January 12th 2018 Newsletter - The Grape Tray

January 12th 2018 Newsletter

PinotFile 95 Points
2015 Morgan Double L Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir

Vineyard Certified Organic since 2002 making it the first vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands to achieve both organic and sustainable certifications. Clones 777, 667, 115, 114 and Pommard 4. Aged 10 months in French oak barrels, 50% new. • Moderately light garnet color in the glass. Very special nose that attracts with aromas of plum, blueberry, blackberry, cardamom spice and floral blossom. A high-collared wine that is flat out terrific, offering mid weight plus flavors of an array of blue and black fruits. Gifted with plenty of extract yet discreet in generosity with the right touch of oak and earthiness. A tenacious finish completes the picture. $64 Our Price $57.99

Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
We will be closed on Monday, 1/15/18

Wine Advocate 90
2015 Morgan Chardonnay Highland

The 2015 Chardonnay Highland has an alluring nose of honeyed peaches, lightly buttered toast, spiced apples and ginger with a touch of chopped almonds. Medium-bodied with a toasty/savory palate, it gives a great core of stone fruit and spicy flavors, finishing long and refreshing. $27 Our Price $22.99

Vinous 91 Points
2015 Bishop’s Peak Pinot Noir

Bright red. Heady cherry and red berry scents show excellent clarity and pick up hints of smoky minerals, succulent herbs and candied flowers with air. Sappy, incisive black raspberry, bitter cherry and spicecake flavors show very good clarity and develop a sweet hint of vanilla on the back half. Powerful yet lithe, showing firm closing bite and lingering rose and allspice qualities. $16 Our Price $13.99

Wine Spectator 90
TABLAS CREEK Patelin de Tablas Blanc Paso Robles 2016

A lovely mix of peach, pear and mango flavors that are succulent and juicy, with details of lemongrass and peach blossom lingering in the background. Finishes with terrific harmony and juicy presence. Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne and Clairette Blanche. Drink now. 3,000 cases made.—M.W. $25 Our Price $19.99

Wine Spectator 92
BERNARDUS Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands Pisoni Vineyard 2014

Combines power with finesse, offering a vibrant mix of spicy wild berry and black cherry flavors and floral and light oak scents. A touch of fresh earth shows on the long, persistent finish. Drink now through 2024. 446 cases made. –JL $70 Our Price $58.95

Wine Advocate 91-93 Points
2015 Fourcas Dupré

The 2015 Fourcas-Dupré offers plenty of blackberry and boysenberry fruit on the nose, a touch of brine here, a subtle marine influence that lends it complexity and personality. The palate is medium-bodied with a juicy opening, a mélange of red and black fruit, taut and quite linear with plenty of freshness and tension on the finish. This is a well-crafted Listrac that punches well above my expectations. $24 Our Price $19.29 (Arrives Spring 2018) Please email stan@grapetray.com if you would like to be added to the pre-arrival list.

2016 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc, Half Bottle

Winemaker Notes: Layers of flavor and beauty—juicy and inviting, with a mélange of white peach, guava, and nectarine. A wine of great complexity—there is a sense of creaminess (lemon meringue comes to mind) juxtaposed with a bright freshness that offers lift and vivacity. This is a beautifully crafted wine—expressive, balanced, and sophisticated—displaying all that is best in Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc. A mouth-filling wine of great presence and breeding. $38 Half Bottles $19.

PinotFile 95 Points
2015 Brooks Note Weir Vineyard Yorkville Highlands Pinot Noir

Rochioli and Wädenswil 2A clones from the lower, eastern blocks, and Romanée-Conti clone from the western blocks. 10% whole cluster, open-top fermentation, 3-day cold soak, native yeast, aged 16 months in French oak barrels, 33% new. • Moderately light garnet color in the glass. Terrific aromas of black cherry and baking spices leap from the glass. Just what you desire from Pinot. Light to mid weight gloriously fresh flavors of strawberry, cherry, spice and tobacco framed by toned tannins. Lovely balance and a very long, quenching finish. Still pumping out a deep well of fruit pleasure when tasted the following day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle. The vintner really hit the mark in this vintage! $44 (Arrives this afternoon)

Wine Spectator 92
CHÂTEAU D’EPIRÉ Savennières Cuvée Spéciale 2014

Has a hint of maturity, with light almond and salted butter notes framing the core of creamed yellow apple, quince and pear flavors. A twinge of mirabelle plum on the finish lends lift and contrast. There’s plenty of life here for more cellaring. Drink now through 2027.—J.M. 383 cases imported $30 Our Price $24.99

2015 Obsidian Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: The nose is intriguing: brambly and dark with hints of cocoa powder. Rich and generous in the mouth, this wine features notes of black cherries mixed with blackberries and is soft yet voluminous. $28 Our Price $25.69

Wine Spectator 90
LAFOND Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills SRH 2015

Buttery, with plenty of creamy accents to the ripe apple, pear tart and lemon curd flavors. The richly spiced finish has hints of savoriness and toasty notes. Drink now through 2021. 2,390 cases made. –KM $23 Our Price $18.99

Wine Spectator 93
CERETTO Barolo 2013

Red Taut and gritty, with austere and dense tannins locking down the cherry, menthol and tobacco flavors. Offers a glimpse of sweet cherry, but only time will yield the hidden facets. Offers a long, licorice-tinged finish. Best from 2023 through 2040.—B.S. 250 cases imported $40

Wine Advocate 94
2013 Marciano Estate Proprietary Red Blend Massiglia

Another cuvée they make that is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon is the 2013 Proprietary Red Blend Massiglia, which is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. This is a gorgeous wine, with notes of crushed rock, white flowers, blueberry and blackberry liqueur as well as touches of forest floor and underbrush. It is deep, full-bodied, layered and ideal for drinking over the next 20 years. $125

Wine Advocate 92-94
2015 Scarlett Cabernet Sauvignon McGah Family Vineyard

As for the 2015s, as you might expect from this high-quality vintage in Northern California, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon McGah Family Vineyard is a fruit bomb. Blackcurrants, blackberry, spring flowers and pen ink, in a full-bodied, in-your-face and rather flamboyant, dramatic style, are all part of its appeal and personality. Drink it over the next 15-20 years. $69 (Back in stock 1/17/18)

Wine Advocate 95
2015 Addax Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard Napa

Deep garnet-purple in color, the Addax 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Tench Vineyard gives up notions of black cherries, cassis and red and black plums with hints of dried Mediterranean herbs, pencil shavings and underbrush. Full-bodied, rich, ripe and seductive in the mouth, it has a satisfying core of black fruit and earthy layers with firm, grainy tannins and a long, savory finish. $185 (Arrives 1/17/18)

Wine Advocate 95-98
2015 Tor Kenward Melanson Cabernet Sauvignon

WINEMAKER’S TASTING NOTES: If you liked the 2013 Melanson, you’ll love the 2015. It is sort of like the 2013 Melanson on steroids. This shows the similar density and richness on the palate as the 2013 but with a more floral element to the wine and perhaps a bit more silky palate impression and an additional layer of richness and seamlessness. You will find loads of blackberries, currants, smoked meats. It is good now, but will benefit from a few years in the cellar. With the stuffing and density of the wine it should easily go 15 years+ and only get better and better. The hallmark of a great Cabernet. $225


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