Search results for: 'Ink Grade Other Red Blends'

93+ Points! Scents of pine resin and hints of mint accent black cherry and cassis notes on the nose of Ink Grade's 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain. It's a sturdy, wiry effort, with the ample tannins and coiled intensity that often mark mountain wines, followed by a lingering, gently astringent finish. Like the other reds from Ink Grade, it spent time in a combination of oak tanks and barrels, yet the wood is scarcely noticeable. Give it a few years to unwind. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

95 Points! Very beautiful aromas of blackcurrants, violets, and lavender with hints of sandalwood. Medium to full body. Chewy mountain tannins, but they are so well integrated and polished that they melt into the wine. Hints of dried cocoa powder at the end with some cedar. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! From a lower section of the Ink Grade Estate, below 425 metres, this vineyard sits just outside the Howell Mountain AVA, making it part of the Napa Valley AVA. Intentionally made in a more reductive style, it is fermented partly in barrel and concrete, then racked to stainless steel for six months before completing full malolactic fermentation. This wine showcases a generosity of fruit, leaning towards the stone fruit spectrum, with layers of spicy ginger and cool wet slate or flinty mineral notes. The palate is rich and textured, with warming spice nuances of ginger and turmeric, leading to a leesy, lingering finish. Very elegant and exceptionally food-friendly. - Decanter Magazine

92 Points! Cherry, cassis and pine notes mark the nose of the 2018 Andosol, a blend of 80% Zinfandel and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Matured largely in tank and foudre, it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, framed by silky tannins, then finishes long and bright, with plenty of red fruit and mouthwatering acids. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

93 Points! A firm and polished red with cranberry, blackberry and crushed stone character. It’s clear and bright with a darkness and tension. Shows flowers and spices at the end with some dried potpourri and peppercorn. From vineyards in Howell Mountain. Aged three years in cask. A blend of Zinfandel, 20% cabernet sauvignon, and 5% merlot. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Made since 2001 from a number of Sonoma County vineyards, the 2023 Three Valleys blends 71% Zinfandel, 16% Carignane, 9% Petite Sirah, 2% each Mataro and Alicante Bouschet from Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma Valley, and Russian River Valley. Floral, it is complex and less rustic than usual, the vintage showing classic charm and elegance. Though it is one of Ridge's largest production wines, it is made in the exact same way as all its others, in open top tanks with real oak and native fermentations. It's meant to represent a vintage more than a location. A popular by-the-glass pour, order it when you see it. It's drinking well now and should continue to for another 5-7 years. - Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com

93 Points! Generous and robust yet retains a sense of polish, with expressive raspberry and blueberry flavors highlighted by licorice and pepper, plus a whiff of dill as this builds toward fine-grained tannins. Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah, Mataro and Alicante Bouschet. Drink now through 2034. - Wine Spectator

93 Points! Aromas of confit cherries, licorice, blackberry bush, baking spices and violets. The palate is full-bodied with a rounded mouthfeel and firmly framed tannins that end in a lush and generous finish. Made from a blend of 71% zinfandel, 16% carignane, 9% petite sirah, 2% mataro and 2% alicante bouschet. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! Darker berries, cassis, graphite, and violet notes as well as classy oak all emerge from the 2021 Red, a brilliant red based off 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% each of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. It way over-delivers and tastes like it costs four to five times the price. - Jeb Dunnuck

From the winery: Our second label wine, KEOLA is comprised of barrels and lots from the same vineyards that make up our top-tier Aaron cuvées. These barrels are declassified lots and extra barrels that simply don't find their way into our flagship wines, thus we blend them into KEOLA, our everyday drinking red that massively overdelivers for the price point. Juicy, vibrant and intensely aromatic, its a medium-bodied, absolutely delicious wine that goes with any place, any dish, and any time of day. Comprised mostly of Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Mourvèdre it's a rich and savory, with a blue/red fruit profile and notes of grilled meats and sage/underbrush. The palate is luscious and juicy, loaded with flavors of macerated cherries, cocoa powder, toasty oak, and licorice. Aged for 18 month is 100% French oak, 50% new, it's a wine that will certainly age in the cellar, but we recommend cracking it open now and enjoying it through the remainder of this year!

96 Points! The 2019 Amuse Bouche, a Right Bank-inspired Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend is superb. Expansive, sweet aromatics are immediately seductive. Silky tannins wrap around a core of plum fruit, sweet tobacco, chocolate, spice and leather. This wonderfully expressive, elegant Napa Valley red hits all the right notes in a mid-weight, nuanced style that is all class. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

93 Points! The 2021 Trespasser is more focused and inward, with darker fruits, graphite, candied violets, and chocolaty, subtle leafy herb-like nuances. It's a rich, full-bodied, concentrated red based on 38% Petite Sirah, 37% Syrah, and 25% Mourvèdre that spent 22 months in 50% new 300- and 400-liter puncheons. It will shine for 5-7 years, if not a decade. - Jeb Dunnuck

A compelling blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Mexican Nebbiolo produced by the Vinícola Regional de Ensenada.

