Tight, bright, elegant and refined, with pretty pear and lime flavors against spicy, toasty background notes, playing out its fruit on the long finish. Chardonnay. Drink now through 2013. —Harvey Steiman, October 15, 2009.

91 points, Wine Advocate

Josh Bergstrom is a believer in Willamette Valley Chardonnay. His 2007 Sigrid Chardonnay was a selection of the top 12 barrels (out of 120) in the cellar. A blend from several vineyards, it offers up an outstanding nose of pain grille, mineral, white peach, pear, and a hint of tropical aromas. Ripe, round, and mouth-coating, this creamy-textured Chardonnay is well-balanced and lengthy. It should drink well for another 6 years if not longer. —Jay Miller, October 2009.

The 2007 Sigrid Chardonnay is both unfined and unfiltered and bottled directly from tank after a long, cool and slow fermentation and 12 months on its lees in new French Oak Barrels, neutral French Oak Barrels and small stainless steel barrels. The assemblage is a selection of the greatest barrel selections in the cellar and represents only 10% of all chardonnay lots harvested for each year from each vineyard. The remaining barrels are declassified. This wine has a pale gold color leaning towards white gold with rich, enticing aromas of grilled brioche, wet stones, citrus rind, meyer lemon curd and craime anglaise with hints of hazelnuts. The wine has a medium body with a lithe frame with flavors reminiscent of the aromas as well as apples, lemons and pears with opulent spices and creamy texture. There is a great purity to this wine and a very strong mineral expression which is laced with just the slightest kiss of oak spice and toast. The finish is strong with a good mineral and tannin backbone which will help this wine age well into the future.
250 cases made

92 points , Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar:

“Deep red with a bright rim. Pungent aromas of red and dark berries, Asian spices and musky herbs. Broad, fleshy dark berry flavors gain freshness with air and pick up notes of allspice and candied rose. Manages to be both rich and lively, finishing with excellent energy and lingering spiciness. This really hangs onto the palate. More serious than the Beaux Freres Vineyard bottling, but I marginally prefer that wine’s liveliness.” (May/June ’09)

91 points Wine Spectator: “Light and silky, this is bright with cherry and pomegranate, showing a hint of lime as the finish takes off. Not a big wine, but offers grace and beautiful focus. The tannins are totally submerged. Drink now through 2015.” (10/09)

THE 2007 GROWING SEASON BEGAN with a drier than average winter, which stood in sharp contrast to the wet weather that ushered in 2006. This trend continued throughout the growing season, and we received about 60 percent of normal precipitation overall. A warm spring resulted in an early budbreak, bloom and set in the vineyards, but the pace slowed down as mild spring and summer temperatures prevailed. Warm temperatures around Labor Day added the boost of sugar development that we were looking for to complement the excellent acid structure in the grapes.

Cabernet has always been a mainstay in the winemaking program at Stags’ Leap Winery. Our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a combination of estate fruit and grapes from select Napa Valley growers.  Much of the estate vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon where deep, well-drained, loamy volcanic soils make this a perfect place to grow Cabernet. The fruit for this wine was hand-picked in small bins and each lot was fermented separately in a combination of open and closed top fermenters to maximize concentration and extraction in the finished wine. The wine was aged in 100 percent French oak barrels (50 percent new) for 24 months, and the final blend was assembled one year into the aging process to give
the wine a chance to marry before bottling.

Vivid aromas of red and black fruit characteristically introduce the wine. The palate emphasizes balance, with firm, round tannins and a complex finish that features a variety of notes from leather, espresso and chocolate.

Firm in texture at first, but then blossoms into a panorama of flavors, fanning out its raspberry cream flavors and hinting at floral, mineral, green tea and Asian spice notes as the finish picks up steam. Not a big wine, but has many layers to explore. Best from 2009 through 2015. 2,700 cases made. –HS

From the Winery:

After 16 vintages it would seem easy to compare the newborn 2005 with a previous year, but it is actually quite difficult. We have had vintages where, because of growing conditions, the wines are delicate, light, and feminine. And other years where, because of low yields and climatic circumstances, the wines are powerful, rich, and dense. 2005 appears to be a blend of both styles. The color is dark ruby with plenty of purple highlights. The nose is very extroverted and shows no intention of shutting down. At present the wine reveals pure blue and black fruits, (primarily black cherries, raspberries, and a hint of blackberries) along with tell-tale beet root, earth and herb notes. In the mouth the wine is rich and full bodied, yet displays a lighter, more delicate finish. It is somewhat of a paradox that such an intense wine could also be light on its feet, but that is the style of this vintage. We believe that this season’s unique growing conditions leading up to harvest gave us the ideal grapes to produce a wine with impeccable balance in acidity, alcohol, tannin, and depth of fruit. This wine should be relatively approachable in its youth, but because of its balance evolve for 10-12 more years. Over the last sixteen years, we have seen how well our wines have evolved. They have done what we have always hoped, improving in the bottle, which is no easy task.

The 2002 Shiraz Block 6 (made from 112-year-old vines cropped at a mere 1-2 tons of fruit per acre) is the antithesis of the Hillside cuvee. Backward and nearly impenetrable, its inky/ruby/purple color is accompanied by high levels of tannin, huge structure, and massive concentration. It requires 3-6 more years to become civilized and accessible. This dense Shiraz saturates the palate with extract and concentration as well as elevated tannin. It is amazing one winery could produce two wines that are so totally opposite. Only consumers with cool cellars and the patience to wait 5-6 years should purchase this blockbuster. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2022+. This wine is finished with a screw cap.

