Vin Perdu Napa Valley Red Blend 2021
We've all asked ourselves the proverbial question: If I were stranded on an island with only one bottle of wine, what bottle would that be
This age-old and daunting conundrum inspired this year's label. You will find that the label not only tackles the question (man stranded, what to drink) but… with a mere twist of the wrist — or a quick flip of the lenticular image — it also poses a solution: drink more wine while the going is good! Why wait for the cliche stranding, the next climate event, economic upheaval? We produce Vin Perdu, our "lost wine," with the philosophy that no good wine should be wasted, and we all should seize every moment lest we lose them forever.
After a two-year hiatus due to the smoke-tainted vintage in 2020, we are pleased to offer you an allocation of Vin Perdu 2021 Napa Valley Red Blend. This wine sells out quickly due to its deliciously complex contents, great-value price point and one-of-kind label.
Amuse Bouche Napa Valley Red Blend 2021
"Pretty nose with cherries, cassis, baking spices and some chocolate on the nose. It's medium- to full-bodied with plush tannins. Well-balanced with an intense core of juicy cherries, herbs and spices intermingling. Focused finish with excellent length."
- 95 Points, James Suckling
"The 2021 Amuse Bouche is pliant, racy and super-expressive. Succulent red cherry, red plum, spice, blood orange and tobacco are all dialed up. This Merlot-based blend is a total charmer. Dollops of Cabernet Franc extend the finish."
- 94 Points, Vinous
Amuse Bouche Napa Valley Red Blend 2015
Napa Valley’s 2015 vintage was marked by grape yields historically smaller in quantity but exceptional in quality. Circumstances allowed winemaker, Heidi Barrett to create a masterpiece in a bottle – and not just any bttle. Our Amuse Bouche 2015 label is graced with astonishing artwork entitled Le Pique-Nique by Jacques Pepin. A longtime friend of ours, Jacques is a world renowned chef whose impactful work in the culinary world spans more than 6 decades. His most recent awards include the inaugural Julia Chi;s Award and the American Public Television’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
In our world, there is no trinity quire so holy as that of wine, food & art. These pleasures – three of life’s greatest – come together harmoniously as we proudly offer your six-bottle allocation of Amuse Bouche 2015.
Made in the Pomerol style, this year’s blend is 88% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc from our vineyard on Rutherford’s eastern hillside.
Tignanello 2019
Tignanello was the first Sangiovese to be aged in barriques, the first contemporary red wine blended with untraditional varieties (specifically Cabernet) and one of the first red wines in the Chianti Classico region that didn’t use white grapes. Tignanello is a milestone. It’s produced with a selection of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
Extremely perfumed and vivid, with fresh mushrooms, cherry stones and blackberries. Medium-bodied with very fine tannins that are long and complete. Fresh acidity. Tangy and vibrant.
Dalla Valle “MAYA” 2019
The 2019 Insignia marks the first vintage to include fruit from the new Joseph Phelps vineyard named El Venadito, located in the Oak Knoll District, just south of the winery’s Yountville Vineyard. It is aged for 18 Months in 48% New Oak, & 60% 1-2 year old French & American oak barrels.
Colour: A brooding purple-black in color
Nose: Enthralling aromas of crème de cassis, mocha, and Morello cherry draw you in, while supporting notions of wildflowers, unrefined earth, and dried herbs captivate the senses.
Palate: As the wine sits in the glass, facets of tobacco leaf, crushed rock, and blackberry begin to surface, yet you can sense a deeper complexity has yet to fully reveal itself.
Pairings: Hard cheese & red meat
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc
Awards: 100 points, Robert Parker & 100 points, Jeb Dunnuck
Alain Geoffroy Chablis Cuvee Vieilles Vignes 2020
Pale golden yellow in colour with slight greenish glints. Bright, luminous and limpid.
The nose shows instantly both maturity and freshness in a festival of flowers and fruit. The floral notes of menthol, acacias and citronella mingle with grapefruit, butterscotch and freshly baked buns…
Taste is powerful with pretty, harmonious mellowness, perfectly supported by its frank, yet unaggressive liveliness. The long finish prolongs the pleasure with a pronounced mineral presence enhanced by a delicate hint of wood.
