October 20th 2017 Newsletter - The Grape Tray

October 20th 2017 Newsletter

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Barefoot Bubbly Sparkling Pinot Grigio

Winemaker Notes: Enjoy the refreshing taste of our Pinot Grigio with a unique twist - bubbles! Barefoot Bubbly Pinot Grigio is one of the only Pinot Grigio sparkling wines from California. Light-bodied and refreshing, our Bubbly Pinot Grigio bubbles over with citrus flavors and orange blossom aromas. Barefoot Bubbly Pinot Grigio is fantastic alone or with grilled fish, artichoke dip and Greek salad. $10 (Liquidation Price $3.95 (Limited to two cases in stock)

Wine Spectator 90
GREY STACK Sauvignon Blanc Bennett Valley Rosemary's Block Dry Stack Vineyard 2016

Juicy and succulent, highlighting lemongrass, lemon and peach flavors, with aromatic notes of marmalade and spice lingering on the long, expressive finish. Drink now. 550 cases made. –MW $30

WOW 70% Off! 2011 St Clement Napa Merlot

Winemaker Notes: This Merlot opens with notes of red and black cherry, red plum and cranberry. On the palate, it delivers on its promise of ripe red fruit and subtle spice with long, fine tannins. $25 Our Price $7.45

Antonio Galloni, Vinous 94 pts
Tensley 2015 Syrah Colson Canyon Vineyard

The 2015 Syrah Colson Canyon Vineyard is structured and inward, with huge tannins that will need time to soften. Bright red fruit, menthol, licorice and pine are starting to open up, but the 2015 is in no mood to show all of its cards today. Readers should expect to cellar it for at least a few years. $42 Our Price $32.95

Wine Spectator 94
BRICK HOUSE Pinot Noir Ribbon Ridge Les Dijonnais 2015

Such a mouthful of lithe, supple fruit, offering delicate yet expressive notes of raspberry, stony mineral and savory spice. Long, lingering finish is framed by refined tannins. 575 cases made. Drink now through 2024.—T.F 2014 $52 Our Price $47.99

2014 WesMar Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

Winemaker Notes: Aromas of dark berries and sandalwood. This weighty Pinot Noir is an exotic blend of red and dark stone fruits. A sip reveals a blend of Hellenthal and Balletto that fills the mouth and continues delivering highly concentrated and addicting fruit flavors, with moderate fruit tannins in the foreground leading to an extremely fulfilling long finish. $45 Grape Tray Insider Price $24.95

Wine Advocate 92
2014 The Grade Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Winfield Vineyard

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon the Grade Winfield Vineyard exhibits impressively saturated bluish/purple color, reminiscent of a moonless night. The wine has impressive fruit quality, loads of cassis, blackberries, floral notes and a hint of earthy minerality. The wine, full-bodied and rich, was aged 20 months in French oak prior to bottling. It is a generous wine and wonderfully endowed. This can be drunk now or cellared for up to 10-15 years. $100 (Delicious)

Wine Spectator 92
HENRI BILLIOT & FILS Brut Champagne Réserve NV

The firm acidity is lip-smacking up front but becomes juicier, framing spiced flavors of white cherry, spun honey, lemon curd and brioche. This is bright, expressive and balanced, with a fine mousse that caresses the palate like raw silk. Disgorged June 2015. Drink now through 2022. 150 cases imported. –AN $50 Our Price $42.39

Wine Spectator 91
DUC DE ROMET Brut Champagne Prestige NV

This juicy, lively version features ripe black cherry, candied lemon zest and grated ginger flavors set on the fine mousse. A crowd-pleaser. Disgorged July 2016. Drink now through 2020. 1,000 cases imported. –AN $35 Our Price $29.99

Wine Spectator 92
TRIMBACH Riesling Alsace Réserve 2013

An austere, monolithic white, with intense acidity driven by abundant minerality. Subtle notes of melon rind, lemon preserves, ground white pepper and spring forest should gain momentum with additional air or cellar time. Best from 2019 through 2026. 300 cases imported. –AN $28 Our Price $25.95

Wine Advocate 90
2014 Elderton • Shiraz Cabernet E Series

Deep garnet-purple, the 2014 Shiraz Cabernet E Series is a blend of 90% Shiraz and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon that opens to a very spicy nose of cloves, vanilla and cinnamon stick with a baked blueberry core. The medium-bodied palate offers tons of spicy fruit that is deftly framed by velvety tannins before finishing long. $19 Our Price $12.99

Wine Spectator 92
GEORG ALBRECHT SCHNEIDER Riesling Spätlese Rheinhessen Niersteiner Hipping 2015

Laced with pink grapefruit and peach flavors, this white is sleek and taut, with vivid acidity stretching the finish. Brown spice and slate accents emerge there, along with a lip-smacking feel. Drink now through 2035. 1,000 cases made. –BS $17 Our Price $12.99

Wine Spectator 91
BOLLIG-LEHNERT Riesling Spätlese Mosel Piesporter Goldtröpfchen 2015

A fresh and zesty style, with notes of dried sage and thyme to the green peach and pippin apple flavors. The pure finish is loaded with minerality, offering hints of white pepper. Drink now through 2025. 700 cases made. –KM $21 Our Price $15.99

Wine Advocate 93
2014 Cliff Lede Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District

Their basic Cabernet Sauvignon from Stags Leap, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is sensational and only hints at what consumers are likely to find with their more expensive and higher-end cuvées. This is just a stunner that is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc and the rest Malbec and Merlot. Dense purple in color, it has a beautiful nose of spring flowers, blackcurrants, subtle background oak and licorice and a long, opulent mouthfeel. This is a beauty that can be drunk now or cellared for another 15 more years. It is a heck of a wine and irresistible. $82 Our Price $69.99

Wine Enthusiast 93
2014 Sinor-La Vallee Syrah- SLO County

This feral and gamy wine shows roast lamb, rosemary, dried fennel, rose petal and forest floor aromas on its dynamic nose. The palate leads with explosive acidity, before waves of Concord grape and blackberry flavor take hold. It's light on its feet but has some textural firmness, finishing on rosemary, lavender and game notes. $28 Our Price $23.99

Wine Advocate 95
2014 O'Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

The sensational 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain (which is reasonably priced, given how superb it is) is her largest cuvée of just under 3,300 cases. It is a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest tiny quantities of Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Petit Verdot, and a real head scratcher, St. Macaire. Inky purple to the rim, with notes of white flowers, licorice, forest floor and graphite, this wine exhibits classic mulberry, blackberry and blackcurrant fruit notes, some background, vague oak, a full-bodied, beautifully proportioned mouthfeel, and a layered finish. Like most 2014s, it can be drunk now, but it has at least two decades of cellaring potential. $105 (Back in stock-This wine will be outstanding with 5 years in the cellar)

Wine Advocate 93
2015 Linne Calodo • Rising Tides Proprietary Red

Composed of 54% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 14% Syrah and 2% Tannat, the 2015 Rising Tides Proprietary Red offers a medium to deep garnet-purple color and nose of smoky bacon, dusty earth and black pepper over a core of red currants, raspberry preserves, wild blueberries and a hint of wild thyme. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with spicy red and blue fruits, framed by fine-grained tannins and finishing with great length. $83 (2 bottles in stock)


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