We absolutely love this time of the year. The Napa Valley will soon fill with wafts of harvest and another vintage will soon become world class wine. We also release a selection of wines that are near ready to drink this fall with friends and family.
This shipment highlights winemakers who have incredible pedigree and vineyards that are newer to the scene. These family run businesses and partnerships bring wines that beg to be shared over a meal. Don’t take our Tasting Panel’s opinion (we sampled over 30 wines for September), look at the critic scores and pedigree from each property.
SEPTEMBER WINE CLUB FEATURES
Flight Members – Receive one bottle each of the following wines. $300.00, +$9.99 shipping
Elite Members – Receive two bottles each of the following wines. $600.00, free shipping
2018 Titus Vineyards Estate Reserve Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
Titus Vineyards, St. Helena
Winery Price: $105
Jeb Dunnuck – 93 Points
Titus Vineyards is a 2nd generation, family-owned and farmed estate producing high quality grapes for limited production, premium Napa Valley wines, such as Charles Krug, Beaulieu Vineyards, Cuvaison, Quail Ridge, and Pine Ridge. Philip Titus, has been the winemaker at Chappellet’s Estate on Pritchard Hillfor over 2 decades, where he met Stephen Cruzan, who worked at Cade before becoming the winemaker at Titus.
Tasting Notes: The 2018 Titus Family Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon shows off the typical concentration and depth that is quintessential of the vines grown in the rocky soils at our Ehlers Lane Vineyard. The wine is dark with aromas of cassis, blueberry, roasted coffee, molasses and lifted floral notes. The body is dense and powerful on entry with purity displaying black raspberry, blueberry, and black currant flavors. The structure is focused with mouthcoating tannins that draw the wine through the palate. The finish is rich and lingering, accented by essences of cigar box, dark chocolate and espresso. Enjoy from 2029-2038.
2016 Ackerman Family Vineyards, Coombsville, Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
Ackerman Family Vineyards
Winery Price: $95
Female Owned and Operated, 94 Points Wine Enthusiast
Winemaker Leo Tellez has wine in his blood. His grandfather spent his career at Charles Krug Winery while Leo’s father devoted more than 25 years at Robert Mondavi Winery. Leo has made wine for a number of notable boutique producers, including Kapcsandy, Blankiet, Repris, Captûre, Notre Vin and Sodaro Estate, and has been knocking it out of the park with Ackerman Family Vineyards.
Tasting Notes: This 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is harvested from the Stonehaven vineyard and is taken to the winery where the grapes cold soak and then are fermented in stainless steel tanks. After fermentation the wines are put to French oak barrels for secondary malolactic fermentation and aging. opens with a lovely bouquet of blueberries, black currants, plum, graphite, violets and soft cedar notes. The medium to full-bodied, beautifully integrated tannins are velvety and soft with balanced acidity and a long finish. This wine is ready to enjoy now and will age beautifully for years to come. Composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
2015 Stardust Wines Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Stardust Wines
Winery Price: $100
Only 100 cases produced
Cutting her teeth in wine at Robert Mondavi, St Supery, and Dominus Estates, winemaker Megan Gunderson Paredes has made a name for herself in Napa Valley. In addition to being the Winemaker for Stardust, Megan serves as Director of Winemaking for Hall Wines in St. Helena where she has the reputation of creating high scoring, award-winning wines.
Purchase
Tasting Notes: Although clearly favoring ripeness, this deep and very well-defined Cabernet is marked first and last by a keen sense of varietal precision. Despite being very rich, it never once comes across as being blustery or anything close to excessive, and, for a wine of its ample substance and size, it is very carefully balanced, exceptionally long at the finish and its tannins are not allowed to get ahead of its generous and juicy fruit. Five years of age are certain to make what is a very good thing even better, and we have no doubt at all that it will be drinking beautifully after another half-decade has passed after that.