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Northern California Artisans
March 2013
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Greetings!
To coincide with the LCBO's exciting "California Legends" event being held this Thursday March 21st at The Royal Ontario Museum I've chosen to showcase some of our smaller, artisan producers as well as a few collectable Napa Valley wines.
If you're one of the lucky ones attending the event we'll be pouring wines from Caymus, Belle Glos, Mer Soleil, Conundrum, Chateau Montelena, Dominus Estate, Shafer Vineyards, Duckhorn Wine Company, Frog's Leap Winery and Ridge Vineyards.
Please visit us on the web for all the reviews, stories and blog as well as the most up-to-date catalogues. Prices here are per bottle, inclusive of tax but exclusive of bottle deposit. We sell only by the unmixed case lot. All my best,
Chris.
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Altamura
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
$116.95 per 750 ml bottle, 12 bottles per case
Frank Altamura owns and operates this small winery in the Wooden Valley of southern Napa. It is one of our most consistently highest scoring wines year after year.
Since the 2004 vintage Wine Advocate has awarded 94, 95, 94, 95 and 92 points, the 2009 review is pending. Wine Spectator has awarded 91, 93, 94, 96, 94 and this lovely review below:
"Striking, rich and opulent, elegant and refined, with ripe, dense blackberry, melted black licorice and touches of cinnamon and baking spice. Ends with fine-grained, detailed tannins. Best from 2013 through 2027. 3,500 cases made."
94 points and #92 Wine of the Year, Wine Spectator, web only 2012 |
Continuum Napa Valley 2009
$205.95 per 750 ml bottle, 6 bottles per case
only 2 cases remain
Tim Mondavi's project on Pritchard Hill has quickly gained status as one of the new generation of "must have" Napa Cabernets. We have only 2 beautifully engraved cases remaining.
"Sleek and understated, making its mark with firm, dense, tightly wound espresso, dried berry, crushed rock and black licorice flavours, with a finish that emphasizes the loamy earthiness. The tannins are firm and well-integrated. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Best from 2014 through 2030. 2,500 cases made."
93 points, Wine Spectator, Sept 2012
"The 2009 Continuum comes across as much more understated next to the 2008. It has plenty of silkiness and finesse, but less of the size and shape of its older sibling. Dark cherries, espresso, exotic spices and licorice are woven together in a fabric of notable elegance and harmony. The 2009 Continuum is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot and 4% Merlot, 82% of which came from estate-grown fruit. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024."
94 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Dec 2011
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Dancing Hares "Mad Hatter" 2009
$85.95 per 750 ml bottle, 6 bottles per case
Mad Hatter is the "junior" wine of Dancing Hares, a tiny but very special winery near the base of Howell Mountain. What makes this wine memorable is that although it is a Meritage, as is the Dancing Hares, this wine features Merlot as the dominant grape. The Dancing Hares estate is only 4.4 acres, cropped very low, and so some fruit is bought from top growers in Napa Valley to produce this wine.
The team is second to none in the valley - Andy Erickson is winemaker, David Abreu is viticulturist and Michel Rolland is consultant. Previously these three shared many years working at Screaming Eagle as well.
"Offers a mix of melted black licorice, currant, dark berry, spice and savoury herb notes that are firm, structured and rich without being weighty. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2021. 1,500 cases made."
91 points, Wine Spectator, June 2012
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Ehlers Estate
"1886" St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
$129.95 per 750 ml bottle, 6 bottles per case
arrival early June 2013
In 1886 Bernard Ehlers first planted vines on what would eventually be Ehlers Estate. Today this tiny winery on Ehlers Lane in northern St. Helena is farmed using biodynamic methods and the wines are made by veteran winemaker Kevin Morrissey, whose deft skill was learned at Château Petrus, Stags' Leap Winery and Etude.
