The 181 referred to in the name of this California red refers to the clone of Merlot from Bordeaux, France. This is a very nice wine with dark cherry, eucalypt, spice and raspberry notes on the nose. It’s quite smooth on the palate with intense red fruits and a touch of licorice and spice, plush tannins and long finish. A great find!
80% driven by Mondavi’s To Kalon home-vineyard fruit, with the balance coming from the best blocks of other top vineyards. Shows restrained but very pure dark fruit on the nose with a subtle herbal note. Really opens up in the mouth with plum-cake richness and spice, plush velvety tannins, a lick of dark chocolate. Fine overall balance and a long, complex finish. Great Napa Cab as I recall it used to be.
Thomas Bachelder chose the Willamette Valley to source his grapes and the Lemelson Vineyards winery to make the wine. It’s lovely on the nose, with a ripe expression of Bosc pear, citrus, cantaloupe, and subtle oak and spice. It’s defined by a supple texture in the mouth with ripe fruits, minerals and a juicy vein of acidity running through the core. Well-made Oregon wine with fine balance.
Two-thirds fermented in French barriques, partial malolactic fermentation and sur-lie aging has produced highly focused, bright, clean citrus fruit, well-poised balance and a subtle touch of lemon butter on the finish.
This SB exemplifies the new style, which California is now becoming known for: crisp, fruit-driven and food-versatile. Melon, grapefruit, minerals, tropical fruit and asparagus are all in the mix. The long finale makes for a great partner with a beet, olive oil and quinoa salad or pan-seared chili-crusted scallops.
Complex cassis, blackcurrant and generous red fruit aromas with alluring herbaceous hints signal it’s a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot (15%) lends suppleness; Cabernet Franc (5%) contributes tobacco notes; while Gros Verdot and Petit Verdot (1% each) add complexity. Poised for grilled fare.
Ruby/garnet. Red fruits and green pepper on the rather shy nose. Firm and full in the mouth, its compact body shows 5 to 7 years’ aging potential. Will improve and become more complex if you’re patient.