| 95 - 100 / WORLD CLASS: A very complex wine that is almost perfect in every respect. Very few wines ever achieve this height and are worthy of a dedicated, perservering search. 90 - 94 / OUTSTANDING: A complex, rich expansive wine with complexity, texture and style that sets it apart, well worth a diligent search. 85 - 89 / EXCEPTIONAL: A wine with some complexity, depth and structure; generally a highly recommended wine. 75 - 84 / VERY GOOD: A clean, fresh wine with some special attributes; a recommended wine. 70 - 74 / GOOD: A technically correct wine with no noticeable flaws. |
Produces highly specialized hand-crafted wines in small amounts. All grapes are from the Sonoma Appellation. Richard Arrowood, winemaster/owner, says, "There's so much to choose from in the Sonoma viticultural area, there's no reason to go elsewhere."
The 1995 Malbec, Sonoma County, (unfined and unfiltered) is very dark ruby/purple with lush aromas of blackberry, blueberry, cigar box, violets, green tea, strawberry and truffle with hints of mint and fennel. The flavors echo the aromas and are very concentrated with exceptional depth with fabulous texture and complexity, followed by a long, fruity, expansive finish. Very Highly Recommended. (93) 300 cases
The 1995 Syrah, Saralee's Vineyard, Russian River Valley has a perfumed bouquet of black cherry, blackberry, fresh plum, mulberry and red licorice with subtle herbal highlights. The flavors of layered berries, mocha and fresh plums with rich spicy notes are complex and extremely well balanced, followed by a lush, lingering, fruity finish. (93)
The 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County has a bright perfumed nose of cherries, black currants, chocolate, raspberries, mint and lush vanilla. The flavors of cherries, berries, spice, chocolate and bright plum with a hint of pepper the flavors are very concentrated with good depth and texture, followed by a fruity, expansive finish. (91)
The 1995 Merlot, Sonoma County has a perfumed bouquet of black cherry, currants, olive, chocolate, black pepper and cinnamon. The flavors echo the aromas and are concentrated with very good depth, followed by a medium long, fruity balanced finish. (91)
The 1997 White Riesling, "Special Select Late Harvest", Preston Ranch - Russian River Valley has an exotic bouquet and flavors of apricot, pineapple, honeysuckle, pear, peach skin and lichee nut with faint tangerine zest notes. The flavors are round, concentrated, and complex with firm mineral acidity and a fruity, expansive, almost crisp finish. Fabulous. (94)
The 1997 Viognier, "Select Late Harvest", Saralee's Vineyard, Russian River Valley has an exotic perfumed bouquet of pear, peach, pineapple, citrus blossom and apricot The flavors echo the aromas with the addition of honeysuckle and are very well balanced with exceptional depth and texture, followed by a fruity balanced finish with bright acidity. (92)
The 1997 White Riesling, "Special Select Late Harvest", Hoot Owl Creek Vineyard, Alexander Valley (sugar at harvest 39.0 brix, residual sugar 11.4%) is deep golden with a lovely perfumed bouquet of apricot, pear, peach, pineapple and honeysuckle with hints of mango. The flavors echo the aromas with exceptional depth and balance, followed by a very fruity, moderately sweet finish with firm acidity. (92)
Produces 35,000 cases annually from 500 acres. 85% of the fruit grown here is sold to other producers. Flora Springs has installed a new stemmer crusher, which is the first model sent to the United States from South Africa. It removes the berries from the stems before it crushes the fruit. This minimizes any bitter compounds from the stems.