"Dense, herbal and smoky, offering deep, concentrated road tar, melted black licorice, gravel and dried berry flavours. Folds in savoury herb notes and ends with chewy tannins. Drink now through 2022. 1,557 cases made. "
91 points, Wine Spectator, Nov 2012
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Ehlers Estate
St. Helena Merlot 2009
$61.95 per 750 ml bottle, 12 bottles per case
arrival early June 2013
The extraordinary 2009 growing season brought yet another drought year, which is generally ideal for wine grapes, yet not so great for everything else. A beautiful, long warm sunny summer with an endless string of hot days and cool nights provided almost perfect fruit. The red wines emerged from the fermentation tanks with brilliant colour, fantastic extraction, and ripe, mature, supple tannins. The Ehlers crew brought all of the fruit in before the onslaught of early October rains which caught many Napa Valley vintners by surprise.
This wine is a luscious, full and rich Merlot that illustrates the best potential of the Ehlers terroir. Creamy, with notes of milk chocolate, raspberry, black currants and licorice, this wine has a broad mouth filling texture that is adorned with thyme, sage, and kiwi and finishes with the classically silky tannins for which the Ehlers Estate Merlot is recognized.
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Ehlers Estate "One Twenty Over Eighty"
St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
$61.95 per 750 ml bottle, 12 bottles per case
The 2009 is a dense, rich, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon from the loamy benchland soils of this north St. Helena estate vineyard. The wine is plush and juicy with flavours of blackberries, truffles, black plums, roasted wood, toasted coconut, raspberry jam and cocoa.
The power always present in the Ehlers Cabernet is polished to a sheen with the addition of 9% Cabernet Franc and 3% Merlot, while a final dash of 3% Petit Verdot contributes a hint of blueberry and nutmeg to this Bordeaux-style blend. Great structure and balance presently showing fine tannins. This will age for decades. |
Frog's Leap "Rutherford"
Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
$129.95 per 750 ml bottle, 6 bottles per case
arrival early June 2013
To meet the criteria of the "Rutherford" blend a selected barrel of Frog's Leap's dry-farmed, organic Cabernet Sauvignon must transcend varietal definition and truly define the Rutherford apellation. Notes of cocoa and cassis, flavours of blueberries, distinctive "dusty soil" notes and the texture of running your hand on velvet against the grain. Incredible balance ensures decades of evolution but this wine also drinks very well young.
"Blended with a little Cabernet Franc, this is an incredibly rich wine, drinkable now for its approachability. It pleases with blackberry and black cherry jam and spice flavours, wrapped into smooth, creamy tannins. "
90 points, Wine Enthusiast, Dec 2012
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O'Shaughnessy Estate
"Howell Mountain" Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
$112.95 per 750ml bottle, 6 bottles per case
The Howell Mountain AVA produces some of the most exciting wines in Napa. An equal balance of depth, power and detail, the O'Shaughnessy "Howell Mountain" is both drinkable and cellar-worthy.
Sean Capiaux is winemaker and CEO and produces his own brand at the winery, Capiaux Cellars, devoted to high-end Pinot Noirs from Sonoma. Perhaps the attention to detail necessary to making great Pinot Noir enhances his ability to craft exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon?
"The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is all minerals, graphite and pure Howell Mountain. Layers of dark red fruit come to life in this articulate, pedigreed Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2009 needs another few years in the bottle, but it is already quite striking, especially with some time in the glass. Saline notes frame the long finish. The 2009 is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec, 5% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 5% St. Macaire and 2% Cabernet Franc. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029."
94+ points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Dec 2011
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Quintessa 2009
$134.95 per 750ml bottle, 6 bottles per case
Quintessa sits on 280 acres in the heart of Rutherford, 170 acres are planted to grapes, but the property encompasses 26 contiguous vineyard blocks on such diverse terroir that 40 different lots are produced. The wine is a Bordeaux varietal blend, principally Cabernet Sauvignon, but the composition changes each year to ensure the best possible Quintessa is made.
James Laube writes of Rutherford in his book, California Wine, "Cabernet performs exceptionally well here, as there is an ideal mixture of cool mornings and evenings, and warm, sunny days, usually ripening the grapes fully and quite easily. The result is an abundance of rich currant, plum and cherry flavors with herb, mint and spice notes, and fine but substantial tannins. Because of those supple tannins, most Rutherford wines are showy early on. But they often have the richness, depth and concentration to age well for 15-30 years, sometimes even longer."
