AXR Vineyards

The Winery: The history of AXR Napa Valley is compounded in layers; rooted in historic tales of fierce Native American hunting grounds, wild west pioneers and the first woman vintner of California in 1886. The estate changed hands over the course of 134 years to become a brewery, restaurant, inn, winery and saloon. It wasn’t until 2007 that research was done and the history of the estate was uncovered to resurrect the winery permit itself. Today, AXR is a winery that pays homage to its history and blazes a trail of innovation in Napa Valley as the pioneers before them did.

Named after the AxR1 rootstock (Aramond x Rupestris) that was so prominent in building the modern California wine industry, AxR1 eventually succumbed to phylloxera and most of California wine country was left in ruin. AXR chose to name itself after this rootstock due to its historical importance and the blank canvas that was created. The time of the replating was post ‘Judgement of Paris’ where there was an abundance of knowledge and resources entering Napa Valley which created the first time for Napa Valley wines to be pushed to a new frontier. Vintners now had a chance to replant and to rethink the entire structure of the vineyards; attention was paid to the terroir, vineyard orientation, and unique varietals were researched. This was truly a turning point in the wine industry as we know it. Just like Napa Valley’s blank canvas to redefine itself, AXR is Jean’s blank canvas to push himself into a new era of his winemaking  career. AXR’s estate vineyard, V Madrone, is planted to 3 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon bottled in their ‘Single Vineyard Series’ and as a component of AxR1. The rest of their wines are sourced through long-term grape contracts, utilizing some of the best sites throughout Napa Valley showcasing the true terroir of Napa Valley.

The Wine: 2021 AXR Napa Valley Propriety Red: There is something about blends that intrigue me and AXR Propriety Red says it all. First I love the package those screened letters on a dark bottle stare you down with such bold confidence you know it’s going to over deliver and it does with such elegance and grace glass after glass. Aromas of dark plums, spice and cedar. The palate has soft tannins with flavors of crushed dark plums, chocolate, spice on the md-palate with overtones of cedar, truffle notes and blueberry jam on the finish Grapes: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 15% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot, Fermentation: 16 days on skin, Aging: 12 months, 40% new French oak ALC:14.2 Vineyards: Oak Knoll, Yountville and Combsville

My Notes: I love everything about this wine. The fact it’s 75% Cabernet Sauvignon it could be labeled a Cabernet Sauvignon on the label but I understand why its not due to its perfection as a whole. The perfect blending of some Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petite Verdot to the Cabernet Sauvignon truly makes this wine so special the balance, the richness, the pure elegance and flavor profile that comes through is a true testament to the winemakers artistry… I love to present and introduce this wine to wine buyers, sommelier’s and consumers Gary G

Band of Vintners

About the Band: Born from a monthly tasting group of Seven Napa Valley tastemakers Barrett Anderson, Jason Heller MS, Cameron Hobel, Dan Petroski, Brennan Anderson, Mark Porembski and Stephane Vivier each highly regarded among their peers for their contributions to the wine profession as winemakers, sommeliers and national salesmen. Today the brand is handcrafted by Desmond Echavarrie, MS, and winemakers Evyn Cameron and Britt Richards, the new generation of Napa Valley royalty. Join the Band—ask for these wines at your local wine shop and favorite restaurants! I highly recommend them!!

About the Wines: The Band of Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon is a delicious symphony of Napa Valley fruit combining sustainably farmed grapes from a variety of high-quality growers from Oakville, St. Helena and Calistoga, at a price that is music to everyone’s ear. The new Band of Vintners Sauvignon Blanc showcases elegance, balance and richness proving once again Napa is not just about producing the worlds best Cabernet Sauvignons

Tasting Note: The Band of Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon: Aromas of ripe black fruit and hints of tobacco lead to a rich palate of dark crushed plums, soft spices, espresso, vanilla, and currants. It drinks like a $90 Napa Cabernet—but costs less than half the price. Mind-bending quality at an unbeatable value! Gary G The Band of Vintners Sauvignon Blanc: This wine speaks elegance it’s crisp, fresh, and beautifully balanced, featuring bright floral aromas with hints of grapefruit on the palate— giving, vibrant, and simply delicious. Gary G

Notes: Dollar for dollar these wines are an amazing value for Napa Valley

Cervantes Vineyards

It has been called Napa Valley’s last frontier. Just over the peak of Howell Mountain, alongside Pritchard Hill, is a place less-traveled yet full of promise. Here, the adventurous Cervantes family pairs with a renowned team, including winemaker Andy Erickson of Screaming Eagle Fame. This amazing 1,100 acre ranch marks the highest profile project for Andy Erickson and Xavier Cervantes where they are growing text book Napa Valley hill side wines where wild deer and bears still roam that are being sought after by top wine collectors, sommeliers and fine wine shops.

