2015 | JD 98
The wine exhibits notes of blackcurrant, blueberry, violet, and Asian spices, with a rich, full-bodied palate and fine tannins. It's considered a powerful yet elegant wine, capable of aging gracefully for two decades or more.
2016 | WA 98
Very deep, extracted, opulent, and "sexed-up" Cabernet Sauvignon.
About Winery
The origins of Carter Cellars began in the mid 1980's when the historic Carter House Victorian was built. When this small bed and breakfast became too popular for the crowd from the cities up and down the west coast the Hotel Carter was added and a restaurant (the highly regarded Restaurant 301) was needed for the guests. For the guests at the restaurant Mark Carter began compiling what has become (since 1998) a Wine Spectator Grand Award winning wine list. He began sourcing the best wines the world had to offer from first growth Bordeaux to the top Napa Cabernet and even the high quality, little-known gems that helped the wine list stand out. Because of the great recognition of the restaurant and its wine list Mark was able to host winemaker dinners with the likes of Dan Duckhorn and Nils Venge.
Mark and Nils became fast friends at these dinners while sharing their all encompassing passion for great wines. Mark wanted to expand his love of wines and start a new age wine label devoid of a brick and mortar facility but sourcing only the best fruit from the most renowned vineyard in Napa. His goal was to create the best Napa Cabernet that could be made. Nils Venge, the superstar winemaker responsible for receiving the first "perfect score" on a domestic wine from Robert M. Parker Jr. while at Groth in 1985, seemed like the perfect match on this quest for perfection.
Carter Cellars first vintage was in 1998 sourcing grapes from the steeply terraced Coliseum Block of the Hossfeld Vineyard. In continuing to source wine from top Napa vineyards Mark and Nils made a svelte Fortuna Block Cabernet from the ancient red volcanic soils of the Fortuna Vineyard in 1999. In 2000 Carter Cellars began a long and deeply rewarding relationship with the most iconic vineyard in the western hemisphere: the Beckstoffer portion of the original To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville. Thus began the rise of the famed and highly rated Carter Cellars Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet, a wine that to this day continues to receive top scores from critics worldwide.
In 2001 Carter Cellars deviated from solely making large and powerful Cabernet when they acquired Merlot fruit from the Truchard Vineyard in Carneros. This vineyard has varied soils and a marine-influenced climate which makes the ripe and rounded fruit which goes into our lush and ultra-premium Merlot. In 2004 Carter Cellars expanded again when they began sourcing Cabernet fruit from the Revilo Vineyard in St Helena right next door to some of the highest rated Napa Cabernet and farmed by Reg Oliver of El Molino. The Revilo Vineyard fruit makes for large and austere Cabernet with incredibly smooth tannins which benefit from some bottle age and will greatly reward those with the patience for fine wines.
Mark and Nils began looking for a permanent home for Carter Cellars and for a small Napa Winery at which they could produce wines from estate grown fruit. In 2006 they founded Envy Winery on Tubbs Lane in Calistoga. This 17 acre property would specialize in Estate grown Merlot, Cabernet and Petite Sirah and would become the new home of Carter Cellars.
In 2006 Carter Cellars expanded again. Still with an extremely small case production they made the Hossfeld Red Blend also from the Hossfeld Vineyard in Soda Canyon. This Predominately Merlot blend contains Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Verdot and is modeled on one of Mark's Favorites: Chateau Petrus with a uniquely Californian side.
In 2012 Carter Cellars added two additional exciting Cabernets vineyards to the portofilo: the Weitz Vineyard and Beckstofffer Las Piedras Vineyard. Long considered one of the gems of Turnbull Wine Cellars vineyard holdings, the Weitz Vineyard, also known as the Leopoldina Vineyard, sits on 62 glorious acres high on the Oakville Bench. The fruit from the vineyard is renowned for its profound structure, elegant rich texture and lingering acidity and minerality. The Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard is a historic vineyard in the St. Helena AVA. Roughly translated to the stones or little pebbles, the vineyard sits at the base of Sulfur Creek on the southwest outskirts of St. Helena. Riddled with rocks, the soil is porous and provides ideal support for the vines and when matched with excellent farming techniques, the result is remarkable dense and concentrated fruit.
