Esca Syrah 2003
Married winemakers Anna Monticelli of Bryant Family Winery and Mario Monticelli of Quixote crafted this wine. Sourced from Spring Mountain, this is pure Syrah and absolutely stunning for the dough. In a rich, highly extracted style, the wine has hints of coffee, spice, chocolate, blueberries and smoke. With a supple, silky texture and almost TOO much fruit, it is a beautiful expression of California Syrah. Bonus: No corkscrew needed its a screwcap wine!
Tor Syrah "Durrel Vineyard" 2003
This is the brainchild of Tor Kenward who has been an executive at Beringer for the past 30 years. When Mark brought this to the store, I tasted it and was floored. It reminded me of a super-ripe version of Cote-Rotie. Incredible fruit purity and richness but balanced by amazing acidity. The long finish soaks the fruit on your palate. This wine is simply brilliant. Act fast Tor only made 60 cases.
Peacock Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2001
Spring Mountain is one of the best places in the world for the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. Winemaker Craig Becker wants to make wine the right way: with native yeast fermentation and aging for 24 months, half in new French oak and half in old oak. This fleshy, rich Cabernet Sauvignon has power and finesse with great concentration and a wonderful terroir character that only can come from Spring Mountain. You'll find detailed aromas of cherry, oak, spice and earth. The incredible length allied with serious structure will ensure this wine's long life. One of the best Cabernet Sauvignon values out there. Worth every penny.
Paras Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
I know what you are all saying: A 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa? Why are they offering that? Well get your vintage visors off and let me tell you about this wine. This is another incredible mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon from the Mt. Veeder area of Napa Valley. This is a big, dark, brooding Cabernet with rich flavors and a mass of tannins. The fruit quality here is incredible with great density. This wine gets better and better each time I taste it. Just a massive wine with an incredible finish that is just starting to take off. It has a whole lot to reveal in the next few years.
Orin Swift Sauvignon Blanc "Tofanelli Vineyard" 2002
The super talented Dave Phinney makes this delightful white. From a blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Semillon, this is very rich and tropical with bursts of grapefruit, passionfruit, guava and kiwi, but its balanced by Sauvignon Blanc's natural acidity. Incredible length. This is a super California Sauvignon Blanc.