines made from Petite Sirah, Carignan and a Grenache – Mataro blend have also been longstanding features in the range, and Ridge has made a small amount of Chardonnay each vintage for many decades. In recent years the portfolio has expanded considerably. Newer additions include a Lytton Estate Rosé, a limited-release Mendocino Falanghina, and a trio of Rhône-variety white wines from Adelaida Vineyard in Paso Robles. The renowned trio of vineyards, Monte Bello, Geyservillle and Lytton Springs account for the majority of Ridge's production, with the remainder coming from the estate's East Bench site and a number of key contract growers. Montebello is situated at around 800m (2600ft) above sea level in the Santa Cruz Mountains, a few miles south of San Jose. The history of the Monte Bello vineyard and winery dates back to the 1880s.  All of the Bordeaux varieties are grown on the Monte Bello vineyard. Those plots that have been shown to provide the most ageworthy, complex wines go into the flagship wine, which bears the vineyard's name. The remaining parcels, which tend to produce relatively approachable, youthful wines, are earmarked for the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Blind tastings confirm the selection and the wines are blended over two sessions in the following February and May. Klein Cabernet Sauvignon is a barrel selection from a part of the estate planted by the Alsatian Pierre Klein in the late 1880s. The Estate Chardonnay also comes from the Monte Bello Estate vineyards. Geyserville is an estate (and township) located in the Alexander Valley AVA, Sonoma County. It lies more than 100 miles by car to the north of Monte Bello. The property is owned by the Trentadue family who, since 1966, have sold grapes to Ridge for the single-site, Zinfandel-based wine of the same name. It is home to the oldest vines farmed by Ridge, with some in the "Old Patch" more than 130 years of age. Lytton Springs is also known for powerful Zinfandel. It is located in Dry Creek Valley AVA, neighboring Alexander Valley to the west. Ridge first purchased grapes from 1972, then bought the estate outright in 1991. Winemaking across the portfolio combines old-school techniques with sophisticated laboratory analysis to give early warnings of any problems. Ridge only uses native yeasts, and avoids filtration in favor of settling and racking with occasional egg-white fining. Paul Draper, who joined Ridge in 1969, is one of the world's most celebrated winemakers. His awards include Decanter Man of the Year (2000), COPIA Award for winemaking (2004) and the James Beard Award (2007). In 2015, a Decanter Magazine poll of his peers voted him in the top five most admired winemakers in the world.

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