Mark Aubert’s Tasting Notes: “The alluring 2018 UV-SL is a kaleidoscope of apple oil, lemon confit, crème patissière, and almond croissant lined with a subtle saline note and a touch of talc. With air the tight-knit core grows to reveal seductive flavors of praline, stone fruit preserves, and white flower. Full-bodied and opulent, the compelling UV-SL finishes long and pure. This wine has more to reveal and will age gracefully for 10+ years. The wine is slightly hazy showing our commitment to minimal intervention winemaking.”

James Suckling 95 Points: “A structured and layered white with apple, light honey and acacia aromas and flavors. Medium to full body. Creamy mouthfeel. Phenolic texture that runs through the wine. Flavorful yet subtle finish. Touch of flint and cedar. Drink or hold.”

Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points: “Winemaker Helen Keplinger came here in 2014 and has consistently been making beautiful wines. The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard offers a pretty, medium to full-bodied, more elegant style as well as a terrific array of red, blue, and black fruits supported by floral and violet notes. It has perfectly integrated background oak, fine, polished tannins, and a great finish. It’s incredibly impressive, and while it already has some appeal, it’s going to evolve for 20 years in cold cellars.”

Vinous 97+ Points: “The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper is a total dream. Sumptuous and racy with notes of blackberry jam, cloves, menthol, licorice and chocolate. The blend of three blocks and three clones (4, 144, and 337) is so complementary. The 2021 is magnificent. An archetype of modern Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 is super elegant, polished, and refined from start to finish, What a Knockout.”

This is a warm, rich while also textured wine. It comes from the Côte des Blancs Grand Cru vineyards, Chardonnay central in Champagne. Along with the apple and citrus flavors there are hints of yellow fruits and an elegant structure that could age. Drink this wine from 2022.

*This product will arrive December 18, 2020 – Be aware if you order this with other products, that your order might be held (or we can make arrangements to ship this wine later)

Jeb Dunnuck 95+ Points: “Coming from more clay soils as well as a west-facing hillside that gets pounded by the wind, the 2020 Pinot Noir Terraces boasts a deep, concentrated, age-worthy style as well as notes of darker fruits, roasted herbs, graphite, and black tea. This Burgundian, medium-bodied, balanced, structured beauty is well worth seeking out and, I suspect, will be one of the longest-lived in the vintage.

Vinous 95 points: “The 2020 Pinot Noir Terraces is terrific. Dense and vibrant, the Terraces captures the intensity of the year and yet retains notable energy, probably a combination of water-retentive, clay-rich soils and a mix of five clones (Swan, Mt. Eden, 115, 667 and 777) that lends layers and complexity. Red cherry, pomegranate, blood orange and exotic floral notes build into the persistent finish. Drink 2024-2032.”

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points: “A step up over the 2018, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is gorgeous juice, offering lots of cassis, tapenade, chocolaty oak, and spicy notes in a round, lush, sexy package. The tannins are first-rate, and this will last for 15 years. It’s well worth checking out.”

Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points: “From a terrific vineyard on the west side of Yountville, and one I suspect will be more well known in the future due to the quality of the farming, the 100% Cabernet 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Bettinelli Sleeping Lady is a pretty, elegant yet full-bodied beauty that has terrific notes of blue fruits, violets, bay leaf, and damp earth. It has an almost mountain fruit-like tension and purity, fine tannins, and a great finish. In short, it’s a thrilling Napa Valley Cabernet that’s going to keep for 25 years or more.”

Wine Spectator 95 Points: “Boasts abundant zesty, energetic, and bramble-laced mulberry, plum, and açaí berry flavors, while hints of melted licorice, chaparral, and apple wood fill in through the finish. Broad, rich, and defined, with a flurry of fruit and licorice snap echoing at the very end. Distinctive. Drink now through 2034. 900 cases made.”

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points: “My favorite of the trio, the 2019 Pinot Noir X Label has slightly more purity and finesse in its aromas and flavors as well as a medium-bodied, silky style on the palate. Lots of mulled red and blue fruits, peppery herbs, forest floor, and spicy nuances make up the bouquet, and it’s beautifully pure, layered, and seamless on the palate. This is another complex, singular wine from this estate that can be enjoyed any time over the coming decade.”

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points: “A beautiful Merlot, the 2019 from PlumpJack offers everything you could want from this variety with its plump, fleshy, medium to full-bodied profile as well as terrific aromatics of black cherries, darker berries, leafy herbs, spring flowers, and a touch of chocolate. It’s ready to go yet should continue delivering the goods over the coming decade.”

Vinous 97+ Points: The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is super-elegant and refined, but also somewhat closed following its bottling, which is not uncommon for mountain wines. That period of stubbornness seems to be part of the evolution here, as the wine tends to only blossom after a few years. Today, the 2019 is marked by its brilliant upper register, striking balance and vibrancy. It is another compelling wine from Cornell.”

Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points: “From a site in St. Helena, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Tournahu Vineyard has a darker, herbal, pure, old school Cabernet character in its ripe black fruits, tobacco, gravelly earth, chocolate, and lead pencil-like aromas and flavors. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, it has a great texture, polished tannins, and a great finish. This is another wine from this estate that readers should snatch up.”