September 23rd 2019 Newsletter - The Grape Tray

September 23rd 2019 Newsletter

2016 Coppola Director’s Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: The Director’s Cabernet Sauvignon offers a ripe core of fruits that include blackberry, cherry and cassis as well as warm spice nuances. Dark and succulent with medium density, a balanced palate and a nice integration of wood, this wine is very fragrant and captures the essence of the vintage. $20 Liquidation Price $14.65 (Limited to stock on hand)

Campo Viejo Cava Brut Rose

Winemaker Notes: A bright sparkling pink color. Pleasant and powerful on the nose with a strong presence of ripe red berries. Round and full on the palate. $10 Our Price $7.95

Antonio Galloni, Vinous 91 Points
2017 Tilth Russian River Pinot Noir

The 2017 Pinot Noir from Tilth is an attractive, fruity wine to drink now and over the next handful of years. Sweet red berry, kirsch, hard candy and sweet floral notes all grace this attractive, mid-weight Pinot. This is a decidedly perfumed, refined expression of the appellation. Drinking window: 2020 – 2025. $38 Our Price $25.99

2017 Mazzocco Briar Zinfandel

Tasting Notes: Perfectly balanced with intense aromas of dark fruit - blackberry, wild cherry, and French plum - bound by vanilla bean notes. A taste sensation of vibrant fruit supported by velvety tannins with luscious flavors of chocolate truffle, raspberry preserves, a smidgen of allspice, and a dusting of powdered cacao, finishing with cardamom and spicy notes. 93% Zinfandel & 7% Petite Sirah. $29 Our Price $25.95 (Arrives 9/25/19)

2017 Chappellet Grower Collection
 Dutton Ranch Russian River Pinot Noir

This rich and expressive Pinot Noir begins with aromas of currant, crème de cassis, and dark cherry, followed by subtle notes of anise, clove, mocha and rose petals. On the palate, silky tannins add length and polish to flavors of wild berry and pomegranate, with hints of white pepper and nutmeg providing nuance to the lingering finish. $53 Our Price $46.99 (Arrives 9/25/19)

2017 PONT NEUF “Pont Royal” Chardonnay Russian River

Winemaker Notes: The 2017 Pont Royal reveals a brilliant clarity both in appearance and flavors. Its vineyard character is classic; forward citrus, fresh peach, custard and honied beeswax accents are consistent hallmarks of our Chardonnay. There is a superior silky texture, almost creamy, that is only experienced in Premier and Grand Cru wines in Burgundy. French oak takes a back seat to the fruit, adding nuanced aromas of toasted brioche and fine structure to the wine. We employed 80% new oak from the Vosges forest, contributing the delicate toast and vanilla aromas and playing perfectly with bright citrus fruit. Barrel-fermented, aged on the lees and bottled un-fined and unfiltered, this natural fermentation showcases the vineyard and the vintage. 75 cases produced. $55 (Back in stock 9/27/19)

2017 Roar Rosella’s Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir

Winemaker Notes: Perfumed and floral, with blackberry, cherry, and vanilla aromas, this wine from our home ranch delivers abundant fruit balanced by savory leather and dried herbs. Dense boysenberry and raspberry anchor a velvety palate and a long, seamless finish laced with oregano, dusty earth, and rose petals. $63

Wine Spectator 95
KRUG Brut Champagne Grande Cuvée 167ème Édition NV

This mouthwatering Champagne is intense, from the floral- and spice-laced nose to the racy frame of acidity to the expansive flavors of grilled nut, mandarin orange peel, black currant and coffee. Stands out for finesse rather than power, with an enticing finish that brings you back for another sip. Disgorged January 2018. Drink now through 2027. From France.—A.N. $160

Wine Spectator 88
ALBERT BICHOT Chablis Domaine Long-Depaquit 2017

The flavors of this white verge on peach, with a core of straightforward apple and light earth notes. Persistent on the lingering, lemony finish. Drink now. 1,129 cases imported. — BS $30 Our Price $26.99

Vinous 92 Points
2017 Goldatzel Riesling Johannisberger
Goldatzel Bestes Fass Spätlese Trocken

Scents of sea breeze, oily crushed stone and bruised lime peel put me a bit in mind of Chablis. Along with these comes seductive hyacinth perfume as well as intriguing hints of flax and linseed. The correspondingly multi-faceted mid-palate is satiny and subtly glossy, leading to a finish superbly-sustained as well as transparent to floral, herbal and mineral nuances. $35 Our Price $21.99

Wine Advocate 95
2016 Eisele Vineyard Napa
Cabernet Sauvignon Altagracia

The Altagracia is produced almost exclusively from estate fruit this year and was bottled at the end of June 2018. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Altagracia comes bursting forth with vivacious black cherries, blackberries, wild blueberries and cassis notes with touches of cinnamon stick, cloves, forest floor, violets and dusty earth with a waft of violets. The palate is medium to full-bodied, firm and grainy with loads of iron and mineral accents, finishing long and perfumed. $145

Wine Spectator 96
DOMAINE DE LA CHARBONNIÈRE Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Hautes Brusquières Cuvée Spéciale 2016

This sports the dark and intense fruit of the vintage’s overall profile, with a range of black currant, fig and boysenberry pâte de fruit notes that meld with flavors of licorice snap, fruitcake, singed mesquite and smoldering black tea. The long finish is well-structured and focused, infused with a perfume that lingers beautifully. Best from 2022 through 2038. 850 cases made, 100 cases imported.—J.M. $65 (Arrives 10/2/19)

Wine Advocate 96+
2016 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red Wine

Composed of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Proprietary Red Wine gives up bold notes of fresh blackcurrants, black cherries and wild blueberries with hints of cigar box, tilled soil, dried bay leaves and smoked meats plus a hint of lavender. Medium-bodied and fantastically intense in the mouth, it has a wonderful core of muscular fruit and a firm, ripe, fine-grained frame to match, finishing very long. $200 Our Price $179.99


Back to Our Blog

Are you 21 years old, or older?

No