August 15th 2017 Newsletter - The Grape Tray

August 15th 2017 Newsletter

73% OFF-WOW!
2014 Chateau St. Jean Bijou Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: French for "Jewel", Bijou is a vivacious, crisp Chardonnay driven by a core of fruit-forward flavor: peach, pineapple and passion fruit hold center stage with just a light touch of French oak. We select perfectly ripe fruit from vineyards throughout California to craft this food-friendly wine. $15 Our Price $3.99 (Arrives 8/16/17)

Wine Spectator 91
REX HILL Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2014, Half Bottles

Sleek and well-knit, with black cherry and dusty mint aromas and balanced smoky plum flavors that finish with refined tannins. Drink now through 2021. 7,110 cases made. –TF $18/375ml Our Price $14.95/375ml


Wine Spectator 92
LA CREMA Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2015

Pure and lively, with flavors of lemon meringue, green apple, honeydew and spice. Though rich and dense, this is also elegant. The vibrancy keeps the flavors dancing. Drink now through 2021. 21,104 cases made. –JL $30 Our Price $24.35

2016 Imagery Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: This Cabernet Sauvignon is a soft, smooth wine with well integrated oak. Flavors of dark fruit, black cherry, clove and cinnamon are met with cola and vanilla toast in the mid-palate. This opulent wine is enhanced with spice, clove and pepper notes from the Petite Sirah. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petite Sirah. $20 Our Price $14.95

Wine Spectator 94
DOMAINE ST.-PRÉFERT Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2015

Energetic, with a big ball of kirsch wound tightly with licorice, graphite and raspberry coulis notes. Shows lots of bright spice accents through the finish, which is carried by finely beaded acidity. Offers serious latent grip. Best from 2020 through 2035. 2,740 cases made. $44 (Arrives 8/18/17)

2015 Joel Gott 815 Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: Rich vanilla aromas, framed by red fruit notes of plum, strawberry and cherry, fill the nose of this California Cabernet Sauvignon. Luscious Bing cherry, strawberry and raspberry flavors on the palate give way to hints of cigar box and toffee on the long, textured finish. $18 Our Price $11.95

94 Points Best of Monterey Toast of The Coast Wine Competition
2014 Cru Montage Monterey Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: Pale Golden color. Aromas of white peach, nectarine and lime. Fruity yet full body and an elegant crème Anglaise, melon and Meyer’s lemon finish. 100% Chardonnay $20 Our Price $15.75 (Back in stock)

Wine Spectator 92
DONUM Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Angel Camp Single Vineyard 2013

Combines richness with elegance, restraint and finesse, delivering caressing blueberry and raspberry notes, and touches of spice, fresh earth, anise and light cedar. An altogether graceful style, with understated attributes. Drink now through 2022. 135 cases made. $90 –JL

Wine Spectator 90
JOSEPH DROUHIN St.-Véran 2015

A lush yet succulent style, this displays floral, apple, white peach and subtle honey flavors. Balanced, leaving a fresh, cleansing impression on the finish. Drink now through 2021. 8,000 cases imported.—B.S. $21 Our Price $17.65 (Arrives 8/17/17)

Vinous 90 pts
Domaine François Villard 2014 Crozes-Hermitage Comme une évidence Northern Rhône

Opaque ruby. Fresh dark berry, violet and cracked pepper scents show good clarity and mineral lift. Spicy, penetrating and lively on the palate, offering bitter cherry and black raspberry flavors that flesh out with aeration. Fine-grained tannins shape the spicy, clinging finish, which leaves a hint of bitter cherry behind. $30 Our Price $26.99

PRIVATE PRESERVE # 1 Rated Wine Preserver Worldwide

The essential wine accessory second in importance only to the corkscrew. An easy affordable way to enjoy fine wine by the glass. Preserve wine at home or in a restaurant the same way winemakers preserve wine in wineries. $7.95

Wine Spectator 96
LOUIS CHÈZE Condrieu Pagus Luminis 2015

This has power, with a large core of creamed peach, nectarine and yellow apple fruit. Lengthy, pure and vibrant, with a mineral streak running underneath and chamomile and honeysuckle notes gilding the finish. Dreamy wine. Drink now through 2022. 1,200 cases made. –JM $69 Our Price $44.99

2012 Gregory Graham Crimson Hill Cabernet

Winemaker Notes: Our Cabernet Sauvignon is from our Crimson Hill Vineyard in the Red Hills district of Lake County. The vineyard is at 2,000 feet elevation and overlooks the southern end of Clear Lake. This 13-acre block was planted in 1995 with clone 7 Cabernet on 110R rootstock. The crimson red, volcanic soil provides the perfect site for growing great red wines. The climate is ideal for late season reds because the vineyard receives daily full sun with warm temperatures which are tempered by daily afternoon mistrals. The majority of the vineyard is contracted to Napa Valley wineries. $30 Our Price $25.69 (Back in stock 8/16/17)

In Stock!
2016 Rombauer Carneros Chardonnay, 3 Liter

Winemaker Notes: Enticing aromas of vanilla, melon and mango are layered with apricot, creme brulee, butter and a slight minerality. Those scents are echoed as flavors on the creamy, rich palate, along with peach, pie crust and baking spices. The long, smooth finish is marked by mouthwatering acidity. $165/3L.

Wine Advocate 92 2014 Ghost Block • Cabernet Sauvignon Single Vineyard

The exceptional 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Single Vineyard comes from Yountville in the southern sector of Napa. It offers an opaque purple color, a big sweet kiss of briary red and black fruits, licorice, crushed rock and forest floor. It is deep, round, opulent, full-bodied and should continue to drink well, as most top 2014 Cabernets will, for another 15-20+ years. $110 (Arrives 8/25/17)

Wine Advocate 98
2014 Cardinale • Proprietary Red Wine

A magnificent wine made the by the brilliant winemaker Chris Carpenter, who also works for the Kendall-Jackson empire at Lokoya and a handful of other estates, this blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot is sourced from multiple vineyards owned by the Jacksons, from Veeder Peak to Spring Mountain to Howell Mountain. In 2014, it reminded me of a great vintage of Pontet-Canet from Pauillac, but slightly bigger than life. The inky purple color, the stunning nose of cedar wood, unsmoked cigar tobacco, graphite, crème de cassis and subtle new oak is followed by a multi-layered, profoundly concentrated, large-scaled wine with sensational levels of blackcurrant fruit moving toward blackberries. A wine of great intensity, silky tannins and adequate acidity, this is clearly one of the great, great wines of the vintage, and another tour de force in winemaking from Carpenter. It is a 15- to 20- year wine, but the window for drinking its is probably that big as well. $275 (Arrives 9/15/17) Please email stan@grapetray.com if you would like to place an order.


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