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ALTAMURA VINEYARDS.
Owners Frank and Karen Altamura have been long-time friends of Red Carpet. Frank has been making wine since the mid 80's and today his Cabernet and Sangiovese are among the finest in California. Both wines have great merits. The 2000 vintage Cabernet was the wine of the vintage and his 2001's could be the best wines Frank has ever made. The Cabernet is ripe, smooth and smoky with flavors of wild berry, black cherry, currant and plum. The Sangiovese is a wine of finesse and concentration with spice, anise, cedar, wild berry and earthy flavors. Don't miss the
2002 Cabernet $61.95, and remember to bring home California's finest
Sangiovese for only $31.03.
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ANDREW GEOFFREY VINEYARDS.
2001 Andrew Geoffrey Cabernet $75.98.
Named for the owner’s two sons Andrew and Geoffrey, this wine represents a dream achieved for the now retired attorney, Peter Thompson. I had the pleasure of meeting Peter at a trade tasting last year…he being one of 300+ participating wineries. His wine was one of the first I tasted and I couldn't believe how amazing his 2001 showed…and that one taste almost ruined it for the rest of the wineries in attendance. The wine is blended from the finest lots of the varietals grown on his 13 acre estate vineyard on Diamond Mountain. Winemaker John Gibson continues a tradition of unparalleled quality. The 2001 was one of our best finds last year and we are looking forward to stellar offerings for many years to come.
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ARNS WINERY.
2002 Arns Napa Cabernet $64.28.
John Arns and Sandi Belcher, longtime friends of Red Carpet, bring us this wine. John has consulted and managed many well-known vineyards for the past 25 years. Sandi, winemaker at Long Vineyards for the past 23 years, has been involved in the wine industry since 1970. Together, they decide where and how to grow which vines, determine what path their wines will take and contribute their years of accumulated experience to every barrel. Located at the base of Howell Mountain, they have been cranking out some of Napa Valley's most voluptuous wines since the early 90's. These wines are consistently dark and concentrated and reveal a fine texture and sweet, jammy black currant fruit infused with smoke, mineral, and leather.
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CLARK-CLAUDON.
2002 Clark-Claudon Napa Cabernet $89.00.
Owners Tom and Laurie Clark dreamed a dream, pursued it with commitment, and have made many fans and friends along the way. From the beginning,
Clark-Claudon has produced top-quality fruit . And since day one they haven't missed a beat.
Always a well-received wine; the wine they produce from the Howell Mountain appellation has a dense purple color and aromas and flavors of ripe blackberries, dark cherries and plums. This very complex wine has beautiful structure and balance. Production hovers near the 500 case mark.
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CLOUD VIEW.
2002 Cloud View Napa Cabernet $59.95.
Cloud View is located atop Pritchard Hill overlooking neighbors Bryant Family, Colgin and David Arthur. This wine is absolutely beautiful and emanates from a different stratosphere-yet its price is down to earth. Owners Linda and Leighton Taylor have been growing grapes and living on Pritchard Hill since 1990. Winemaker Karen Turjanis is highly regarded for her work with Paul Hobbs, Cardinale and
Lokoya.
Mountain-grown fruit gives us the intense flavors of dark, ripe currants, plums and cherries. Warm toasty scents reveal a careful hand with the French oak. Tannins are firm and round with velvety polish. The wine's concentrated mouth-feel carries the black fruit flavors across the palate to a long lingering finish.
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CONSTANT
DIAMOND MTN.
2001 Constant Diamond Mountain Cabernet $66.50.
This is can't miss Cabernet! Fred and Mary Constant's Diamond Mountain Vineyard is one of the highest and oldest Napa vineyards, dating back to the 1890s. Constant Cabernet is dark, rich and plush, enormously complex and deeply flavored, with exotic spice, earth, currant, raspberry and cherry flavors. Perhaps most striking are the smooth and polished tannins in a wine of this enormity. Rising star Jamey Whetstone is the winemaker.
For the Constants, their passion for growing grapes exceeds their desire to make wine. "If the wines don't turn out as good as we expect, we'll just go back to selling our grapes" says Fred, but that doesn't appear to be a likely scenario.
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CROCKER STARR.
