Search results for: 'paraje needs valley red white'

91 Points! Tropical aromas of lychees, lemon curd and dried mangoes. The palate is medium-bodied with a creamy texture and a slight phenolic edge, giving notes of baking spices, pineapple and red apple skin. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

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98 Points! There are 236 cases of the 1999 Shiraz Roennfeldt Road (also from 65-year-old vines). Although it pushes ripeness to the limit, it does not reveal any raisiny/pruny characteristics. It offers wonderful freshness, good acidity, superb intensity, and copious quantities of blackberry, cassis, crushed rock, floral, and spicy new oak notes. Massive and concentrated with perfect equilibrium, it can be drunk now and over the next 25 years. Kudos to one of the world’s finest wine producers! - Robert Parker, October 2005 Learn More

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A unique blended white rum, consisting of rums from Foursquare Rum Distillery in Barbados and Hampden Estate in Jamaica. Distilled, matured, blended and bottled in the Caribbean. No sugar, flavor, color, nor neutral/multi column spirit added. Bottled at a higher proof (47%), to showcase bold character, especially in cocktail. Learn More

From the winery: Like Trousseau Gris, Chenin is a Heritage white grape that was once widely planted in CA. From over 2000 acres of Chenin planted in Napa in the 1980's, there are now only 16 acres! Finding it is difficult, but rewarding. This is our ninth bottling of Chenin Blanc from a small vineyard in St. Helena. It was picked in late September 1, 2022, and was fermented and aged sur lie in used French Oak barrels for a total of 8 months.

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94+ Points! The 2022 The Steading is juicy, fleshy and aromatically abundant. It is routinely a reliably satisfying wine, and it has been ever since I started drinking wine. Framed by this fine, fresh, late vintage, the Steading looks better than ever, with raspberry, licorice, mulberry, star anise and a hint of aniseed. Super! 15% alcohol, sealed under natural cork and wax. - Erin Larkin, robertparker.com

94 Points! The 2022 The Steading is juicy, fleshy and aromatically abundant. It is routinely a reliably satisfying wine, and it has been ever since I started drinking wine. Framed by this fine, fresh, late vintage, the Steading looks better than ever, with raspberry, licorice, mulberry, star anise and a hint of aniseed. Super! 15% alcohol, sealed under natural cork and wax. - JamesSuckling.com

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90 Points! Supple and vibrant, with aromatic orange blossom, peach and cantaloupe accents that glide on the finish. Drink now. - Wine Spectator

90 Points! A fresh and fruity white with aromas of sliced apples, fresh pears, lemons and peach pits. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a clean, bright palate. Juicy peach notes. Sustainable. Drink now. Screw cap. - JamesSuckling.com

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The 2012 vintage marked a return to a warmer, more generous growing season in Napa Valley, producing wines with greater depth and approachability while still retaining balance. For Scott Palazzo, this vintage offered an opportunity to express Cabernet Franc with a touch more richness while staying true to his Right Bank inspired focus on structure and elegance. Sourced from Carneros and bottled in very limited quantities, these magnums were held exclusively for Palazzo’s private members until now. This release represents the first time these mature library magnums have been made available to the public, offering collectors a rare chance to experience a fully developed Napa Cabernet Franc in its most expressive format.

Tasting Note:
The wine opens with an inviting bouquet of violets, ripe raspberry, and red cherry, layered with hints of sweet spice and subtle earth. On the palate, the 2012 is generous and polished, showing supple red and dark berry fruit supported by vibrant acidity and finely resolved tannins. Savory undertones and gentle oak influence add dimension without overshadowing the fruit. The finish is long, smooth, and harmonious, with the magnum format preserving freshness and balance while allowing the wine’s richness to unfold gracefully.

