2016 | WE 96
Rich black fruits, roasted meats, tobacco, sage; long mouthfeel and acidity
2017 | WE 96
Boysenberry, dark cherry, lavender, herbs, chocolate; full-bodied and balanced
2018 | WE 98
Syrah-driven blend with blackberry, violet, wood spice; harmonious and age-worthy
2019 | WE 97
Blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Tempranillo, Graciano; complex and layered
2020 | WE 93
Blackberry, mocha, nutmeg, pepper, spice; structured with elegant tannins
About Winery
Founded in 2004 by geologists, Bill and Liz Armstrong, Epoch has quickly developed a big reputation for handcrafted, small-production wines with abundant personalities. Under the careful care of Winemaker, Jordan Fiorentini, Epoch is committed to producing world-class wines from Rhône, Zinfandel, and Tempranillo varieties grown on their three west Paso Robles vineyards – Paderewski, Catapult, and York Mountain. Epoch’s Tasting Room and Winery are located on the storied York Mountain which was once home to the first bonded winery on the central coast. Preserving the rich history found on this property as well as Paderewski Vineyard, a sight once owned and cherished by the late Polish Prime Minister and pianist, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Epoch strives to carry on these legacies through their wines and the unique Epoch experience.
Through carefully managed, non-invasive farming, Epoch aims to bring the complex character of their vineyards into each bottle of wine they craft. All of Epoch's fruit comes from their three specific and unique sites: Paderewski, Catapult, and York Mountain Vineyard.
Winemaker Notes
This wine is so integrated, even from an early age, that you will never guess it is a blend of five different varieties off of our Paderewski and Catapult Vineyards. The entry is full and lush leading to an über long and velvety midpalate which encircles the mouth. While we revel in its plushness, it never feels too heavy or thick as the cohesive acid weaves its way through the sensations of black licorice, black cherry and raspberry, grilled meats and herbs, candied lavender, rose oil, warm underbrush, and vanilla bean.
About Winery
Founded in 2004 by geologists, Bill and Liz Armstrong, Epoch has quickly developed a big reputation for handcrafted, small-production wines with abundant personalities. Under the careful care of Winemaker, Jordan Fiorentini, Epoch is committed to producing world-class wines from Rhône, Zinfandel, and Tempranillo varieties grown on their three west Paso Robles vineyards – Paderewski, Catapult, and York Mountain. Epoch’s Tasting Room and Winery are located on the storied York Mountain which was once home to the first bonded winery on the central coast. Preserving the rich history found on this property as well as Paderewski Vineyard, a sight once owned and cherished by the late Polish Prime Minister and pianist, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Epoch strives to carry on these legacies through their wines and the unique Epoch experience.
Through carefully managed, non-invasive farming, Epoch aims to bring the complex character of their vineyards into each bottle of wine they craft. All of Epoch's fruit comes from their three specific and unique sites: Paderewski, Catapult, and York Mountain Vineyard.
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 Skipstone Olivers Blend1x 2018 Skipstone Faultline Vineyard1x 2018 Silver Ghost Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon1x 2018 Epoch Estate Authenticity Paso Robles Rhone Blend1x 2018 J Lohr Estate Seven Oak Cabernet Sauvignon1x 2018 Epoch Block B Paso Robles Rhône Blend
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 :
2x 2022 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon1x 2021 J Lohr Pure Paso1x 2015 Skipstone Olivers Blend1x 2018 Skipstone Preface Proprietary Red Alexander Valley, USA1x 2018 J Lohr Estate Seven Oak Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemaker Notes
The historic Napanook Vineyard, a 124-acre site west of Yountville, was planted in 1838. This vineyard was the source of fruit for some of the finest Napa Valley wines. Estate-bottled in the spirit of the Bordeaux châteaux, Dominus Estate is dry-farmed to allow natural stress and good concentration of fruit. Grape clusters are crop-thinned to allow sun and air to pass in between, helping to achieve full maturation and soften the tannins. Only 20% to 40% new French oak barrels are used in order to limit the extraction of oak notes. To express the unique terroir, the classic Bordeaux grape varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot are planted with different root stocks best suited for the varying soil composition of gravel, heavy clay and loam.
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 Dominus 2009 exemplifies the finest qualities of Cabernet Sauvignon from an ideal vintage. The nose, at once powerful yetrestrained, is dense and filled with pure dark berry fruit and hints of sandalwood. On the palate is a harmonious blend of fresh plumand focused minerality with tannins that are firm, round and elegant. Spherical in quality, this wine is complete from start to finish.A sublime vintage.
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.
2018 | JS 94
A beautiful, fresh red with blackberry, blueberry and some chocolate. Pine, light toffee and coffee undertones. Dried herbs, too. Medium to full body with intensity and richness. Dusty tannins. Savory finish. Very drinkable now, but even better in 2023.
2019 | D 96
Saturated purple color with black cherry, plum, black tea, cedar and sweet toasted oak on the nose. Bramble fruit, vanilla, and mint on the palate with well-coated tannins and a long finish.
2020 | JD 90
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate comes all from the estate Monte Bello Vineyard on the eastern side of the Santa Cruz Mountains, which is much warmer than the western side of the region. A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Merlot that was brought up in 55% new American oak, it has a bright and vibrant perfume of black plums, smoked herbs, darker chocolate, and vanilla-laced oak. It's firm, focused, and linear on the palate, with medium to full body, nicely integrated acidity, and building tannins. It should benefit from a year or two in the cellar, and I would enjoy bottles over the following decade.
