White Wines    Chardonnay    Other California    California   
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Date Printed: 6/20/2013
Ghost Pines Chardonnay 2010
Ghost Pines Chardonnay 2010
 (search item no. 113648)

PRICE ON 6/20/2013: $18.99

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2006 The Wine Advocate rating: 90 points

Winemaker's Notes:

 Ghost Pines 2010 Chardonnay possesses expressive fruit-forward characters, the result of sourcing only Premium fruit from three of California's most recognized Chardonnay appellations: Sonoma, Monterey and Napa Counties. Modern winemaking techniques allow this wine to express characters of baked apple, pear and lemon cream accented by an elegant and sweet vanilla finish.
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About Ghost Pines:

 Like the unharnessed, free-form, ghost-like tree with which it shares a name, Ghost Pines represents the long, rich, winemaking heritage of California's finest appellations. By departing from traditional single appellation grape sourcing, the Ghost Pines winemaker is able to craft consistently superior "Winemaker's Blend" wines which showcase the concentrated yet elegant flavor characters that come from the best growing regions in the state.


White Wines    Chardonnay    Napa Valley    California   
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Date Printed: 6/20/2013
Cakebread Reserve Chardonnay 2009
Cakebread Reserve Chardonnay 2009
 (search item no. 114783)
Wine Spectator rating: 89 points
PRICE ON 6/20/2013: $75.99

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2010 Wine Spectator rating: 89 points
2005 Wine Spectator rating: 89 points
1998 Wine Spectator rating: 89 points
1998 Wine & Spirits rating: 86 points
1995 Wine Spectator rating: 90 points

Winemaker's Notes:

 The 2009 Napa Valley Reserve Chardonnay delights the olfactory sense with beautifully ripe golden apple, citrus and tropical fruit aromas, complemented by seductive scents of buttercream, yeast and mineral. On the palate, the wine is wonderfully lush and mouthfilling, with rich, creamy, spiced apple, peach and melon flavors; yet, it is also wonderfully fresh, focused and balanced, reflecting the cool 2009 vintage. With deeply concentrated fruit and vibrant acidity, this luxurious Napa Valley Chardonnay will age beautifully in bottle for another 5-7 years.
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About Cakebread Cellars:

 Over 30 years ago, Jack Cakebread came to photograph the Napa Valley for a book and while there, he casually mentioned his interest in one day owning a vineyard to some family friends who had a ranch in Rutherford. When he returned home that afternoon, the phone rang and it was the family friends offering to sell their property. He headed back up to the valley that same afternoon to make his best offer, and Cakebread Cellars was born.

As the Cakebread family reflects upon the many profound changes in the wine industry over the last 33 years, such as innovative farming techniques and new methods of reaching out to consumers, they note that their key values have remained the same. Dedication to making the highest quality wines and a commitment to family has followed a continuum as their first small vineyard has grown into a thriving internationally distributed wine company.


White Wines    Chardonnay    Napa Valley    California   
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Date Printed: 6/20/2013
Cakebread Chardonnay 2010
Cakebread Chardonnay 2010
 (search item no. 111396)

PRICE ON 6/20/2013: $39.99

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2009 Wine Spectator rating: 90 points
2008 The Wine Advocate rating: 90 points
2007 Wine Enthusiast rating: 90 points
2005 Wine Spectator rating: 89 points
2002 Wine & Spirits rating: 92 points
2001 Wine & Spirits rating: 90 points
1999 Wine & Spirits rating: 91 points
1999 Wine Spectator rating: 88 points
1999 Wine Enthusiast rating: 86 points
1997 Wine Spectator rating: 90 points

Winemaker's Notes:

 Our 2010 Napa Valley Chardonnay boasts an attractive light golden-straw color and fresh, lightly buttery, ripe golden apple, pear and citrus aromas, complemented by seductive vanilla and cinnamon/nutmeg scents from oak aging and subtle yeast tones from lees contact. Lush, concentrated and creamy on the palate, its ripe apple, melon, bright citrus and baking spice flavors culminate in a long, beautifully structured finish boasting crisp acidity and zesty mineral and spice tones. Sumptuous, yet refreshing, our 2010 Chardonnay is delicious now, but will handsomely reward another 3-5 years' bottle aging.
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Additional wines from Cakebread Cellars:

About Cakebread Cellars:

 Over 30 years ago, Jack Cakebread came to photograph the Napa Valley for a book and while there, he casually mentioned his interest in one day owning a vineyard to some family friends who had a ranch in Rutherford. When he returned home that afternoon, the phone rang and it was the family friends offering to sell their property. He headed back up to the valley that same afternoon to make his best offer, and Cakebread Cellars was born.

