Red Wines    Pinot Noir    Sonoma County    California   
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Date Printed: 5/25/2013
Freestone Vineyards by Joseph Phelps Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2009
Freestone Vineyards by Joseph Phelps Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2009
 (search item no. 119267)
James Suckling rating: 95 points
The Wine Advocate rating: 92 points
PRICE ON 5/25/2013: $39.99

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2010 The Wine Advocate rating: 94 points
2010 Wine Enthusiast rating: 93 points
2010 International Wine Cellar rating: 90 points
2007 International Wine Cellar rating: 92 points
2007 Burghound.com rating: 91 points
2006 Wine Enthusiast rating: 94 points
2006 International Wine Cellar rating: 93 points
2006 Burghound.com rating: 91 points
2006 Wine Spectator rating: 90 points
2006 Connoisseurs' Guide rating: 90 points

Winemaker's Notes:

 This complex and lively Pinot Noir exhibits aromas of juicy black cherry and balsamic reduction, hints of anise, cassis, dried tea leaves, sweet tobacco and savory, simmering curry spices all enveloped within Freestone's characteristic essence of tangerine zest. The offerings on the palate are both generous and lingering, with flavors of freshly ground allspice, sautêed Chanterelles and plump, red cherries. The earthiness is subtle yet captivating, and the finish is long and seamless. This Pinot Noir is rich, vibrant and has an energy that will keep it alive for many years.
My Notes:

Additional wines from Freestone Vineyards:

About Freestone Vineyards:

 Founded in 1999 when the Joseph Phelps family and management team broke ground on more than 100 acres near the town of Freestone in the Sonoma Coast appellation with a goal of creating a winery to produce outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. At Freestone Vineyards, developing and applying biodynamic farming practices is an opportunity to fully express the regional characteristics of the soil, climate, and terrain within the context of what natures provides. Careful picking and sorting by hand encourages fresh and pure fruit expression.


Red Wines    Cabernet Sauvignon    Napa Valley    California   
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Date Printed: 5/25/2013
Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
 (search item no. 119548)
collectible wine

The Wine Advocate rating: 96 points
Wine Spectator rating: 96 points
PRICE ON 5/25/2013: $239.00

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2007 The Wine Advocate rating: 98 points
2007 International Wine Cellar rating: 96 points
2007 Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
2006 The Wine Advocate rating: 96 points
2006 Connoisseurs' Guide rating: 95 points
2006 Wine & Spirits rating: 94 points
2006 International Wine Cellar rating: 93 points
2006 Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
2005 The Wine Advocate rating: 97 points
2005 International Wine Cellar rating: 97 points
2005 Wine & Spirits rating: 94 points
2005 Connoisseurs' Guide rating: 93 points
2005 Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
2004 Wine Enthusiast rating: 100 points
2004 The Wine Advocate rating: 97 points
2004 Wine & Spirits rating: 95 points
2004 Wine Spectator rating: 94 points
2003 Wine Enthusiast rating: 96 points
2003 The Wine Advocate rating: 95 points
2003 Wine Spectator rating: 93 points
2003 International Wine Cellar rating: 93 points
2002 The Wine Advocate rating: 100 points
2001 The Wine Advocate rating: 100 points
2001 Wine Enthusiast rating: 98 points
2001 Wine Spectator rating: 96 points
2001 Wine & Spirits rating: 94 points
2000 Wine Spectator rating: 95 points
2000 The Wine Advocate rating: 93 points
2000 Wine & Spirits rating: 91 points
1999 The Wine Advocate rating: 97 points
1999 Wine Spectator rating: 94 points
1999 International Wine Cellar rating: 94 points
1999 Wine & Spirits rating: 93 points
1998 Wine Enthusiast rating: 95 points
1998 The Wine Advocate rating: 94 points
1998 Wine Spectator rating: 91 points
1998 International Wine Cellar rating: 90 points
1997 The Wine Advocate rating: 96 points
1997 International Wine Cellar rating: 95 points
1997 Wine Spectator rating: 91 points
1996 The Wine Advocate rating: 98 points
1996 Wine & Spirits rating: 94 points
1995 The Wine Advocate rating: 99 points
1995 Wine Enthusiast rating: 94 points
1995 International Wine Cellar rating: 93 points
1994 The Wine Advocate rating: 99 points
1994 International Wine Cellar rating: 95 points
1993 The Wine Advocate rating: 94 points
1993 Wine Spectator rating: 90 points
1992 The Wine Advocate rating: 95 points
1991 The Wine Advocate rating: 94 points
1991 Wine Spectator rating: 93 points