2021 | D 96
Dark purple hues with black cherry, dark plum, black olive, soy, dried jerky, lilac, dried rose petals, cedar, juniper berry, and wintergreen mint. Fresh entry with building tannins that coat the entire palate. Gravelly, dusty, and mineral notes give way to layers of red and black fruits. Integrated oak with youthful tannins and acidity. Will prove to be very age-worthy.
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.
Winemaker Notes
The 2007 Blankiet Estate Rive Droite Merlot is a powerful, opulent, and complex wine from Napa Valley featuring dark fruit flavors like plum, blackberry tart, and black currant, complemented by notes of coffee bean, cocoa, kirsch, and savory undertones such as dried herbs and tobacco. It boasts a plush, full-bodied texture with a firm but grainy structure and excellent freshness and length, offering a harmonious blend of fruit and savory elements that is approachable now but will continue to evolve in the bottle for many years.
About Winery
Paradise Hills is farmed organically and is Napa Green Certified.
Greek and Roman farmers knew that better wines are made from vines that are planted on hillside vineyards in depleted soil. This type of farming is best to control the grapevine’s relentless propensity in growing canes and leaves instead of fruit. Farming these sites require an enormous amount of labor, but the reward is a crop full of intensely flavored berries.
Pruning is done during the winter, while the plant is dormant.
There are two basic systems of pruning: Cane pruning or Spur pruning.
We use the later as it is better suited for the French hybrids varieties we are growing. The most fruitful buds are situated near the base of the canes, so all wood is cut back to short spurs with two buds and the rest of the wood is removed.
Pruning is done during the winter, while the plant is dormant.
There are two basic systems of pruning: Cane pruning or Spur pruning.
We use the later as it is better suited for the French hybrids varieties we are growing. The most fruitful buds are situated near the base of the canes, so all wood is cut back to short spurs with two buds and the rest of the wood is removed.
To further enhance wine concentration and complexity, the number of clusters a vine is allowed to ripen is restricted. During the growing season buds, flowers, leaves and clusters are carefully thinned out, allowing each vine to produce a metered amount of fruit in accordance to its age, terroir and specific weather conditions of the year.
Water needs are regularly monitored during high heat by checking the moisture level in leaves to prevent the shutdown of photosynthesis. By mid-summer, the diminishing hours of sunlight signals to the vines that the end of the season is near and to spend all their energy in ripening the clusters of berries.
Winemaker Notes
The 2019 Estate Cuvée, a blend of 50% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Petit Verdot, has a deep ruby-purple color and fragrant aromas of cassis, licorice, dried roses, leather and youthful new oak spice. The full-bodied palate is silky and uplifted, with fine, savory accents and a very long, mineral-driven finish.
About Winery
L'Aventure was founded in 1998 by a French winemaker, Stephan Asseo. After Stephan graduated enology school in Burgundy, the Asseo family bought their first estate, Domaine de Courteillac, in the Bordeaux area in 1982. Later, the family purchased additional properties: Chateau Robin and Chateau Fleur-Cardinale in Saint-Emilion. Stephan raised these properties to a level of great quality, while managing some other well-established domaines such as Chateau Guillot-Clauzel in Pomerol and Chateau Corbin in St Emilion.
Stephan saw in the New World a unique opportunity to expand his experience, while gaining more freedom in viticulture and vinification. He began by looking all over California for land, including Napa/Sonoma and Santa Barbara counties, but it was the terroir and climate of Paso Robles that impressed him the most.
L'Aventure is located on the west side of Paso Robles in the Willow Creek District. The 127-acre property with 57 acres planted, is comprised of multiple hills of various elevation and complex soils. Because of its proximity to the ocean, the vineyard has clear warm days and drastic cool nighttime temperatures which increases the time of the grape’s maturation cycle providing fruit that creates a more complex and balanced wine. Stephan’s choice of this lean terroir provides him with the fruit necessary to create wine with a good balance between alcohol and acidity. The resulting wines are full and rich yet well balanced and elegant.
2022 | W 94
Bright, sunshine energy here. Lifted citrus and white flower aromas dominate the nose. The palate vibrates with lemon, tangerine, nectarine and orange blossom flavors that linger and mingle across the finish, with a whisper of barrel spice emerging at the end.
2023 | VIVINO 4.4
Spiced notes of Meyer lemon peel along with scents of yellow apple and pear typify this wine. Hints of shiso and tarragon show the cool climate of the Drake Vineyard. Located in the far west region of the Russian River Valley, the ripening of this Chardonnay is slow and methodical, allowing for complexity to be achieved. The entry is weighty, and the wine has incredible saltiness, with a saline character that transitions to minerals on the finish. Green pear flavors accompany hints of tangerine along with a spicy Meyer lemon peel sensation.
About Winery
Like most good stories, the history of Williams Selyem owes much to serendipity. If a grower with an abundance of fruit hadn’t given Burt Williams a few tonnes of free grapes in the 1970s, Burt might never have discovered his love and flair for winemaking. And if Burt and his partner Ed Selyem had been able to afford the French Burgundies they both favoured, they might never have tried making their own pinot noir.
The two friends didn’t set out to produce wines for anyone but themselves. And they surely never imagined that their humble experiment in home winemaking would spawn a cult-status winery of international acclaim. Together, Burt and Ed set a new standard for American-made pinot noir, and elevated Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley to among the best wine growing regions in the world.
Now considered Russian River Valley royalty, Williams Selyem are responsible for some of the most sought-after handcrafted expressions of pinot noir across both the New World and Old.
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by Team Experts
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