Ride Into Summer 4-Pack

Radford Dale wines are “uncommonly natural”, as their Head of Viticulture and Winemaking likes to say. Radford Dale prides itself on their approach of minimal intervention winemaking, meaning they do everything in their power to make sure the vineyard is part of the local ecosystem (this means minimal pesticides- they prefer boosting beneficial microorganisms instead; nicely deterring local wildlife from sampling the grapes by using nature-friendly methods like spreading dog hair a local groomer to keep birds and bucks away, and composting to remove the need for conventional fertilizer). They also use extreme care when handling their precious grapes. By harvesting by hand at sunrise, using the minimal sulfites by capping with screwcaps, and keeping the skins intact during maturation, Radford Dale ensures the highest quality wines with the least amount of human intervention. 

Radford Dale “Gravity” is a premium, complex and seamless red blend of Syrah, Cabernet, and Merlot. After fermentation, the wine is left on skins for about ten days, which gives it more time to complete its leisurely extraction.  These are not mechanical pressings but natural, gravitational pressings, which give rise not only to the name of this wine but to far more integrated and supple tannins in the final wine. 

Each varietal of the blend contributes its unique characteristics: the Syrah provides its persevering spiciness and its gutsy, supple body; the Cabernet offers its blueberry backbone and dense, ripe tannins; the Merlot brings deep red-berry fruit and suave mouth-feel.

We highly recommend enjoying this wine after decanting and with a hearty meal. 

Pinot Noir | Signature Selection v.2018 SONOMA COUNTY, RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

Russian River Valley Sources:
Pinot Noir grown in the cool climate of the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County is regularly influenced by the coastal influence and this natural nighttime air-conditioning allows the grapes to develop full flavor maturity over an extended growing season while retaining the all-important acidity.

The 2018 vintage brought plenty of rain to the vineyards. Perfect growing conditions followed during summer with even heat and a great ripening environment providing extended ripening. The grapes were harvested mid-September and the vintage brought medium tannins as well as higher levels of aromatics and flavors.

Winemaking:
Destemmed and crushed grapes go to temperature-controlled fermenters for 5 days of cold soaking at ~50F (pre-fermentation) with a daily pump over for extraction of color, aromatics, and tannins. Once fermentation begins we keep the tanks at ~75F to better extract the aromatics of the Pinot Noir fruit, and we have a regime of three pump-overs a day to achieve the right extraction, until dry. Once pressed and sent to storage tanks the young wine is later moved to barrels for aging. The round and polished texture of this wine comes not only from the high-quality fruit but also judicious use of oak—the wine was aged for 9 months in small French oak barrels with 25% new oak.

Tasting Notes: 
Aromas of rose petals, pomegranate, and a touch of nutmeg greet the nose. A light and velvety body embrace the hints of strawberry and black plum fruit with toasted oak notes. On the finish, lingering fruit and spice are balanced with bright acidity and mild tannins. An elegant and tasteful Pinot Noir.

APPELLATION: Russian River Valley
BARREL AGING: 9 months in French Oak barrels
ALCOHOL: 13.5%
pH: 3.66
TOTAL ACIDITY: .615g/100ml

Longboard Vineyards Russian River Syrah 2016

I began to make a cool region of Syrah way back in 1998, driven by a love for Northern Rhone wines. As a wine "newbie", traveling to surf destinations on the Atlantic shores of Europe, I found that these were the wines that could deliver quality on a very consistent level while I was on a surf-bum budget. Later, as a pro with more than 34 harvests under my belt, I still like a good Syrah - regardless of price... I now understand even better why this variety fits my palate then - and continues to do so now. It all has to do with balance and layering; Syrah is less tannic than Cabernet and a bit more layered than Pinot Noir. These traits, and the slight earthy spiciness we get in this region make Syrah a natural companion to a wide range of foods - and thus wins the vote in my heart (and palate). This Syrah is a blend of Dakine, Goosechase, and Ledbetter (old Preston Ranch) vineyard blocks. At release, 2016 shows a lot of blue-fruit nuances and some dry herb notes, all directly arising from a very even growing season. A bit of floral character and some bacon ­fat add complexity and marry well with the wild-fennel note I always get from Russian River Valley Syrah.

Cheers,
Oded Shakked - Owner & Winemaker of Longboard Vineyards

Wine Dogma: This blend comes from sites of different soil compositions, and quite different individual terroirs. Accordingly, I treat the lots individually, opting for open-top fermentation for the Dakine and traditional closed-top for the Ledbetter and Goosechase lots. I use a blend of Burgundy and Bordeaux barrels to age the wines on the fine lees for about 9 months, then rack them off the lees and age them an additional year in the same barrels. Wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

Composition: Syrah 99 %, (Grenache, Carignan, Malbec, Petit Sirah) 1%
Appellation: 100% Russian River Valley
Production: 258 Cases
Alcohol: 14.5 %
TA: 6.65g/L
pH: 3.76

2017 BOUGETZ CELLARS PARCHED. NAPA VALlEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON

WINEMAKERS NOTES:
The 2017 parched. Cabernet Sauvignon is a Bordeaux blend consisting of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon 9% Petit Verdot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec. The fruit for this wine is sourced throughout the Napa Valley with a good mix of mountain fruit along with valley floor fruit. The wine exhibits a dark, inky red color, with notes of blackberry and cassis on the nose. Layered well with spice and toasty oak, this medium to full-bodied wine will be quite pleasant from the start but will reward short term cellaring.

