Wine By Nine

Red Wine by Gaja from Piedmont, Italy. Though very Cabernet in character, Darmagi owes its distinctive, austere personality to the unique terroir of Barbaresco. Almost black in color; excellent fruit with strong cassis flavors. The impressive power on the palate carries through to the long finish; persistent soft tannins. Great aging potential. 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc.

Red Wine by Joseph Phelps from Napa Valley, California. Tight and complex, with a deep, potent core of ripe currant, herb, sage and dusty berry fruit, shaded by light toasty, cedary oak. Deftly balanced, intense and concentrated, this is young and closed in now, yet you can taste the depth and richness. Tannic. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Best from 2010 through 2020. Wine Spectator 94 Points

Red Wine by Caymus from Napa Valley, California. One of the most allocated and collectible Cabernets in the world, Caymus Vineyards Special Selection is crafted from the outstanding barrels of the vintage. Special Selection is produced only in vintages that proprietor Chuck Wagner feels are suitable for this designation. We are proud to offer limited amounts of the new release of Caymus Special Selection - dark and intense with deep, rich flavors of black currant, cherry, mocha and spice. A collectible masterpiece! A barrel sample of the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection offers terrific fruit intensity and purity, a more laid-back style, a meaty, chewy texture, and impressive opulence as well as length. It should evolve for 10-15 years. Robert Parker Wine Advocate Barrel sample: 92-94 Points

Red Wine by Stag's Leap Wine Cellars from Napa Valley, California. Still in its youth, this wine reveals extraordinary depth and finesse beginning with rich cassis and blackberry aromas that are warmly blanketed in notes of toffee and vanilla. Savory aromas of rosemary, truffles, and cocoa powder reward those who linger over the bouquet. Take a sip, and discover a core of dark berry, cassis, and cherry fruit flavors amid notes of vanilla, dark chocolate, and espresso. Silky, supple tannins carry this wine into a long, fruity and gratifying finish. Enjoy the 2004 CASK 23 with a prime rib roast with Cabernet jus or with venison chops with blackberry compote.

Red Wine by Robert Mondavi from Napa Valley, California. Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon epitomizes the rich character and soft, approachable tannins of the vintage. With the season's long hang time the small berries reached the desired state of ripeness where the tannins become very soft and supple. Even in its youth, this Reserve wine has tremendous fruit expression, depth, and a velvety texture. The outstanding natural balance, enhanced by gentle vinification, promises great aging potential. Filet mignon with shiitake mushrooms, accompanied by a gratin of potatoes with white truffle oil, is an excellent pairing. It is also elegant served with a cheese course, such as aged Gouda with toasted almonds. The profound 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve boasts a saturated ruby/purple color... Aged in 100% new French oak, this blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petit Verdot offers a textbook varietal nose of cedar wood, licorice, creme de cassis, and pain grille. Full-bodied, with explosive sweetness and fruit on the attack, this gloriously pure, superbly well-delineated wine should be drinkable young, and last for 3 decades. -Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Caymus from Napa Valley, California. Special Selection is the name we chose with the first vintage, 1975, to indicate grapes that stood above the others from the moment of harvest through oak barrel aging and, finally, the selection of the blend that we felt deserved this designation. Over the decades, we have continued to recognize the superior character of specific vineyard blocks vintage by vintage. We have also secured long-term farming control-including planting, allowing us to select our preferred rootstock and clones-of Napa Valley vineyards with different slopes, elevation and climates. The primary aromas are of black currants, blackberries, brown spices and dark-roasted coffee beans. In the mouth, the wine is lush and expansive, rich in berry fruit with a firm grip that makes the wine's texture an important part of its character. The finish is long and classic-ripe fruit dominates.

Red Wine by Ch. Montelena from Napa Valley, California. This wine has a deep, dark color revealing its concentration and extract. Its room-filling fragrance is the pure essence of Cabernet, with ripe cassis and black cherry fruit and the signature earthiness of The Montelena Estate's complex soils. On the palate the wine is full and warm with ripe fruit flavors and layer upon layer of complexity. A velvety-soft texture is framed by a stylish tannic grip, ensuring drinking pleasure now and for many years to come.