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97 Points! This is always minerally and incisive and very different from White Bones. This is more classic chardonnay, with lots of freshly squeezed lemons, wet stone, flint and seashells. Brisk acidity on a medium- to full-bodied palate. Tense and intense, but this is acid-driven with a fine touch of salinity that lingers at the end. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! The 2022 Adrianna Vineyard Chardonnay White Stones is more introverted, understated and explicitly chiseled than its more textural and exotic White Bones companion. On the nose, it opens with transparent yet focused aromas of citrus pith and crushed stones, introducing a sleek, vibrant and laser-focused palate. The finish is similarly angular and incisive, continuously generating additional depth and dimension with time in the glass. While I slightly preferred the White Bones bottling due to its extra gear of complexity and textural depth, this is another clear-cut yardstick by which to measure the progress of Argentine white-wine production. - Matthew Luczy, robertparker.com

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97 Points! Dried tropical fruits like mangoes and green papaya, with lemons and green apples. Limes, too. Full-bodied yet tight and compacted with great length and persistence. Muscular yet fresh. 66% sauvignon blanc and 34% semillon. Drinkable but needs five or six years to soften. - James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

96 Points! Ripe and expressive on the nose, aromatically complex with notes of carmalised lemons, honey, peach and wet stones. Clarity and precision from the start, such a well defined palate with striking high acidity, crisp and sharp citrus fruits and a salty undertone. Soft spicing comes in towards the finish suggesting this needs more time and will have a long life ahead but the nuanced bitterness, freshness and lift are all so appealing. Excellent weight and balance too with a bright and long finished - a gourmet style with plenty to like. - Decanter Magazine

96 Points!  The 2020 Château Cos D'Estournel Blanc, a blend of 66% Sauvignon Blanc and 34% Semillon, brings another level of density as well as complexity. Honeyed pineapple, melon, crushed stone, and spicy, savory herbs notes all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a beautifully layered, elegant mouthfeel and a great finish. It's a gem of a white and ranks with the crème de la crème of the vintage. It should keep for 10-15 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

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95 Points! Probably the raciest, most vibrant version of Hyde chardonnay made by any winemaker. Vivid stone fruit and baked apple aromas, then a brilliant texture saturated with green apple, creme brulee and lemon zest flavors. Well balanced, fresh and linear in style. Medium-bodied. Drink now. - JamesSuckling.com

93 Points! The intense, sleek, mouthwatering mix of yuzu, pineapple, lemon curd and fresh ginger flavors is refreshing and distinctive, with notes of crunchy sea salt, fresh lime and jasmine, all on a sleek and crisp frame. Drink now through 2035. - Wine Spectator

From the winery:

We are proud to source the Chardonnay for this wine from Hyde, one of California's most famous and historic Chardonnay vineyards, founded by Larry Hyde in Carneros in 1979. Tucked away in the southern part of Napa Valley, the entire estate is a gorgeous expanse of rolling hills with southeast exposure and saline morning fog. The parcels of Musque clone Chardonnay and old Wente that make up this bottling were planted between 1979 and 1992. This wine was fermented and aged in 100% new French oak, then bottled as this single-vineyard wine.

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96+ Points! The vineyard closest to the great Harlan Estate is Vecina, situated in the western foothills on the Oakville Crossroad overlooking the valley. From this 11-acre site, the 2003 Vecina comes closest in style to Harlan Estate, appearing like a hypothetical blend of a St. Estephe and Pauillac. A formidable wine, it reveals plenty of new saddle leather, creme de cassis, scorched earth and volcanic-like characteristics in addition to notes of blackberries, Chinese black tea and graphite. Powerful, intense and backward, it needs 2-5 years of bottle age and should last for two decades thereafter. It is a tour de force in winemaking! - Robert M. Parker, Jr. , robertparker.com, 2013

 

 

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The 2010 vintage emerged from a cooler, more measured growing season in Napa Valley and is often regarded as one of the more classically styled years of the decade. For Scott Palazzo, this vintage reinforced his Right Bank inspired approach to Cabernet Franc, emphasizing restraint, aromatic complexity, and structure over power. Sourced from Carneros and produced in very limited quantities, the magnum format was held back exclusively for Palazzo’s private members for over a decade. This release marks the first time these library magnums have been offered to the public, presenting a rare opportunity to experience a mature, cool-vintage Cabernet Franc in the format best suited for graceful aging.

Tasting Note:
The wine opens with a refined and savory aromatic profile, showing dried violet, red currant, and subtle herbal notes layered with hints of cedar and gentle spice. On the palate, the 2010 is composed and focused, offering bright red cherry and cranberry fruit framed by lively acidity and firm, well-integrated tannins. Earthy undertones and a touch of graphite add depth as the wine unfolds. The finish is clean, structured, and persistent, with a sense of freshness and balance that has been beautifully preserved in magnum, highlighting both the vintage’s classic character and its long-term aging potential.

