2017 Luce Della Vite Luce Toscana

2017 Luce Della Vite Luce Toscana

with No Comment $90-$100ItalyKevin VogtMontalcinoTuscany

LUCE

DELLA VITE LUCE 
2017 TOSCANA

2017 Luce Della Vite Luce Toscana
Vittorio Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi took a risk creating the first Super Tuscan-style blend of Sangiovese and Merlot from Montalcino’s time-tested terroir. They merged traditional Tuscan winemaking with Montalcino’s majestic earth, balancing Sangiovese’s penetrating fruit with Merlot’s supple richness. Twenty-five vintages later, their flagship Luce Della Vite Toscana continues to turn heads with massive scores, sleek packaging, and powerfully enchanting flavors. 
 
The biodiversity of Luce’s Vineyards is vital in the character and complexity of their wines. Located Southwest of Montalcino Village, their vines are influenced by the sea, earth, and the climate conditions created by the rolling hills.
 
Luce’s team sorts each berry carefully before transferring them into Cement fermentation vessels, where they spend four weeks on the skins, extracting depth and rich color. The wine is barrel-aged for a full 24 months, polishing the powerfully captivating flavors and aromas. 
 
LUCE
DELLA VITE LUCE 
2017 TOSCANA
Retails at: $110
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“Dark-berry, walnut, cedar and violet aromas with just a hint of chocolate. Full-bodied, layered and rich with ripe tannins and a vivid finish. Shows energy and a velvety texture. Deep and long. Give it two or three years to soften. Try after 2022.”
97 Points
 
“… the 25th anniversary of Luce… the 2017 vintage celebrates this birthday properly. Luce is one of the few Super Tuscans of Montalcino. Compared to Brunello it is blended with Merlot adding suppleness and focused on new oak ageing. Deep crimson in colour, full of clove, vanilla and buttery aromas, than brights for black cherry and plummy notes, graphite and cherry flavour, with an earthy mineral finish. Grainy velvety tannins and firm acidity are well supported by incredibly rich fruit concentration and suppleness. A wine drinkable now with potential for ageing. Drinking Window 2020 – 2040”
95 Points
2017 Opus One Proprietary Red Napa Valley

2017 Opus One Proprietary Red Napa Valley

with No Comment $100 and overKevin VogtNapaOakvilleProprietary RedUSA

OPUS ONE 

PROPRIETARY RED
2017 NAPA VALLEY

2017 Opus One Proprietary Red Napa Valley
Opus One began in 1979 with a powerful partnership between two titans of the industry, Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Chateau Mouton Rothschild. They shared dream of producing a single Napa wine dedicated to the pursuit of uncompromising quality. The wine is a blend of Bordeaux varieties that’s often centered around a core of approximately 80% Cabernet Sauvignon. Their winemaking team strives to capture each vintage’s character and perfectly balances power, finesse, structure, and texture. Their 2017 vintage does just that, and with a string of 95-96 point reviews, it may not be available for long. 
 
The winery’s Estate vineyards are centered in the Western portion of Oakville and include 100 acres inside the highly celebrated To-Kalon Vineyard. They complement the To-Kalon fruit with two other parcels that surround the winery. 
 
The 2017 vintage blends four of Bordeaux’s top five varietals with 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec. The wine spent 17 months in barrel and was cellared for an additional 15 months in bottle before release. 
 
OPUS ONE 
PROPRIETARY RED
2017 NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $360
 
“A fist of late summer cherries, raspberry and bilberry fruits set out their stall, all with the juicy character that confirms, even in a hot vintage like 2017, Opus can deliver balance and sculpted elegance. Beautiful grip, creamy texture with a strikingly powerful tannic frame. As the wine stays in the glass the floral aromatics begin to bloom up. A brilliant Opus. 20 days maceration – around half what it would have been a decade ago. 54% native yeast, as part of their native yeast project. 5% Merlot and 1% Malbec complete the blend. Harvest spread out over September 5 to October 8, just before the fires… Drinking Window 2023 – 2045”
96 Points
 