GRAPE VARIETY: Chardonnay 100 %
AGE OF THE VINEYARD: 45 to 70 years
GEOLOGY: Kimmeridgian limestone
EXPOSURE: South - South-East
WINE-MAKING PROCESS: Traditional method in oak casks
MATURING: In oaks barrels, with wood split to a turn
Akarua The Siren Pinot Noir 2021
“The Siren”, Akarua’s super premium cuvee, leaves in its wake a mesmerising and ambitious Pinot Noir. It is composed of the finest parcels from Cairnmuir Road in Bannockburn, where grapevines flourish beautifully in a very windy, very hot and very dry environment. The odyssey of a full-bodied and complex wine, both floral and spicy with enchanting black-berry aromas.
Akarua The Siren complex, sophisticated and powerful flavours make it a perfect match with roast lamb, mushroom based dishes as well as vegetable dishes with a little sweetness and a touch of acidity.
WINEMAKING
Carefully hand harvested grapes were destemmed then fermented on skins for around three weeks. The resulting wine was gently pressed to French oak barrels for maturation.
AGEING
In French oak barrels with 40% of new. One year of bottle age before release.
AGEING DURATION
18 months Varietal: Pinot Noir
Chateau Malartic Lagraviere Rouge 2017
The Grand Cru Classé in red Malartic-Lagravière appellation Pessac-Léognan vintage 2017 keeps all its promises and once again honors the tradition of wines from the Bordeaux region.
The Merlots, with the dry and warm June and July, are fleshy, round and aromatic. After the rains at the end of September, the Cabernets finish refining their tannins, preserving the freshness and thus offering extraordinary complexity, sap and silkiness.
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
“Ripe, with succulent plum, cassis and raspberry fruit paste flavors, lined with liquorice and anise details, showing a well-integrated apple wood note on the finish, backed by a light scoring of tar. Exhibits lots of compact energy, so this should unwind nicely in the cellar.” – James Molesworth at Wine Spectator
Chateau Malartic Lagraviere Blanc 2017
The white wines present exceptional quality. The cool August produced superbly balanced grapes, highlighting their aromatic profiles.
For the whites, the aromatic profiles are superb; the wines show a crisp line of acidity, good tightness and a pleasant sappiness, with plenty of fruit and a good quality framework.
80% Sauvignon, 20% SĂ©millon
“Attractive, fresh-lemon and grassy nuances with wild herbs and slightly flinty elements, too. The palate has such intense and fresh acidity. Fine lemons and limes and a thrillingly dry, long finish. ” – Janvier at James Suckling
Almaviva 2020
Intense ruby red, the nose reveals stable, frank aromas of ripe cassis, plum and blackberries, associated to mineral hints and fine notes of vanilla, coffee, grilled orange zest, tobacco and cacao. The mouth shows outstanding balance, great acidity, a firm tannic structure, and exceptional persistence. A brilliant wine, elegant, constant and precise in its character, showing a palate of class, with persistent and refined tannins.
Fresh and deep nose, full of blueberries, minty cassis, mussels, cigars, dark spice and roasted sesame oak, which will need a year or two to fully integrate. A medium-to full-bodied Almaviva with supple, silky tannins and a wealth of black and blue fruit that provides a lot of charm now. Voluptuous and flattering on the palate, hallmarked by its tension and taut texture. Very long.
68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Carmenère, 6% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Drinkable now, but better from 2024.
Les Brulières de Beychevelle 2020
VINEYARD :
- Varietals: 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot.
- Soil: gravel and clay
- Size of the vineyard: 12 ha
- Harvest: partially by hand
Chateau Beychevelle 2015
The 2015 Beychevelle has a wonderful ripe blackberry, boysenberry and cassis-scented bouquet that is very well defined. There is nascent energy and tension spilling out from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with quite opulent black fruit laced with graphite and a splash of soy, but underneath is embedded a firm structure. There is real vivacity and terroir expression on the finish, a Beychevelle with enormous potential. One for those seeking “classic” – Wine Advocate, 2018
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon 42%, Merlot 47%, Cabernet Franc 7%, Petit Verdot 4%