Red Wine Grgich Hills Zinfandel 2016. Miljenko “Mike” Grgich occupies an honoured place amongst Napa’s top winemakers thanks to his work with Chateau Montelena in the 1970s. At the famous Judgement of Paris blind tasting competition the Chardonnay he had made for Chateau Montelena was selected as the finest white wine by the panel of French wine experts. This result was astounding since this Californian wine had beaten many of Burgundy’s finest white wines and proven that America could also produce exceptional wines. Grgich Hills today has five exceptional vineyards which provide the fruit for all of its wines. To produce the best quality wines possible biodynamic and organic methods are used in the vineyards and in the winery there is a tradition of minimal intervention. This includes using indigenous yeasts for the fermentation and vinifying each lot separately to allow the terroir to shine through and inform their blending decisions. The estate’s Zinfandel is sourced from the warmest of their vineyards in Calistoga and is co-fermented with a small amount of Petite Sirah to add extra complexity. The wine is then aged in large French oak casks to avoid overwhelming the varietal character. The result is a powerful yet balanced Zinfandel with ample dark fruit character and subtle spicy hints from the oak.
2016
Red Wine Grgich Hills Zinfandel 2016
Red Wine Hall Eillie’s Cabernet Sauvignon 2016. Decant 1 hour before serving. Based in the St Helena and Rutherford sub-regions of Napa, HALL Wines has a total of five distinct estates which are all farmed organically and focus on producing top quality wines from Bordeaux varieties. As well as boasting state of the art winemaking facilities, HALL St Helena has special historic significance as the former site of the local winemaking cooperative which was once responsible for making 40% of Napa’s total wine production. In recent years HALL Wines has gained a reputation for sustainable viticulture and for exceptional winemaking. They have received three perfect 100 point scores from the legendary Robert Parker and have regularly featured in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines. This powerful Cabernet is named after Craig Hall’s mother, Eleanor or Ellie”, an impressive woman who was a teacher, artist and Navy instructor. The enigmatic label design actually features Ellie’s artwork, and grapes for this bottling are carefully selected for their elegance and finesse. The young wine is aged in 60% new French oak for 22 months to add extra complexity, smoothing out the punchy tannins and seasoning the opulent dark fruit flavours with hints of toasty oak, winter spice and dark chocolate.
2016
Red Wine Heitz Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016. Decant 2 hours. A beautiful garnet colour, this Cabernet Sauvignon explodes on the nose with ripe blackberry and cassis, mint and tobacco. The palate is full bodied with beautifully integrated tannins balanced with good acidity and alcohol, although 14.5%, works very well in the balance. The flavours are fruit forward with blackberry, cassis, and boysenberry that mingles with chocolate and more savoury notes of cigars and a little earthiness. The long finish is silky and lingering with a slightly sweet end. Food matches would be roast beef, steak, game pie, venison, BBQ meats and strong cheese. The Heitz Cellar has been producing top quality wines for many years and believe that quality trumps quantity every time. Using a combination of traditional winemaker knowledge and cutting edge technology, they have ensured the very best quality with each and every wine they produce. This Cabernet Sauvignon has the benefit of time – 3.5 years in oak barrels prior to a further year in bottle prior to release.
2016