April 29th 2022 Newsletter - The Grape Tray

April 29th 2022 Newsletter

Dr. Loosen Dr. L Dry Riesling 2020

Winemaker Notes: This well-rounded Riesling is the dry counterpart to the lightly sweet Dr. L Riesling. Together, these two wines provide a glimpse into the unique stylistic diversity of Riesling, capturing the elegant and racy characteristics of steep, slate-soil Mosel vineyards at a very reasonable price. They are produced with grapes from contracted growers throughout the Mosel River valley who work closely with brothers Ernst and Thomas Loosen to achieve excellent quality in every vintage. $13 Our Price $11.39 (Available GT)

Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
2018 Gemstone Alluvial Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Alluvial Selection is terrific. A ripe, full-bodied, yet seamless profile as well as loads of classic Cabernet cassis and blue fruits, notes of spice and cedar notes, and silky tannins all define this beauty. Made in a pure, elegant, yet soft and fleshy style, it's already drinking nicely, and I see no need to delay gratification, although It certainly has 10-15 years of longevity ahead of it. $150 (Available GT)

Wine Advocate 96 Points
2018 Cobb Rice-Spivak Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

The 2018 Pinot Noir Rice Spivak Vineyard is pure and expressive this vintage, with layered scents of red cherries, orange peel, saline and earth. The palate is soft, fresh and super spicy, its charming, juicy red berry fruits calling you in again and again for another sip. $82 Our Price $74.99 (Available GT)

Ployez Jacquemart Champagne EXTRA BRUT PASSION

Winemaker Notes: A floral wine, dainty, vibrant and lightly toasted. Very nice complexity, rich but with great aromatic finesse. Long finish without being heavy or thick, with a very elegant honeyed touch. The part of the blend aged in barrels brings a great structure without giving the oaky taste. $56 Our Price $50.99 (Available GT)

Ployez Jacquemart Champagne EXTRA BRUT Rose

Winemaker Notes: We produce our Rosé in very good year for quality black grapes. They are all developed with this base: the assembly of Champagne Extra Quality Brut (blend of the first presses of premier and grand crus wines with a majority of black grapes) to which we add a small amount of champagne red wine from

Avenay or Mailly Champagne vinified in oak. Each vintage brings structures and intensities of different colors. The chance to work with the addition of red wine allows us to be more stable and accurate in color. It contributes to create an expressive blend delicately combining the expression of red fruit aromas with richness and long finish, keeping things lively. Our red wines are

made in our oak barrels unveiling an elegant touch lightly wooded. We use only very low dosages to let express all fruits and aromas of the wine. Tasting Impression: Very nice foam. The pink color is a pretty cool. The nose is fruity and fresh. The mouth is frank, the dosage is not noticeable . $56 Our Price $50.99 (Available GT)

NV Austin Hope Austin Barrel 20 Cuvee Cabernet

Winemaker Notes: True to Paso Robles’ signature style, this fruit forward Cabernet Sauvignon has enticing aromas of dark fruit, fresh vanilla bean and hints of coffee. On the palette, the dark brooding fruit flavors are balanced with savory notes of black pepper, baking spices along with a touch of tobacco to add warmth and dimension. Lovely notes of sweet oak, lively acidity & fine dusty tannins complete this wine making it the perfect Cabernet Sauvignon to enjoy daily. $20 (Available GT and VRW)

Wine Spectator 91 Points * BODEGA NUMANTHIA Tinta de Toro Toro Termes 2017

This red shows concentration and grace, offering spice-laced cherry and red plum notes infused with anise, espresso and graphite elements. Refined, plush tannins give a nice feel throughout. Drink now through 2028. 12,500 cases made, 10,000 cases imported.—Gillian Sciaretta. $24 Our Price $16.99 (Available GT and VRW)

James Suckling 91 Points
2019 Nikolaihof Zwickl Gruner Veltliner

The haze of yeast, a result of unfiltered bottling, really gives this light gruner something special and the fruit of the 2019 vintage fits well with that. Nice, nutty apple character with a touch of creaminess from the suspended lees. Bright, crisp finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold. Screw cap. $30 Our Price $24.99 (Available GT and VRW)

Lucienne Doctor's Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019

Winemaker Notes: Located in the middle stretch of the Santa Lucia Highlands, the 243-acre Doctor’s Vineyard experiences warmer temperatures and higher winds than Hahn’s other estate vineyards in the region. Certified sustainable, the vineyard ranges from 320 feet to 720 feet above sea level, with gently sloped hillsides and wide row spacing that offers greater sun exposure. The dry and slightly warmer climate here results in a riper more robust Pinot Noir, with expressive aromas of red cherry, plum and orange zest along with hints of sage, clove and white pepper. The wine has great mid-palate structure, smooth soft tannins, flavors of red cherry, bramble berries and a touch of warm spice on a refreshing lingering finish. $60 Internet Price $49.99 (Available GT)

2019 Lewis Reserve Napa Cabernet

Winemaker Notes: The 2019 Reserve Cabernet is an extraordinary wine that projects with the phrasing and voice of a vintage Martin D-45 guitar. Cascading berry fruits are fleshy and broad with an ornate overlay of dark chocolate, granite and espresso forte topped with Adirondack spruce. Powerful, rich and resonant at its core, the wine sustains supple character to the final note. $190 Our Price $171.99 (Available GT and VRW)

2019 Alban Patrina Syrah

Winemaker Notes: Our vineyards are a patchwork of isolated soil types that you may recognize as Reva, Lorraine, Seymour’s and Pandora (very much wines of a place). Between and in route to these well healed sites are vineyards that are not so obviously distinct. We have blended these disparate and ‘disenfranchised’ blocks into a single wine we call Patrina. Like the Romani trails from which Patrina derives its name, we hope these bottles lead you to some great merriment, or more.

