Happy Birthday America!
This month we will celebrate the richness of California wineries! Enjoy!
Band of Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Napa Valley, California
83% Cabernet Sauvignon
14% Merlot
3% Cabernet Franc
Description
Band of Vintners was born from a monthly tasting group of seven Napa Valley tastemakers: four winemakers, a sommelier, wine executive and wine importer, each highly regarded among their peers for their contributions to the wine profession. Together, they pooled their resources, talents and relationships to access some of Napa Valley’s best, sustainably farmed fruit and all the winemaking necessities to get their wine into bottles. The result is a delicious symphony of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting notes
Band of Vintners Cabernet Sauvignon is a lush, approachable and pleasurable wine. What a spectacular vintage! A warm and inviting nose, reminiscent of a summer day in Napa, conjures up notes of grilled meats and herbs de Provence. This vintage rolls over your palate with succulent flavors of black currant, boysenberry and dark cherry
Product Ratings
Wine Enthusiast94pt
Lifted aromatics and unctuous flavors of juicy cherries, plums and mixed berries intwined with well-integrated spices, cocoa and an intriguing hint of cola. Distinctive. Mouthwatering. Impressively over delivers. This Cabernet Sauvignon has the structure for food and approachability for mixed companies.
Decanter93pt
Winemaker Britt Richards is a real talent. I was thrilled to learn she had taken the helm for this project, now owned by Master Sommelier Desmond Echavarrie, a former sommelier at The French Laundry and founder of Scale Wine Group. In 2022, Richards crafted a juicy, fruit-forward, and generous Cabernet layered with sweet cedar and toasty oak spice, all wrapped in silky tannins. What stands out is the liveliness of the fruit- elegant, ripe, but never overripe, a remarkable achievement in such a warm vintage. Instead, this wine delivers balanced freshness, making it the perfect "house Cabernet" for the vintage- one to keep on hand as a reliable dinner table companion.
Purple Hands - Pinot Noir - Dundee Reserve 2022
Dundee Hills AVA - Willamette Valley, Oregon
100% Pinot Noir
Certified Organic
Estate
Purple Hands Vineyards celebrates site-specific pinot noir and chardonnay that unearth the Willamette Valley’s long evolutionary history. Using traditional winemaking techniques, they strive to produce wines that convey an honest expression of each of their vineyards, its grapevines and cultivation, soil and stone, sunshine and rain. All their wines undergo native fermentation and remain unfiltered at bottling to preserve their natural, wild character. Achieving elegance in this pursuit is the passion and art of their craft.
Vineyard
The Dundee Hills AVA, located 28 miles southwest of Portland, has geology dating back 15 million years ago, when molten lava flowed like a river into the Willamette Valley, covering it with up to a thousand feet of basalt that degraded into an iron-rich clay now known as Jory- the famous soil of the Dundee Hills. Our Dundee Reserve is a special representation of blocks, from the Haakon/Lenai Vineyard, hand selected by Cody Wright to celebrate the wild geology of this special winegrowing region.
Vinification
Purple Hands is a low input, purity-driven winery. Ferments are a mixture of techniques: Pied de Cuve, native yeasts, and some commercial strains as needed. 20% whole cluster for 2022. Skin macerations are vintage-dependent styles.
Tasting notes
Dundee Reserve Pinot Noir is exceptional, the nose opens with notes of red plum, fresh cherries, and subtle spice. The acidity is profound, and the tannins are rounded but nicely integrated. A great wine to enjoy today after some decanting or to age and develop for several years.
Product Ratings
James Suckling93pt
An attractive, red-fruited pinot with hints of blood oranges and red spices. Dry and chalky with a medium body and juicy, mouthwatering acidity. Fresh, savory and very gastronomic. Drink or hold.
Wine Enthusiast94pt
Looking for great Pinot Noir that you can cellar without breaking the bank? Here you go. The Dundee Reserve's aromas of wild blackberries, marigolds and loamy soil are like a countryside stroll. Chewy tannins and blazing acidity match up with flavors of cranberries, blackberries and horehound candy.