April 20th 2018 Newsletter - The Grape Tray

April 20th 2018 Newsletter

WOW-What a Deal!
Wine Advocate 88
2014 Ferraton Pere et Fils
Cotes du Rhone Samorens

Offering lots to love, the 2014 Côtes du Rhône Samorens has lots of pepper and dark berry fruit to go with a medium to full-bodied, rich, nicely textured and mouth-filling style on the palate. Drink it over the coming 3-4 years. $15 Our Price $5.99 (Arrives 4/24/18)

Wine Spectator 92
PIATTELLI Malbec Cafayate Valley
Grand Reserve 2013

Big, rich and pure-tasting, delivering generous flavors of blackberry, dark plum and dark chocolate that are creamy and lush. Mineral and Asian spice notes flood the powerfully fruity yet refined finish. Drink now through 2020. 100% Malbec. 1,800 cases made. –KM $22 Our Price $19.45

Wine Spectator 93
FROSTWATCH Chardonnay
Bennett Valley 2015

Delightfully rich and lively, medium-weight yet packed with flavors highlighting tangerine, nectarine and spicy oak, with a long, layered aftertaste that keeps you coming back for more. Drink now.—J.L. 665 cases made. $30 (Arrives this afternoon)

Wine Advocate 89
2016 Chateau de Saint Cosme
Cotes du Rhone Rouge

Even Saint Cosme's "lowly" 2016 Cotes du Rhone looked good on my recent visit. It's mostly Syrah, blended from vineyards in Vinsobres and the Gard, offering lovely floral and peppery aromas, dark fruits, medium to full body and a softly dusty finish. It should drink well for 6 years. $15 Our Price $12.99. Magnums $31.99

2016 Domaine de Terrebrune Bandol Rose

Winemaker Notes: Rosé with a golden glow to the salmony color-very pretty indeed. The aroma is complex and changing in the glass, but is (and long will be) marked by a chalky minerality, bright freshness, and ravishing rose petal and citrus notes. 50% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, 25% Cinsault. $30 Our Price $26.99

Wine Spectator 93
RIDGE Zinfandel Sonoma Valley
Pagani Ranch 2015

Deep and potently structured, with distinctive spice box and licorice aromas and densely layered flavors of blackberry, cracked pepper and smoky herbes de Provence that finish with big but ripe tannins. Best from 2019 through 2025.—T.F. $40 Our Price $35.99 (Back in stock this afternoon)

2016 Baldassari Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: Fresh and powerful aromas of golden delicious apples and fresh pears on the nose. Hazelnut, pear and quince flavors flood the palate. A subtle minerality and flinty character pull together to create a memorable finish. $42 Our Price $35.99

Antonio Galloni, Vinous 93
2013 Keenan Napa Cabernet

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is deep and powerful from the get go, with beams of supporting tannin and acidity that give the wine its sense of proportion. There is plenty of nuance in the dark fruit, along with terrific aromatic complexity, but today the tannins are imposing, to say the least. Readers should be prepared to cellar the 2013 for at least a few years, but even that may not be enough. This is another terrific example of the vintage. $56 Our Price $47.99

Wine Advocate 95-97
2015 Walter Hansel Winery Pinot Noir The North Slope

The 2015 Pinot Noir North Slope, 100% from Dijon clone 115, also performed spectacularly, no doubt because of the extremely tiny yields. This wine has a dense purple color, a gorgeously compelling nose of forest floor, spring flowers, blue, red and black fruits, followed by a full-bodied, layered and concentrated Pinot Noir that is as light as a ballerina on the palate, but at the same time, intense and rich. The finish just goes on and on. Drink it over the next decade or more. $42 (Back in stock this afternoon)

2014 Paradigm Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

Notes from Winemaker Heidi Barrett: The 2014 vintage produced some delicious rich wines and this deeply colored Cab is no exception. The aromas are enticing and open, showing ripe fruit, complexity, and layers of refined French Oak. This is a very expressive complete wine that will age beautifully. Mouthcoating flavors of black cherry, currant, and blackberry followed by chewy tannins lead to an overall palate feel that is delicious. With perfect balance and ripeness, this is a stellar vintage. $84

2014 Vice Versa Le Petit Vice Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from acclaimed vineyards in the Napa Valley, the 2014 Le Petit Vice is a true testament to the 2014 vintage; full-bodied, layered and refined. Offering complex aromatics of plum, red cherry and cassis, with subtle hints of licorice, black tea and thyme. It's rich mouthfeel excites the palate while maintaining a beautiful balance of ripe fruit and acidity. With integrated fine tannins, the 2014 Le Petit Vice rolls like a wave into a seemingly never-ending finish. This is a wine to treasure and share for years to come. $75 (Our last case arrives this afternoon)

Wine Advocate 94+
2014 Salvestrin Cabernet Sauvignon 3D Dr. Crane Vineyard

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon 3D Dr. Crane Vineyard (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) sports a deep garnet-purple color and fragrant nose of violets and potpourri over a core of crème de cassis, blueberry compote and chocolate box with a waft of Chinese five spice. Full-bodied and chock full of exotic spice and floral notions, it has a firm, grainy backbone and a long, perfumed finish. $145 Our Price $129.99

2016 Kosta Browne One Sixteen Russian River Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: Meyer lemon with hints of honeycomb and orange blossom. Oyster shell, wet stone with a kiss of struck flint on the nose. Rich with acidity and elegance. Textural with an everlasting finish. Market $78-$109. (6 bottles available at $89.99/bottle)

2015 Ghost Block Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: Intense, overt aromas of dark cherry & blackberries explode out of the glass. This wine is an elegant & balanced Oakville Cabernet on the palate with enticing flavors of deep red fruits and great structure & body;lengthened by the integrated oak notes of vanilla. These silky tannins make this wine very approachable with a long lasting finish and ready to drink upon release but bound for many cellars. $70 Our Price $64.99 (Arrives this afternoon)



Back to Our Blog

Are you 21 years old, or older?

No