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Issue: 10 / Sunday 28 January, 2018
RAEN which is home to Carlo and Dante’s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. We received a minuscule allocation of their first released Chardonnay, the 2016 Charles Ranch. Only 200 cases were produced which immediately sold-out via their allocation process.
Only 12 bottles remain and will be arriving in the UK early March...
The Fort Ross-Seaview Chardonnay bottling is from the rugged 35-year-old Charles Ranch hillside vineyard, with some of the older pre-phylloxera plantings of chardonnay in California. Between 1,100 and 1,200 feet of elevation, the vineyard sits on well-drained, rocky clay soils. These old Sonoma Coast vines yield naturally shy crops that offer incredible depth, density, concentration, and finesse. Notes of stone fruits, lime blossom, white flowers, wet gravel and rock minerality are delicately laced throughout this wine. Fine, yet focused, acidity balances the rich mid-palate, giving way to a long-lasting finish.
Tim Mondavi’s appropriately named project Continuum is set up high on Pritchard Hill, not far from Bryant Family Vineyard and Colgin and now is proving to be one of Napa’s cult followings with each and every vintage release selling out.
We have received a pre-release World Exclusive for their 2015 vintage which is receiving glowing reviews – Critics’ are calling ’15 the best vintage to date...
Will Robert Parker score 100 points?
98+ points Antonio Galloni (highest score to date) “Bottled just a few months ago, the 2015 Continuum is shaping up to be a real gem. The flavors are dark, bold and incisive. In 2015, poor weather during flowering took with it 50% of the production in Continuum's prime Cabernet Sauvignon blocks. As a result, the 2015 has a high percentage (31%) of Cabernet Franc. Today, the Franc is keeping the wine a bit clenched, but that should be less of an issue as time passes”
We have purchased 40 x Cases (6x75cl OWC)
which we are delighted to offer @ £940.00 IB per case.
*Delivery Mid / End March
Oz Sale Coming to a Close
It has been another busy week for our In Bond Australian Sale which is coming to a close (Final day 31 January)
Sadly, our entire collection of Clarendon Hills Iconic Shiraz, Astralis has sold-out to one lucky collector in Hong Kong. Our remaining 1,686 bottles of the ’03 Two Hands Deer In Headlights was also snapped up and is currently being prepared for sea
shipment to Hong Kong.
For interest: Our largest single (Oz Sale) order value: £116,809.25.
Other ‘Hot’ Sellers This Week?
*quantities are all 75cl standard bottles unless otherwise stated.
672 x Branson Coach House Rare Shiraz 2005
228 x Kay Brothers Amery Vineyards Cabernet 2004
198 x Clarendon Hills Romas Grenache 2007
114 x Two Hands Barney’s Block Shiraz 2008
114 x Two Hands Zippy’s Block Shiraz 2006
102 x Kay Brothers Amery Hillside Shiraz 2004
96 x Kay Brothers Amery Hillside Shiraz 2005
96 x Two Hands Coach House Block Shiraz 2008
90 x Henschke Mount Edelstone 2001
84 x Wild Duck Creek Springflat Shiraz 2005
34 x Double Magnums Two Hands Zippy’s Block 2008
15 x Imperials Two Hands Zippy’s Block 2008
4 x Imperials Torbreck Run Rig 2003
Gramercy Cellars
Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2013
Like their John Lewis Syrah, Gramercy base the Reserve Cabernet on the idea of:
"What is the best of the best in the cellar for that vintage"
“Under the leadership of Greg Harrington and Brandon Moss, Gramercy Cellars is unquestionably in the top handful of producers in Washington State. While they started out mostly Syrah/Rhône based, they’ve since added several Bordeaux blends that are world class”
Jeb Dunnuck
100 Points - Stuart McCloskey
Wow what a bouquet – This is such a fantastic Cabernet Sauvignon which reminds me of a top Pauillac - Château Pontet Canet / Latour come to mind. The aromas soar from the glass - Exotic, seductive with vibrant scents of cassis, black currents, graphite and cedar. I detect a little menthol in the background. The palate is rich and coats every facet. The filigree framework of tannins are seamless and support the wine beautifully. There’s a beguiling sense of purity which is something rarely seen. The finesse, poise and focus is quite extraordinary. Overall, the wine is effortless with layer upon layer of perfectly ripe fruit. The complexity builds with time in the decanter and I cannot wait to come back to this wine over the next decade or two. I cannot see how this utterly majestic wine could possibly improve therefore, I have no alternative but concede perfection
and add it to my legends list...
