Wine By Nine

Red Wine by Dominus from Napa Valley, California. The 2004 blend is comprised of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot. No Merlot was used in the blend this year. The 2004 vintage is deep red in color, with an intense nose of vanilla, black currants and cedar. The elegant integration of the tannins and fruit is noticed immediately. Flavors of warm mulled spices on the mid-palate complement the balanced and complex structure. The long, aromatic finish exhibits notes of leather and cardamom. The wine is charming and fragrant, and will age gracefully. It is recommended that this wine be decanted prior to serving, to allow it to develop its full potential. This is especially important when serving young Dominus wines. This very generous and well-ripened offering starts out with an involving display of cherries, cassis, herbs, sweet oak and loam in its deep and decidedly complex aromas, and it follows with equally wide-ranging flavors that show a real sense of layering and plenty of depth. Ripe, but always in balance and firmed by a good dose of youthful tannins, this latest Dominus bottling is among the winery's very best efforts ever, and it is certain to get better yet over the next decade. -Connoisseurs' Guide

Red Wine by Mount Veeder from Napa Valley, California. This fabulous mountain Cabernet blend is hefty in tannins, but its so delicious and balanced, it's totally dinkable now... - Wine Enthusiast Cellar Selection This wine expresses the lush, concentrated fruit character of the Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the steep terraced slopes of our mountain estate. Refined tannins add texture and depth to the intense blackberry flavors of the wine.

Red Wine by Mount Veeder from Napa Valley, California. Mount Veeder was the first winery in California to have one vineyard planted to all five Bordeaux varietals. The Mount Veeder Reserve is an elegant statement of the winemaking philosophy that blending creates a wine more than the sum of its parts. Crafted from small lots of exceptionally concentrated fruit from our three ranches, this distinctive red wine is the essence of power and finesse. Blend: 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 3% Malbec Appearance: Dark garnet red Aroma: Very dense and brambly. The dark black fruit is complemented by sweet anise, sage, bay and toasty oak notes. Flavor: Rich, supple and dense, loaded with dark blackberry fruit and ripe mountain tannin. Chewy, big-boned and intense, the flavors fill the pallet and continue with blackberry and coffee notes rounding out the long finish.

Red Wine by Source Napa from Napa Valley, California. Paramount is exemplary of Napa at its finest. This premier red is a bold blend of fruit from several distinguished Napa Valley vineyards. These sites have been chosen as they have historically produced exceptional grapes, all unique and expressive of their particular place within the valley. At the core of the blend is Cabernet Sauvignon from both mountainside (Diamond Mtn) and the Family Home knoll-top (Oakville); Merlot comes from the Mayacamas foothills behind St. Helena; Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from the slopes of Spring Mountain. Outstanding as these wines are alone, judiciously blended they come together to create a wine much greater than the sum of its parts. The rich aromas of graham cracker and toasted walnut mingle with game, plum, cola and black olive. A strong line of acidity helps to keep the rich palate in balance and supports both the juicy red fruits and the dark smoky flavors. Blackberry, tar and black licorice linger on the persistent finish. Paramount is a full bodied, well structured wine bursting with layer upon layer of flavor. Enjoy the long satisfying finish. Once opened the wine will evolve and give enjoyment for many hours. It will continue to develop in the bottle over the next 3-5 years. Enjoy with red meats (especially steaks), lamb and hard cheeses.

Red Wine by St. Supery from Napa Valley, California. Blend: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec The fruit for this red blend was harvested during the cool hours of early morning to maximize fresh flavors. Crush occurred in St. Supery's cellar prior to fermentation and maceration on the skins, after which the wines were drained and pressed to barrels for maturation. After a year in predominantly French oak, a preliminary blend was created and that blended wine put back into barrel in order to begin the process of marrying the flavors of the component varietals. Another twelve months later, the wines went through final evaluation to complete the blend. From the out start the 2003 El? is an amazing wine, there is great depth of both aroma and flavor. The wine begins with hints of cocoa, blackberries and toasted oak. Upon further investigation, one picks up kirsch and black cherries. Elegant, supple and gracefully balanced, and finishing with a lively burst of ripe fruit and supple tannins. Drink now through 2013.

Red Wine by Von Strasser from Napa Valley, California. Blend: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot,4% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc The Sori Bricco Vineyard is one of the pioneer vineyards in the AVA, planted in 1968. The wine is extremely dark and extracted with tremendous depth and concentration. The aromas are of coffee, black fruit, licorice, chocolate, and eucalyptus. Very chewy and viscous on the palate, with flavors of black raspberry, tar and earthiness with a long and impeccably balanced finish.

