Wine Varietals

wines

Amazing density; the aromas billow up from the glass and weave together sinuously, taking you on a magic carpet ride before the wine even hits your mouth. This wine has the power of a monster California Cab while retaining the subtlety of a first-growth Bordeaux. It is just a massive blast of dark fruit, incredible viscosity, silky textures and soft herbs, pepper and spice. The oak—all new, all French—is unobtrusive and perfectly integrated.Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon is mature and near-term in the glass with earthy and funky tones that resonate with the remnants of a once-sweet fruit frame that has shifted almost fully into a stewed fruit core. Full-bodied, I recommend drinking this in the next few years, as it currently offers elements of dried blackberries and tar across the mid-palate. For a generous wine, it’s starting to wind down and only has a few years left. I recommend enjoying this bottle with an aged ribeye steak.Robert Parker | 96 RP(bottled in August of 2004; includes bits of merlot and cab franc) Bright ruby-red. Superripe aromas of cassis, black raspberry, minerals and chocolate. Rich, lush and expressive; superconcentrated but not at all heavy. In fact, this broad, suave wine offers a compellingly silky texture. Finishes impressively rich, dry and long, with firm but fine-grained tannins. Wait until 2010 before drinking this superb cabernet, by which time it may merit an even higher rating.Vinous Media | 93+ VMFirm and taut, with dusky spice and freshly ground pepper nuances to the dark berry, currant and cherry aromas and flavors, lingering impressively on the chewy finish. Doesn’t have the pure fruit of previous vintages, but it should soften and broaden, developing more depth with cellaring. Best from 2008 through 2015. 3,400 cases made. —Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon checks in as a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec, and 2% Merlot that spent 22 months in 75% new French oak. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by a sensational, full-bodied, layered wine that's overflowing with notions of crème de cassis, crushed rocks, smoked tobacco, and hints of camphor. Seamless, elegant, and layered, yet also powerful, it rates with the top wines of the vintage. Readers should snatch this beauty up.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThis regal wine really sets the tone for delivering poise, balance and elegance. Such distinctive cabernet redcurrants, cassis and red cherries, framed in cedary oak and tobacco. The palate is cast in noble tannins that deliver elegance and length. Deeply flavorful blackcurrants and dark cherries with chocolate that’s laced into the finish. A blend of 82% cabernet sauvignon, 13% petit verdot, 3% malbec and 2% merlot. Drink for the next decade and then some.James Suckling | 98 JSA blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec and 2% Merlot, the 2016 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon offers up a focus of fruit on the nose that is rarely seen in wine, along with a bold, plush, vibrant core of fruit that exudes power and a velvety roundness. Dark red, black and even hints of blue fruit are found in the mouth, with a rich and vibrant core that gives way to chewy tannins. With a bold spiciness and layers of oak, the bold, full-bodied wine lingers with intensity and a long, thought-provoking, complex finish that is focused and delivers pleasure as the wine puts a smile on my face. Only 2,900 cases were made, and they are worth every penny!Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPBright, dark red. Fruit-driven aromas of redcurrant, cranberry and spicy oak. Concentrated and suave on the palate, with tangy flavors of raspberry and cassis complicated by savory minerality and sexy Indian spices and perfumed by a floral note. Finishes ripely tannic and gripping, with outstanding rising length and a piquant cumin note. A wonderfully vibrant Cabernet with a long life ahead of it.Vinous Media | 94+ VMFor the first time this wine contains some fruit from the winery's Holy Roller Vineyard. The aromas pop, with notes of blackberry bramble, coffee, barrel spice and herb. Rich, ripe fruit flavors follow. There's a pleasing sense of plumpness to the flavors but also enough acidity and tannin structure to win the race. Best after 2026, with a long life beyond that.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEPowerfully structured, with a vibrant core of lively acidity and tannins, accented by blackberry, green olive and licorice flavors. Drink now through 2027. 2,897 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Made from a blend of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Sorella is fresh yet restrained and has a focused and red-fruited core of spiced potpourri. The nose is slightly compressed at the moment and takes some spinning in the glass to coax some of the more delicate and seductive nuances, revealing layers of complexity. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, this is a gorgeous, world-class wine whose true power comes from not being bold and massive but rather from being delicate, finessed and focused. The wine is balanced on the palate, with a compact frame, elegant structure, succulent acidity and fine-grained tannins before uncoiling across the mid-palate. The wine glides to a seductive and lingering finish and will undoubtedly be well-received when it is released in early 2025. It’s a fantastic bottling of Sorella, and I’ll end with a parting note that I shared with Chris and Will Camarda: “Bigger isn’t better... BETTER is better! This may be one of the most delicate Sorella bottlings I’ve had in many years. Although it comes in a more compact frame, the 2020 is just as devastatingly gorgeous as any I’ve had.” Only 9,030 bottles were filled after the wine rested for 22 months in 30% new French oak barrels.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe 2020 Sorella is darkly floral with a perfumed blend of dried violets and roses, giving way to hints of red plum, fig, stone dust and sage. This displays silken textures contrasted by a core of tart red and black fruits as tactile mineral tones add form. Brisk acidity maintains amazing freshness. The 2020 finishes long and potent, with grippy tannins tugging at the cheeks without detracting from the experience. The 2020 is a much softer and more approachable Sorella, but with that said, it has the balance for a long and harmonious evolution.Vinous Media | 94 VMI don’t think the 2020 Sorella is a match for recent vintages, but it’s clearly an outstanding wine. Offering ample red and black fruits as well as notions of gravelly earth, chocolate, and roasted herbs, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, bright acidity, and firm tannins. It shows the more challenging style of the vintage with its narrower, firmer style, but it should round into form with 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for 15 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JD