Winemaker Notes
**NOTE: Bottled with 12 different labels, you may not receive the one pictured**
An opaque, purple chroma is brilliantly on display in the glass. An alluring fragrance of bright floral notes, violet juxtaposed with intriguing mountain characteristics. The entry is big, dark, and brooding with concentrated berry flavors, black cherry, mocha, and delightful earthy, brambly notes. Soft and lush, the tannins are sublime which offsets a pleasing mineral finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Another innovative and genius effort from Dave Phinney is his 2013 Proprietary Red Machete, which is a California red blend made from Petite Sirah, Syrah and Grenache. This wine is another that shows his tendency to produce wines of great intensity and personality. It is full-bodied and exuberant, with an inky purple color and a stunning nose of boysenberry, black cherry, chocolate and floral notes. Full-bodied, opulent and multilayered, this is another stunner that brilliantly conceals the ten months it spent in 40% new French oak, as well as its rather hefty alcohol. This is unbelievable wine and another great effort from a true, young, up-and-coming force in the world’s winedom.
Rating: 94+ -
Wine Spectator
White pepper, violet, plum, blackberry, vanilla bean, nutmeg, black tea and espresso notes mingle effortlessly, lingering on the finish. Petite Sirah, Syrah and Grenache. Drink now through 2030.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.