Red Wine by Conn Creek from Napa Valley, California. The pinnacle wine of Conn Creek, Anthology is an expressive, complex blend of Napa Valley's finest Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The 2004 Anthology offers red and black fruit aromas and spicy flavors with nuanced expressions of creamy oak and berry cobbler. A robust wine balanced with silky tannins. - Jeff McBride, Winemaker

Red Wine by Beaulieu - BV from Napa Valley, California. The 2004 Beaulieu Vineyard Reserve Tapestry weaves five classic varietals - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec - into an elegant, beautifully balanced wine. The deep, expressive aromas and flavors are filled with black cherry, briary blackberry, cassis, dark cocoa and cedar character. Pre-fermentation maceration, gentle punch downs in open-top fermenters and in-barrel malolactic fermentation all contributed to the wine's richly textured flavors. Beaulieu barrel-aged the wine for 20 months, with 70 percent new barrels, to add warm vanilla nuances. For even more complexity, they used a tapestry of different oak barrels; over half were French, with the balance being American, Hungarian and Russian. This wine makes a delicious complement to seared duck breast, mesquite grilled steak, filet mignon with shiitake mushrooms or roast lamb.

Red Wine by Franciscan from Napa Valley, California. Magnificat is a hand-selected blend of the vintage's finest lots of fruit. Every year, winemaker Janet Myers tastes hundreds of barrel samples to craft Magnificat, a wine as seamless and harmonious as the Bach masterwork it honors in name. This is the twentieth vintage. For Magnificat, our goal is simply to make the best glass of wine possible, says Janet. We pay no attention to variety percentages until we put the wine together. We can afford to do this because, frankly, our Merlot is as rich and concentrated as our Cabernet. In Oakville, that is saying something. Blend: 50% Merlot, 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc Appearance: Deep garnet. Aroma: Enticing aromas of dark cherry and black plum with a dark chocolate background and notes of sage and black tea. Appealing and complex. Flavors: Elegant, well-structured mouthfeel, with cherries, rich chocolate, black pepper and vibrant plum flavors filling the palate. Very supple, with fine texture and firm structure, giving an immediately approachable richness. The finish is a seamless continuation of fruit and cocoa-like tannins.

Red Wine by Girard from Napa Valley, California. Blend: 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot, 12% Malbec, 9% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc The 2004 vintage is a brilliantly-colored, dark ruby wine with aromas of ripe cherries, red plum, lavender, cinnamon and allspice. There are also hints of tobacco, mocha, toasted walnuts and anise. On the palate, this smooth-textured wine offers a full-mouth, medium bodied feel. The firm tannins are very well integrated, making the wine elegant and approachable at an early age. There are multiple layers to this complex blend that reveal themselves through decanting or by giving the wine time to open up in the glass.

Red Wine by Dominus from Napa Valley, California. Napanook is made solely from grapes grown in the historic Napanook Vineyard in Yountville, Napa Valley. Napanook is blended from blocks in the vineyard that were carefully selected for their lively fruit, soft tannins and early maturing characteristics. The 2004 vintage consists of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Merlot and 1% Malbec. This wine is created to be consumed young, and enjoyed with food, but will also age well from up to 10 years. Christian Moueix recommends decanting the wine before serving to allow it to reach its full potential. The 2004 vintage has a deep ruby color, with a ripe, fruity nose. The intense aroma of clove and raspberry leads to a hint of chocolate. This wine feels like velvet in your mouth. The sweet, lingering tannins develop into an expression of sun-dried cherries.

Red Wine by St. Clement from Napa Valley, California. The 2003 Oroppas is a Cabernet Sauvignon based wine from a combination of three esteemed appellations: Rutherford, Diamond Mountain, and from within the heart of Napa Valley. To add depth and complexity, the Cabernet Sauvignon is blended with twelve percent Merlot from Carneros and four percent Cabernet Franc from Rutherford. The Merlot adds the lush red fruit component whereas the Cabernet Franc rounds out the structure and tannin of the wine. The wine was aged in eighty-four percent New French oak barrels for nineteen months. Beautiful aromas of blackberries, cassis, currant, and dark chocolate smothered in a raspberry reduction sauce abound in this wine. The rich velvety texture and soft luscious tannins are supplemented by ripe red and black fruit flavors of strawberry and blueberry. Caramel, coffee, and vanilla flavors are supplied by the French Oak barrels that we use to age this wine. The wine has great fruit extraction of plums, wild berries, and cherry cola which coats the palate from start to finish.