2002 Crocker & Starr Stone Place $65.00.
Partner and winemaker Pam Starr has emerged as one of Napa's finest talents. In other words, she's as cool as Arthur Fonzarelli in the freezer…now that's cool. An illustrious resume with top pedigree vintners such as Sonoma Cutrer, Spottswoode & Gemstone practically warrants a cROCKSTARr wine. Recent accolades for her musque clone Sauvignon Blanc may have thrust her into the spotlight, but I still maintain her forte is Cabernet Franc. She makes a Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend called Stone Place. It harnesses power and elegance together in one very unique wine. One twirl of her magical baton leads and she can produce brilliant wines every year.
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DUNN VINEYARDS.
2001 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet $79.00.
Now here are wines that flex their muscles now as well as in decades to come. Beginning in the late 70's, Randy Dunn single-handedly put Howell Mountain on the map, fashioned Napa Valley's most consistent wines, and developed a signature style that has not flinched one iota. Call it modesty, call it genius, or call it unyielding stubbornness - total production is about 5,000 cases split between his regular Napa Valley and Howell Mountain bottlings - and that's the basis for his success. Dunn Vineyards sets the California benchmark once more.
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FORMAN.
After stints at Newton Vineyards and Sterling, Rick
established his own brand with his first release being the ‘83 vintage. Rick scores big for two reasons; first, he makes some of the most stylistic and true Cabernets that age effortlessly. Second, he has never been influenced by trends or fads. The wine is a seamless classic, boasting a dense purple color as well as a
frangrant, almost floral nose. The wine tends to be medium to full bodied, with abundant quantities of black currants, licorice, tobacco leaf, and earth. The fruit comes from his 23 acre hillside vineyard in the hills east of St. Helena. Rick also makes some of California’s best Chardonnay.
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KARL LAWRENCE CELLARS.
2002 Karl Lawrence Napa Cabernet $55.00.
Truly a cult wine, Karl Lawrence Cabernet is usually released in June and sells out quickly. Those in the know can rely on this wine, which comes from the highly-regarded Morosoli and Lamb vineyards, to be immensely drinkable on release and yet perfectly capable of additional aging. The winery was founded in 1991 by friends Michael Karl Trujillo and Bryan Lawrence Henry. Michael Trujillo is also well known for wines made by him at Sequoia Grove.
We urge you to buy this wine early as the production level is low and - oh!, look, they are flying out the door as you read this! Yet another reason to attend this year's Cabernet
Classic.
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GIRARD.
2002 Girard Napa Red $35.99.
Sitting high above the valley looking down on Lake Hennessy, Girard and a number of other wineries on Pritchard Hill are making powerful, concentrated wines with big flavor and lots of complexity. Initially concentrating on Chardonnay and Cabernet-based wines, owner Pat Roney, who began his career in wine as a sommelier at Chicago's Pump Room, is expanding Girard's focus these days to include Zinfandel and Petite Sirah from select vineyard sites that dot the greater Napa countryside.
Winemaking duties at Girard are handled by Marco DiGiulio, who formerly worked at KJ owned Robert Pepi and Lokoya.
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LANCASTER ESTATE.
2001 Lancaster Estate Red $55.42.
Lancaster Estate is a vineyard and winery styled in the classic Bordeaux tradition. Lancaster Estate’s Alexander Valley appellation luxury wines are limited-edition, 100% estate grown Cabernet family varietals from a 53 acre hillside property. Purchased by owner Ted Simpkins in 1995, the property sits at the southern edge of the Alexander Valley. The hillside winery is uniquely situated at the confluence of the Chalk Hill and Knights Valley appellations where the gravelly red soils are well suited to Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux grape varietals. The 2001 Estate Red Wine $55.42 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. This is a classy Meritage wine with grace, finesse, and power.
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LONG VINEYARDS.
2001 Long Cabernet $53.20.
Another of the select wineries on Pritchard Hill, homesite of profound Cabernets. The two acre vineyard elevation is 800 feet above Lake Hennessey and was planted in 1990. The winemaker of record here is Sandi Belcher, also known for overseeing production of the very fine Arns wines.
Before joining Long, Sandi cut her teeth at Chateau Montelena, Freemark Abbey, and Heitz Cellars - all known for outstanding approaches to red wine production. The Long Estate Cabernet is approachable now but will reward those willing to wait for that greater depth and richness that 7 to 10 years will bring.
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MADRIGAL VINEYARDS.