Red Wine by Beringer from Napa Valley, California. Since 1981, when Winemaster Ed Sbragia first began blending the most expressive components from Beringer's best vineyards to craft the Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, he and Bob Steinhauer, vineyard manager at the time, worked steadily to identify Napa Valley sites that they thought could be developed into producing the rich, intensely colored and flavored Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that Ed requires for the Private Reserve. In 2002, Ed had six reserve-potential vineyards to draw from, choosing the best lots after vinification and aging for a well-balanced, full-flavored final blend. Aromas of cassis, black cherry, cedar and dark chocolate transition to rich expressions of black fruit, vanilla and brown spices on the palate as ripe supple tannins linger throughout the extracted and long finish. ...This wine is delicious yet promises to age gorgeously for 15-20 years. Ed Sbragia compares it to the 1992 which, by the way, is drinking superbly in 2005, but is one of those rare vintages that has never gone through a closed period. It's always a fascinating education to taste through these component parts, but the resulting blend that Ed Sbragia puts together, the extraordinary Private Reserve, is one of the great Cabernet Sauvignons of California and he has fashioned a succession of beauties since 1991... -Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Stag's Leap Wine Cellars from Napa Valley, California. Planted by the Warren Winiarski Family in 1970, S.L.V. achieved international fame when the very first harvest at the winery in 1973 produced a wine that astounded the wine world by triumphing over some of France's greatest wines in a 1976 blind tasting in Paris, now commonly referred to as the “Judgement of Paris. Thirty vintages later, S.L.V. continues to yield wines of classic elegance and structure. T his history-making vineyard and terroir is beautifully expressed in this 2003 vintage wine. Alluring aromas of cocoa powder and black cherry evolve alongside pretty floral tones and a hint of smoke. Flavors of chocolate, raspberry, and black cherry coat the mouth with a light touch of cedar and truffles that weave through the multi-layered structure for which S.L.V. is renowned. Time will take this wine to even greater heights, but it can be enjoyed now for those who appreciate the robust quality of its fruit

Red Wine by Stags Leap Winery from Napa Valley, California. Inspired by a local Native American legend, founder Horace Chase named his Napa wine estate Stags' Leap with the inaugural 1893 vintage. The Leap honors the heroic stag who, in the legend, vaulted across a chasm in the Palisade cliffs above the property to elude pursuers. The block of our Estate Vineyard we call The Leap lays at the doorstep of the historic Stags Leap Manor House. This is the heart of the estate, with exceptionally well-drained volcanic soil that produces our most distinctive Cabernet Sauvignon . We created the wine to celebrate this block and to offer collectors a long-lived Cabernet, one that speaks to the unique terroir of the Stags Leap District. As is tradition here at Stags' Leap, we put the Cabernet through an extended maceration to extract color and structure and fermented the fruit in a combination of open and closed tanks for maximum flavor development. Two years of ageing in French oak barrels completes the process. The nose shows elegant, dried herb aromatics, leading into ripe flavors of black fruits: blackberry, plum and cassis. That briary character, a Stags' Leap signature, is in evidence, as are notes of rhubarb, black pepper and licorice. A structure of finely grained tannin is the last major component here, binding the ripe, mature flavors together and ensuring that this wine will continue to evolve in the cellar for many years to come.

Red Wine by Silver Oak from Napa Valley, California. Don't forget - the new vintage of Twomey 2004 Merlot is here! A limited time, save $10 per bottle (15% savings). Silver Oak 2003 Napa Valley is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. It was blended in early 2004 and transferred to 100% new American oak barrels for aging. Silver Oak blends prior to barreling to achieve a balance of the wine's natural elements, such as fruit and tannin, before they are influenced by oak. The wine is then aged in barrel for approximately 25 months and another 20 months in bottle to harmonize its components before release. The 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a complex and concentrated wine that deftly balances intensity and finesse. The wine has a dark garnet color with a deep purple edge, and displays aromas of blackberry jam, dark chocolate, rose petal, black pepper and cedar. In the mouth, the attack is quite rich, expressing notes of brown sugar and nutmeg, and the flavors proceed seamlessly to a long finish of fruit and ripe tannins. Properly cellared, this wine should give drinking pleasure until 2027.

Red Wine by Chateau Montelena from Napa Valley, California. This wine is a typically bright ruby red, with opaque density and color, which leads to a nice array of aromas: sweet black currant jam, with hints of black cherry and flowers. There is much fruit in the nose, not unexpected considering the excellent ripeness achieved in this vintage. The unique blend of soils in Ch. Montelena's vineyard leads to very pleasing layers of complexity, and there is an evident menthol-cedar note attributable to the volcanic soil component. On the palate this wine delivers intense, broad and sweet fruit, layered with spicy cherry, and even a bit of chocolate. The overall structure of the 2003 Estate Cabernet is ripe and rich, pure and well delineated. It is very much in the Montelena Estate style, in which vineyard flavors drive the wine. It is a very structured Cabernet from a great growing year, and it will greatly reward you after a few more years of cellaring. The powerful, concentrated 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (14.3% alcohol) exhibits aromas of black currant jam, tar, smoke, and forest floor. This opulent, rich 2003, while less flamboyant than the extroverted 2002, is deep, chewy, pure, and well-delineated. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025+. At the end of my tastings, Bo Barrett opened a 1986 Montelena (rated 94), and it is still incredibly young, rich, vibrant, and full-bodied. It is a terrific expression of Calistoga Cabernet Sauvignon made by a master. It appears to have another 20-25 years of aging potential. -Robert Parker 93-95 Points