Wine Advocate (93-95 )
“The barrel sample of 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is made up of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petite Sirah, 8% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Syrah, aging in 70% new French oak. Deep ruby-black in color, it gives up luscious crème de cassis, blackberry pie, kirsch, mint chocolate, vanilla bean, coffee and grilled meats scents with touches of tobacco and sweet spices. Medium to full-bodied, it offers intense, expertly managed, ripe fruits and loads of spices with a firm, finely grained frame and great freshness, finishing long and spicy.” – Erin Brooks
A little bit of a primer on the Rhone for those who aren’t as familiar. In the Rhone, like all of France, the grapes grown in the area are government controlled or recommended. The red Rhone varietals are Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre, with Syrah predominant in the Northern Rhone and Grenache in the Southern Rhone.
We introduced a Rhone varietal in our Entrepreneur Circle wine club last month. The Central Coast of California is becoming known as the best place in the U.S. for these grapes to thrive. Each of our spotlighted wines today are from these appellations, primarily Paso Robles, CA. For those customers outside of CA or who have not had a chance to try these varietals, you’re in for a treat. The Rockstars I mentioned earlier are quickly being recognized as top class performers in this category. Names like Saxum, Booker, Linne Calodo, Epoch, Denner are known for producing world class wines and typically garner ratings of 95 or higher from the Wine Advocate. With less tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon these wines are more approachable in their youth and are enjoyable sipping on a Spring afternoon without a heavy pairing for softening. If you’ve never enjoyed a GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre) or another blend of these grapes, I encourage you to sample one of the best California examples from top producers.
It began as an ambition to gain access to world class wines for friends, family and personal entertaining.
Through passion and popularity, it has now grown to a thriving business both domestically and abroad. We built a strong internet presence with not only staple producers, but also access to small producers and allocated wines. Booker, Sea Smoke and Schrader Cellars are a few examples. Our unsurpassed wine club, provides customers the opportunity to try high quality wines that they might not otherwise be exposed to.
Peruse our Wine Clubs and select the one that suits your tastes. We look forward to sharing our passion and knowledge with you.