2001 Madrigal Napa Cabernet $33.25.
A number of vineyard management companies in the Napa Valley have in recent years gotten into the winemaking game along with the growing side of the business. The Madrigal family has been farming grapes since the late-thirties. They produced their first wine in 1995 and are now making Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, and a stunningly concentrated Petite Sirah -- with some of the fruit coming from 50 year old head-pruned vines. The 2001 Cabernet, a rich, flavorful and balanced wine showing plum, cherry, and black currant notes outshines many Cabs that cost a lot more money.
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NEAL FAMILY VINEYARDS.
2003 Neal Family Cabernet $45.00, 2003 Neal Family Zinfandel, $21.98.
Jack Neal and Sons, Inc. is the third oldest vineyard management company in Napa Valley. They farm over 1500 acres of grapes for some of the top Napa wineries, including their own fruit for their outstanding 2003 Cab. We first tasted this wine in the barrel, raved about it then, and have seen it evolve into a cherry and cassis-laden beauty that is as good as the 2001.
Winemaker Gove Celio, who likewise has a heavy background in viticulture, also made the wines at Liparita. Besides this fine Cab, Gove also makes a complex and very layered Zinfandel that will appeal to Cab lovers for its claret-like nuances.
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O’SHAUGNESSY ESTATE WINERY.
2002 O’Shaughnessy Howell Mountain Cabernet $65.00.
The vineyards, winery and caves of Betty O'Shaughnessy's 100 acre estate sit high up on Howell Mountain east of St. Helena in the Napa Valley. The winemaker is Sean Capiaux who has worked in wineries as diverse in locale as Long Island in New York, Australia, Sonoma, and ultimately the Napa Valley. The blend for the 2002 Howell Mountain Cab is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% inky Petite Verdot, and 2% Malbec. It shows a ruby hued opaqueness with plum and vanilla notes in the nose and fully extracted black currant, chocolate and and black cherries on the palate. The production of the '02 is only 1200 cases - so move quickly on this one.
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PARADIGM WINERY.
2001 Paradigm Cabernet $47.22.
Paradigm Winery, located in the Oakville appellation of Napa Valley, hand-crafts small quantities of estate-bottled red wine. Known for Cab and Merlot, they also produce a tiny amount of Zinfandel and Cabernet Franc.
Owned and managed by Ren and Marilyn Harris, two winegrowers with extraordinarily deep roots in Napa Valley. They purchased the vineyards in 1976 and began producing wine with the 1991 vintage. The wines, made by winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett, are consistently big and age-worthy, but approachable in their youth. Aged in French oak barrels for 20 months, each sees considerable additional bottle aging - 20 months for the Cab and 14 months for the other reds.
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RAMEY WINE CELLARS.
2003 Ramey Claret $35.94.
David Ramey needs no introduction. He is widely acknowledged to be among the wine pioneers whose efforts helped raise the bar for all American winemakers and brought California to the forefront of the international wine world.
David continues to "swing for the fences," as he likes to say. He harvests his grapes at the last possible moment and uses methods that college professors consider risky at best. The resulting wines are praised among colleagues, consumers and the media alike. Blended from the better lots after making the two vineyard wines, the 2003 vintage is 86% Jericho Canyon and 14% Diamond Mountain, and is 55% Cab, 28% Merlot, 16% Cab Franc, and 1% Petite
Verdot.
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REVANA
FAMILY VINEYARD.
2002 Revana Cabernet $89.25. Located in the heart of Napa Valley, Revana is a vineyard and winery estate with the singular focus of producing world class Cabernet Sauvignon. For Dr. Revana, it is the culmination of his dream to grow and craft wines of exceptional quality.
He hired both talented Napa Valley vineyard manager Jim Barbour and winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett, widely considered one of California's greatest winemakers.
In 2001, Revana Family Vineyard celebrated its first harvest. Heidi Peterson Barrett has nurtured these grapes through each phase of their fermentation, barrel aging and blending; focusing on minimal handling with a goal of creating a wine with richness, elegance and distinctiveness.
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ROBERT CRAIG WINE CELLARS.
2002 Robert Craig Affinity $35.99.
Robert Craig has consistently ranked among the foremost Napa Valley Cabernet producers since its founding in the 1992. Named one of the California Top 25 "5 Star" wineries. The Robert Craig wine program is based on the concept of "two mountains and a valley" which showcases 3 limited production Cabernets. The winemaking philosophy is that Cab should be made to enjoy while they are young and not put away in a cellar for decades before they are drinkable.