From the winery:

The 2023 "The Dude" is a meticulously assembled blend of fruit drawn from prestigious Napa Valley appellations: Calistoga, Rutherford, and Howell Mountain. The wine was refined for 16 months, utilizing 40% new oak to elegantly frame the fruit while allowing the terroir to shine.

Composition 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec

42% petit verdot, 26% cabernet sauvignon ,14% sangiovese, 8% petite sirah, 6% tempranillo, 4% touriga all from Paso Rbles exceot the Sangio. hand-harvested, native yeast fermented, aged 20 months in neutral barriques, bottles unfined and unfiltered.

From the winery: 44% Petite Sirah, 27% Zinfandel, 19% Carignan, 10% Mataro. This bold, complex, and distinctive red blend is produced from vinesplanted in the 1880’s to the dry farmed and windswept vineyard of Sandy Lane. Rooted to sandy soil in the town of Oakley, this extraordinary sitehas been farmed by the Gonsalves family since the 1930’s, and produces vibrant wines with tremendous complexity and stunning purity of fruit. This is a gorgeous red blend that is brimming with ripe berry fruit, savory complexity, silky texture, and refreshing acidity. It displays the unique characteristics of this sun-soaked old vine vineyard and is utterly delicious.

95 Points! Spicy and creamy shiraz-based blend with velvety tannins framing a silky core of dark fruit, licorice, cloves, grilled herbs and spices. Five spice and smoked paprika coming through. Full-bodied yet elegant. 65% shiraz, 23% cabernet sauvignon, 9% cabernet franc and 3% merlot. Drink or hold. Screw cap. - JamesSuckling.com

A blend of Malbec, Cinsault, Syrah and Merlot aged in French oak for 10 months.

We recently had a private client come to us with an extremely rare opportunity. This client had amassed a reasonable volume of a particular wine that no one except a select few get to taste or buy.

Bill Harlan’s The Napa Valley Reserve.

It is an exclusive club. Membership is invitation only and to become a member involves a six-figure membership fee. Once you’re a member you gain access to creating wine in your own vision, becoming as intimately familiar with the winemaking and grape growing process as you’d like. The wine is your creation, sourced from Bill’s vineyard right next to the Meadowood Country Club. You can work with the estate's blending grapes (using "super blends" provided by the winemaking team) to craft and customize your own barrels.

Members can produce anywhere from 12 to 75 cases, and they choose their own blends, aging times, and sometimes even have the wine bottled under their own personal family label rather than a generic estate name.

92 Points! A good value, the 2023 Keola Red offers juicy darker fruits, peppery herbs, and sappy, floral notes. Based on 45% Petite Sirah, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 25% Syrah aged 18 months in 25% new French oak, it's medium to full-bodied, ripe, round, and supple, with no hard edges. This is a pleasure-bent, impeccably made red to drink over the coming 5-6 years. ..As always, Aaron Jackson makes a ripe, powerful style of wine that brings ample fruit and texture while staying nicely balanced. - Jeb Dunnuck

Sourcing:

Petite Sirah - Dusi Vineyards (Templeton Gap District), St Peter of Alcantara (Willow Creek District next door to Pesenti Vineyard)
Syrah - Maison Mason (Willow Creek District next to notable vineyards like Terry Hoage, Paderewski). And Caelesta Vineyard (Templeton Gap)
Cabernet - Old Bailey Vineyard (Adelaida District, oldest vine Cab on the westside, own rooted in 1969 and right next door to HMR Vineyard and planted around the same time).

From the winery: Encruzado (50%), Malvasia, Gouveio, Bical, Cercial, and others. Our white Field Blend 2021 was made from a single vineyard planted in 1993 in our Quinta do Laranjal. This vineyard is planted in the old style, with the grape varieties all mixed up. The proportion represent the intended final blend. A true Dão pearl! The grapes were manually picked and carefully selected. Ageing 7 months in stainless steel, rest in the bottle.

Created in collaboration with famed whisky writer and master blender, Jim Murray. 

Òran is, unashamedly, an old school blend - one recognizable to whisky lovers in the heyday of blended whisky some 100 years ago. Where the grain and malt contents are created separately but ultimately act as the perfect foil for the other. The objective is delicate complexity and finely tuned balance.I trust that you will find it here.