As most of you know, every evening at Graileys we open mind-boggling bottles that are often from the deepest parts of our beloved members’ cellars; all of which you can find the most memorable bottles in our Graileys blog. But what gets opened within the Graileys walls before the prime hour that starts wine-o’clock is a whole other world of fantastic wines. Between a lot of premier league football, Avila’s Tex Mex and jamming to Ryan’s playlist of nuevo college station, jazz and Jay Z, we brokers work hard to find that next up and coming wine from the best parts of the fine wine world to go into your cellar and your glass. Our morning meetings consist of tastings of current releases, verticals of the cults and top features of the underdogs. Someone has to do all the hard work. Here are some recent stars that have us completely spellbound and you will find them to be quite compelling as well. These are beauties that you will want to snag- contact your broker to do so!
A 7 Year Vertical of Wicker Vineyards- Last week Ron Wicker of Wicker Vineyards brought a 7 year vertical of his Cabernet and we are so excited to have tasted his exceptional wines! A true definition of a cult winery, never making more than 300 cases in any year, and selling exclusively to a very small and select mailing list, Wicker Vineyards is an under the radar Napa estate you want to know. Ron creates beautiful Cabernets with gorgeously ripe sweet black fruit balanced by the minerality and transparency of his small 7 acre vineyard of sheer Howell Mountain terroir. In 2010, he was acclaimed Grower of the Year by the Napa Valley Register and after tasting his wines, we can see why! Luck for all of us, Ron likes to hold his wines back and release when he feels his powerful Cabernets are showing at their apex. Each vintage had its own personality and from the lineup, the 2004 Wicker Cabernet ($99.95/btl) left the biggest impression with rich complexities that encompassed the entire wine experience from the lively aromatics to the final breath in the finish. With its generous black fruit and its eleven year bottle age for an uber smooth palate, this is an attention grabbing Cabernet that you do not want to miss. We were lucky to get a mere 2 cases, so grab them while you can!
Tenuta di Trinoro Toscana Rosso- from one of my personal favorite Tuscan estates, Andre Franchetti is the trailblazer behind this small Tuscan project as well as the mastermind leading Sicily with his enchanting wines of Mt. Etna. Trinoro is his flagship wine and the near perfect scoring 2009 vintage is one of the estate’s most impressive vintages within the last decade! This is an outstanding Cabernet Franc driven Super Tuscan that will blow your mind! We tasted the 2012 vintage earlier this week and the sheer power within this wine will knock you down to the ground! Also a top scoring wine with 98 points from Antonio Galloni, Cabernet Sauvignon is the driving force behind the 2012 with intense black and red currants, sweet cigar, ripe tobacco leaves and luscious purple florals. Both the 2012 current release and the 2009 library release are available but quantities are extremely limited; so act fast to get your hands on these rare Super Tuscans that will knock your socks off! Talk about under the radar, Tenuta di Trinoro is barely heard of in the United States, but if there is to be an estate that can rival Tuscan legends such as Tenuta San Guido’s Sassicaia and Ornellaia, Franchetti’s Tenuta di Trinoro is the Tuscan underdog that can accomplish such a feat.
2009 Tenuta di Trinoro- 3 six packs available!
Graileys Price: $249 bottle | $1494 per six pack OWC
99 Points Robert Parker- The 2009 Tenuta di Trinoro is indeed an outstanding blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. The wine is showing beautifully right now and promises more excellence to carry it forward over the years. At the moment, it is seamless and infinite with a superior sense of balance and dark fruit integrity. It speaks in a loud, clear and articulate voice. The wine’s appearance shows a dark, impenetrable color that underlines the ideal growing conditions of the vintage and the slow fruit-ripening. The aromas are stunning and perfectly balanced, showing both elegance and power. The tannins deliver dimension and a firmly unyielding quality that bodes very well for the future evolution of this stunning wine.
Sicilian Star- Passopisciaro Etna Rosso- I find Passopisciaro wines to be some of the most serious, quality driven wines coming from the high slopes of Sicily’s active volcano, Mt. Etna. The grape is Nerello Mascalese and when done right, these wines have the beautiful minerality and elegant fruit reminiscent of a fine red Burgundy. We were honored to taste the 2007 vintage along with the current release vintages of 2012 Passopisciaro, 2013 single Contrada (cru) Porcaria, and the thought provoking 2012 Franchetti, a Petit Verdot driven wine that expresses enticing aromas of dark dense and jammy fruit, smoke and sweet tobacco. What I love about Andre Franchetti is that he doesn’t fear creating a wine that is outside the norm of the region and his finished wines not only articulate his rogue style but also beautifully expresses the individual site that goes into each of his labels.
2012 Passopisciaro, Sicilia Rosso
Graileys Price: $39.95 bottle | $239.70 six-pack
93 Points Robert Parker- An IGT Terre Siciliane wine, the 2012 Passopisciaro is 100% Nerello Mascalese aged in botte grande for 18 months. The wine’s bouquet reveals volcanic tones of brimstone and ash with pretty contours of wild berry, cassis and blue flower. There’s a pretty sense of lift and buoyancy in the mouth thanks to the pure energy and intensity of its fruit. Despite the wine’s light color, this is a firecracker red in terms of its appeal to the nose and palate.
From our dear friends in Pritchard Hill comes Gandona Estate- this is a property you need to put on your radar and in your cellar! Overlooking the enchanting Lake Hennessy that gives Pritchard Hill its Garden of Eden like effects in its wines and directly next door to another Graileys favorite Colgin, Gandona is a younger estate that articulates bold flavors and fantastic richness by Napa superstar Philippe Melka. We tried the 2012 and 2013 Gandona Cabernets this week and the Encosta is one of the best second label Cabernets I have had yet with bright and juicy black fruit and uber smooth texture right out of the gate! Their top label Gandona Estate Cabernet is also flashy with generous fruit, but has incredible structure that will take you well into the next 2 decades! If you are a Cabernet lover at any level, Gandona should be in your next glass.
2012 Gandona “Encoste” Cabernet Sauvignon
Graileys Price: $89.95 per bottle | $1079 per case
An incredible value for Pritchard Hill Cab that will drink like a champ for 10 years. The wine shows spicy, foresty notes, a touch of tobacco leaf, moderate structure and blackcurrant and black raspberry fruit in a medium-bodied, juicy, alluring and seductive style. Drink it over the next 8-10 years.
2012 Gandona Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Graileys Price: $224.95 per bottle | $2699 per case
96 Pts Robert Parker: Living up to the potential predicted last year, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is fabulous. One hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon aged 22 months in 80% new French oak, there are 500 cases of this terrific wine. With its inky purple color, a glorious nose of blackberry and blueberry liqueur, full-bodied mouthfeel, dense, pure notes interwoven with camphor, charcoal embers and spring flowers, this is stunning stuff and a great example of the Estate’s potential. Drink now-2025+. Formerly known as the Bob Long Estate high on Pritchard Hill, this 17 acres is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon.
To get your hands on these upcoming stars, please contact your Graileys’ broker; wine@graileys.com; or feel free to directly drop me a line at kim@graileys.com