The Affinity is a Bordeaux style Cabernet blend from the valley floor. Affinity’s dark fruit, layers of flavor and round ripe tannins are delicious and inviting with the structure for long-term aging.
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RUSTON FAMILY VINEYARDS.
2001 Ruston Cabernet $35.45.
Robert Parker stated, "Consumers take note, Ruston Family Vineyards merits significant attention." Ruston is a vineyard and winemaking company located on gently sloping hillside vineyards. In place of old prune and walnut orchards, they now grow Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot grape vines. They also buy grapes from a few choice vineyards such as Stagecoach in the mountains east of Oakville, and the Kenefick Ranch in Calistoga. The 2001 Cab is made from small lots sourced from four vineyards in the St. Helena appellation. It is a classic Napa Valley Cab, very nicely balanced, neither over-tannic, over-oaked nor over-extracted. Only 947 cases produced.
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TITUS VINEYARDS.
2002 Titus Cabernet $38.95.
Robert Parker stated, "If winemaker Phil Titus and vineyard manager Eric Titus continue to produce wines such as these, they will quickly become two of the most fashionable new names in California winedom."
This family-owned estate produces Cabernet, Reserve Cabernet, Cab Franc & Zinfandel. Located just north of St. Helena on the Silverado Trail. Bordeaux styling enhances the wine's concentrated and classic varietal character. On the nose, heady aromas of sweet black cherry encase notes of toasted oak, smoke and rose petals. In the mouth, hints of melted bittersweet chocolate, smoke, black currants and ripe blackberry complement the sweet, full-bodied core and smooth structure.
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TRESPASS VINEYARD.
2001 Trespass Cabernet $50.00.
We first tried the Trespass wines at a local wine tasting event. We thought the wine was one of the best in the room. It is the result of a dedicated collaboration between Dana and Donny Gallagher, winemaker Charles Hendricks and a 4 acre vineyard near Spottswoode.
The first wines to be released are the 2000 Cab and Cab Franc. Production of these two wines was very limited, but will increase as the vineyard matures, with full production planned for approximately 750 cases of Cab and 250 cases of Cab Franc.
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VERAISON.
2002 Veraison Cabernet $44.98, 2002 Veraison Synchrony $59.98.
Sourced from the Stagecoach Vineyard, which Jan & Joshua Krupp developed, own and harvest. The intense flavors and dark fruit in the 2002 Cab are the best ever to be plucked from the southwestern facing slopes. Deep red-black hue; powerful aromas of currants, cassis & black cherry give way to silky mountain tannins, with dark, rich spices and intense black fruits. An immensely full mid-palate matches a lengthy finish. They also produce a spectacular meritage called Synchrony. Inky purple-black hue; aromas of cassis and fresh anise. A silky smooth entry, with intense black fruits; blackberry cobbler, chocolate-coffee cheesecake and a hint of cherry liqueur.
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VERSANT VINEYARDS.
2002 Versant Cabernet $74.98.
The Versant vineyard is a 90-acre property on Pritchard Hill located above Lake Hennessey near Bryant Family, Colgin and David Arthur. It is an area increasingly known for its thick, plush Cabernets. 31 acres are planted on the volcanic and unbelievably rocky soils producing astonishing Cabernet Sauvignon crafted by renowned winemaker Randy Lewis. Yields are kept dramatically low and less fruit means less wine, about 200 cases produced in 2001.
The 2002 Cab exhibits a dense ruby/purple color along with a ripe, full-bodied style. It cuts a broad, deep swath across the palate. This luscious, in-your-face, well-balanced 2002 should drink well for 10-12 years.
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WOLF FAMILY VINEYARDS.
2002 Wolf Family Cabernet $59.99.
A small family owned and operated winery which produces limited quantities of finely crafted, estate bottled Cabernet Sauvignon and a phenomenal Meritage. Winemaker Karen Culler has the golden touch. Another stunning success for the vintage, this wine is both powerful and stylish. A rare California offering, it possesses the elegance of a French Bordeaux combined with the power that is so easily obtainable in California. Its dense purple color is accompanied by a big, floral nose displaying scents of vanilla, cocoa, and red as well as black currants. There is pinpoint precision, good sweet integration of wood, medium to full body, and a seamless, velvety-textured finish. The 2000 vintage was our #1 Wine of the Year.
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