November 3rd 2017 Newsletter - The Grape Tray

November 3rd 2017 Newsletter

2016 Hahn Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir

Winemaker Notes: Aromas of bright red cherry, strawberry with hints of earth, spices, and toasty oak. An explosion of red fruit including strawberry, cherry and raspberry welcome the palate finish with refined tannins and a soft mouthfeel. $25 Our Price $19.75 (Delicious!)

Wine Spectator 88
BODEGAS LA CANA Albariño Rias Baixas La Caña 2016

This round white offers juicy flavors of apricot and quince, with lemon-lime acidity and accents of honeysuckle and chalk. Bright, lively and graceful. Drink now. 5,000 cases made. –TM $18 Our Price $14.99

James Suckling 94 Points
Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Lyndenhurst 2014

A rich and dense red with a powerful palate of ripe fruit and chewy tannins. Lots of blackberry and blueberry character. Expanding tannins. Needs two or three years to soften. $85 (Arrives 11/15/17)

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 Our Price $99.99

2015 Pico and Vine Sonoma Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: A bright, delightful Chardonnay that invigorates the palate. Pico and Vine Chardonnay showcases aromas of apple, pear and citrus that carry through to the palate. Hints of vanilla and nutmeg arise followed by a crisp and refreshing finish. $15 Our Price $11.45

2014 Bogle Phantom

Winemaker Notes: Phantom, Bogle’s mysterious apparition of ripe berry and relentless spice, returns to haunt wine lovers. Full of concentration and intensity, this wine will tease, tantalize and linger long after the last sip is gone. Wild berries, black pepper are framed by the influence of oak aging with baking spices and a hint of toasty vanilla. 42% Petite Sirah, 34% Zinfandel, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot. $20 Our Price $13.95

Wine Spectator 93
CHÂTEAU BRANAIRE-DUCRU St.-Julien 2014, Half Bottles

Very pure and expressive, featuring lovely violet and cassis aromas and flavors that stream forth, backed by light anise and graphite hints. Maintains a fresh feel through the finish, with light minerality engaging with the fruit. Best from 2019 through 2028. 13,335 cases made.-JM $43/750ml. Our Price $26.95/375ml

Wine Advocate 93
2014 Lucia Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard

This site, which was planted in 2006, continues to impress and the 2014 Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard is a beauty. Offering a killer bouquet of black raspberry, cassis, crushed flowers and incense, this deep ruby/purple and translucent colored 2014 is medium to full-bodied, has beautiful purity, integrated acidity and a seamless, elegant style that makes it already hard to resist. $60

Wine Advocate 92
2014 Obsidian Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Red Hills

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is also a winner, slightly more open and precocious, but with plenty of blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, striking minerality (no doubt from the Obsidian rocks) and a full-bodied, luscious, juicy style with a voluptuous texture. Drink it over the next 10-15 years. $30 Our Price $25.69

Wine Spectator 93
REINHOLD HAART Riesling Spätlese Mosel Goldtröpfchen 2015

A juicy style, with intense apricot, white currant and crunchy apple flavors, supported by supple acidity. Offers a complex mix of spice and fruit tart notes midpalate. The finish lingers with honeyed accents. Drink now through 2032. 350 cases made. –KM $45 Our Price $39.99

Wine Spectator 90
CHÂTEAU HAUT-BEAUSÉJOUR St.-Estèphe 2014

A ripe style, with enticing raspberry and black currant confiture notes studded with singed spice and black tea details. A good tobacco underpinning keeps this honest, though the relatively fleshy edge will give this more immediate appeal. Best from 2018 through 2024. –JM $35 Our Price $24.35

2015 Talbott Kali Hart Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: A pure fruit expression of Talbott Chardonnay, Kali Hart is lush and lively. Minimal winemaker influence allows Kali Hart Chardonnay to showcase the strength of Talbott's estate vineyards. The rich, inviting nose shows bright tropical notes that continue on the palate, where refreshing flavors of pineapple and honeydew are complimented by refreshing acidity. A generous mid-palate leads to a long citrus and tropical fruit finish with hints of French oak and minerality. $18 Our Price $14.99

Wine Spectator 93
REGIS BOUVIER Marsannay Clos du Roy 2014

A taut, austere style, with a structure like a steel spring, waiting to release the cherry, currant and mineral flavors. Shows fine purity and elegance, presenting a long, juicy aftertaste. Best from 2019 through 2035. 264 cases imported.-B.S $33 Our Price $29.99

Wine Advocate 94+
2015 Arkenstone Obsidian Proprietary Red Estate

The 2014 Proprietary Red Obsidian Estate is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot and 3% Malbec from their estate vineyards. It is aged 22 months in 90% new French oak and is one of their larger cuvées of 720 cases. This is also an impressive, but backward wine with a dense purple color, loads of crushed rock in the nose of blackberry and cassis fruit intermixed with white flowers, licorice and forest floor. It is multidimensional, full-bodied, pure, dense and will benefit from 2-3 years of cellaring, while keeping for 20-25. $175 (Arrives 11/15/17) Limited

Wine Advocate 96+
2014 Spottswoode Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Magnum

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. $400/magnum (Arrives 11/15/17)


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