Humanitas 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtReds

 

HUMANITAS
2012 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
REID VINEYARD, NAPA VALLEY
 
When we selected the Humanitas Signum as our number one wine in 2017, it sold out before noon… While this surprised some, it didn’t surprise me, because it’s difficult to come up with enough gushing superlatives that accurately describe how I feel about all the Humanitas wines.  While Signum was $100 Cab blend that we sold for $55, at under $40, the 2012 Reid Vineyard Cab is a wine that is a little easier to swallow… Pun intended.  Stunningly concentrated and dangerously hedonistic, the 2012 Reid Vineyard Cab is bursting with authoritative and alluring flavors of sensual dark fruits, chocolate espresso, scorched earth and pipe tobacco.
 
Expertly composed by winemaker Rob Lloyd, former winemaker at Rombauer, this 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon originates from a single vineyard on the North Eastern edge of St Helena.  A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, enhanced with Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot and Merlot, the 2012 spent 22 months in oak and like many 2012 Napa Valley Cabs, this wine is really showing great now and should continue to evolve for another 5-7 years.
 
HUMANITAS
2012 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
REID VINEYARD, NAPA VALLEY
Retails at:  $60.00/btl
+ Ground Shipping Included on ANY Full or Mixed 15-Pack
(Upgrade your 15-Pack to UPS 3-DAY AIR for $39, Available in select States)
Tasting Notes: “The aromatic bouquet blooms with red and black fruits, pipe tobacco, dark chocolate and hints of sun-baked earth. In the glass it is black as a starless night, ringed with rich, hedonistic blackberry, cassis, red berries and cocoa powder.  Though dense, this wine is nimble but with deep, dark black currant, mixed black berries, bing cherry and a touch of sweet vanilla that surrounds your palate in pure joy.  This is another sensational effort from a producer that is quickly becoming one of my favorites.”

Leviathan 2013 Proprietary Red

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtProprietary Red
LEVIATHAN
2013 PROPRIETARY RED
With a Leviathan sized reputation as one of Napa Valley’s most revered winemakers, Andy Erickson made Screaming Eagle from 2005-2010 producing two perfect 100 Point Wines.  Beyond that, he also assisted in making wine at Harlan Estate as well as crafting wines for Ovid, Arietta, Staglin, Dalla Valle and his own label Favia.  Aiming to create an intriguing, unique red wine, drawn from some of the best vineyards in Northern California, Leviathan is brimming with character.  It comes layered with balanced red and black fruits, melded into a round, supple and inviting red blend.  The 2013 has already earned the attention of critic Antonio Galloni who said it was gorgeous once again in 2013, earning a 92 Point score.
With fruit sourced from 7 different appellations, including Oakville, Coombsville and Carneros, the 2013 blend marries Cabernet Sauvignon with Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.  With aromatics as compelling as a mythical Leviathan, the 2013 leaps from the depths with indomitable momentum and is laced with brambly dark fruits, cherry pipe tobacco, cocoa and dark spices.  At $39.99/btl, you may want to secure a case or two before this mythical beast vanishes…
LEVIATHAN
2013 PROPRIETARY RED
Your Price: $39.99/btl Click to Order
+ Ground Shipping Included on ANY Full or Mixed 15-Pack
(Upgrade your 15-Pack to UPS 3-DAY AIR for $39, Available in select States)
From Vinous, “Andy Erickson’s Leviathan is gorgeous once again in 2013. Plump, juicy and forward, the 2013 packs a serious punch. Still it is impossible not to notice that this year Leviathan is made in a more aromatic, lifted style than in the past, when the wine has been much more bombastic. Readers looking for a supple, exuberant Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine that requires little cellaring should check out the 2013 Leviathan.” 92 Points
Cabernet Sauvignon 37% | Syrah 32% | Merlot 24% | Cabernet Franc 7%

 

Customers who enjoy Leviathan may also enjoy these two outstanding Reds… 
ARIETTA
2014 QUARTET
PROPRIETARY RED
Your Price: $64.99/btl
Entering your palate with a cascade of beautifully delineated dark berries shadowed by intriguing black cherry, spices and cigar box.  The phenomenal  Arietta Quartet… From Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, “... 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, is a wonderfully juicy wine showing plenty of cherries, blackcurrants, spice, supple tannins and a whiff of oak in the background. The wine is round and borderline opulent, but elegant, complex and already offering charming and seductive drinking....”
91 Points
DANCING HARES
2015 MAD HATTER
PROPRIETARY RED
Your Price: $59.99/btl

Vandela 2015 Miramis

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtNapaProprietary RedRedsUSA
VANDELLA
2015 MIRAMIS
PROPRIETARY RED
 
Vandella marries old and new in a way that makes this wine truly unique and something that I want to show you more of in 2018. Old are the 130 year old, dry farmed Mourvedre Vines and new is the young and passionate winemaker who by happenstance we discovered last year.  Defined by a surreal presence on the palate, the winemaker creates a single, unique wine each vintage, allowing the land to determine the direction of the blend.  Literally harvesting every grape himself, this fusion of Rhone and Portuguese varietals saturates your palate with vivid and intense dark fruits, autumn spices, crushed violets, dark chocolate, licorice and plum.
 
When Aaron was tilling the vineyard, he unearthed a cast iron harvest ghost from the 1800’s which is pictured on the front label. Mourvedre leads the way this vintage at 65% of the final blend and was sourced from the Enz Vineyard, located adjacent from the Mt. Harlan AVA, made famous by Calera.  The vines were planted in the 1880’s and produce fruit of otherworldly depth and character.  The 2015 was kept 18 months in barrel and is stunningly good right now.  This is an absolutely killer bottle of wine at it’s $48 retail price. 100 cases made…
 
VANDELLA
2015 MIRAMIS
PROPRIETARY RED
Retails at:  $48.00/btl
+ Ground Shipping Included on ANY Full or Mixed 15-Pack
(Upgrade your 15-Pack to UPS 3-DAY AIR for $39, Available in select States)
Winery Notes: “Old vine Mourvedre from the legendary “Enz Vineyard” planted in 1887. This dry-farmed heritage vineyard still exists on it’s original rootstock, and produces naturally low yields and exceptional fruit concentration. The resulting wine is remarkably focused, with perfect tannic structure, balanced acid, and aromas of raspberry sorbet, violets, caramelized sugar, and Lavender.”
65% Mourvedre |  25% Touriga Nacional | 10% Syrah