The 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford Hillside Reserve, Napa Valley has an intense perfumed bouquet of ripe plums, black currants, black cherry and cigar box with hints of violets and herb. The complex flavors of black cherry, blackberry, chocolate, licorice and roasted nuts are very concentrated, followed by a long lingering, fruity, cocoa etched, expansive finish. Very attractive. (93)
The 1995 "Trilogy", Napa Valley has a bright bouquet of black cherry, cassis, fresh plum, violets, toast and green olive with bright herb notes. The flavors of cherries, plum, cassis, blackberry, herb and cigar box are balanced with good concentration, followed by a fruity, spicy, moderately tannic finish. Suggest 2 to 4 years cellaring. (91)
The 1997 Sangiovese "Rosata", Napa Valley has a perfumed nose of plum, passion fruit, raspberry, rose petal and dry citrus zest with spicy highlights. The flavors of ripe strawberry, raspberry, plum and citrus are attractive and forward, followed by a very fruity, spicy finish. (87)
The 1997 Sangiovese, Napa Valley has a perfumed nose of blackberry, blueberry, cranberry, ripe plum, cigar and sweet oak. The flavors of blackberries, cherries, blueberries, spice and toast are balanced with moderate depth, followed by a medium long fruity finish. (86)
The 1996 Merlot, Napa Valley has an exotic perfume of black cherry, cassis, passion fruit, plum, herbs, cedar and underbrush spice. The flavors of ripe plum, black cherry, mint, spice and nutty highlights are followed by a fruity, toasty, spicy finish. (85)
The 1997 Sauvignon Blanc, "Reserve", Napa Valley has a perfumed bouquet of apple, melon, pear and honeysuckle with hints of carnation and vanilla. The flavors of melon, pear, peach and quince with faint hints of citrus are extremely well balanced with very good depth, followed by a long, moderately crisp, fruity finish. Very Attractive. (91)
The 1997 Pinot Grigio, Napa Valley has a perfumed nose of citrus, almond, peach, pear and quince. The flavors of citrus, peach, pear, toast and spice are rich and flavorful, followed by a medium long fruity finish. (87)
With the recently released 1996 Estate Merlot, Foppiano celebrates the 100th vintage from family run its estate vineyards in Healdsburg. "The 100th vintage is motivational. Watching it come off the bottling line I'm reminded that I'm doing the very same thing my great-grandfather did at the turn of the century," says General Manager Louis M. Foppiano
The 1996 Merlot, Estate Bottled, Russian River Valley has a lovely perfumed nose of passion fruit, cassis, toast, pepper, tobacco and cedar. The flavors of cherries, raspberry, black pepper and spice are rich, round, and balanced with a bright, fruity, peppery finish. (87)
Grace Family Vineyards was founded in 1987 in St. Helena, Ca. The first vintage, 1978, produced 50 boxes, they dropped one, result 49 boxes. The '96 vintage produced 36 boxes, without a doubt the rarest cult wine in California, and in our opinion the finest to date. They were the feature article in our premiere issue Dec. 95 - Jan. 96.
The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley has an exotic bouquet of boysenberry, blackberry, cherries, violets, dry citrus zest, coffee and cocoa with hints of licorice and lead pencil. The flavors of cherries, blackberries, cassis, licorice and toast are exceptionally well balanced with seamless depth and texture, followed by a long, fruity, licorice etched finish. Produced in an etched, hand painted and numbered 1000 ML bottle only. 430 cases produced. (96)
The White Rock Vineyards Estate is situated in a small valley in the southern foothills of the Stag's Leap Range, rising above the Napa Valley.
The 1995 Claret, Napa Valley, (60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petite Verdot, 2% Merlot) has a fabulous bouquet of black currants, black cherry, ripe strawberry, mint, tobacco and black pepper with hints of fresh plum and floral highlights. The flavors of black pit fruits, mint, cinnamon, cigar and spice are complex with exceptional depth, followed by a long lingering, fruity, spicy finish. Needs a bit of time. (91)
The 1997 Chardonnay, Barrel Fermented, Napa Valley has a perfumed nose of apple, pear, white peach, vanilla and minerals with a hint of carnation. The lovely flavors of apple, pear, vanilla, toast and spice are followed by a very fruity, creamy finish. (91)