Winemaker Notes
Bright ruby-red. Penetrating aromas of black cherry, dried flowers and brown spices. Not as silky as the 2004 through 2007 vintages but boasts noteworthy refinement and savory intensity, with fresh, harmonious acidity giving the wine good focus and finesse. Excellent depth here if not quite the flavor development of vintages like '07 and '04. Still, this conveys a thickness of texture and a faintly exotic quality and finishes with very suave tannins. The summer was rather cool but steady, and there was enough warmth in September to ensure ripe tannins without burning off needed acidity, noted Bo Barrett. A fairly elegantly styled Montelena Estate.
About Winery
Château Montelena, founded in 1882 by San Francisco entrepreneur Alfred L. Tubbs in Calistoga, Napa Valley, became world-famous after its Chardonnay won the 1976 “Judgment of Paris” tasting, where California wines triumphed over top French competitors. Originally built as a grand stone château with vineyards planted on rugged land, the estate went through periods of decline before being revitalized in the 1970s under Jim Barrett and winemaker Miljenko “Mike” Grgich. That historic victory put Napa Valley on the global wine map, and today Château Montelena continues to produce acclaimed Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon while preserving its legacy as a pioneer of California’s rise in fine wine.
Winemaker Notes
The 2017 Cimarossa Rian Cabernet Sauvignon, Highlight its powerful structure, deep black fruit flavors (like blackberry), and a long, luxurious finish. The wine also exhibits notes of dark roasted coffee, cocoa, cinnamon, and hints of maple syrup and dry grass.
About Winery
Located at 2100 feet in elevation on the Vaca range in Napa Valley, the Cimarossa “red hilltop” Vineyard flourishes in its native and natural setting. What might seem like a simple score given the farm plots that are available in the wine country, in reality, took Dino and Corry over 10 years to locate. One visit will confirm—it was worth the wait, with unrivaled 360 degree views of mountains, wilderness, and the valley floor below.
The vineyard build-out adhered to one driving force principle—to leave the property’s natural surroundings in their most native state.
This philosophy became a way of life and a constant reminder of the true fruits that the mountain can bear when left to its own devices.
Winemaker Notes
The Napanook 2017 is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, featuring bold, ripe red berry and dark chocolate notes with hints of spicebush and an earthy complexity. The wine offers a medium to full-bodied, vibrant, and juicy palate with a well-structured, silken feel and fine tannins. Picked before the Glass Fire and after heatwaves, the 2020 vintage required critical selection to ensure fruit purity and avoid smoke taint, resulting in a balanced wine with excellent structure and a long, fresh finish.
About Winery
The vineyards of Dominus Estate have connections to the original history of the Napa Valley as they date back to the mid 1850’s, or even earlier, when it was first cultivated. At the time, it was known as the Napanook vineyard.
In the late 1960s, while attending the University of California at Davis, Christian Moueix fell in love with the Napa Valley and its wines. Son of Jean-Pierre Moueix, the famed wine merchant and producer from Libourne, France, Moueix returned home in 1970 to manage the family vineyards, including Chateaux Petrus, La Fleur-Petrus, Trotanoy in Pomerol and Magdelaine in St. Emilion.
His love of Napa Valley lingered and in 1981, he discovered the historic Napanook vineyard, a 124-acre site west of Yountville that had been the source of fruit for some of the finest Napa Valley wines of the 1940s and 1950s.
In 1982, Moueix entered into a partnership with Robin Lail and Marcia Smith, the daughters of John Daniels who owned the vineyard. In 1995, he became the sole owner of the estate and chose the name Dominus, or “Lord of the Estate” in Latin to underscore his longstanding commitment to stewardship of the land.
One of the most respected wine producers in the world, Christian Moueix is on a personal quest for perfection in grape growing and winemaking. It is a journey that began in Bordeaux and continues today at Dominus Estate.
Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Del Dotto The Beast Cabernet Sauvignon is an intense, multi-appellation barrel selection featuring ripe blackberry, concentrated blueberry, and rich structured tannins.
About Winery
Although the Del Dotto story begins on our Rutherford Estate, it has expanded to include seven other specially selected appellations.
