Featured Winery: Francis
Ford Coppola has been making movies for more than 30 years, and wines
at his Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery in the Napa Valley for almost 20.
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here for more details.
Dom. de Vallouit
1999 Crozes Hermitage Rhône, France
"The dark purple-colored 1999 Crozes-Hermitage
l'Arnage exhibits late harvest-like, jammy blackberry
fruit intermixed with smoke, vanillin, and herbs.
The wine exhibits a dense saturated ruby/purple color
as well as extremely ripe fruit. There is moderate
tannin as well as abundant glycerin, richness, and
length. It should drink well for a decade." -
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate.
This St. Jakobi Shiraz is the third release of
the "St Jakobi", and is a wine with
similar big, full, rich characters as the first
produced in 1998.
The Shiraz vines on our family vineyard were
planted in 1975. Year after year this fruit provides
us with the rich spicy, plum and chocolate like
characters that we find in both the St. Jakobi
and Oscar Semmler Shiraz.
This St. Jakobi has rich mouth filling dark plum
fruit flavours, with good support of vanillan
oak, giving a finish of soft drying tannin.
In the glass this wine is a deep, very dark color.
On the nose it is spicy with small soft fruit and
delicate woody aromas. A huge, tannic wine on the
palate. Aromas of blackcurrant buds and vanilla.
A harmonious balance between an imperceptible acidity
and strongly present tannins mellowed by prolonged
refining in the wood.
Heron Syrah exhibits the best of this varietals qualities:
intense bouquet of dark berries, cherries, and exotic
spiciness. Minimal filtration allows the wine to retain
its complex fruit qualities, while French oak adds
a subtle smokiness. The result is rich, balanced wine
with great structure and body.
Jade Mountain
2000 Napa Syrah Napa Valley, California
The Napa Syrah captures the influence of its origins,
striking a perfect balance of the mountain grown fruit
blended with valley floor fruit from the Carneros
district of Napa. The Paras Vineyard on Mt Veeder
in Napa yields Syrah the color of indigo ink. Saturated
color to the rim of the glass indicates a wine for
aging, and the ample tannins are prominent in the
newly finished wine. The Carneros portion is a pure
expression of fruit, the cooler climate here offering
blueberry, white pepper and softer tannin to harmonize
the whole.
This wine offers immediate, juicy fruit, backed
up by the complexity and structure of mountain grown
fruit. The 1998 vintage was drinkable from an early
stage and is remarkably forward now for early enjoyment.
Pair it with rich foods such as lamb shanks, ossobucco
or grilled steak. In cellaring, look to a minimum
of five years when tannins begin to soften.
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