2011 Frisson Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2011 Frisson Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonDiamond MountainKevin VogtNapaUSA

FRISSON 2011 Frisson Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2011 NAPA VALLEY

 
Frisson is defined as a sudden feeling of excitement or thrill, which is exactly what you’ll get when you taste this $60 Napa Valley Cabernet.  It’s a blend of 70% Diamond Mountain and 30% Howell Mountain fruit and produced in a vintage where parts of the valley floor experienced challenges ripening.  The high elevation Mountains in Northern Napa Valley did quite well, however.  This wine embodies the mission set by the proprietors of creating small production wines from luxury grapes, grown in superior terroir, and  transforming them into balanced wine with sense of place and voice.  The wines are made by Wayne Donaldson who has nearly 3 decades of experience and has held top winemaking positions at notables Domaine Chandon, Moet Hennessy, Louis Martini and the list goes on…
 
The 2011 Frisson was made with an extreme attention to detail and add to it access to incredible Mountain fruit sources, and this wine speaks for itself and it’s stunningly impressive at this price point.  If you follow Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, you might have already heard of Frisson and noticed their mid-90 point scores on their 2015’s…  With a total production of just 150 cases of their perfectly ready to drink 2011 vintage, there are very few cases available, so I wouldn’t wait long to secure yours…
 
FRISSON
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2011 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at:  $60.00/btl
 
 
 
Winery Notes: “Seductive aromas of coffee, black currant and blueberry are laced together with hints of vanilla that drift onto the palate which dances with layers of complex flavor. Espresso chocolate, dark berry fruits and rich brown spice thrill you with delight. The wine is balanced with a dense yet supple tannin finish. 
70% Diamond Mountain, 30% Howell Mountain fruit.”
 
Customers who enjoy Frisson Napa Valley Cabernet may also enjoy these two stunning Cabernets…
2017 Fortune 1621 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Silenus Tryos Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
FORTUNE 1621
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $29.99/btl

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Journeying for more from 18 months in French and American oak barrels, the 2017 set sail from carefully chosen vineyards throughout Napa Valley, each selected for their own unique characteristics which contribute to the final blend.  The 2017 is marked by it’s superior concentration, royal elegance, fine details and dusty tannins that are rarely found at this price..
SILENUS
2015 TYROS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $32/btl

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Winery Notes: “Brilliant ruby red color introduces black cherry, rose petal, vanilla, bay leaf and toasted oak on the nose. The palate has vibrant, deep flavors of raspberry, cherry, and plum with cocoa and vanilla extracted from the oak barrels. The wine is seamless and wonderfully balanced with bright acid, deep red fruit, lightly toasted oak and good structure that least to a long velvety finish.”
2011 La Fiorita Brunello Di Montalcino Italy

2011 La Fiorita Brunello Di Montalcino

with No Comment $40-$50BrunelloItalyKevin VogtMontalcinoTuscany

LA FIORITA 2011 La Fiorita Brunello Di Montalcino Italy

2011 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY

 
Not all wines are meant for aging, but Brunello di Montalcino certainly is.  It’s required to be aged for a minimum of 5 years after harvest, with at least 2 years in oak, and there’s good reason behind this…  One of the biggest is that Sangiovese Grosso (Brunello) is a thicker-skinned grape and is known for producing bold flavors, high acids and big tannins.  When you age Brunello, those same traits that can be astringent when they’re young, transform into a soft, complex wine with an irresistible presence on the palate over time.  When you taste a Brunello that’s been perfectly aged, you’ll know right away… The 2011 La Fiorita Brunello is velvety soft, perfectly balanced, delightfully long and complex and absolutely stunning right now .  If I paid $150/btl for this in a restaurant I would be thrilled.  At fifty bucks, I want that experience every time I can get it…
 
It’s not easy to make a wine that’s going to be singing this beautifully nearly a decade after the fruit was harvested.  It takes a great winemaker to accomplish this and La Fiorita is made by one of the best… Roberto Cipresso made a name for himself while consulting with icons Poggio Antico, Archival Ferrer and Case Basse…  If you’re searching for a perfectly ready to drink Italian wine, this one should absolutely not be missed.
 
LA FIORITA
2011 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY
Retails at   $60.00/btl
 
Your Price: $49.99/btl  

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“Sweet cherry flavors are framed by licorice, tobacco and spice notes in this smooth red. Firms up enough on the finish to warrant a year or two of aging, but this should find equilibrium soon. Best from 2017 through 2026...”  91 Points
 “… opens to delicate tones of wild berry, wet earth and dried rose petal. It delivers these aromas with a soft touch and lasting intensity. These ethereal aromas glide by the senses with smooth transitions. The wine leaves an equally graceful impression in the mouth…” 91 Points
Customers who enjoy La Fiorita Brunello may also enjoy these two stunning Brunellos…
2013 Livio Sassetti Pertimali Brunello Di Montalcino 2013 La Rasina Brunello Di Montalcino
LIVIO SASSETTI
2013 PERTIMALI
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Retails at:  $80.00/btl
 
Your Price: $69.99/btl

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 From James Suckling:“This is intense and complex yet subtle with fantastic aromas of rose petal, plum, clove and fresh mushroom. Hints of stems. Full body, focused and polished with a linear line of tannins and fabulous length. A beauty. Better after 2021 but already a joy to taste.”  98 Points
LA RASINA
2013 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
 
Your Price: $49.99/btl

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From James Suckling, “A wealth of ripe fruit with spice, tobacco, cedar and plum aromas that follow through to a full body, chewy and dense tannins and a ripe and delicious finish. A solid and stoic young red. Give it three or four years to soften. Made from organic grapes.”  96 Points
2011 Livio Sassetti Pertimali Brunello di Montalcino