Currently our footprint consists of 437 acres with 121 acres planted of varietals including chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot and sangiovese. It took 18 years to find the ideal sites to cultivate each individually selected grape clone and to maximize the terroir flavors in the wines. Each vineyard is organically farmed, with no chemical sprays or fertilizers, and all weeding performed by hand. The plants are meticulously cared for by professional vineyard workers in order to maintain the quality of the crop that defines the Del Dotto reputation.
Winemaker Notes
Bottled in early 2018, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Proprietary Red Wine is a little closed, slowly unfurling to reveal black cherries, crème de cassis and plum pudding with nuances of potpourri, baking spices and tilled soil plus wafts of garrigue and wild sage. The palate is full-bodied and concentrated with exquisitely ripe, fine-grained tannins and fantastic poise and depth with a long, decadently fruited finish.
About Winery
For over two decades, Harlan Estate has been committed to creating a California "first growth" wine estate. Founded in 1984, Harlan Estate is set in the western hills of Oakville, rising above the fabled Napa Valley benchlands.
Carved from the raw land and built for generations, the estate is over 240 acres of natural spendor, 15% of which are under vine, planted to the classic varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Winemaker Notes
Tannic heft from the get-go, though this does have a lovely fresh, clean and precise core with a narrow, focused frame so the elements come across as quite tight and severe right now but well worked. It has class, no doubt, on the high-toned scale, potent and upfront but there's gorgeous detail and precision to the fruit, acidity and tannins. Slick and classy with lots of glamour that plays to the strengths of the vintage.
About WineryChateau Pape Clément owes its name to its most illustrious owner. A man of the cloth born in 1264, Bertrand de Goth became Bishop of Comminges, in the Pyrenees Mountains, at the age of 31; he later became Archbishop of Bordeaux in 1299.
He then received as a gift the property in Pessac, the Vineyard de La Mothe. Taken by a passion for the vine, he continually took part personally in equipping, organizing and managing the domain in accordance with the most modern and rational practices. Nevertheless, on 5 June 1305 the cardinals met in a conclave in Pérouse and appointed him to succeed Pope Benedict XI, who had passed away prematurely after only eleven months of reign. Bertrand de Goth took the name of Clement V.
Supported by Philip IV, it was he who decided in 1309 to move the papal court to Avignon, thus breaking with Rome and its battles of influence. During this same period, the weight of his responsibilities led him to relinquish his property, giving it to the Archbishop of Bordeaux. Henceforward, the vineyard was to be known to posterity under the name of this enlightened pope.
Management under the clergy brings modernity The grateful Church perpetuated Pope Clement's work. Each archbishop in turn turned to modernity and technical progress, to the point of the wine estate becoming a model vineyard. In addition to especially early harvests, which remain one of its special characteristics, Chateau Pape Clément is without a doubt the first vineyard in France to align vine stock to facilitate labour.
At the end of the 18th century, the Archbishop of Bordeaux was dispossessed of his property. The papal vineyard became part of the public domain.
8 June 1937 was a dark day in the vineyard's history, when a violent hailstorm destroyed virtually the entirety of the estate. Two years later, Paul Montagne bought it and gradually brought it back to life. Thanks to his efforts, the vineyard returned to its former rank and stood up to the surge in urbanization. His descendents, Léo Montagne and Bernard Magrez, perpetuate this secular tradition so that Chateau Pape Clément wines continue to delight the wine-lovers of today and tomorrow.
Winemaker Notes
A full-bodied, concentrated, awesome Pessac, the 2022 Château Pape Clément offers up loads of spiced red and black fruits, some leafy tobacco, gravelly earth, and graphite aromatics, building, ripe, polished tannins, and a stacked mid-palate. Beautifully done, with remarkable purity and a great finish, it's going to rank with the crème de la crème of the vintage and is well worth seeking out.
About WineryChateau Pape Clément owes its name to its most illustrious owner. A man of the cloth born in 1264, Bertrand de Goth became Bishop of Comminges, in the Pyrenees Mountains, at the age of 31; he later became Archbishop of Bordeaux in 1299.
