Lot 4

California's Hidden Gems! Three-bottle collection of California's lesser-known grapes and producers flying under the radar.

2 bottles 2010 Decades 5 Petit Verdot, Stagecoach Vineyard, Napa Valley

It took serious guts to produce a 100% Petit Verdot from Napa Valley. On its own, Petit Verdot tends to show lots of rusticity and astringency, rarely being anything other than a good blending varietal. However, Decades 5 intends to prove otherwise. Their Petit Verdot Stagecoach Vineyard exhibits a black/purple color (it looks more like Petite Sirah than Petit Verdot) as well as beautiful sweetness, lots of blueberry and blackberry fruit as well as white flower aromas, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel and surprisingly ripe, sweet tannin. If I were tasting this blind there is no way I would have guessed it had more than 25% or so of Petit Verdot. Perhaps there is some magic in the Stagecoach Vineyard when it comes to this varietal. This impressive effort is a tour de force in Petit Verdot. It should drink well for 10-15 years.

Winery Makers Tasting Notes

2016 Golden Grape Cellars "Teroldego," Clarksburg

An exotic melange of blackberries, plums, savory herbs, mocha, smoke and cherries jump from the glass in this Teroldego. The warm vintage has softened some of the contours in this dazzling, drop-dead gorgeous wine, but the style remains essentially dark and brooding. Firm and structured yet also totally seductive, this Teroldego is another wine that is firing on all cylinders. All I can say is: Wow!

Winery Makers Tasting Notes

Please note: Due to state statutes we are unable to ship wine to the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi or Utah.