2011 Livio Sassetti Pertimali Brunello Di Montalcino

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LIVIO SASSETTI 2011 Livio Sassetti Pertimali Brunello di Montalcino

2011 PERTIMALI
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO

 
If you could only drink only one Brunello di Montalcino, what would it be?  Robert Parker wrote “it would have to be Pertimali.”  The only problem is they’re a microscopic Italian producer owning only 7 hectares (about 17 acres), and they’re highly-desired…  Antonio Galloni wrote that Livio Sassetti is “One of Italy’s finest,” and they’ve been making hits since 1982… Their 2011 Brunello di Montalcino is indescribably gorgeous with an intoxicating perfume of wild violets, crushed raspberries, cola and black truffle.  At under fifty per bottle, you may want to skip to the order button…
 
Absolutely hands-on in every way possible, each individual wine is hand-tended by Livio and his two sons.  With attention to every detail, their Brunello has become a Sommelier favorite, gracing the Grand Award winning wine lists of Emeril Lagasse, Thomas Keller and many others as well…  Because of the minuscule production, there’s simply never enough of this wine to satisfy demand.  I strongly recommend securing your case, before this one runs out… 
 
LIVIO SASSETTI
2011 PERTIMALI
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Retails at:  $55.00/btl
 
Your Price: $44.99/btl
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From The Wine Enthusiast: “Floral and refined, this opens with alluring scents of violet, iris, perfumed berry, earth and a whiff of pressed powder. The savory, elegant palate offers up juicy wild cherry, raspberry, truffle, anise and white pepper framed in a network of silky tannins. It’s already extremely accessible and will offer fine drinking pleasure for the near and mid-term.”  94 Points
Customers who enjoy Livio Sassetti’s 2011 Brunello Pertimali may also enjoy these two terrific wines…
2013 Moulin De Tricot Margaux 2013 Giovanni Rosso Barolo
MOULIN DE TRICOT
2013 MARGAUX
Retails at:  $65.00/btl
 
Your Price: $39.99/btl 
 
Tasting Notes: “With striking aromas of crushed violets, black raspberry, wild rose and plum, Moulin de Tricot’s 2013  Margaux is deep, plush and remarkably elegant. Well-integrated and precise flavors of dark red fruits, spices, floral components and minerals all intermingle effortlessly throughout the looonnnng and highly-pleasurable finish...” 
GIOVANNI ROSSO
2013 BAROLO
PIEDMONT, ITALY
Retails at:  $48.00/btl
 
Your Price: $39.99/btl 
 
From The Wine Spectator: “A fruit-driven style, this red also displays ample tannins. Cherry, strawberry, floral and leafy tobacco flavors are backed by a vibrant structure, and this winds down with hints of mineral, earth and tobacco...”   93 Points
2011 Bernard Magrez Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Cabernet Sauvignon

2011 Bernard Magrez Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaSt HelenaUSA

BERNARD MAGREZ

BECKSTOFFER DR. CRANE
2011 CABERNET SAUVIGNON

2011 Bernard Magrez Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Cabernet SauvignonThe synchronicity between esteemed winemaker Benoit Touquette and Beckstoffer’s iconic Dr. Crane Vineyard is powerful and absolutely indisputable… Benoit is responsible for multiple 100 points from this very vineyard as the winemaker at Realm.  And as one of Napa Valley’s most celebrated heritage vineyards, Beckstoffer Dr. Crane produced single vineyard Cabernets from Paul Hobbs, Realm and Myriad to list a few.  Nearly all Cabernet from this hallowed ground ranges from $175 to over $500/btl…
Saturating, intense, generous, lovely… these would all be perfect descriptors for the 2011 Bernard Magrez.  There’s also something magical that often happens right around five years in the bottle.  This wine has a fully developed, intense and hedonistic bouquet that can only come from bottle age.  It has focused, powerful intensity and scrumptious texture, that has to be experienced to be believed.   I strongly recommend adding some of this gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon to your cellar. 
 
BERNARD MAGREZ
BECKSTOFFER DR. CRANE
2011 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Retails at:  $175/btl
 
 
From Vinous: “The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Dr. Crane Vineyard from Bernard Magrez is another impressive wine for the year. Long, persistent and intense, the 2011 stands out for its focus and energy. Dark cherry, plum, smoke, sweet French oak and leather flow through to the layered, finish. The sweet, floral notes so typical of the 337 Cabernet clone present in Dr. Crane ring out on the finish.” 92 Points
 
Customers that enjoy the Bernard Magrez Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet, may also enjoy these two terrific Cabs…
 
2010 Harris Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Jones Family The Sisters Cabernet Sauvignon
HARRIS ESTATE
2010 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
JAKE’S CREEK VINEYARD
Retails at:  $140.00/btl
Your Price: $119.99/btl 
From Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, “Dark cherries, plums, menthol, licorice and flowers all come together in the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Jake’s Creek Vineyard. There is plenty of intensity in the glass as this full-bodied, opulent wine shows off its considerable personality. Sweet floral and spiced notes add lift on the finish. Readers will have to be patient with the 2010 Jake’s Creek, but it is striking, even today. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2030.”   94 Points
JONES FAMILY 
2013 THE SISTERS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Retails at:  $85.00/btl
With nearly two dozen perfect 100 Point wines, Thomas Brown is a dominating force in Cabernet Sauvignon and he’s truly at the top of his game Packed with supple, concentrated red cherry, deep black raspberry, pomegranate, graphite and a touch of sweet vanilla oak, this absolutely ready to drink Cabernet will thrill you from first sip to last. The vineyard is managed by Jim Barbour, one of the absolute top viticulturists, who’s list of clients include icons like  Hundred Acre, Grace Family and Barbour to list a few…