He then received as a gift the property in Pessac, the Vineyard de La Mothe. Taken by a passion for the vine, he continually took part personally in equipping, organizing and managing the domain in accordance with the most modern and rational practices. Nevertheless, on 5 June 1305 the cardinals met in a conclave in Pérouse and appointed him to succeed Pope Benedict XI, who had passed away prematurely after only eleven months of reign. Bertrand de Goth took the name of Clement V.
Supported by Philip IV, it was he who decided in 1309 to move the papal court to Avignon, thus breaking with Rome and its battles of influence. During this same period, the weight of his responsibilities led him to relinquish his property, giving it to the Archbishop of Bordeaux. Henceforward, the vineyard was to be known to posterity under the name of this enlightened pope.
Management under the clergy brings modernity The grateful Church perpetuated Pope Clement's work. Each archbishop in turn turned to modernity and technical progress, to the point of the wine estate becoming a model vineyard. In addition to especially early harvests, which remain one of its special characteristics, Chateau Pape Clément is without a doubt the first vineyard in France to align vine stock to facilitate labour.
At the end of the 18th century, the Archbishop of Bordeaux was dispossessed of his property. The papal vineyard became part of the public domain.
8 June 1937 was a dark day in the vineyard's history, when a violent hailstorm destroyed virtually the entirety of the estate. Two years later, Paul Montagne bought it and gradually brought it back to life. Thanks to his efforts, the vineyard returned to its former rank and stood up to the surge in urbanization. His descendents, Léo Montagne and Bernard Magrez, perpetuate this secular tradition so that Chateau Pape Clément wines continue to delight the wine-lovers of today and tomorrow.
Winemaker Notes
In 2019 we produced Cabernet Sauvignon from three vineyards in Oakville to create this robust and generous Cabernet Sauvignon. This blend is dominated by Oakville Ranch Vineyard. Located in the hills among famous neighbors Dalla Valle, Pedregal and Backus vineyards, Oakville Ranch produces powerful, rich, structured wines. Cabernet Sauvignon wines from two other vineyards along Skellenger Lane were blended in to add expressive fruit character and lush tannins. The resulting wine offers layers of dark red and blue fruit flavors with hints of cocoa and dried herbs. This is a rich and vibrant wine that can be enjoyed now, yet will age for 15+ years.
About Winery
Sojourn Cellars was founded in 2001 by two tennis friends, Craig Haserot and Erich Bradley, who shared a passion for great wine and tennis. They started with small bottlings of Cabernet Sauvignon from exceptional vineyard sources. Over the years, Sojourn Cellars has grown into a boutique winery producing highly acclaimed Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Their hands-off winemaking style allows the character of the vineyard sites to shine through in the 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 2018 DR. KONSTANTIN FRANK BLANC DE NOIRS1x 2022 MICHAEL DAVID EARTHQUAKE CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Winemaker Notes (JS | 94)
For this vintage they included Cabernet growing in the Uco Valley, an area considered to be too cold for a variety which enjoys warm temperatures. Once again, nature defied the odds and they achieved a remarkable ripeness and great natural acidity. This wine is always welcome on my table, it is without a doubt the beginning of great stories.
About Winery
At the end of the 1950s, the famous French Champagne house, Moët & Chandon, realized there was an enormous potential for growth in South America. They sent their wine analyst, Renaud Poirier, to study the possibility of expansion. Monsieur Poirier finally proved that Luján de Cuyo, a region within the province of Mendoza, was the best place for the birth of fine wines. In 1960, Chandon Argentina was established, the first subsidiary of Moët & Chandon outside France.
To make the Terrazas de los Andes wines, Chandon Argentina took the initiative to restore this building, located in the heart of Perdriel and at the foot of the imposing Cordón del Plata (a section of the Andes Mountain Range).
In the past, Chandon Argentina made only sparkling and generic still wines, however at the beginning of the '90s fueled by a political system more orientated towards an international market, a varietal wines project was born, to which Terrazas has now become the reality. Situated in Perdriel there is an old Spanish style winery that was used by Pedro Domecq to create his brandy. Renaud Poirier asked Domecq if he could use his equipment to make the first experimental vintages, between 1957 and 1959. Thirty years later Terrazas de los Andes was born, a tributary of Chandon Argentina dedicated exclusively to the production of varietal wines.