“A remarkable wine for the year, the 2017 Opus One is a dense, full-throttle beauty. Plush fruit and soft, silky contours give the 2017 its racy personality. Exotic, beautifully perfumed and impeccable in its balance, Opus One is one of the most complete wines of the vintage. In 2017, Opus One has a distinctly red-toned fruit profile that distinguishes it from the surrounding vintages.”
95+ Points
 
“… Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it slowly grows on the nose, revealing compelling notes of baked black cherries, mulberries, black raspberries, warm cassis and blackberry pie with nuances of spice cake, yeast extract, tapenade, licorice and dusty soil with a waft of wild sage. Medium-bodied, the palate has a lively skip in its step, featuring bags of juicy raspberry and cassis-laced fruit and a refreshing line, supported by ripe, plush tannins, finishing long and graceful. Drink 2021 – 2036”
95 Points
 
“Lots of currant and floral notes on the nose. Hints of mint and spice. Medium-to full-bodied, round and savory with creamy, juicy tannins. Hints of citrus underneath. Bright, fresh and delicious. Drink or hold.”
95 points
2013 Chester's Anvil Hattori Hanzo Cabernet Blend

2013 Chester’s Anvil Hattori Hanzo Cabernet Blend

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

CHESTER’S ANVIL

2013 HATTORI HANZO
CABERNET BLEND

2013 Chester's Anvil Hattori Hanzo Cabernet Blend
With the price of Napa Cabernet reaching new heights, it feels great to uncover a killer Cabernet Blend at $35 that’s made by a winemaker who’s known for crafting multi-hundred dollar, high-scoring Cabs.   Chester’s Anvil combines the talents Steve Lagier and Carole Meredith, who both worked at Robert Mondavi, and Aaron Pott, who after making Quintessa, embarked on his own label Pott Wines, earning numerous scores in the high 90’s..  One sip and you’ll know you’re into something special… A precision combination of deep, penetrating flavors underlined by a silky embrace.  With a total production of 107 cases, I wouldn’t hesitate to secure yours.  
Emerging from a vintage unanimously recognized for its unrivaled quality… One that Robert Parker alerted readers that it “...may turn out to be the finest vintage I have experienced in tasting North Coast varietals over the last 37 years.” This stunning Cabernet Blend spent an impressive 20 months developing in oak, adding a seamless, elegance.  Those of you who’ve tasted any of Chester’s Anvil’s wines know how good they are and have probably already clicked the order button… If you haven’t had a chance to try them, here’s a chance to pick some up at a terrific price.   
 
CHESTER’S ANVIL
2013 HATTORI HANZO
CABERNET BLEND
Retails at:  $40.00/btl
Your Price: $34.99/btl 
 
 
Winery Notes: “A harmonious blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and other kindred grapes. Black currant, blackberry, roasted duck breast, cocoa, coffee, cherry, a rich finish of milk chocolate and cherries.” 107 Cases Produced
 
Customers that enjoy Chester’s Anvil’s Hattori Hanzo Blend, may also enjoy these two terrific Reds…
2013 Coho Headwaters Napa Valley Proprietary Red 2013 Titus Napa Valley Malbec
COHO
2013 HEADWATERS
PROPRIETARY RED
Retails at:  $52.00/btl
Your Price: $39.99/btl 
From James Suckling, “Aromas of black currants with dried leaves and hints of cappuccino. Full-bodied with round, polished tannins, lots of blackberry character, some raisiny notes and a persistent finish…” 
87% Cabernet Sauvignon | 11% Merlot | 2% Petit Verdot
93 Points ~ Number #96
Top 100 Wines of 2016 
TITUS 
2013 MALBEC
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at:  $45.00/btl
 
There are a handful of California winemakers whom many would refer to as legendary or iconic, and whose triumphs and experience are so profound that their very name rings with excellence.  Philip Titus is etched permanently onto that list…  Revered for his work authoring Chappellet’s Pritchard Hill wines for nearly three decades, leaving countless World Class wines in his wake.