May 5th 2017 Newsletter - The Grape Tray

May 5th 2017 Newsletter

Wine Spectator 90
SEGHESIO Zinfandel Sonoma County Sonoma 2015

This is loaded with zesty blackberry and raspberry fruit, offering a vibrant structure and appealing accents of toasted sage, white pepper and licorice. Drink now through 2027. 102,000 cases made. –TF $26 Our Price $18.99 Grape Tray email subscribers receive a $2 instant rebate for a net bottle price of $16.99 (Limited to stock on hand)


California Wine Advisors 94 Points
Apriori Cabernet Blend Napa Valley 2014

A stunning value from a great vintage, the 2014 Apriori delivers pure Napa fruit at a more than reasonable price. Leading with juicy red and black fruit notes, this Cab blend offers up plenty of blackberry, anise, baking spices, and cocoa powder. The tannins are fine and soft and lead to a smooth, satisfying finish. This wine is ready to go right now and will continue to be pleasurable for another 5 years. $33 Our Price $28


Vinous 91 Points
2014 Bishop's Peak Pinot Noir

Translucent red. High-pitched red berry, cherry and rose pastille scents are lifted by blood orange and mineral nuances. Silky, weightless and focused on the palate, offering juicy raspberry and bitter cherry flavors that become deeper and sweeter with air. Shows impressive depth of flavor but comes off lithe, even delicate. Clings with serious tenacity on the gently tannic finish, which strongly echoes the red fruit and floral notes. $20 Our Price $13.99


Wine Enthusiast 93
2013 Sinor-La Vallee SLO Chardonnay

Using fruit mostly from the Bassi Ranch property he recently acquired, Mike Sinor delivers a bright, minerally wine, with aromas of scratched grapefruit skin, orange and peach juice, burned lemons, sea salt, ripe apples and nectarines and fresh-cut herbs. Flavors of salty, lime-juice nectarines emerge once sipped, with hints of butter and white flowers. - M.K. $26 Liquidation Price $18.99

2014 Foley Estates Rancho Santa Rosa Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir

Winemaker Notes: Aromatics of juicy cherry cola, raspberry sorbet, and faint notes of black pepper awaken your senses. The aromas are accented by flavors of red cranberry, soft oak and vanilla bean with angular tannin and a bright acidity. Notes of toasted graham cracker, sweet cigar, and black tea come through on the finish. This 2014 embodies the classic, yet distinctive attributes for which Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir is known. $40 Our Price $28.99 (Arrives this afternoon)


Wine Spectator 93
CHÂTEAU DOISY-VÉDRINES
Barsac 2005, Half Bottle

Intense aromas of honey, dried pineapple and botrytis spice. Full-bodied, very sweet and very powerful, with loads of dried fruit and sweetness on the finish. Lots of clove and orange peel. Same quality as the 2001. Best after 2013. 3,500 cases made. –JS $29.99/375ml


Wine Enthusiast 92
2015 Tenshen Santa Barbara Red

A project by Joey Tensley and Alex Guarachi, this is a whopper of a wine for the price tag. Black cherry, oregano, eucalyptus and dried sage show on the nose. The palate packs a mix of herbal seasonings, including anise and spearmint, alongside black cherry and baked blueberry fruit. $25 Our Price $19.69


Wine Spectator 94
CARLISLE Zinfandel Russian River Valley Montafi Ranch 2015

Luscious, complex and expressive, with floral raspberry jam aromas and supple black cherry, bay leaf and cracked pepper flavors that glide lithely toward the finish. Drink now through 2028. From California.—T.F 663 cases made. $47


2016 Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc

Winemaker Notes: The high elevation of our Mason Vineyard in Lake County's Kelsey Bench and arc of rich, red volcanic soils, provides a unique growing region for ripe Sauvignon Blanc flavor and body year after year. The Sauvignon Blanc opens with aromas of fragrant orange blossom, ruby grapefruit, and white peach flavors set on a light body with pops of lime zest and passion fruit. $12 Our Price $9.29


2016 Cape Mentelle Rose

Winemaker Notes: Delicate watermelon hue with pale rose edges in the glass. Bright strawberry and cream and cranberry fruit with a complex rose water, candied melon and lemon basil notes. The attack is fresh and reminiscent of the crunch of pomegranates and cranberries. The mid-palate is creamy and generous with notes of ripe watermelon and pink grapefruit zest with just a hint of juniper spice that adds nobility. A line of ripe citrusy acidity drives the palate to a long vinous finish that lets all the near-saline minerality of the terroir shine through. Blend: 71% Grenache, 29% Shiraz. $18 Our Price $14.65


Wine Advocate 93
2014 Ridge Geyserville Proprietary Red Wine

A classic 2014, the downright sexy, hedonistic and ready to go 2014 Geyserville Proprietary Red Wine (60% Zinfandel, 24% Carignan, 12% Petite Sirah and 4% Mourvèdre) is medium to full-bodied, perfectly balanced and loaded with notions of blackberries, plums, brambly herbs, licorice and spice. It’s relatively soft and already approachable, but it will nevertheless keep through 2024. $40 Our Price $34.99


Wine Spectator 93
DOMAINE DU PÉGAÜ Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 2014

A gutsy style, with a frame of brick dust around a core of steeped cherry, plum and blackberry fruit. The back end pulls in dried sage, savory and tobacco notes. The finish lingers over a singed chestnut hint. Rock-solid and unabashedly old-school. Best from 2020 through 2030. 5,800 cases made. –JM $75 Our Price $48.95 (Arrives this afternoon)


Wine Advocate 94
2013 Frank Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, aged 20 months in 50% new French oak. This has a more saturated purple color, a glorious extract and richness, built with a solid inner core of essence that is pure, dark and impressive. Some dusty/loamy undertones are present, but the dark blackberry and cassis fruit dominate this full-bodied beauty. It still has tannins to shed, but this wine should hit its peak in another 5-7 years and last a quarter-century or more. $95 Our Price $84.99


Wine Advocate 93
2014 Department 66 Cotes Catalanes Grenache D66

A blend of 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah and a splash of Carignan, the 2014 Cotes Catalanes Grenache D66 IGP spent ten months in roughly 30% new barrels. This inky colored, downright sexy 2014 offers terrific notes of blueberries, blackberries, violets and chalky minerality. Big, concentrated and textured, yet still playing in the more elegant style of the 2014 vintage, this beauty will drink well for a decade. $38 (Arrives 5/18/17)


Wine Advocate 94
2014 Lucienne Pinot Noir Lone Oak Vineyard

The completely destemmed (as is everything from this estate) 2014 Lucienne Pinot Noir Lone Oak Vineyard spent 13 months in 35-45% new French oak, with malolactic fermentation in barrel. It's a sensational Pinot Noir that's probably the finest wine I've tasted from this estate, which seems to have hit another level recently. Giving up lots of black raspberry, framboise, crushed spice and floral aromas and flavors, it's medium to full-bodied, has a silky texture, fine tannin and a great finish. There are 600 cases of this beauty out there, and it's well worth the effort to track down. $50 Our Price $36.99


California Wine Advisors 97 Points
Checkerboard Cabernet Sauvignon
King’s Row 2013

This new show-stopper launches forth with alluring notes of caramel, monumental black fruit, deftly balanced tannins and hints of white chocolate across an ultra-silky texture. This immensely age-worthy winner features alluring hints of Mexican chocolate and walnut brownies on the voluptuous finish. Decanting recommended prior to 2020 and savor every sip of this dreamy red through 2025+. Bravo! $165 Limited


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