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Cellar Door
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Featuring the wines of Michael David and Van Ruiten Winery
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Barbera
The 2002 Barbera is a vibrant wine. The color is bright red with lavender hues and with moderate depth. The bouquet of the wine is classically varietal focusing on dried rose petals, intense plums, and raspberry/sour cherry fruit. There is a complimenting cream caramel flavor from the oak. In the mouth, the flavors mimic the aroma, and the finish is fleeting and lively, again, very typical for this Italian varietal. This wine is ideal with rich tomato based food.
The grapes were grown in a vineyard on the northeast side of Lodi in deep rich Lodi loam soil. The vines were only lightly irrigated, and the yields were minimal to ensure that the flavors and tannins were concentrated in the fruit. Once harvested, the grapes were fermented, brought through extended maceration, pressed, and barrel aged for 14 months in French Seguin Moreau and Tonnellerie Saury barrels (66%) and Americal Radoux barrels (33 %). The final blend consists of 97% barbera, 2% carignange , and small amounts of zinfandel, petite sirah, and syrah
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Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon wine from the Eger vineyard is an exceptional wine. The color is dark garnet red with moderate depth. The aroma is very complex, yet youthful reminiscent of a nouveau style. It focuses on classical cabernet black cherry and raspberry fruit, with a tinge of minty chocolate and black licorice. The oak barrels used in aging impart a sweet vanilla character with nuances of campfire smokiness and dried thyme. The flavors mirror the aromas, and the texture is rich with full tannins. The finish is soft and lingering.
The vineyard selected for this cabernet wine is unique. Nestled by eucalyptus trees, it consistently produces wine with distinctive minty chocolate characters. The vines are naturally low yielding and are only lightly irrigated to intensify the flavors.
The wine consists of 95% cabernet sauvignon grapes, all from the Eger vineyard. Four percent petite sirah from the Elk vineyard was added to enhance the tannin profile. Small amounts of zinfandel, carignane, and sirah were blended to add fruit subtlety to the wine. The wine was aged for 16 months in both new American Francois Frerers tight grained oak (40%) and 2 year old French Latour Beaun oak (60%).
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Grands Amis Carignane
42 vines, planted in rich loamy soils, head trained, and watered only twice, contributed to this unusual big wine. It compares more with old world Spanish style wines. It has a dense full body with a velvet blackcurrant introduction, and plenty of dried herb, licorice, pepper and spice box on the middle pallet. Ending with a surprising tannic structure, this wine will drink well in the next three to four years. Alcohol 14,2%.
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Grands Amis Petite Sirah
The 2002 Grands Amis Petite Sirah is a bold wine. The color is purple/red and has an intense depth. The bouquet focuses on raspberry and tart cherry fruit, with nuances of ripe plums and currents. There are hints of a citrus lemon/lime character and black pepper spice. The oak aromas are subtle, and are well integrated. The wine is exceptionally fleshy in the mouth with concentrated grape fruit flavors. The tannins are soft and supple, and the finish is lingering. This full bodied wine is enjoyable now, however, the flavors will continue to "marry" in the bottle, and will be intriguing for years to come.
The wine is composed of 98% petite sirah from the estate's Elk vineyards. These vines were hand nurtured and very low yielding, which led to the intensity of the flavors and tannins in the wine. Two percent of sirah grapes from the same vineyard were added to provide an additional tannin component. Finally, one percent each of carignane and zinfandel, both from the estate's Graffigna vineryard, were blended to complete the fruit profile. The wine was aged for 14 months in older American (40%) and French (60%) oak.
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Grands Amis Syrah
It has a good color concentration with a bouquet that focuses on lush red fruit: strawberries, intensely ripe raspberries, and candied cherries. The French oak imparts a sweet vanilla oak character with notes of cinnamon and cloves, along with campfire smokiness and hints of lavender tea. The finish is lingering and textured. Alcohol 14,2%.
This wine was awarded Best of Class of Region Lodi Appellation at the 2004 California State Fair. This Syrah is also a favorite among the non-Syrah drinkers.
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Grands Amis Zinfandel
This is an unfiltered wine giving the visual texture to be slightly opaque but adding intense and dynamic aromas. Initially, the concentrated black fruits are apparent: plum, black cherry, and ripe raspberry. Upon quaffing, lighter aromas such as lemon zest, apricots, and violets become perceptible. There are hints of black pepper in the background. The flavor of the wine mimics the aroma, and is also intensely fruity, but with dried fruit flavors, cherry and apricot. The grape tannins are very soft and subtle and the oak presence is well integrated, and provides a velvety texture. Alcohol 14,8%. A zinfandel with good fruit dynamics and easy to sip on its own.
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Grands Amis Zinfandel
This is a classical Lodi zinfandel. Moderate density in color with a true zinfandel nose – up-front fruit, candied cherry, and ripe plum. It has a “raspberry cane” aroma typical of quality Lodi zinfandels. The oak is well integrated with the fruit, giving warm cinnamon/clove spice flavors. Alcohol 14,6%. This is for the lovers of a good "earthy" zinfandel.
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Port
The color of this 100 % syrah port is intensely red with a slight violet hue. The bouquet is highly fragrant, with lots of concentrated blackberry fruit and grape varietal aromas. Upon quaffing, there are hints of lavender tea and lemon zest. In the mouth, the flavors have an extraordinary richness and delicacy, with ripe grape fruit characters and over ripe raspberries. The sweetness is well balanced with the acidity of the wine, and the tannins are full and complex. The finish is textured and is lingering.
The port was crafted on an inspiration after the fermenting syrah grapes, intended for table wine, were showing exceptional quality. After re-exploring the rolling hills of the Elk vineyard, there was yet another specific area that produced exceptional fruit with full, mature tannins. It would be perfect for the port. During production, the juice was monitored every three hours, day in and day out, until the precise balance of sweetness, acidity, and alcohol was present. The wine was then pressed and barreled for 14 months in older French Tonnellerie de Bourgogne Billon oak. The wine is unfiltered and will have some sediment, similar to the great Vintage ports of Portugal.
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Rose
This European style Rose wine has an intense strawberry red blush color. The bouquet is crisp and clean, with fresh strawberry and blackberry aromas. There are subtle hints of violets and lavender. The flavor of the wine mimics the aroma, and also includes summer fruit characters: ripe honeydew melons and pears. The finish is soft with textured tannins and is lingering without any hint of sweetness.
The wine was crafted using a French technique called "saignee". When the 2003 "old vine" carignane grapes were harvested off of the Graffigna vineyard, a bit of the blush juice was gently drained off of the skins and seeds, and fermented separately. This bit of juice was handcrafted into a dry blush wine reminiscent of the wines made in southern France. The result is a dry, crisp, refreshing wine which is meant to be enjoyed in its youth.
The Rose consists of 100 % carignane grapes from the estate's Graffigna Vineryard. This majestic vineyard was planted in 1942 on its own roots in deep, rich Lodi loam soil. The vineyard is only lightly irrigated. The graceful vines are head trained, and are thinned of fruit to give very low yields to concentrate the flavors in the wine.
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