Winemaker's Notes:

 2008 Hillside Select offers perfumy aromatic elegance and rich, focused flavors of blackberry, black cherry, dark chocolate, cola, cassis, juicy red cherry, black tea, with spice and warm toast. Ripe, silken tannins result in a pleasing, lengthy finish, smooth texture, and a refined structure which offers the potential for very long-term aging.

Grilled or roasted lamb, duck, beef and game; dishes featuring roasted red peppers or carmelized onions; seasonings of basil, mint or rosemary. Aged, full-flavor cheeses are also complementary.
My Notes:

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About Shafer Vineyards:

 John Shafer and his family founded Shafer Vineyards, located in the Stags Leap District of the Napa Valley, in 1979. From the Shafers' first wine, a 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon, their wines have won much acclaim. Today, the Shafers farm 200 acres of vineyard in the Stags Leap District, Carneros and Oak Knoll regions. Their flagship wine, Hillside Select, is produced from selected blocks of the family's hillside vineyards and is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. They also produce Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay, Merlot, One Point Five (Cabernet Sauvignon) and Relentless (a Syrah/Petite Sirah blend), which was named #1 wine of the year by Wine Spectator's "Top 100" of 2012.


Red Wines    Cabernet Sauvignon    Sonoma County    California   
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Date Printed: 5/25/2013
Louis Martini Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Louis Martini Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
 (search item no. 109152)
collectible wine

The Wine News rating: 94 points
Wine Enthusiast rating: 92 points
PRICE ON 5/25/2013: $49.99

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2008 The Wine Advocate rating: 93 points
2007 The Wine Advocate rating: 95 points
2004 The Wine Advocate rating: 91 points
2004 Wine & Spirits rating: 90 points
2000 Wine Enthusiast rating: 92 points
1999 Wine Spectator rating: 93 points
1999 Wine & Spirits rating: 91 points
1998 Wine Enthusiast rating: 93 points

Winemaker's Notes:

 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petite Verdot.

Nestled in the majestic Mayacamas Mountain range nearly 1,000 feet above the Sonoma Valley, is a vineyard that has been producing award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon for three generations. Owned by the Louis M. Martini winery since 1938, the Monte Rosso vineyard (named "Monte Rosso" or "Red Mountain" for its rich, red volcanic soils) is a steep and rugged mountain vineyard with a desirable western exposure that produces wines with a unique sense of terroir.

The Monte Rosso Cabernet Sauvignon is a hand crafted wine sourced from the best vineyard blocks within Monte Rosso. This is a full-bodied wine revealing a dark ruby/purple color, and showcasing an opulent nose of dark berries, licorice, black currants, cherries and tobacco. Flavors of ripe plum with undertones of earthiness and spice, and dried fruit evolve into a rich, long, lingering finish that is impressively structured. It is a perfect complement to warm, earthy dishes, game and red meat such as wild boar, venison and grilled filet mignon.
My Notes:

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About Louis Martini:

 For more than 75 years, the Martini family winemakers have crafted world-class Cabernet Sauvignon wines from the exceptional vineyards of Sonoma and Napa counties. Louis M. Martini embodied a simple, honest premise: The best grapes make the best wines. Today, Michael Martini, third generation winemaker carries on this tradition at the historic winery in Napa Valley with his range of unforgettable Cabernet Sauvignon wines.


Red Wines    Pinot Noir    Central Coast    California   
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Date Printed: 5/25/2013
Scott Family Estate Estate Pinot Noir 2006
Scott Family Estate Estate Pinot Noir 2006
 (search item no. 99065)
The Wine News rating: 93 points
PRICE ON 5/25/2013: $19.99

Winemaker's Notes:

 We are proud to introduce the first release of our Scott Family Estate 2006 Monterey Pinot Noir. This wine boasts attractive, intense aromas of ripe cherry, rich raspberry and cola intertwined with sage and vanilla. A full-bodied and well-balanced Pinot Noir with fresh fruit flavors of strawberry, cherry and cranberry.

Scott Family Pinot Noir is crafted from a blend of Dijon Clones grown on our estate in the Arroyo Seco appellation of Monterey County. This cool region in California provides a longer growing season that contributes to the complexity of flavor and fruit intensity of our Pinot Noir.

My Notes:

About Scott Family Estate:

 Named after the winery owners’ grandfather, our Scott Family Estate wines are produced from Dijon Clones grown on our estate vineyards in the Arroyo Seco appellation of Monterey, CA. This area of the state is known for its warm days – often hot - and cool nights.

This terroir is ideal for producing high-quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wine grapes. With such outstanding grapes, our winemaker Steve Rued crafts wines with aromatic elegance and opulent flavors.



Red Wines    Grenache    Gigondas    France - Rhone   
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Date Printed: 5/25/2013
Dom. du Pesquier Gigondas 2007
Dom. du Pesquier Gigondas 2007
 (search item no. 105405)
The Wine Advocate rating: 91 points
Wine Spectator rating: 91 points
PRICE ON 5/25/2013: $23.99

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2005 The Wine Advocate rating: 91 points
2003 The Wine Advocate rating: 90 points
2003 International Wine Cellar rating: 90 points
2001 Wine & Spirits rating: 92 points
1999 Wine Spectator rating: 94 points
1998 Wine Spectator rating: 91 points
1998 International Wine Cellar rating: 90 points

Winemaker's Notes:

 The Domaine Pesquier Gigondas sports a beautiful ruby color, dark and deep. This traditionally structured wine reveals itself slowly but steadily, first displaying red fruits and then notes of garrigue followed by cocoa and licorice root. The aromas are rich and layered, the palate is intense and silky, with a big body and finely-knit tannins. This Gigondas represents the very best of bold, classic southern Rhone red wines.
My Notes:


White Wines    Riesling    Columbia Valley    Washington   
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Date Printed: 5/25/2013
Pacific Rim Wallula Vineyard Biodynamic Riesling 2007
Pacific Rim Wallula Vineyard Biodynamic Riesling 2007
 (search item no. 99554)
green wine
boutique wine

Wine Enthusiast rating: 93 points
Wine Spectator rating: 90 points
PRICE ON 5/25/2013: $24.99

ratings pedigree (past vintages):
2010 Wine Spectator rating: 92 points
2008 Wine Spectator rating: 91 points
2008 Wine Enthusiast rating: 91 points

Winemaker's Notes:

 Wallula is farmed according to the Biodynamic principles and is certified Biodynamic by Demeter USA. From its beginnings, Wallula vineyard was planted as a Biodynamic vineyard on virgin land without disturbing the native vegetation. Dan Nickolaus, the vineyard manager at Wallula, uses no pesticides and no herbicides and he is working to make this vineyard self sustainable. Dan uses all the Biodynamic preparations with an emphasis on horn manure, silica, stinging nettle and horsetail teas. Dan also makes his own compost and has a herd of sheep to control the weeds in the vineyard.

2007 was well suited for Biodynamic wines because the acidity in the grapes was high. The wine aromas are fairly ripe with some guava and grapefruit notes. The wine was aged on lees for a few months and displays wonderful yeastiness, jasmine on the palate and great minerality with a dry, bright finish.
My Notes:

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About Pacific Rim:

 Riesling, simply, is the most versatile, complex and food-friendly of all the noble grapes. if you enjoy inspiring your palate, then Riesling is your ideal wine. No other varietal so purely expresses terroir. Washington's Columbia Valley - home of Pacific Rim - provies the ideal soils and climate for growing Riesling. Purity is at the core of Pacific Rim's winemaking philosophy. They exclusively use stainless steel tanks, allowing the true character of Riesling to speak for itself, they do not use malolactic fermentation and their wines are fermented only with native yeasts. Pacific Rim produces 10 different Rieslings from bone dry to sticky sweet, and Riesling represents 95% of all the wines they produce. Pacific Rim is an Organic and Biodynamic certified winery.