The Wine: Cervantes Cabernet Sauvignon

CERVANTES, MMXIXI, CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2021 NAPA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA “A blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color it comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of redcurrant, jelly, cassis and boysenberries, plus hints of cardamom -: 545 Cases

The Winemaker:

Andy Erickson is the man behind some Napa Legends! When it come to California winemakers, there are few with resumes as impressive as Andy Erickson’s. He has performed his magic at some of Naps Elite: Screaming Eagle, Harlan, Staglin, Dalla Valle, Ovid, and Favia to name a few.

The Wine: 2019 Cervantes Blacktail Red

CERVANTES 2019 BlackTail Red NAPA VALLEY, California

We don't have anything in mind about what the final blend will be each year," winemaker Andy Erickson said about this Blacktail blend. "We want to create something that is unique to the place this year." The 2019 Blacktail Proprietary Red Blend MMXIX is produced from 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 17% Malbec, 22% Petite Sirah and 11% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it sings of exotic spices—fenugreek, cloves, star anise, and cinnamon stick—over a core of plum preserves, warm cassis and incense, plus a touch of forest forest floor. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed full of bright, juicy fruit, supported by taut, grainy tannins, finishing very long and layered.

PRODUCTION: 545 Cases

The Winemaker:

Andy Erickson is the man behind some Napa Legends! When it come to California winemakers, there are few with resumes as impressive as Andy Erickson’s. He has performed his magic at some of Naps Elite: Screaming Eagle, Harlan, Staglin, Dalla Valle, Ovid, and Favia to name a few.

My Notes:

From what I have seen the Cervantes family behind this project live by a code of Family, Sharing, have a unique Zest for life and are stewards of the land that they live, work and play on! Xavier Cervantes and Andy Erickson produce a world class Cabernet Sauvignon & Red Blend that is on its way to having legend status. From first pour in your class with its deep red purple hues you have an idea what you are in store for! Aromas of cedar, dark fruits, black licorice and leather overwhelm your senses leading to a palate that is elegant, rich, layered with dark fruits, spice with a velvet balance that gives you a standing ovation a opulent finish!!!! Your next thought is how do I acquire a few more bottles and share these handcrafted gems with friends and family! The Cervantes family passion is in every glass of their wine! …Gary G

Cornell Vineyards

The Winery: The Winemaker: Featured Wine: Grapes: Appellation: Aging: Vineyards: Taste: My Notes:

…Gary G

Eden Rift Vineyards

The Winery: The Winemaker: Featured Wine: Grapes: Appellation: Aging: Vineyards: Taste: My Notes:

…Gary G

Hourglass Vineyards

Hourglass is a story of place: the narrative of two dramatic sites and the people destined to create extraordinary wines.

The Hourglass winery is an example of when the planets alien perfectly. It rarely ever happens where people come together with a similar goal, passion and commitment to handcraft the best wines possible with the understanding everyone plays a very important equal part. Jeff Smith founder/owner has developed a unique program that has brought on Toni Biagi one of Californias iconic winemakers to craft wines that just blow your mind and palate with such depth, elegance and substance. To me every one of the wines produced have earned a spot in top collectors wine racks and espically on their nightly dinner table to share with friends and family.

History:

HOURGLASS VINEYARD: Ned Smith was a visionary and a storyteller. These irrefutable qualities made him a highly successful ad man in San Francisco. They are also what compelled him to cash out of city life, pack up his family of seven, and follow a dream that led him to the remote Napa Valley of 1964. Ned became a real estate agent, only the second to set up shop in the valley. He was a natural, a man who could scan a fallow parcel and envision for his clients the vineyards and winery yet to come. Over the next decade, he introduced many aspiring Napa vintners, such as Jack & Jamie Davies (Schramsberg), Dick Graace (Grace Family Vineyards), and Carl Doumani (Stag's Leap) to the estates that would become the iconic wineries of today. There was one particular six-acre property two miles north of St. Helena that captured Ned’s imagination in 1976. Where an outcropping of the Maycamas mountains jutted eastward, the Napa Valley floor was pinched to a near figure eight, and this unclaimed knoll of hillside lay precisely in the narrowest point. Over the past decade, Ned had developed an uncanny intuition about land. He knew at once that this lot, nestled in the crux of the hourglass-shaped valley, was something special. He wouldn’t share it with his aspiring vintner clients; this parcel would be his.