While the grapes for Patrina are raised with the same detail and attentiveness as the rest of our vineyards, and then fermented open top with indigenous yeast, gentle pump overs and a few punch downs once soft, it is bottled unfined and unfiltered after ‘just’ 22 months in barrel to preserve its youthful exuberance. All the density and concentration folks have come to expect from our reds with black and blue fruits, mineral notes, and flowers. $54 (Back in stock GT 5/4/22)

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2019 DuMOL Chardonnay and Pinot will be included in next weeks wine tasting at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW)

Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points
2019 DuMOL Chardonnay Chloe

The 2019 Chardonnay Chloe comes from the Russian River, yet it shows an almost Sonoma Coast-like vibrancy and minerality. Deep stone fruits, brioche, honeysuckle, and flower oil notes all define the nose, and it's beautifully balanced, medium to full-bodied, and incredibly textured, with a drop-dead gorgeous finish. This is another incredible Chardonnay from this estate that ranks with the crème de la creme of the vintage. $78

Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points
2019 DuMOL Pinot Noir Jentoft Vineyard Ryan

Another Russian River cuvée, the 2019 Pinot Noir Jentoft Vineyard Ryan is a deeper ruby, translucent color and has a gorgeous array of black raspberry and cherry fruits supported by ample spice box, savory flowers, rose petals, and dried bouquet garni-like nuances. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and fleshy, with the more rounded, supple style of the vintage, it's ideal for enjoying over the coming 7-8 years, probably longer, but there's no need to delay gratification more than a year or two. $94

Wine Spectator 93 Points
2019 DUMOL Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Wester Reach

Fine-grained, powerful and well-spiced, with floral accents to the raspberry and cherry flavors that are backed by fresh acidity. The juicy finish lingers with rich minerality and hints of white pepper. Drink now through 2025. 3,693 cases made. — KM $75

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Friday Wine Tasting at VRW, 4/29/22 (Available all day during operating hours) $15 per person and must be 21 or older to attend.

Wine Advocate 93 Points
2020 Domaines Ott Bandol Rose Chateau Romassan

The pale, peachy-colored 2020 Bandol Rose Chateau Romassan is mainly Mourvèdre, with smaller proportions of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah. Scents of crushed stone accent notes of peach, strawberry and lime on the nose, while the medium-bodied palate is silky in texture, streamlined in shape and extremely long on the finish. It can be drunk now or over the next few years. $59

Wine Spectator 93 Points
ROBERT MONDAVI Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville The Estates 2018

Rich and seductive in feel, with a lovely swath of loamy-edged steeped plum and blackberry compote flavors, backed with flashes of anise and sweet bay leaf. A loamy edge extends nicely in lockstep with the fruit on the finish. Textbook Oakville Cabernet. Best from 2022 through 2034. 9,791 cases made. — JM $90

Wine Advocate 94
2016 Anthem Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Made of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard is deep garnet-purple in color and reveals expressive black cherries, blackberries and warm blackcurrants with hints of violets, black olives, Indian spices and cigar box. Full-bodied, rich and powerful, the palate is filled with well-poised black fruit layers and firm, grainy tannins, matched by bold freshness and finishing long. $125

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Saturday Wine Tasting at VRW, 4/30/22 (Available all day during operating hours) $15 per person and must be 21 or older to attend.

Wine Spectator 90 Points
GEOFFROY Brut Champagne Expression NV

Creamy, offering flavors of Asian pear, biscuit and pickled ginger, with a minerally smoke- and chalk-laced underpinning, all backed by well-cut acidity. Snappy finish. Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Disgorged October 2019. Drink now. 350 cases imported. — AN $49

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points

2018 Vineyard 29 Cru Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

Plums, Asian spices, tobacco, and lead pencil notes emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Cru, which hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a beautifully polished, elegant texture, and outstanding length. This is another gorgeous 2018 displaying notable purity, balance, and length as well as richness. It can be drunk any time over the coming 15+ years. $65

JAMES SUCKLING 97 Points
2019 EISELE VINEYARD ALTAGRACIA CABERNET SAUVIGNON

There’s purity and focus to this wine with blackberry, blackcurrant and spices, such as nutmeg. Ink pot, bark and asphalt, too. So long and polished. Chewy tannins. Hints of stone and ash. 88% cabernet sauvignon. 7% cabernet franc and 5% petit verdot. Give it time to soften, but already a beauty. Drink after 2026. $170

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Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW)
1552 E. Champlain Drive, Ste 109 Fresno, CA 93720
Via Montana Center (NE Corner Shepherd and Champlain-Two doors south of Big 5) www.vintagereserve.biz 559-878-3953
Tuesday-Friday 12:00 Noon-6:00 PM
Saturday 12 Noon-4:00 PM


The Grape Tray (GT)
6023 N. Palm Avenue Fresno, CA 93704
Opus One Center (NW Corner Bullard and Palm)
www.grapetray.com 559-226-6828
Monday-Friday 10:30 AM-5:30 PM
Saturday 10:30 AM-4:00 PM


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