Tag Archives: Yountville

September Premium Club

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Bold wine Style logofraternity-no-vintage-1681834910070Baldacci Family Vineyards
Fraternity
Red Blend 2022
Napa Valley, California

BOLD WINE STYLE

The 2022 Fraternity has notes of ripe blackberry, black cherry, and blueberry, accented by vanilla, cocoa, and sweet baking spices. The palate showcases layers of juice dark berry, cherry compote, and plum, balanced by hints of mocha and tea leaves. The wine’s velvety tannins and plush mouthfeel deliver a rich, rounded texture, while the long, polished finish highlights toasted oak and a touch of spice.

Varietal: 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Petit Verdot, 12% Syrah, 8% Merlot
Appellation: Napa Valley
Alcohol: 14.5% alcohol / volume
pH: 3.7
Total Acidity: 6.1 g/L
Residual Sugar: 0.0 g/L
Harvest Date: September 9th-October 24, 2022
Cooperage: Aged 16 months in medium toast French oak barrels
Bottling: March 19, 2024 – Bottled unfined and unfiltered to preserve its character. Natural sediment may occur.
Critical Acclaim:

  • 96 points, Sunset International Wine Competition
  • 92 points, Decanter

GROWING SEASON 2022:
The 2022 growing season began with early bud-break and was marked by warm, sunny conditions throughout the summer. While September brought some unpredictability, the season yielded red wines of impressive depth and balance. The vintage showcases vibrant fruit character alongside well-integrated structure, offering exceptional quality.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES:
“I enjoy the challenge and the creative expression of crafting red blends. The 2022 Fraternity continues to emphasize Cabernet Sauvignon as its backbone, sourced from 6 appellations and 7 vineyards to achieve a balance of power and finesse. Petit Verdot contributes depth and complexity, Syrah lends structure and intensity, and Merlot adds a plush texture and a subtle layer of red fruit that enhances the wine’s approachability. This vintage offers a bold, approachable expression of Napa Valley, crafted to delight Cabernet fans with just enough intrigue to keep you coming back for more.” – Michael Baldacci, Winemaker

ABOUT BALDACCI FAMILY VINEYARDS:
Baldacci Family Vineyards focuses on their organic and sustainable practices in everything they do. Their estate vineyards in both Stags Leap Districut and Calistoga are farmed in accordance with CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) standards. Some of their practices include manual pruning, suckering, fruit removal and harvesting with minimum tractor use to reduce gas-powered machinery. Their regenerative practices work in harmony with nature, using grazing sheep to cultivate under the vines and enrich soil health, while bird and owl boxes provide habitat for natural pest control. The family winery believes in caring for their land, their people and their community while producing the best wines possible. Learn more here.

Information & Photos © Baldacci Family Vineyards – All Rights Reserved

Bold wine Style logoAmulet-Estate-2021 Background RemovedAmulet Estate
2021 Amulet Estate ‘AE’
Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley, California

BOLD WINE STYLE

This is classic Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon in a strong vintage. It’s a graceful wine with an enticing array of earth, herb and fresh fruit. Aromas of tobacco leaf and black cherry gently fill the glass. The wine expands on the palate with ripe mission fig, tart plum skin and fresh marjoram. It has a fine, silky texture and dark chocolate completes a lengthy finish.

Varietal: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 5% Malbec
Analysis: 14.8% alcohol / volume
AVA: Yountville, Napa Valley, California
Soil: Gravelly loam and Cortina soils originating from the Franciscan Assemblage
Elevation: 100 feet

ABOUT AMULET ESTATE:
The word “amulet” comes from the Latin word “amulētum”, meaning an object that provides good fortune or a good luck charm. However, the true mark of the Amulet portfolio comes from their deep respect for the land and the pioneering spirit expressed in early Napa Valley viticulture. Each single vineyard is carefully selected to create a varietal that expresses the elegance of the Napa Valley terroir. Learn more here.

Information & Photos © Amulet Estate – All Rights Reserved

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January Collector’s Wine Club: Iowa

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Collectors Wine ClubBuccella-Merlot-bottleBuccella
Merlot 2020
Carneros, California

BOLD WINE STYLE

Elegant, silky and layered; this Merlot has aromas of ripe plum, strawberry, raspberry jam and black cherry jump out of the glass and mingle with hints of cedar, clove, graphite and vanilla bean. An alluring, mid-palate is round and balanced by sweet red fruit, cocoa and a luscious savory finish. Soft, plush, juicy tannins create a textured palate, which will have you yearning for another sip. This is a definite “Cab lovers” Merlot that is approachable now and will lay down for 15 to 20 years.

Analysis: 14.6% alcohol / volume
Varietal: 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
Aging: 18 months in 70% new French Oak
Appellation: Carneros, California
Bottled: Unfiltered and unfined
Produced: 188 cases

WINEMAKING NOTES:
“Our Merlot fruit comes from two blocks atop a knoll in the acclaimed Carneros appellation, where harvests typically yield less than two tons per acre. Influenced by the cooling effect of the Pacific Ocean, Carneros is an ideal spot for growing our distinctive Merlot. It’s a youthful wine that’s invitingly approachable, while still offering the richness and decadence we love.” – Buccella

ABOUT BUCCELLA:
Founded in 2002 by Bill Deem and his wife, Alicia; the couple discovered their mutual love for the wine industry over a bottle of 1990 Gaja, shared on their very first date. They chose the name “Buccella,” meaning “mouthful” in Latin, to highlight the big, bold, concentrated flavors that make their wines so luxurious. Their goal is to create wines that bring people together, initiate new relationships and celebrate life’s most monumental moments. Learn more about their story here.

