2013 Stonestreet Cabernet Sauvignon Monolith

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Jack Caldwell
5 years ago
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1 97 93 Chardonnay Red Point Sauvignon Monolith Chardonnay Bear Point The 2014 Chardonnay Red Point comes from volcanic soils at an elevation of 800 to 1,000 feet These white tufa soils have produced an incredibly dense, rich Chardonnay with a subtle in uence of oak, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and a fabulous nose of poached pears, honeysuckle, wet stones, white currants and quince. This is a glorious Chardonnay for drinking over the next 5-8 years. Another big, structured, classic 2013 is the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Monolith. Coming from a vineyard at 1,750 feet in elevation, this is 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Merlot., aged 20 months in 55% new French oak. This vineyard is one of the oldest blocks on the mountain, and the wine has great intensity, some chocolate, crushed rock and crème de cassis as well as plenty of earth and unsmoked tobacco notes. It is dense, full-bodied and moderately tannic. Drink it between 2020 and The 2014 Chardonnay Bear Point comes from a 1,000-foot elevation vineyard and its clonal origin is the Hyde-Wente selection. Loads of crisp pineapple notes intermixed with mango and tangerine oil jump from the glass of this full-bodied Chardonnay, which has terri 읐c acidity and freshness. It should drink well for up to a decade. 1/5

2 96 93 Chardonnay Upper Barn Chardonnay Estate Vineyards Sauvignon Cougar Ridge From a site made famous by Helen Turley when she was buying its fruit, the 2014 Chardonnay Upper Barn is at an 1,800-foot elevation and spent 11 months in 52% new French oak. A killer Chardonnay (as it always has been), the wine o 伽䡩 ers up notes of wet gravel, citrus oil, apple blossom, orange marmalade, honeysuckle, and a hint of almond paste. Fabulous fruit on the attack, mid-palate and 읐nish characterizes this dry, gorgeous, compelling Chardonnay that should age e 伽䡩 ortlessly for a decade or more. The Estate Chardonnay is superb, with plenty of white peach and poached pear notes, beautiful purity, a lusty, medium to fullbodied mouthfeel, subtle French oak, and terri 읐c fruit and honeysuckle. Drink it over the next 5-7 years. As for the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Cougar Ridge, this is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 20 months in 32% new French oak (which is the lowest amount of new oak for any of these cuvées). This is a broad, deep wine with savory blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, an opaque color like its siblings, terri 읐c purity, and hints of lavender and underbrush. A complex, earthy style of Cabernet with moderate tannin in the 읐nish, this is another 30- to 35-year wine that needs 4-5 years of bottle age. 2/5

3 Sauvignon Christopherʹs Vineyard Sauvignon Rockfall Chardonnay Gravel Bench A 50-year wine named after Jess Jackson s son Christopher, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Christopher s Vineyard comes from a more northfacing site on red volcanic soils with high concentrations of slate and iron, planted in The resulting wine displays loads of blueberry and blackberry fruit, wet, gravelly rocks, some graphite, a full-bodied, mouthfeel, huge, massive fruit and extract, and a long, juicy but substantial 읐nish of close to a minute, with plenty of tannin. Forget this wine for 5-7 years and drink it over the following 50+ years. The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Rockfall Vineyard comes from a high-elevation site of 2,000 to 2,200 feet. It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 21 months in 66% new French oak. This vineyard is a south-facing micro-terroir with lots of rocks, and the wine smells of mountain garrigue intermixed with black cherry, blackberry and cassis. The wine is dense, full-bodied, rich and rugged, but not rustic. It is a full-bodied, massive, rather backward and primordial wine for those with the patience to cellar it. Forget it for 5-8 years, and drink it over the following 40+ years. What looks to be the greatest wine of the entire batch is the 2014 Gravel Bench. This is like a liqueur of rocks. It spent 11 months in 100% new French oak. The wine is incredibly rich, with great length, fabulous acidity, and an unbelievable minerality. It reminds one of a Corton-Charlemagne from Coche- Dury in a top vintage. Sadly, only 301 cases were made, but this is set for a long life of 10+ years. 3/5

4 Chardonnay Broken Road Chardonnay Cougar Ridge 2015 Stonestreet Sauvignon Blanc Aurora The 2014 Chardonnay Broken Road (1800-foot elevation) is made from Dijon clones and displays oodles of tropical fruit such as orange, pineapple and apricot marmalade in a deep, rich, crisp, lusty and dramatic style. It is one of the more amboyant of these Chardonnays out of the gate, and should drink well for up to a decade as well. Another beauty is the 2014 Chardonnay Cougar Ridge, which displays lots of honeysuckle, plenty of minerality, some hints of citrus oil, apple blossom, and white peach. It is another full-bodied, beautiful Chardonnay with a subtle dosage of wood. Drink it over the next 6-7 years. The 2015 Sauvignon Blanc Aurora Point Vineyard was fermented in used oak with some indigenous yeast fermentation. It is a crisp, elegant, nicely textured Sauvignon Blanc moving toward the viscosity and texture of a good Chardonnay, with ripe, honeyed grapefruit and citrus blossom. Delicious, medium-bodied but intense, this is a beauty to drink over the next few years. 4/5

5 90 Sauvignon Sauvignon Bear Point The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate from Monument Ridge is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 18 months in 37% new French oak. It is an outstanding wine, with the oak pushed to the background. Notes of crushed rocks, spring owers, blackcurrants, plums, and Asian spice are followed by a rich, full-bodied, pure and impressive Cabernet. It should drink well for at least 15 or 20 years. One hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Bear Point saw 50% new French oak for 21 months prior to being bottled. This wine has a dense bluish purple color and notes of blackberries, blueberries, incense, asphalt and white owers. It is full-bodied, moderately tannic, and should bene 읐t from 3-4 years of bottle age. It should keep or more years. 5/5

2013 Morlet Family Vineyards Chardonnay Ma Douce

2013 Morlet Family Vineyards Chardonnay Ma Douce Chardonnay Ma Princesse 98 Drink: 2015-2031 Chardonnay Ma Douce 96 Chardonnay Coup de Coeur 98+ The 2013 Chardonnay Ma Princesse, which comes from the Goldridge soils that run through the Russian River