September 1st 2017 Newsletter - The Grape Tray

September 1st 2017 Newsletter

Labor Day Holiday Hours
Saturday, 9/2/17 10:30AM-2:30PM
We will be closed on Monday, 9/4/17

2016 Ghost Block MorgaenLee Yountville Sauvignon Blanc

Winemaker Notes: This bright, tempting, and silky sur lie aged Sauvignon Blanc boasts aromatics of ripe stone fruits, mainly white peach and yellow melon. The wine has lively acidity of yellow fruits and hints of peach. This single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc exhibits classic Napa Valley flavors, with a crisp and complex long –lasting, refreshing finish. Varietal Content: 100% Sauvignon Blanc $23

2014 Secret Cellars Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir

Winemaker Notes: Secret Cellars is a muscular Pinot Noir with a nose of lush dark fruit and earth. Black cherry, pomegranate and cola flavors follow along with an attractive hint of sage. Fine grain tannins lead to a smooth and graceful finish. Enjoy this hearty Pinot Noir with duck confit, grilled rack of lamb and creamy mushroom risotto. $15 Our Price $10.99 (Great Value)

Wine Enthusiast 91
King Estate 2015 Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley)

This comes on tight and tart, with substantial flavors of apple, pear and peach. The depth and juicy acids suggest you'll want to put this on the dinner table alongside grilled halibut or swordfish, lightly spiced with lemon pepper and a splash of olive oil. $19 Liquidation Price $13.55 (Limited to stock on hand)

Connoisseurs’ Guide 95 Points
2015 Ridge Geyserville

Sporting a deep mix of dark fruits that runs from cassis to blackberries along with complexing elements of cocoa and earthy spice, this year's edition of the Ridge Geyserville evokes all the accustomed richness that we have come to expect. It is a well-extracted and eminently ageworthy offering whose tannic, youthfully tight structure warrants a wait, but its astringency is never out of bounds and its insistently fruity finish is the hallmark of a wine guaranteed to repay five or more years of keeping with great dividends. $40 Our Price $34.99

Decanter Wine Journal 95pts
2015 Long Meadow Ranch Anderson Valley Chardonnay

Exotic and vibrant tropical fruit nose. Superbly zesty and vigorous attack with lots of drive, tension and minerality. Flavors of praline, vanilla pastry cream, pear and light citrus. Admirable energy and length. $40 Our Price $33.99

Wine Spectator 93
ANTHEM Cabernet Sauvignon St. Helena Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard 2012

A classically styled Cabernet that's firm in structure and taut in focus and flavor, with a direct core of gravel and cedary oak—scented dark berry, licorice and savory herb flavors. Ends with drying, gripping tannins but also dense fruit and oak flavors. Drink now through 2028. 400 cases made. –JL $95 (Delicious)

2015 Crane Assembly Disciples Red Wine

Complex and evolving from first taste, unique aromas of granite, brambly fruit, mixed berry cobbler, forest floor and smoke open from the glass. More aromas abound; black plums and boysenberry compote that carry through to the palate that is lush, rich, big and brawny. The finish is lingering and persistent and the wine is definitely addictive. $45

2015 Oceana Chablis

Winemaker Notes: The 2015 Oceana Chablis presents as a delicate, pale yellow in color. You are immediately drawn into the glass as notes of lime and wet stone with hints of chalk and citrus blossom greet you on the nose. As you begin to taste, the palate follows the nose, and is well balanced between citrus notes and minerality, with a gentle reminder of kafir lime leaves. The bright acidity and spreading mid-palate lead to a lingering, stoney finish. The elegant balance found in this glass of wine make it a delight to enjoy on it’s own or paired with food. Pair with fresh uni or bigeye tuna tartare. $25 Our Price $21.99

2014 Ghost Block Single Vineyard Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: Intense, overt aromas of bright raspberry & hints of cassis and mint jump out of the glass. The wine is classic Napa Cabernet on the palate with enticing flavors of red fruits and dark mocha; lengthened by the integrated floral notes of violets and rose petals. These silky tannins make this wine very approachable and ready to drink upon release. $100

Best of Monterey Toast of The Coast Wine Competition 94 Points
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


2015 PONT NEUF “La Vouge” Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Silver Eagle Vineyard French clones 115

Winemaker Notes: Our first tasting after bottling shows immense potential for our 2015 Pont Neuf “La Vouge” Pinot Noir. The best wines of Burgundy’s Cotes de Nuits immediately come to mind. Aromas of sweet earth and red fruits, leather, Hen of the Woods mushrooms with bits of soil, truffles, and Cep (Porcini) mushrooms bring to mind a forager’s basket. Leafy forest floor, aromatic spices, leather and fresh cut wood are well integrated and are appetizing accents. The fruit flavors of “La Vouge” also come from a walk in the woods; small, wild red berries, currants, wild cherries, and Damson plums with their soft, sweet flesh yet perfectly balanced acidity. This wine needs time to breathe so we decanted it 45 minutes to 1 hour for it to begin to open fully. $55 (Back in stock 9/6/17)


2013 Dos Lagos Vineyards Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: The 2013 vintage was fully ripe at harvest, and we let it hang just a bit longer to let the ’jammy-ness’ fully develop. The explosion of fruit and intensity of aroma yields to a complex melange of Black Cherry Cola, Dark Ripe Fruit, Figs, Sweet Pipe Tobacco, Cedar, and Chocolate….with a complexity that lingers on the palette through the incredibly long finish. $125


Wine Advocate 96+
2014 Pont Neuf Chardonnay Pont Marie

The 2014 Chardonnay Pont Marie opens with beautiful peach blossoms, apricot and crème brulee scents with hints of lemon peel, crushed stones, cedar and acacia honey. Medium to full-bodied with great opulence of spicy fruit and a decadent creaminess to the texture, this Chardonnay delivers impressive layers of flavors, finishing long with honey-nut suggestions. $75 (Arrives 9/6/17)

Wine Advocate 96+
2014 Spottswoode St Helena Cabernet Sauvignon

This first-growth estate in St. Helena has produced a 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon that is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. It is certainly one of the wines of the vintage. Gorgeously opaque purple, it offers up notes of spring flowers, blueberries, blackcurrants, some baking spice and graphite. It is full-bodied, concentrated and rich, with layers of fruit. The wine builds and builds on the palate, with a great finish of 45+ seconds. This is a sensational 2014 to drink over the next 20+ years. $190

Wine Spectator 95
REVANA Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Terroir Series 2014

Pure, rich, dense and driven by extracted blackberry, boysenberry, licorice, currant, cedar and cigar box nuances. Most impressive for the direct and authoritative presence. Best from 2020 through 2038. 1,300 cases made. –JL $105 Limited

Wine Advocate 94
2013 Jones Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, which spends 20 months in about 80% new French oak, is a beauty. This wine has broad blackberry and black raspberry flavors, a judicious touch of toasty oak, soil notes and broad, savory, rich, full bodied flavors. This comes from northern Napa Valley from a south-facing hillside overlooked by the esteemed combo of winemaker Thomas Brown and vineyard managed by David Abreu. Drink this over the next 15 or so years. $150

Wine Advocate 99
2014 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill

The flagship wine, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill, 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petit Verdot and 5% Malbec, is a stunner and one of the great, great 2014s. Inky purple with blueberry and blackberry fruit, cassis, licorice, graphite and white flowers, the wine is stunningly concentrated, full-bodied and seemingly one of the greatest of the 2014s. Still youthful, with at least 25-30 years of upside potential at the minimum, this is a wine for patient connoisseurs. Anticipated maturity: 2023-2050. $245 (Arrives 9/8/17)

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