Quilceda Creek En Primeur Offer
2014: Firstly, an update regarding our sell-out 100 point 2014. Pleasingly, all stock has arrived safely in our UK bond. We are simply waiting for the stock to be officially landed, which will be week commencing the 29 January. Deliveries will happen immediately following receipt of the landing reports.
For those who missed out last year: Quilceda Creek is dedicated exclusively to the production of world-class Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon and has produced some extraordinary results since the 2001 vintage. It is rare to see a wine perform to the same consistent level year-in-year-out with only two vintages that have dropped below 97+ points. The majority sitting around 98+.
Three vintages have scored the magical 100 points from Robert Parker / e.RobertParker.com. 2003, 2005 and the most recent vintage, 2014. The demand for Quilceda Creek is simply enormous with the vast majority selling directly to private members in the US (it’s a long waiting list). Moreover, you cannot find one single case of the 100 point 2003 or 2005 in the world market.
We have received our pre-release allocation for the 2015 vintage, which we believe offers great value over previous vintages.
The 2014 sold-out @ £945.00 IB per case of six
Buy 2015 @ £875.00 IB per case of six OWC
Whilst we wait for the critics to pen their scores (perhaps another 100 pointer we hear?) Paul Golitzin, Director of Winemaking offers the following “We are pleased to offer you the 2015 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley. The 2015 growing season was the warmest ever recorded in Washington State. We achieved sufficient shoot growth early in the season to provide the fruit shading during the hottest June days. We have also installed overhead misters in all of our vineyard sites to cool the fruit, if needed, to produce the finest grapes we can grow, regardless of extreme weather. Almost all of our Cabernet Sauvignon achieved its final ripening under perfect, mid-70 degree Fahrenheit temperatures in October. The results were very small and concentrated berries full of flavor and freshness.
The 2015 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley is a truly majestic wine with great purity, class and breed. The wealth of blackberry, blueberry and black cherry fruit is remarkable, with hints of spring flowers, cocoa powder, roasted herbs, forest floor and minerals. This wine will have a large drinking window due to the seamless integration of all its elements. Drink now through 2037”.
We can also offer their 2014 Palengat Proprietary Red Wine (73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc) with the fruit being sourced from Champoux, Palengat, Lake Wallula and Wallula Gap Vineyards which are located in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA.
Only 4 x Cases (6x75cl) 2014 Palengat Proprietary Red Wine are available
@ £525.00 IB per case of six
96 Points Jeb Dunnuck / e.RobertParker.com “A blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, the sensational 2014 Palengat Vineyard is loaded with notions of chocolate covered plums, licorice, roasted herbs, and graphite/lead pencil shavings. Up there with the of the top vintages of the cuvee, this full-bodied, rounded and hedonistic 2014 shines in the vintage, has no hard edges, gorgeous purity, and plenty of ripe, sweet tannin. It’s a serious mouthful of a Cabernet and will drink
nicely for 10-15 years”
Thriving, Better Than
Any Other Varietal
Although Grenache is chiefly associated with the French regions of Rhône and Languedoc-Roussillon, the oldest Grenache vineyards which still produce quality fruit date back to 1838 and are to be found in Australia. In 1862, one of the leading wine critics of the time, Ebenezer Ward from Adelaide, reported that Grenache was 'thriving better than any other kind'. It thrives in hot and dry climates, producing tiny and highly concentrated fruit. In fact, Grenache is able to withstand some of the most extreme conditions and produces remarkably vivid and vibrant wines still. A charismatic softness, mouth-watering juiciness with abundance of sweet, ripe fruit is its undeniable hallmark.
Today, it is widely planted across Australia's winemaking regions and one of the most reputable producers of Old Vine Grenache is Clarendon Hills in McLaren Vale, where Grenache was originally planted. Stunning expressions of Barossa Valley's Grenache come from Torbreck, and David Powell (founder) refers to his Grenache as "
the Pinot Noir of the south".
We cannot omit the brilliant Bob Gibson (pictured above), whose long and successful career under Penfolds' tutelage lasted for 22 years and until he decided to form his own Gibson Wines. Bob’s Grenache is one of the true gems in our range and forms a part of the his ultra-low production Old Vine Collection produced from Centenarian and Ancestor vines (as laid out by the Barossa Old Vine Charter).
We’ve prepared a small selection of our best Grenache based wines and we must highlight the 2004 Gibson Old Vine Grenache which is an absolute steal at £29.95.
Our closest rival Fine + Rare are selling @ £74.00
Gibson Old Vine Collection Grenache 2004
Clarendon Hills Romas Grenache
2005
Gibson Old Vine Collection Grenache 2003
Clarendon Hills Romas Grenache
2006
(We are currently negotiating prices)
Despite the Six Nations,
We are open Next Saturday
10am-4pm
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