Press - Page 309 of 391 - Regal Wine Imports

Vintage	Producer	Product Name	Notes	Source	Score	Sell Sheet	Updated
2016	Relic	Cabernet Franc "The Prior"	A blend of 76% Cabernet Franc and 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2016 Cabernet Franc The Prior comes from the Frediani Vineyard, which is near Eisele Vineyard off Pickett Road in Calistoga. It's incredibly complex and nuanced, with terrific notes of black raspberries, black cherries, potpourri, spring flowers, and dried earth. As with all these wines, it's seamless, silky, and pure, with beautiful intensity yet no sensation of weight or heaviness.	Jeb Dunnuck	96		2019-02-15
2016	Relic	Pinot Noir "Kashaya" Sonoma Coast	I was also able to taste two Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs from Mike, both meriting attention. All from the Wayfarer Vineyard, the 2016 Pinot Noir Kashaya comes from three different parcels and saw 30% stems. It offers a beautiful, layered, complex style in its darker cherry, underbrush, forest floor, and savory umami and cured meat notes. It's seamless, silky, and pure, with a great finish.	Jeb Dunnuck	95		2019-02-15
2016	Relic	Cabernet Sauvignon "Artefact"	More classic blue fruits, damp earth, bay leaf, and herbal notes emerge from the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Artefact, which comes all from a single block in the Kenefick Ranch vineyard and spent 22 months in new barrels. With medium to full body, terrific purity, and a layered, elegant style, it has plenty of upfront charm and approachability yet the balance to keep for 20+ years.	Jeb Dunnuck	94		2019-02-15
2016	Relic	Grenache Paras Vineyard Mt Veeder	There's not much Grenache on Mt. Veeder, and the 2016 Grenache Paras Vineyard comes from a high-density planting of 100% Grenache that was destemmed and brought up in neutral oak. It has a medium ruby color as well as a spicy, complex, nuanced style of spiced strawberries, black raspberries, savory herbs, and dried rose petals. It's ripe, sexy, medium to full-bodied, has fine tannins, and will drink beautifully for a decade.	Jeb Dunnuck	93		2019-02-15
2016	Relic	Pinot Noir Putnam Vineyard	The last vintage for this cuvée, the 2016 Pinot Noir Putnam Vineyard comes from a cooler site yet has terrific purity in its blue fruits, mint, violets, spring flowers, and red berries. It's supple, seamless, elegant and forward on the palate, with the hallmark purity of fruit that makes 2016 so special in Sonoma.	Jeb Dunnuck	92		2019-02-15
2017	David Arthur	Cabernet Sauvignon Elevation 1147	Lastly, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Elevation 1147 is a standout effort, offering an inky color, obvious tannic structure, full-bodied richness, and a more mineral-laced bouquet of smoked black fruits, camphor, new leather, and tobacco. Despite having plenty of structure, it stays beautifully balanced on the palate and has a seamless, lengthy texture. Give bottles 3-5 years or so, and it should drink nicely for two decades or more.	Jeb Dunnuck	94-96		2019-02-14
2016	David Arthur	Cabernet Sauvignon Three Acre	The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Three Acre (there’s a small amount of Petit Verdot in the blend) is a beautiful, refined example of Pritchard Hill Cabernet. Deep ruby-colored, with a mountain hillside-like bouquet of wild scrub brush, crushed rocks, tobacco, dried herbs and both blue and black fruits, it glides over the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannins, beautifully integrated acidity, and solid length. It's very much in the style of the 1147 release, but slightly less concentrated and majestic. Elegant, silky, and seamless, yet still with ample power, it's a brilliant 2016 geared for those that love the old-school, classic style of Napa Valley. It will keep for 2+ decades.	Jeb Dunnuck	95		2019-02-14
2017	David Arthur	Chardonnay	Brought up in 30-40% new French oak, the 2017 Chardonnay has a ripe bouquet of lemon curd, citrus, and white flowers. It’s medium-bodied, layered and nicely textured, and while it leans towards the riper end of the spectrum, is beautifully balanced.	Jeb Dunnuck	91-93		2019-02-14
2016	Behrens Family Winery	Head in the Clouds	Slightly less expensive, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Head in the Clouds (there's 17% Petit Verdot in the blend) is also deeply colored and has an expressive bouquet of blackcurrants, blueberries, scorched earth, graphite, and violets. It's slightly more upfront and approachable compared to the Cemetery release, with juicy, youthful fruit, full-bodied richness, and sweet tannins, and it should drink nicely for 15+ years or more. It's another terrific wine from this estate that's well worth seeking out.	Jeb Dunnuck	94		2019-02-14
2016	Relic	Scarpa Syrah	One of the first wines they named, since the vineyard sources continued to change in the first few years, the 2016 Syrah Scarpa is 100% Syrah sourced from the Phoenix Ranch Vineyard that was fermented with 30% stems and aged in 40% new barrels. Blueberries, spring flowers, bacon fat, and olive notes all flow to a silky, ultra-fine seamless Syrah that has no hard edges, gorgeous purity, and a great finish. Another remarkable wine from winemaker Mike Hirby, it has classic Syrah complexity and nuances with some serious California fruit. Drink it over the coming decade.	Jeb Dunnuck	96		2019-02-14