HARVEST NOTES:
The 2017 parched. Cabernet Sauvignon is a Bordeaux blend consisting of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon 9% Petit Verdot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec. The fruit for this wine is sourced throughout the Napa Valley with a good mix of mountain fruit along with valley floor fruit. The wine exhibits a dark, inky red color, with notes of blackberry and cassis on the nose. Layered well with spice and toasty oak, this medium to full-bodied wine will be quite pleasant from the start but will reward short term cellaring.

Harvest date:  September 15st, 2018 – October 29th, 2018
Appellation: Napa Valley
Brix at harvest: 25.1 -26.8
Crush: De-stemmed, 100% whole berry
Fermentation: 14-day ferment
Aging: 20 months, with 50% new French oak, 50% once used
Alcohol: 14.5%
pH: 3.68
TA: 6.0 g/L
Bottled: July 2019
Case production: 385 cases
Winemaker: Thomas Bougetz 

HOOK & LADDER RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY ESTATE “OLIVET RANCH” SAUVIGNON BlANC 2019

THE VINEYARDS:

Sauvignon Blanc demands a cooler climate allowing the distinctive flavors of the grape to mature and develop. The southern reaches of the Russian River Valley produce just such conditions. These 20-year old vines stretch along the front 5 acres of the Hook & Ladder Estate Winery on Olivet Road.

THE GROWING SEASON: Coming off one of the coolest and wettest winters in recent memory, bud break arrived about two weeks later than normal. Beyond this slow start to the growing season, we saw multiple heat spikes throughout the summer that brought the maturation of the vines more in line with seasons past.

THE WINEMAKING: Our Sauvignon Blanc is crushed and de-stemmed immediately to press, then the juice is fermented in a combination of neutral French oak barrels and stainless steel tanks.

THE WINE:

Our 2019 Sauvignon Blanc shines with a pale lemon chiffon color and aromas of citrus and muskmelon. The palate offers full flavors of lime zest, passion fruit heightened by its lingering lychee, trace green apple finish.

HARVESTED: September 25, 2019
ALCOHOL: 13.8%
TA: .64
pH: 3.23
CASES PRODUCED: 1,784
AGING: 5 months in neutral French Oak and stainless steel
ESTATE BOTTLED: February 25, 2020
WINEMAKER: Jason De Loach

Grand Napa Vineyards Los Carneros Chardonnay 2018

Winemaker Notes
Grand Napa Vineyards hand-selects this rich and balanced Chardonnay from only the finest grapes. The palate offers intense notes of peach, apricot, and citrus fruits along with a long finish. Enjoy this wine with family and friends.

2018 Vintage Recap
Following a long growing season characterized by moderate temperatures throughout the spring and summer, California’s 2018 harvest played out like a dream for winegrowers in regions across the state. Harvest began anywhere from 10 days to three weeks later than in 2017, and vintners are reporting exceptional quality, thanks to consistent growing conditions and cooler temperatures, which allowed the grapes to mature slowly.

Blend Composition:

100% Chardonnay

Technical Analysis:
Titratable Acidity: 5.51g/L
pH: 3.44
Alcohol: 14.2%
Residual Sugar: 0.3 g/L

WINEMAKER NOTES:
Chenin Blanc is structured, smooth, and elegant. The Sauvignon Blanc is crisp, fruity, and bright. They are greater than the sum of their parts when you put them together. The tropical fruit of the Sauv Blanc is accented by the stonefruit of the Chenin. A splash of Gewurztraminer gives is a floral kick.

STATS:
Vintage: 2016
Varietal Composition:
47% Sauvignon Blanc - Washington
41 % Chenin Blanc - Clarksburg AVA California
11 % Gewurztraminer - Yakima Valley, Washington
Alcohol: 13.1%
pH: 3.45
TA: 6.1 g/L

BRAND:
Blanc meets Blanc in this collaboration between two very different grapes. Go ahead - call it "blonkey blonk". Wine shouldn't be hard. It should just put a smile on your face. A glass of Blanc Y Blanc will do just that.

Smokescreen Alexander Valley Chardonnay 2018

Tasting Notes 

This is a full-bodied, round, and flavorful chardonnay. Dense yet lively, with a bright golden hue it offers aromas of baked apple and pear followed by citrus blossom and white figs as well as subtle oak spice notes. The palate is rich and silky with good acidity that balances the wine. Flavors of lightly roasted hazelnuts, peach, pear, and stone fruit are on the palate lead to a long finish of layered fruit and spice. Drink or hold. 

Vineyards & Winemaking 

Alexander Valley is one of the key winegrowing areas in California’s Sonoma County. One of the warmer parts of Sonoma, the vineyards stretch from the edge of the Russian River up into the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains that separate Sonoma from Napa. The wine was barrel fermented and then aged on the lees for 9 months. 

Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
Appellation: 100% Alexander Valley
Alcohol Content: 14.3%
Barrel Description: French barrels
Cellar Potential: 5-7 years 
Wine Making Info: Barrel fermented in mostly neutral French barrels but contain a small amount of new low toast barrels 
Winemaker: Paul Johnson, Gary Galleron