$30 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

This is a no-holds-barred cab that we are welcoming back to the racks of Carpe Vino. This wine has a heckuva pedigree: It is made in a partnership between Pavi Wines and Hourglass ($100 per bottle cabs) and the winemakers is the remarkable Rob Lawson.

Produced from 100% Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon and aged in French oak for 20 months, this wine is a knockout for the price point.

Winery Tasting Notes:
“Fisticuffs elicits classic Napa cabernet characteristics. Enticing aromas of bing cherries, dark chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon and roasted espresso beans lead to a concentrated palate of blackberry, black raspberry and cassis. Ripe refined tannins provide a full-bodied, well structured, lush mid-palate texture and a lingering finish noted with spice, vanilla and black cherry. Very well balanced, this cabernet should age over the next 10 years, but why wait?”

$18.99 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

Drew gave me what remained in a just-opened bottle of the Expedition after he tasted it for the first time and decided to feature it as a Wine Club selection for March. I’d never heard of Canoe Ridge before, but when I eased the cork out of the bottle at home, I guessed immediately that it was not Californian. . . .most likely Washington. . .and I was spot on.

I have a developed a fondness for Washington cabs because they seem to have a personality (or should I say “whynality”) all their own, completely distinct from the bigger fruit wines of California. The price is nice, too, and Expedition is something I would welcome to my table just about any evening.

This wine was just released in January of this year. It rested on 30% French and 70% American oak for nine months. Fruit is from the Horse Heaven Hills vineyard near Walla Walla.

Founded in 1994, Canoe Ridge’s focus is estate-grown merlot and cabernet sauvignon. The winery takes its name from the ridge located on the eastern side of the Columbia River, near Prosser, Washington. Famed explorers Lewis and Clark named this crest of land as they journeyed down the river in 1805.

Winery Tasting Notes:
“Spiced floral and blackberry aromas lead to layered, juicy flavors of red currant, smoky plum, savory cherry and a hint dusty chocolate. Polished texture and tannin balance leads to a deep velvety finish.”

Blend:
75% cabernet sauvignon, 16% merlot, 5% syrah, 4% malbec

$54 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

Chuck and Anne McMinn acquired stewardship of Vineyard 29 in 2000 and began its evolution from a single vineyard to a full-scale winery. At the same time, they purchased the historic Aida vineyard in 2000 as a perfect complement to the Vineyard 29 site for expansion of the winery’s portfolio. With a new, 17,000 square-foot state-of-the-art winemaking facility with three tunnels, and the unquestionable skill of winemaker Philippe Melka, all the pieces were in place for Chuck and Anne to lead Vineyard 29 to a new and competitive level of winemaking.

Winery Tasting Notes:
“Our 2010 Cru Cabernet is a deep purple tinged wine of extraordinary depth and complexity. Primary aromas of dried red currant, ripe blackberries and milk chocolate give way to layers of fresh tobacco leaf, dried lavender and cedar. A generous palate offers roasted coffee, mocha, brambly black fruits and a touch of black pepper that slip seamlessly into a long supple finish. Stunning in mouthfeel, this profoundly textured wine will leave you wanting more. Well-integrated and balanced tannins give firm structure to this wine at release, yet are powerful enough to give our 2010 Cru many years of life. Open and enjoy our 2010 Cru Cabernet now and over the next 10 years.”

Blend:
84% cabernet sauvignon, 7% merlot, 4% Malbec, 3% petite verdot, 2% cabernet franc

$40 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

Stonestreet’s Alexander Mountain Estate stands on the western ridge of the Mayacamas Mountain range towering over the Alexander Valley below. High elevations, volcanically derived soils and cooling maritime breezes provide a unique location from which to pursue the quest of mountain winegrowing. Of the 5,100 acres that make up the Estate, 900 are planted (235 individual vineyard blocks), while the remaining land retains its natural biodiversity and abounds with streambeds, redwoods and ancient oaks, providing a habitat to cougars, owls and wild boar.

This wine was aged in 38% new French oak for 19 months.

Winery Tasting Notes:
“The 2007 Fifth Ridge is a classic representation of the gorgeous tension between mountain Cabernet and Merlot in a cooler vintage. The nose is savory, marked by walnut meat, bay leaf, coffee and black olive—yet all that darkness is bolstered on the palate by a core of bright cherry fruit and a lifted, lengthy finish shaded by graphite- flavored tannins.”

Blend:
50.6% merlot, 27.2% cabernet sauvignon, 14.4% Malbec, 5.6% petite verdot, 2.1% cabernet franc

$52.50 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

Failla’s owners, Ehren Jordan and his wife, Ann-Marie, launched their family venture as Failla Jordan, but had to shorten the name after Jordan Vineyards took offense. Not to worry, they’ve been making highly acclaimed wines since 2002 under the Failla brand.

Winemaker Ehren has great credentials, though he does not have an oenology degree from the wall, he possesses a dense curriculum vitae, starting with working in a wine shop in Washington, D.C. followed by a stint as a wine steward in Colorado before moving to the Napa Valley. He apprenticed under Jean-Luc Columbo in France, followed by Helen Turley in California. Theses days he is GM, winemaker and viticulturist for Turley Wine Cellars. This talented young man is also an instrument-rated pilot on multi-engine aircraft.