Jeff Smith inherited his father’s natural sense of vision. The risk taking, that was a quality Ned instilled in him—to venture outside the box, follow his vision and embrace failures as learnings. After growing up among the family farms and cellars of Napa Valley, Jeff took his father’s advice, followed his passion and headed to San Francisco to play guitar in a rock band. When Jeff got the call from Marge that it was time to sell the family’s phylloxera-ridden vineyard, he had an unshakable feeling their land was far too valuable to let go. Jeff heard the reservation in his mother’s voice, but knew the land was worth saving.

Today the team at Hourglass headed by Jeff Smith have continued his dad’s vison and dream!

Featured Wine: 2021 HGIII Red Blend

Vineyard: Declassified Blueline Estate, plus contracted grapes from select vineyards

Appelation: Napa Valley

Varietals: Merlot, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon

Aging: 16 months, combination of new and seasoned French oak

Blending Notes:

HG III is Tony Biagi’s riff on the Napa Valley red blend. Crafted with select lots from our Blueline Estate and carefully sourced vineyards in Napa Valley, HG III embodies the deft balance of richness and vibrancy that is at the heart of what we do at Hourglass. Merlot offers sleek, approachable texture and bright red fruit components, Petite Sirah provides the anchoring bass notes of dark blue and black fruit, and Cabernet weaves these together with structural framing and elegant refinement.

Tasting Notes:

Rich, textural layers define HG III. The 2017 greets with lifted aromatics of wild cherry, blueberry, cassis, and subtle hints of dried flowers and savory herbs. These aromas carry forward on the palate, the medley of saturated, pure fruit flavors providing dimension to the broad-shouldered, sumptuous texture. Dense and concentrated, yet balanced by lively acidity, a refined structure and well-integrated tannins, HG III delivers an eminently drinkable wine at cork-pull.

My Notes: All the wines reviews speak loud about this wine Full-bodied, elegant, spice, coco box, delicious

Keever Vineyards

Keever Vineyards is a small family owned and operated winery in Yountville, in the Napa Valley. Their first vintage was in 2002, when they made 46 cases. A few years later, the Keever brand had achieved some moderate recognition, and based on the that they decided to build their winery and dig their cave. Keever Vineyards currently produces around 2,000 cases annually.

The vineyards are nestled in the western hills south of Yountville, in the Napa Valley. Their rocky, hillside vineyards are very special; which doesn’t make them unique in the grape growing business because we all love our dirt! Our loamy, well-drained soils, full of rocks, deliver some of the finest grapes in the region. Family-owned and operated winery producing exquisite wines with their extremely talented winemaker, Celia Welch. And when they say family owned and operated, they mean it. On any given day there are between two and four Keevers on site. They believe that wine is more than just a beverage; it tells a story. It is a place and a time; a snapshot of the vineyards in each vintage. It is truly a labor of love. Gently cared for over months and years until it is shared with friends and family.

Winemaker Celia Welch

Celia Welch Born and raised in Medford, Oregon, as the daughter of an avid wine collector and enthusiastic home winemaker, Celia had an early introduction to both wine appreciation and the basics of winemaking. Realizing that professional winemaking would combine her early fascination with avors and aromas, her strengths in science and her love of the rural lifestyle, she decided to attend the University of California at Davis and study Enology; the study of winemaking. She earned her B.S. degree in Fermentation Science in 1982. Celia is an independent winemaker for a limited selection of award winning Napa Valley wineries such as Scarecrow Vineyards.

Featured Wine:

2016 Keever Vineyards Inspirado, Red Wine, Napa Valley Blend Composition: 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot Production: 722 cases (12 x 750 mL) Winemaker’s Tasting Notes: Once in a handful of years, Mother Nature serves up a growing season in which every detail is just exactly right. A Spring full of enough rainfall but not too much, a Summer of enough heat but not too much, and an Autumn with warm days and cool nights. The 2016 Inspirado captures this season beautifully, showing warm blueberry, spiced plum, and dark cherry notes, all floating atop more subtle base notes of vanilla and toasty oak. The palate impression reflects the aromas, with ripe fruit, a touch of spice, and a finish that showcases the soft, satiny texture of this beautiful blend.

95pts : KEEVER VINEYARDS, CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2016 NAPA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA RATING: J. Dunnuck | 95pts “...The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is even better, with an awesome bouquet of sweet cassis, cedarwood, incense, and dried owers. As with all the wines from Celia Welch, this beauty is impeccably balanced, has medium to full-bodied richness and depth, subtle background oak, and a great nish. It shines for its purity and elegance as well as its depth of fruit and intensity..” (January 2019)

My Notes: