White Rock Vineyards Claret 2013
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Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
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Connoisseurs'
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Proprietary Red Blend Claret is a blend of 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot. This has always been their flagship wine. This is the most fruit-forward, delicious, sexy wine in the portfolio, with soft tannins, loads of raspberry, blueberry and blackcurrant fruit, licorice and forest floor in a medium to full-bodied, silky smooth style. This is sexy, yet at the same time complex juice. Drink it over the next 12-15 years.
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James Suckling
A red with orange peel, plums and spices on the nose. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and a flavorful finish. Tight and chewy. Very pretty. 33% cabernet sauvignon, 22% merlot, 39% cabernet franc and 6% petit verdot. Try in 2019.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Smells of fresh raspberries and richer ones of berry preserves merge nicely with a bit of sweet oak and notes of dried herbs in the nose here, and, if certainly not lacking in basic grip nor escaping a rush of late-arriving astringency, this well-composed wine has the richness and fruity heart to become genuinely inviting in time. For now, however, its tannins hold sway, but that will not always be the case, and five-plus years of cellaring is encouraged. There is a complex and polished wine waiting to emerge.
Other Vintages
2019-
Parker
Robert
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Suckling
James
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Parker
Robert
In 1960 Henri Vandendriessche, whose family originated in Northern France, came to America to study Economics at UC Berkeley. In 1967 he met Claire, raised in Napa Valley. They fell in love and sought to learn what they could about American winemaking. In 1977 they purchased a 64 acre estate north of Napa with two goals in mind: reviving an 1870’s winery estate to its former glory and raising their family on the land that would reflect and encompass their values. Learning to be good stewards of the land, they relied on their common sense. They moved their young family into the converted old winery and made the farm their home. They replanted as much of the vineyard as they could, and dug a cave into the solid rock where they could make and cellar the wine. Always a family business, White Rock was in the capable hands of Henri who oversaw all aspects of the enterprise, including the vineyard management, while Claire marketed and sold the wines. Their three children lived along with the seasons, helping and participating at each stage. It was their small hands that carried the 5 gallon buckets of picked grapes to the gondola. The lively atmosphere of fulfillment and joy made every day and every helper a part of the family gathering.