Winery Tasting Notes:
“Arriving in early September from the rolling hills north of San Francisco Bay, this fruit was whole-cluster pressed into mixed-age French oak with about 25% going into a concrete egg. The concrete is an excellent foil to the barrel ferments, rounding texture and emphasizing aromatic purity. Bursting from the bottle, a mélange of Asian pear, honeysuckle, lemon curd and wet stone announces the 2011 vintage. The palate opens with a fresh, crystalline quality redolent of spring greens, before the arrival of a creamy mid-palette. Nervy, structured acidity makes for length and dimension on the finish.”

$30 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

For this wine, Jeff Gaffner blended Chardonnay from the Sandhill Block of legendary Durell Vineyard with small amounts of marssanne, roussane and vermentino from the neighboring Parmelee-Hill Vineyard. Both vineyards fall within the Sonoma Coast appellation and are acclaimed for producing extraordinary cool climate varietals.

Winery Tasting Notes:
“Our 2010 Être Chardonnay opens with really inviting tropical aromas of mango, papaya and pineapple. On the palate, though, it’s like an inside-out caramel apple, with crisp granny smith, kiwi and exotic spice flavors giving way to a delicate hazelnut cream richness that lingers on the long finish.”

$30 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

For this wine, Jeff Gaffner blended Chardonnay from the Sandhill Block of legendary Durell Vineyard with small amounts of marssanne, roussane and vermentino from the neighboring Parmelee-Hill Vineyard. Both vineyards fall within the Sonoma Coast appellation and are acclaimed for producing extraordinary cool climate varietals.

Winery Tasting Notes:
“Our 2010 Être Chardonnay opens with really inviting tropical aromas of mango, papaya and pineapple. On the palate, though, it’s like an inside-out caramel apple, with crisp granny smith, kiwi and exotic spice flavors giving way to a delicate hazelnut cream richness that lingers on the long finish.”

$18.99 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

Drew gave me what remained in a just-opened bottle of the Expedition after he tasted it for the first time and decided to feature it as a Wine Club selection for March. I’d never heard of Canoe Ridge before, but when I eased the cork out of the bottle at home, I guessed immediately that it was not Californian. . . .most likely Washington. . .and I was spot on.

I have a developed a fondness for Washington cabs because they seem to have a personality (or should I say “whynality”) all their own, completely distinct from the bigger fruit wines of California. The price is nice, too, and Expedition is something I would welcome to my table just about any evening.

This wine was just released in January of this year. It rested on 30% French and 70% American oak for nine months. Fruit is from the Horse Heaven Hills vineyard near Walla Walla.

Founded in 1994, Canoe Ridge’s focus is estate-grown merlot and cabernet sauvignon. The winery takes its name from the ridge located on the eastern side of the Columbia River, near Prosser, Washington. Famed explorers Lewis and Clark named this crest of land as they journeyed down the river in 1805.

Winery Tasting Notes:
“Spiced floral and blackberry aromas lead to layered, juicy flavors of red currant, smoky plum, savory cherry and a hint dusty chocolate. Polished texture and tannin balance leads to a deep velvety finish.”

Blend:
75% cabernet sauvignon, 16% merlot, 5% syrah, 4% malbec

$49.95 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

This wine—with the unusual label—has been warmly received by patrons of Carpe Vino, so Drew decided to offer it as a Wine Club selection this month. With Paul Hobbs as the winemaker and the voluminous winery notes below, there really is no need to ramble on.

Winery Tasting Notes:
“The 16×20 2010 has a saturated, deep, blackish purple color—it is our darkest 16×20 Cabernet to date and that’s saying something. It is oh-so young right now but there is so much stuffing in this wine that it’s bursting to show—more opulent and intense at this early stage than previous vintages. The nose is clean and round with a pure fullness of macerated soaked fruit. Ripe blackberry is compellingly dominant but blackcurrant is only slightly in the background. There is a whisper of raspberry jam that is enveloped by lively red, sour cherries around the edges. Nuances of dried mint, anise, charred cedar, and a welcome aroma of violets keeps things complex. Mocha chocolate can be found lurking. The flavors must again be simply described as pure. Pure, intense blackberry melds into blackcurrant with black cherry showing up on the finish. Graphite, smoky cedar, spice notes and enveloping silty tannins begin to make up the complex layers of flavor but it’s the purity of the fruit that defines this wine. There is a volume and expansiveness of the pure flavors that is hard to describe but its impression lingers as the sappy black fruits coat your mouth in the long and lingering finish. Is there new French Oak here? Yes, 78%, but it’s so perfectly integrated that you won’t focus on it; you’ll just enjoy the ideal harmonious balance. Pure, intense balance.”

$30 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

For this wine, Jeff Gaffner blended Chardonnay from the Sandhill Block of legendary Durell Vineyard with small amounts of marssanne, roussane and vermentino from the neighboring Parmelee-Hill Vineyard. Both vineyards fall within the Sonoma Coast appellation and are acclaimed for producing extraordinary cool climate varietals.

Winery Tasting Notes:
“Our 2010 Être Chardonnay opens with really inviting tropical aromas of mango, papaya and pineapple. On the palate, though, it’s like an inside-out caramel apple, with crisp granny smith, kiwi and exotic spice flavors giving way to a delicate hazelnut cream richness that lingers on the long finish.”