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95 Points! Pouring a dark magenta/purple color, the 2023 Zinfandel Russian River Valley is deeper, offering notes of black cherry cordial, dark chocolate, lavender oils, wet stones, and dark sappy earth. The palate is full-bodied, with a broad-shouldered tannic structure that has an even feel, while refreshing acidity holds this wine together. It’s well-structured and has the ability to age over the coming 10 years. - Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com

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Our award-winning white rum is rapidly redefining the category with its unique flavor profile. We’ve crafted an enticing unaged blend of column still rum from the Dominican Republic, with high ester pot still rum from Jamaica, to yield a beautiful extra-proof expression.

100% Rum. No added sugar, coloring, or flavoring.

TASTING NOTES: With notes of jasmine, honeysuckle, white pepper, and lemongrass paired with a smooth and clean finish, it unleashes new possibilities for your next cocktail.

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95 Points! Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon tumbles out with plum preserves, blackcurrant cordial, and stewed blackberries notes with hints of bay leaves, graphite, and fragrant earth. The full-bodied palate is firm and grainy textured, supporting the tight-knit fruit, finishing long with a minty lift. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent

93 Points! A blend of all the vineyards they work with (of which there are seven), the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley sports a deep purple hue to go with classic Napa notes of blue fruits, chocolate, spicy oak, and tobacco. It's full-bodied, opulent, sexy, and undeniably delicious. - Jeb Dunnuck

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97 Points! Very dynamic and complex, with nervy acidity and a sleek, textured profile. Steely and mineral-driven in a Chablis-like style, this offers crushed lemons, white peaches and cracked stones, with fresh acidity and a refined, linear structure. The finish is long, focused and full of energy. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

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92 Points! The 2022 Chardonnay Watson Ranch comes from vines planted in calcareous clay over limestone in 1993 in southern Napa County. Matured for 10 months in used French oak, it has savory scents of cheese rind, button mushrooms, beeswax, jasmine and white orchard fruit. The light-bodied palate is understated and perfumed. Its creamy texture is balanced by bright acidity, and it has a long, fragrant finish. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

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98 Points! The 2020 Cheval des Andes was harvested from the last of February for the first time ever. It was Gabillet's second vintage at Cheval des Andes, and that year, he had to start without waiting for Pierre Olivier Clouet and Pierre Lurton from Cheval Blanc; when they arrived, they had finished picking the Malbec, which surprisingly was fresher in Las Compuertas (because of the higher percentage of clay?) than in Altamira (where the vines suffered more stress), saving the freshness. They now harvest using cold trucks (for the first time), and they also started earlier in the morning (six in the morning, impossible earlier in Mendoza...), which he reckons was very good for the precision of the wine. They used 40% 225-liter barrels, 40% 400-liter oak barrels and 20% 2,500-liter foudres, half of them new and with an élevage of 15 months on average, depending on the lots and varieties from 12 to 18 months. The final blend was 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot, which makes a comeback as it was not used since 2016. The key was to finish the fermentation of the Petit Verdot without skins, and that way, they have been able to use it in the blends of 2021, 2022 and 2023 in small but increasing percentages. This is slightly riper than 2019, with a little more alcohol (14.5%) and with very good structural tannins but saving the freshness, and it has the spicy side from the Petit Verdot (Gabillet talks about white pepper). The wine has the ultra sleek and polished texture and the elegance and the balance that is the signature here; the wine is very clean and precise. I see very good regularity across the three vintages I tasted next to each other—this 2020 and the 2018 and 2019. Overall, this is a triumph over the adverse conditions of the vintage. They produced their usual 100,000 bottles (since 2018), as they are renewing their vineyards and want to keep the volume stable. They produce this volume from the 36 productive hectares they have in Las Compuertas and Altamira. There are some more changes: in 2020, they went for a lighter bottle, weighing 100 grams less than the one they used in 2018 and 2019, but close to 300 grams less than the bottle from before. It's also a slimmer bottle, always thinking about the environment. They are very focused on agroecology, accelerating the regenerative viticulture and using cover crops; they have planted 1,900 trees in the last three years, creating small clusters of biodiversity for birds. They have transplanted some centenary olive trees and keep their sheep and lamas on the property. Very green-minded. - Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 

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