Photos and information © Buccella – All Rights Reserved.

Bold wine Style logo2021-cabernet-sauvignon-sonoma-countyKokomo Winery
Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
Sonoma County, California

BOLD WINE STYLE

This Cabernet Sauvignon is full of black fruit flavors with hints of cassis, clove, dusty soil, and anise. The tannins are supportive and integrated showing a silky character that finishes with just a touch of acidity, making this Cabernet an elegant food pairing wine.

Analysis: 14.4% alcohol / volume
Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: Sonoma County, California
Harvest: October 2021
Fermentation: Tank fermented
Barrel Aging: 11 months in French Oak, 20% new

VINEYARD DESCRIPTION:
This explosive Cabernet Sauvignon comes primarily from Kokomo’s 100-acre Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard in Alexander Valley, Ruth’s Vineyard, with 20% coming from their home vineyard in Dry Creek Valley. 

WINEMAKER NOTES:
“The goal in making this Cabernet Sauvignon was to make it powerful yet graceful, food-friendly yet delicious on its own, and most importantly, balanced. After harvesting the grapes, we sorted them and gently de-stemmed them without crushing or bruising the fruit. We cold soak the grapes for 3-5 days and let fermentation begin naturally using the native yeast that comes in on the grapes from the vineyard. When we are satisfied with the fermentation and the quality of the juice, we gently press the wine so it can rest in 100% oak barrels for one year. We tend to use more neutral oak on this wine to showcase the fruit.” – Kokomo Winery Team

ABOUT THE WINERY:
Owner and Winemaker Erik Miller started the winery in 2004 naming it after his hometown of Kokomo, Indiana, and decided on a Coastal Cypress Tree as a logo to signify his move out west. Kokomo currently produces over a dozen different varietals and several single vineyard designates which are farmed by his partner in the winery, grower, Randy Peters. Kokomo Winery has been making its mark in Sonoma County, unfailingly earning 90+ ratings, Best of Class, and Gold Medals across all of their varietals since the beginning. The team takes pride in being a family winery; they have created a place for visitors to enjoy a comfortable and laid back wine tasting experience immersed in their cellar and surrounded by wine barrels. Learn more here.

Photos, video and information © Kokomo Winery – All Rights Reserved.

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Winery Spotlight Series: November 9, 2022

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Goosecross logo

Goosecross Cellars
with Guest Speaker, Christi Coors Ficeli
Yountville, Napa Valley, California

Wednesday, November 9, 2022
6:00pm CST / 7:00pm EST

Join us for a wine tasting event featuring Goosecross Cellars wines and guest speaker Christi Coors Ficeli, Co-Owner of Goosecross Cellars. She will be joining us LIVE on the big screen sharing the six wines below.

Wines Tasted:

  1. Goosecross Sauvignon Blanc
  2. Goosecross Chardonnay
  3. Goosecross Merlot
  4. Goosecross Proprietary Red Blend
  5. Goosecross Zinfandel
  6. Goosecross Cabernet

To reserve a table and attend the wine tasting in person, please call your local participating WineStyles store. Or, if you prefer to attend remotely, pre-order a wine tasting kit to-go from your local participating store and watch/taste along with us on Zoom!

Nov-9_Goosecross_bottles_Facebook

About Goosecross Cellars:

Located in Yountville, California, Goosecross Cellars sits in the heart of the Napa Valley. The winery dates back four decades and is now owned by Christi and Dave Ficeli – husband and wife duo who always wanted to have a small family winery that they could pass down from one generation to the next. Christi and Dave’s love for wine is reflected in the grapes they grow and the wines they make; with the guiding vision and experience of their winemaker, Bill Nancarrow, they are able to create distinct, vineyard-driven wines that respect the roots and history of the Napa Valley soil. Learn more about the winery’s history and philosophy here.

© Photo by Goosecross Cellars
© Photo by Goosecross Cellars
© Photo by Goosecross Cellars

About Christi Coors Ficeli, Co-Owner:

The great, great granddaughter of beverage industry pioneer, Adolph Coors, Christi Coors Ficeli was raised in an entrepreneurial family that always put an emphasis on achieving your dreams through vision, dedication and collaboration. Christi got her first taste for the wine business in 1998, when she joined the team at Gallo Winery (where she also met her now husband, wine industry executive, David Ficeli). After leaving Gallo, Christi went on to receive her MBA from the University of Denver before joining the Coors family business. She held many positions at Coors Brewing that brought her and Dave to Napa, Denver and eventually Chicago (although nothing felt quite like home in the way Napa did). Finally, in 2012 Christi, with the help of family funding, developed a business plan and set out to find a Napa Valley Winery – which eventually led her to Goosecross in the spring of 2013. Christi and Dave have since purchased the Goosecross Winery from the Coors Family and their dream lives on to create something special for themselves, their kids, and all those that visit the winery.  Learn more about Christi and the Goosecross Team here.

Christi © Photo by Goosecross Cellars
© Photo by Goosecross Cellars
© Photo by Goosecross Cellars
© Photo by Goosecross Cellars
Christi and Dave © Photo by Goosecross Cellars

Photos and information © Goosecross Cellars – All Rights Reserved.

Let’s Taste, Learn and Enjoy® together! 
Contact your local participating WineStyles to RSVP for this tasting event.
Winery Spotlight Wine Tasting with Christi Coors Ficeli
Goosecross Cellars
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
6:00pm CST/ 7:00pm EST
Cheers!
WineStyles.com

VirtualTaste-9627

© Photo by Goosecross Cellars