àMaurice Cellars

Malbec grape being a slip skin (the skin is not attached to the pulp) generally loves a hot dry environment. 2017 allowed our Gamache Malbec to shine with classic blue expression, chewy tannins, and bright happy plum notes. Picking extra early allowed us to maintain freshness to retain the subtle secondary baking spice notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove. – Anna Schafer Cohen

We are smelling bacon in this wine for the first time. It is an interesting aroma that is unfamiliar but welcome nonetheless. It is a deep blue-based red with a purple hue wine opens with the aromas of stem tannin, currents, bacon, blackberries, and lavender oil. The medium acidity is a more gentle background for the secondary notes of the fruit. The Sunday morning bacon nose has hints of tobacco and cedar. Flavors of brambly fruits, current and lavender oil persist in the mouth. The stem tannin (65% whole cluster) leaves a lovely texture on the extremely long finish.

Dark ruby red. The nose arrives with currants, minerality, and then is followed closely by notes of the forest floor. The flavors are dense and packed but need quite a bit of air to reveal themselves. Blackberries, Christmas spice, and cherry flood the palate and float to the finish. The tannins are concentrated in the middle, then smooth and long on the finish. This wine will evolve and last for many years to come. – winemaker Anna Schafer Cohen notes

Saturated bright, dark ruby. Almost forty yet fresh scents of blackberry, blueberry, cassis, menthol, licorice, bitter chocolate, espresso, and violet; convey an urgent dark berry character. Sappy, densely packed, smooth, and classically dry, showing lovely ripeness to its dark berry and dark chocolate flavors lifted by violet. Suppler and more forthcoming than the 2017 Amparo Malbec, despite its youth. Still young and quite primary but even today the substantial tannins are supple and fine-grained. Finishes with a note of violet lift. Better balanced early than the 2017, not to mention nicely concentrated. There is a complicating touch of herbs here but not the peppery quality of the ’17. – Stephen Tanzer 91 PTS

Please give this wine some time to breathe as it has been made quite reductively. The smells of reduction will give way after a few minutes to reveal a beautifully complicated nose of orange peel, black cherry, and thyme. The mouth is balanced with strong leanings to the stem tannin. We are in love with this wine, but again it needs time to breathe and age if possible. Grab your favorite triple cream, porch chair and pour a glass. Heaven.

Jasmine leaps out of the glass and fills the nose. This golden yellow elixir is filled with papaya, honeydew melon, and soft citrus-like Meyer lemon. It is carried by the medium acidity for a white wine. With the same depth of structure as the Sparrow, but the Marsanne is the star. Will drink well through 2022, we will keep you posted if it maintains longer due to the Marsanne.