Old world meets new world... and as good as any Merlot I've tasted... Ever wonder if Petrus at $500 a bottle or the killer Italian red, Le Macchiole at $325, was worth it? Now you will... This merlot has spice, red fruit, cherry cola, black currants and chocolate notes... and an aftertaste that goes on for days... fantastic flavors and absurd pricing... At $100 this stuff is a lay up for serious red drinkers. Most of the best reds in the world use Merlot becuase of it's characteristics as a blending grape... here we turn the tables on the wine world and create elegance and royalty. Limited production of 71 cases, SOLD OUT.
Our 6th vintage of Dry Creek Valley Cabernet. Gorgeous and probably our best yet. Dark purple, with inviting aromas of red and blue fruit. The oak is once again restrained, balanced and deliciously sweet. There are hints of fresh sawdust, cedar, and sandalwood that segues perfectly to fruit and acid flavors. The after taste goes on for days. The mouthfeel is as elegant as I've had from any California Cabernet - reminsicent of the grand Napa Cabs from 1986 and 2007 vintages. The textures and aftertaste perfect. We made a limited number of magnums... this will last until 2027 to 2029 but simply get better along the way.
The Captain’s Cabernet is for Apes who believe life gives us choices and opportunities even if we’re bored to death.
This vintage is a dark inky purple, with multiple and complex legs that last for minutes, hinting at the future: the initial short fat slow ones segue to medium fast and finally two or three lines tease you to wait. We love the classic aromas from Ricci Vineyards (terroir for sure). We get sweet oak sawdust and cedar box, hints of cherry cola, blueberry, and French but gentle aromatic herbs. A wisp or two of milk chocolate and red fruit hovers in the glass forever it seems.
Tasting it reminds me of the 2009 with red and blue fruits balanced up against cola and sweet oak. There's the usual lip smacking but this vintage drinks with a powerful elegance. The terroir of Dry Creek Valley, with grapes and French oak highlight the broad palate of a red wine with delightful lingering flavors and polyphenols. A great way to be bored. And remember that a Magnum is 2 bottles of 750 ml bottles of wine!
Purple, with alluring aromas of blue fruits, cocoa, and sweet cedar. Perfectly balanced and quaffable. Most similar to the 2012. Drinking beautfully in the 750ml (tasted December 2021) which means this large format can go at least another 4 to 7 years.
The Captain’s Cabernet is for Apes who believe life gives us choices and opportunities even if we’re bored to death.
The wine is a vibrant purple, with multiple layers of legs: the initial short fat slow ones segue to long narrow silky lines over a few minutes. We love the aromas of sweet cedar, notes of cola, blueberry, and French herbs. A wisp or two of chocolate and dark cocoa waft above the glass for ages.
The taste of blue fruits cocoa and cola notes glide to a lip smacking elegance. While the oak and terroir of Dry Creek Valley are delicately featured within the palate of fruits, acids, and polyphenols. Drink now and be bored.
This is our first vintage ever of Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley!!
By sheer luck, famous grape grower Alex Vyborny had offered me some of his Cabernet fruit two weeks before fires prevented us from picking from Dry Creek Valley.
The location was a dream come true for me... his vineyards sit between the famous Silver Oak Cabernet vines and Peter Michael's world class properties in the middle of Knight's Valley. B-I-N-G-O!!
The wine is near perfection. The color is a deep dark reddish purple with inviting aromas of darker fruits. With hints of sandalwood, salty air, orange peel, and soft oak and wisps of cedar. The flavors are sublime and more complex than any wine we've done to date. There's blue and red fruit, but hints of milk chocolate and baking spices meld into the soft hidden grape of the Cabernet. It's how I imagine a 100 point wine would taste from Alexander Valley. The after tastes linger forever with mouthfeel perfection.
This reminds me of the old-world styles of Napa Cabs from the 80's and 90's but without the fruit bomb forward style that never ages. Drink from 2021 to 2026. Produced just 86 cases. Discounts on 6 or more bottles. (SOLD OUT!!!)
Our 6th Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark purple, with inviting aromas of red and blue fruit. The oak is once again restrained, balanced and deliciously sweet. I get hints of fresh sawdust, cedar, and sandalwood that segues perfectly to balanced fruit and acidity. The after-taste goes on for days. The mouthfeel is at first spicy, but finishes elegantly. This reminds me of the old-world styles of Napa Cabs from the 80's. The textures and aftertaste perfect. Drink from 2020 to 2026. Produced ~ 200 cases. Discounts on 6 or more bottles. Sold Out !!
Serendipity... our spectacular 2015 Eifrig DCV Cabernet Sauvignon (long ago sold out), was accidentally gravity fed into a tank of Touriga Nacional, Tinto Madeira, and Tinto Cao (rare Portuguese grapes grown in the famous Raymond Burr Vineyard, also in Dry Creek). A beautiful wine was born; Aged for nearly 4 years in French Oak, a full-bodied red that brings together the beauty of California Cab with the sensuality of Portuguese grapes. Not to be missed…
Purple, with alluring aromas of blue fruits, cocoa, and sweet cedar. Perfectly balanced and quaffable. Most similar to the 2012. Gorgeous and through fate... our friend and grower Jim Ricci gave a few... we are down to less than 20 cases of these... Drinking beautifully. Call if you need.
A limited release of 100% DCV Cabernet from Ricci's Vineyard... this 2015 shows integrated fruit, oak and grape tannins in a perfectly balanced Cabernet style, but more New World than we've ever done... This is a true masterpiece. $115
