Wine & Spirits - August 2018 - 74

US NEW RELEASES
Lewis on Pritchard Hill and Rutherford
Bench Vineyard in Rutherford. It's riper
than Robert John's 2013, with suave tannins
lending it chocolate richness. Not a wine for
long aging, this is approachable now, its gentle tannins ready for filet mignon. (300 cases)

Rather than being weighty with extract, this
has tension and motion, a counterpoint
to seared duck breast or grilled portobello
mushrooms.

CABERNET FRANC
511727

91 | Corison

$100

2015 St. Helena Helios Sunbasket Vineyard Cabernet Franc ^ This is a warm, spicy
franc in 2015, its red and green fruit notes
darkened by scents of cocoa nibs. The black
tannins show a lot of extract, smoky and firm,
needing a few years of bottle age to bring the
fruit forward. (100 cases)

GRENACHE
513163

92 | A Tribute to Grace
511751

91 | True Myth

511896

92 | Shafer

$95

2015 Stags Leap District One Point Five ^
Doug Shafer grows formidable cabernets
at his family's estate vineyards, this one
clocking in at 15.3 percent alcohol. But it
wears that power well, building intensity
into a tight structure, offering an immediate impression of elegance. It's heady with
an umeboshi plum scent, and chunky with
chocolate-covered-cherry flavors. Decant it
several hours before you grill a butterflied leg
of lamb studded with rosemary and garlic.
512090

91 | Flora Springs

$24

2015 Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon
(Best Buy) ^ The Niven family of Edna Valley's Paragon Vineyard base True Myth on
purchased fruit from growers in Paso Robles
for this cabernet. It's dark and smoky, with
some restrained green-pepper notes lending
a cool feeling. The toasty oak doesn't get in
the way of the flavors; instead, it adds tannic
richness without impeding the direction and
elegance of the wine. An impressive cabernet, and a great buy at $24.

$125

2015 Napa Valley Holy Smoke Cabernet Sauvignon ^ This is made entirely from
Clone 4 cabernet sauvignon from an organically farmed vineyard in Oakville. It has the
gloss of an Oakville cabernet, luxurious and
richly oaked, with plenty of ripe fruit to keep
it vibrant. Ready for steak. (390 cases)

511930

90 | Silverado

$125

2014 Stags Leap District Solo Cabernet
Sauvignon ^ Solo grows at Silverado's Stags
Leap Vineyard, a selection of the estate's Disney Heritage clone. It's ripe, bold and juicy,
with tart boysenberry flavors and a hint of
bitter extract in the tannins. Give it a few
years in the cellar to mellow, then serve with
a steak.
512206

90 | Robert John Vineyard

511894

91 | Rodney Strong

$28

2014 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (Best Buy) ^ From four estate vineyards
on the hillsides and benchlands of Alexander Valley, this is an elegant cabernet with
a lean frame. The floral scents turn toward
ripe plum and dark berries, while the spicy
tannins have a dark walnut-skin bitterness.
74

WINE & SPIRITS

AUGUST 2018

$90

2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ^
Dark fruited, this cabernet is maturing into
its black cherry and chocolate density. The
tannins are soft, lasting on scents of tobacco
and herbs, making it ready to drink with
braised beef. (300 cases)

2015 Santa Barbara County Highlands
Vineyard Grenache ^ The Highlands Vineyard rises to 3,000 feet, a site with sunny days
and cold nights that produced a brisk and
intriguingly spicy grenache in 2015. Angela
Osborne considered the stems ripe enough
to include 78 percent whole clusters in a long,
slow fermentation without added yeasts. She
foot-treads the grapes twice a day, extracting a light color and a firm, tart strawberry
flavor surrounded by rooty tannins. The tealike notes suggest a match with roast duck, or
sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves.
513165

90 | A Tribute to Grace

2015 Dry Creek Valley Provisor Vineyard
Grenache ^ This is Angela Osborne's second
vintage from 3.5 acres of organically farmed
grenache near Lytton Springs. She foottreads the wine during fermentation, including 50 percent whole clusters, then ages it in
neutral French oak. The wine emerges with
the scent of violet candies and warm mulling spice, even as the flavors are savory, with
red currant and strawberry notes and light
bitter-almond tannins. Pour it as you might a
Rioja garnacha, with aged Manchego cheese.

GRIGNOLINO
511763

92 | Heitz Cellar

$23

2015 Napa Valley Grignolino (Best Buy) ^
A beautiful, sunny Napa Valley red, this
light wine makes a powerful argument for
old-vine grignolino in a region overrun by
young-vine cabernet. Light, bright and floral, almost white in its scent and airy clarity,
it's a vibrant wine to serve with prosciutto or
speck. (1,590 cases)

PINOT NOIR
512139

92 | Drew

$32

2016 Mendocino Ridge Mid-Elevation
Pinot Noir ^ Jason Drew focuses this wine
on fruit from elevations between 1,200 and
1,400 feet, including parcels at Valenti and

https://shop.nivenfamilywines.com/product/15-TM-Cabernet-Sauvignon?pageID=89930BAC-9F8F-AF99-FB25-2A7F090DFA84&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=10& http://www.shafervineyards.com/index.php https://shop.silveradovineyards.com/product/Silverado-Vineyards-2014-SOLO-Cabernet-Sauvignon?pageID=8D1A8C61-C18F-371A-9C19-EDBF7DD3146E&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=999& https://shop.rodneystrong.com/SHOP.AMS?LEVEL=BOT&PART=0707149

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - August 2018