Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
MATRIARCH
Bond Vecina
Hundred Acre Kayli Morgan Cabernet
The 2018 Hundred Acre Kayli Morgan Cabernet is a beautifully crafted wine from the esteemed Hundred Acre Cabernet Sauvignon Kali Morgan, based in the sunny hills of California, USA. This vintage exudes a deep, rich ruby hue with a nose of fresh blackberries, cassis, and dark chocolate. On the palate, the wine reveals notes of ripe plums, vanilla, and a touch of spice, all wrapped in velvety tannins. The balance and structure of this wine are impeccable, showcasing the impeccable craftsmanship of the winemaker. The finish is long and lingering, leaving a pleasant hint of cedar and oak. This is a wine that will continue to evolve and delight for many years to come. Enjoy it with a hearty steak or roasted game for an unforgettable experience.
Opus One
The 2014 Opus One exudes subtle aromas of fragrant florals, fresh garden herbs and forest floor that give way to a concentrated blend of red cherry, blackberry and black currant. Fine-grained tannins offer a velvety texture and complex structure that builds to a long, vibrantly fresh finish with a touch of mocha. Enjoyable now, the wine will delight for years to come. Oakville, California: Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley's Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth. The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture. Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.
Beau Rivage Chenin Blanc
William Kelley is better known as the Wine Advocate's mould-breaking wine critic. Yet he is also a very gifted winemaker and now, winegrower. Kelley’s micro-Burgundy project released its first wines from the 2019 vintage, and the ambitious pricing has not dampened the fervour—the wines are as remarkable as they are rare. Yet Kelley’s first foray into winemaking did not start in Beaune, Pommard or Gevrey-Chambertin but in the quiet, pastoral AVA of Clarksburg on the outskirts of Sacramento. Rolling back to 2016, Kelley recalls that he and friend-slash-business partner Frank Ingriselli were looking for organically farmed old vines in Californian sub-regions where variety aligned with climate, which led them to Chenin in Clarksburg. “We then applied artisanal French winemaking techniques and sort of waited to see what happened,” he recalls. What happened is that Beau Rivage promptly reset the conversation around the potential to craft world-class Chenin Blanc from Californian soils. Made in Calistoga, this increasingly impressive Chenin Blanc is drawn from some of Clarksburg’s oldest vines, planted in the 1960s and sourced from a long-term organic grower. The grapes are picked in two lots: those from the sunny side of the vine were crushed to release extract, while fruit from the shadier side was pressed as whole clusters using a very long, firm cycle. The musts are fermented with indigenous yeasts and were raised in eight-year-old, low-toast Burgundy barrels. William Kelley uses more and more solids each year, with the wine building texture and drive from its time on lees. Expect a tension-filled and chalky white marrying the engaging texture of well-ripened Chenin Blanc with lovely clarity, fine-boned texture and impressive length. It doesn’t seem too early to call this out as a new Californian benchmark for the variety.