As the Cakebread family reflects upon the many profound changes in the wine industry over the last 33 years, such as innovative farming techniques and new methods of reaching out to consumers, they note that their key values have remained the same. Dedication to making the highest quality wines and a commitment to family has followed a continuum as their first small vineyard has grown into a thriving internationally distributed wine company.


White Wines    Chardonnay    Sonoma County    California   
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Date Printed: 6/20/2013
MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2009
MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2009
 (search item no. 111996)
The Wine Advocate rating: 90 points
PRICE ON 6/20/2013: $19.99

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2008 The Wine Advocate rating: 88 points

Winemaker's Notes:
This 2009 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay has a rich mouthfeel with sweet aromatics. Restrained oak contact brings caramel and vanilla flavors, but the emphasis is on elegant ripe fruit with tropical and lemon cream notes.
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About MacMurray Ranch:

 MacMurray Ranch was purchased from the Porter family by famed actor Fred MacMurray in 1941. Fred raised his family on the ranch and they enjoyed the natural wonders of Sonoma County. Today, the ranch looks much as it did a century ago, surrounded by rail fences and framed by oak and redwood groves. Only now it is home to some of Sonoma County's finest vineyards. Aside from being beautiful, the Russian River Valley is among the premier growing regions for Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. MacMurray Ranch speaks to the legacy of the land by crafting wines from this appellation with elegance and finesse.

The wines of MacMurray Ranch are crafted with care by winemaker Susan Doyle, who has a patient, gentle approach that gets the best out of Pinot Noir and its cousin Pinot Gris. Susan is guiding the wines of MacMurray Ranch to achieve both depth and the finely nuanced range of flavors that expresses the nature of the place where they were born. With her university studies in both winegrowing and winemaking, Susan makes wines that reflect the old Burgundian sense of "terroir", the special qualities that weather, land, and the hand of man that give her wines their individual distinction.


White Wines    Sauvignon Blanc    Napa Valley    California   
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Date Printed: 6/20/2013
Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc 2010
 (search item no. 111664)
Wine & Spirits rating: 91 points
PRICE ON 6/20/2013: $29.99

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2008 Wine & Spirits rating: 90 points
2004 Connoisseurs' Guide rating: 91 points
2002 Wine Spectator rating: 88 points
2002 Wine & Spirits rating: 87 points
2000 Wine Spectator rating: 88 points
1999 Wine Spectator rating: 88 points
1998 Wine Spectator rating: 88 points

Winemaker's Notes:

 We harvest our Sauvignon Blanc grapes at night, when the vines are in full repose, to fully capture their fresh, concentrated varietal flavors, crisp acidity and ideal sugar-acid balance. Whole-cluster-pressing of the fruit immediately upon arrival at the winery maximizes varietal intensity while minimizing the extraction of astringent compounds from the skins. In 2010, we tank-fermented 88% of the juice while fermenting 12% in neutral oak barrels. Subsequently, 87% of the wine spent five months aging in neutral French oak barrels, which enriched its texture while optimizing varietal expression. Due to the coolness of the vintage, our 2010 Sauvignon Blanc is especially fresh, crisp and vibrant, offering bright honeydew melon, pink grapefruit, gooseberry and vanilla aromas and rich, mouthwatering, citrus, nectarine and melon flavors. An ideal apèritif wine, it also beautifully accompanies a wide and diverse range of foods, from shellfish and lighter seafood dishes to roast chicken, Caesar Salad and pasta primavera.
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Additional wines from Cakebread Cellars:

About Cakebread Cellars:

 Over 30 years ago, Jack Cakebread came to photograph the Napa Valley for a book and while there, he casually mentioned his interest in one day owning a vineyard to some family friends who had a ranch in Rutherford. When he returned home that afternoon, the phone rang and it was the family friends offering to sell their property. He headed back up to the valley that same afternoon to make his best offer, and Cakebread Cellars was born.

As the Cakebread family reflects upon the many profound changes in the wine industry over the last 33 years, such as innovative farming techniques and new methods of reaching out to consumers, they note that their key values have remained the same. Dedication to making the highest quality wines and a commitment to family has followed a continuum as their first small vineyard has grown into a thriving internationally distributed wine company.