About the Winery:

This artisanal producer in McLaren Vale has an ancient vineyard sitting right in front of the winery. The splendid Shiraz vines are over 100 years of age. The winery itself produced between 6,500 and 10,000 cases of wine, almost all of it Shiraz, with small quantities of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. There are no white wines, although a small quantity of spectacular fortified Muscat is produced. Most of the reds spend 18 months in a combination of 50% new and 50% old American oak, but the Block 6, as well as the Hillside Shiraz, are aged in 100% American oak for 24 months. The production ranges from a low of 400 cases (in 1999 and 2000) to just over 1,000 cases from the 100+ year old vineyard that is usually cropped between 1.5-2 tons per acre.

“Bright ruby-red. Ripe aromas of black cherry, lead pencil and tobacco. Sweet, dense and generous, with intense black raspberry and licorice flavors nicely framed by harmonious acidity. Seems less energetically extracted than the ’99 version of this wine, a good decision in light of the style of the 2000 vintage. But this has a firm backbone for aging.” - Stephen Tanzer, May/Jun 03

89 points, Wine Spectator
October 2003

Supple and well put together, with ripe plum, cherry, currant and floral notes that are complex and compelling. Long, lingering aftertaste. The finish has a tight focus but also dry, leathery tannins, its only drawback. Best from 2004 through 2011. 350 cases made. –JL

Bright ruby-red. Spicy aromas of black raspberry, fresh herbs and spices; shares the liqueur-like note of the 2000. Superripe on the palate but more muscular and less sweet than the 2000. A brooding, linear, tightly wound wine in a distinctly sullen stage of its development.

88 points, Wine Spectator

Sleek, rich and vibrant, with an elegant core of cherry, red currant and plum. Finishes with a pretty gush of ripe fruit and greenness and integrated tannins. Drink now through 2010. 400 cases made.

95 points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
April 2006
Proprietor Patrick Maroteaux, president of Unions des Grands Crus Classes, is pulling out all the stops to make Branaire as alluring as several of the Leovilles and Ducru Beaucaillou. 2003 and 2004 may be the finest back-to-back vintages ever produced at Branaire. Even better than the 1982, the profound 2003 Branaire Ducru boasts a saturated plum/purple color as well as an extraordinarily complex nose of black currants, blackberries, espresso roast, white chocolate, minerals, and truffles. It displays amazing freshness and definition for such a complex, complete, and full-bodied wine. A brilliant effort in the vintage, it will undoubtedly close down in several years and need more time, but perhaps its low acidity and huge, extravagant fruit-forwardness will keep it drinking well over the next two decades. A brilliant wine!

91 points, Wine Enthusiast
May 2006
One of the great estates of southern Saint-Julien, producing wines whose regularity in succeeding vintages is remarkable. For 2003, Branaire has produced a dark wine, with dry, powerful tannins coming from very ripe fruit. The wood is dry and toasty, leaving a general impression of a wine that will age at a stately pace.

93 points, Wine Spectator
March 2006
Opulent aromas of blackberry, olives and toasted oak follow through to a full-bodied palate, with big chewy tannins and a long, long finish. Big and muscular wine. Best after 2009. 15,000 cases made. –JS

About 2003 Branaire-Ducru Bordeaux Blend

About the Winery Branaire-Ducru
The long history of Chateau Branaire-Ducru coincides with that of the (usually gentlemanly) stuggle for power between the bourgeoisie and nobles for possession of land in the Médoc before the French Revolution.

Since 1988, Patrick Maroteaux and Philippe Dhalluin, respectively President and Managing Director of Branaire-Ducru, have been reviving the competition, and the wine media are sitting up and taking notice.

Branaire’s many old vines and perfectly kept vineyards, some of which are newly planted, are decided strong points.

Philippe Dhalluin explains: “The very gravelly soil, as well as the high average age of the vines, account for Branaire-Ducru’s low yields.

Care is taken to control the vigour of the young vines. Rather than resorting to thinning out, which we find somewhat brutal, we prefer to let grass grow between the rows in plots of young vines. This is an entirely natural way of limiting production. It also has the advantage of fighting drought conditions since vine roots must go deep down into the soil to find water, and are thus able to cope with long dry spells”.

93 points, Wine Spectator

Rich, creamy and smooth-textured, with lots of ripe pear and apple pie flavors, right down to the piecrust and touch of vanilla ice cream. Ends with a long, elegant finish. Drink now through 2012.

93 points, Stephen Tanzer’s IWC
May 2008

Full yellow color. Aromas of lemon drop and orange zest complicated by minerals, hazelnut and a whiff of tropical fruits; some oak showing today. Densely packed and soil-driven, with highly concentrated, lightly saline flavors and a chewy texture. There’s a wildness to this chardonnay that I find intriguing. Bottled just ten days prior to my visit, and yet this is seriously sappy from day one, not to mention long on the aftertaste.

About 2006 Morlet Family Vineyards Chardonnay Ma Douce

About the Winery Morlet Family Vineyards
Luc & Jodie Morlet produce vineyard designated wines and unique cuvées of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Sémillon with Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle from Sonoma County as well as Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley.

Luc Morlet represents the fourth generation of a French winemaking family. Growing up in Avenay-Val d’Or, he spent all his spare time working on his family’s estate. His university studies of viticulture and winemaking were put into practice during years of work in vineyards and wineries in Burgundy, Bordeaux, and the south of France.

About the Wine
The cool maritime breeze and mild and sunny mountain climate create ideal conditions for this hillside vineyard located on the second ridge from the Pacific Ocean. Handcrafted using classical Burgundian winemaking techniques, this wine is dedicated to Jodie. It is ‘My Sweet’ or ‘Ma Douce.’