Winemaker Charles Thomas' career includes 15 years as oenologist and assistant winemaker at Opus One, 8 years directing the winemaking and viticulture at Cardinale and 5 years at Rudd. He joined Quintessa in 2007, this wine being his second vintage.
"A fresh floral, violet aroma mingles with plum and currant in the nose. On entry, the wine is supple with pleasing richness and density that leads through the midpalate. Warm clove spice, sassafras and a touch of vanilla complement nuances of toast to deliver a complex mix of flavours and texture in the mouth. The wine finishes long and satisfying with dark berry fruits, cassis and chocolate."
- Charles Thomas, winemaker
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Faust Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
$63.95 per 750ml bottle, 12 bottles per case
Faust is a sister venture to Quintessa, but the vital difference is that much of the fruit is farmed in Coombsville, the newest Napa Valley AVA. Located in the cool south end of Napa, the Caberent grown here is noticeably more herbal and has a cool-climate crunchiness that the warmth of the upper valley tends not to produce. For years the region has been supplying grapes to wineries all over the valley and now Coombsville Cabernet is a "hot commodity".
My tasting notes read like this, "Dark, purpley black. On the nose, warm rocks and brush, field, sawn board and brown sugar, pie crust and freshly tilled farm. On the palate it's spicy and creamy, full bodied, medium-plus acidity, a fine mesh of up-front tannins, the finish has a spicy reverb and reminds me of the high quality oak. Dry and long. SOLID Cab!"
91 points, April 2012.
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Hanzell Vineyards "Sebella"
Sonoma Valley Chardonnay 2011
$49.95 per 750ml bottle, 12 bottles per case
Hanzell is well known to have some of the longest ageing wines in all of California. In fact if you're lucky enough to be on the winery's mailing list, sometimes they release 30 and 40 year old Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays to their members.
Because of this house style they also make Sebella which is all estate fruit, but from vines "auditioning" for the estate wine. These may be younger or located on soil that produces more fruit-forward grapes, but the Hanzell minerality and Chablis-like style is evident through and through.
One is immediately struck by the vibrancy of the aromas in this wine. Youthful and lively scents of honeysuckle, citrus blossom and guava are complemented by pear skin and the classic Hanzell minerality. Concentrated flavours of Anjou pear, honeydew melon and lemon focus and linger on the palate while clean acidity supports and balances the richness. |
Peay Vineyards "Pomarium" Pinot Noir 2010
$77.95 per 750ml bottle, 6 bottles per case
At the top of most Californian sommeliers' list of true artisan producers is Peay Vineyards (pronounced Pay). A three-person family operation, they turn out some of the most sought after Burgundy and Rhone varietals in California. As an example of their artisan size, only 380 cases of this wine were made and it is one of their two "flagship" wines. Quality, not quantity is the goal at Peay. In 2009 the San Francisco Chronicle named Peay Vineyards "The Winery of the Year."
"Medium red. Alluring aromas of red fruit preserves, incense and candied rose, with smoke and mineral overtones. Juicy, sharply focused raspberry and bitter cherry flavours show impressive depth and energy, with a slow-mounting florality. Refuses to let up on the finish, which strongly repeats the raspberry and rose notes."
93 points, International Wine Cellar, May/June 2013
"Named for the apple orchard the Peays planted to vines, this Pinot is among the best vintages we've tasted from this ridge in Annapolis. The crop was short due to a cool, wet spring that impeded flowering; the harvest was relatively late, due to a generally cool fall. The wine leads with delicate raspberry scents, carried on lovely coastal freshness. That freshness lasts while the primary aspects of the fruit relent with air, yielding hints of flowers, the perfume of red apple skins adding to the mineral tinged tannins. Tightly structured, this is set to age for six years or more."
93 points, Wine & Spirits, Sept 2012
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Chris McLean
416 961 2294 x 29 |
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