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New Offerings

New Offerings

New Offerings Archive

Happy Wednesday!

Some new offerings that I think you might be interested to hear about are below. Switchback Ridge, Linne Calodo, Cade, Orin Swift, Failla and newcomers to the wine scene Aloft and The Vineyardist Lazy Susan Ranch Cab! Please let me know if you have any questions about these wines or others. 10% discount applies on discountable wines for the new offerings below on solid or mixed cases.

Thanks and have a wonderful holiday!

Happy Wednesday!

Thanks and have a wonderful holiday!

Linne Calodo Slacker Red 2009 – As one of my favorite Paso Robles wineries, Matt Trevisan, vintner and winemaker, continues to make full-bodied, expressive red blends that showcase the best that Paso has to offer. Small in production but big in flavor and style, Matt’s ability to blend Rhone varietals and Zinfandel is unmatched. This ’09 is a blend of 65% Syrah, 25% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre. $49/bottle

Linne Calodo Outsider Red 2009 – The ’09 Outsider is a blend of 78% Zin, 20% Syrah and 2% Mourvedre. Black fruit penetrates the glass with a full-bodied mouth feel. This rich, bold Red is a great call for the winter months ahead. Let it sit before drinking for at least an hour. $59/bottle

Switchback Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 – This is one of the fullest, richest Cabs to date that winemaker Bob Foley (of Robert Foley Vineyards and Hourglass) has made for Switchback Ridge. Still showing balance, this ’09 is showing even better than their ’08 and Switchback is saying it’s because the fruit reached optimal ripeness and there was little dehydration. This estate vineyard off of Silverado Trail in Calistoga results in some of the most consistent wine as each vintage passes. "Red cherries, blackberries, cassis, currants, licorice, spice, cocoa powder and a hint of black pepper…. this Cabernet is jam packed! A very dense wine with great tannin framework and a monster mid-palate." - Bob Foley, Winemaker $85/bottle, $76.5 after discount

Switchback Ridge Merlot 2009 – If you like a full-bodied, rich merlot, I will always suggest Switchback. Winemaker Bob Foley makes great merlot and with his barrel program and being able to work with this special land, cocoa and espresso always are in the flavor profile. "An adult Halloween candy bag! Loaded with blackberry, black cherry, espresso and mocha, with a sweet, massive mid-palate. Lush beyond belief! A Cabernet lover's Merlot." - Bob Foley, Winemaker $62/bottle, $55.8 after discount

Switchback Ridge Petite Sirah 2009 – This is my favorite Petite Sirah coming out of California. Always smaller in production than the Merlot and Cab, this ’09 showcases its characteristic penetrating “berry pie fruit” but doesn’t overwhelm you with too much tannin. Highly suggest. "A blueberry and boysenberry pie! So ripe and jammy, you could spread it on an English muffin! A huge wine with intensely concentrated fruit that is framed by abundant tannins that are gripping, yet surprisingly soft and silky. There is nothing angular about this wine. A sweet, rich mid-palate coats your palate and leads to a long, lasting finish." - Bob Foley, Winemaker $62/bottle, $55.8 after discount

Failla Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2010 – Vintner Ehren Jordan is a busy guy. Not only does he make Turley but he’s also busy making his owns wines under the Failla label. Always balanced and never oaky, this ’10 Sonoma Coast is a cuvee of his sourced vineyards throughout this AVA and showcases his approach to making Chard using concrete eggs instead of Oak barrels or stainless steel. In the bottle, that means a Chard with exotic fruit notes that are crisp and round. This Chard won’t tire your palate. Great buy. $36/bottle

Failla Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2010 – Combining a barrel each from four of their Sonoma Coast vineyard sources, this ’10 Pinot is a great buy. It possesses full cool fruit notes and a little earthiness. It’s no wonder this great-drinking Pinot is so good though – the fruit sources are Hirsch, Keefer, Failla Estate and Hazelnut vineyards. $36/bottle

Cade Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 – Winemaker Tony Biagi is really hitting his stride with optimizing Cade’s Howell Mountain Vineyard. Now coming into fuller maturity, their Estate vineyard showcases velvety black fruit with a smooth, long-lasting finish. This is a great Howell Mtn Cab, especially at this price. Highly suggest. $72/bottle

The Vineyardist Lazy Susan Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
This is the newest project for Mark Herold (formerly of Buccella, Merus, Harris Estate) as the winemaker. In fact, this is his first Napa Valley Cab project since selling Merus to Bill Foley. From Diamond Mountain comes this fleshy, smooth tannin Cab. This Diamond Mountain Cab vineyard was developed and planted by vineyard manager Jim Barbour, considered one of the most respected in the Napa Valley. I have 2 cases of this available of which they made 180 cases. $79/bottle

Aloft Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
There's no doubt that Thomas Brown is one of the best winemakers today. Think about the wines he makes - Schrader, Outpost, Maybach, Rivers-Marie, Harris Estate. These are some of the best wines coming out of California. I just tasted this yesterday and think this is going to become, like The Vineyardist, the next big wine.

Peter Mondavi's son, Marc Mondavi, was walking near where he lives at the base of Howell Mountain and came across the old Cold Springs Vineyard and reached out to Jim Barbour and Thomas Brown to look at the potential vineyard site. They both agreed that this is one of the most incredible vineyard sites as the terroir is so diverse. Planted to 24.5 acres of Cabernet, they will tell you that as you walk from row to row, you can actually see the difference in soil types- that's how diverse the land is. Total production is about 400 cases and the rest of the grapes are being sold to none other than Celia Welch of Corra, David Phinney of Orin Swift and Thomas Brown for his own Rivers-Marie label. That's how much he loves the fruit coming from this vineyard.

This '08 Cab is showing silky, penetrating dark red and purple fruit. With fine tannins and a long, lingering finish, this wine is more in the style of base Howell Mountain Cabs as opposed to higher elevation Cabs. Drinking well, this will only benefit from more time in the bottle. HIGHLY, HIGHLY SUGGEST while still available! $150/bottle

Thanks a lot,