Wine Spectator - 93 points

Love the dark berry and licorice aromas to this red. Full body, very polished tannins and long and racy on the finish. It's a little reserved now, but will deliver lots of classy fruit and enjoyment in the end. Best after 2012.

Message from Winfield Flynn

Looking for a unique gift for the holidays and the new year? Add some extra sparkle by customizing a bottle of Moët Imperial with your personal message created in stunning traditional silver or new red Swarovski crystals.

Design your bottle in three simple steps and we'll ship it within a few days!

Message from Winfield Flynn

A bottle of Double Cross Vodka makes the perfect holiday gift for the Vodka lover or your corporate gift.  Each bottle comes with a gift bag, "To/From" gift tag, and a holiday sticker.  In addition, you can have the bottle engraved with your own custom text or your company logo.

Wine Enthusiast 95-pt "Highly Recommended"

Spirit Journal 4-stars "Highly Recommended" 

Tasting Panel Magazine "Outstanding"

Playboy: "It's rare that we single out a vodka for praise, but we'll make an exception for Double Cross."

Wine Enthusiast - 96 points and Cellar Selection

Incredibly smooth, rich and gorgeous with mature fruit, coffee and a very smooth texture. Tobacco and leather give it dimension. 

Review from Timeless Wines

I first tried the Nardone estate's wine back in 2005, but I was not there for a Brunello at the time. I was there to barrel taste other producer's '04 Barolo. This past Italy trip, our focus changed...and I'm sure glad we did! This wine has developed immensely in the past few years.It is hard to image that it will get even better with a few more years of age, but it will!

Wine Enthusiast 92 Points

If you like some green herbaceousness in your Cabs, which some say makes them more Bordeaux-like, this is for you. It’s very dry and somewhat tannic and extremely elegant, with oak-inspired blackberry, cherry, currant and spice flavors.

Wine Spectator 91 Points

Ripe, full-bodied and richly flavored, with tiers of black cherry, plum, anise and blueberry unfolding gracefully. This holds its focus and ends in a long, persistent finish. Drink now through 2016.

The Wine Advocate 90 Points

The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon reveals slightly sweeter black fruits, more body and length, and a richer, fuller style. Finesse allied with substance as well as authoritative varietal flavor suggest it should keep for 15+ years.

Stephen Tanzer 90 points

Producer Tasting Note

The 2005 Lone Canyon Cabernet is a perfect example of how rich, bold and extracted the wines from this property can be. This wine shows intense color and the aromas are dominated by figs, dates, and black cherries. The nose is further complimented by spices, black licorice, brown sugar, blueberry and brambly undertones. A full bodied entry hits the palate with enticing flavors of blackberry and cassis. The wine is layered with textures that are bold and masculine yet maintain tannins of a velvety character. The dark and ripe fruit flavors intertwined with the tannins carry through to a long and plush finish.

Wine Advocate - 92 points

The 2005 Brunello di Montalcino is a warm, supple wine endowed with gorgeous, expressive dark red berries, licorice, tar and subtle French oak, all of which come together on a soft, mid-weight frame. The finish is long and caressing. This is one of the more open, approachable Brunellos in this vintage and it should be accessible upon release, after which it will drink well for another decade or so. This is a very strong effort for a property in transition. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.

Wine Spectator - 91 points

Dried fruits on the nose, with raisin and grilled meat. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and ripe fruit. There's plenty of new wood, but it all should come together beautifully with bottle age. Best after 2011.

Poggio San Polo Notes

Intense ruby red in color, with garnet hues, San Polo Brunello is fullbodied and warm on the palate. It offers typical aromas of violets and small red fruits, followed by subtle notes of coffee. The finish is long, with round and refined tannins surrounding the juicy texture. It is an excellent accompaniment to roasted meats, wild fowl, grilled filet mignon and steaks.

Wine Advocate - 90 points and Recommended Value Pick

"My three favorite Maipe red wines include the 2009 Malbec Reserve, the winery's top selection that is aged in wood for 12 months. A dense blue/purple color is followed by a big, sweet, floral (acacias), blackberry, coffee, and white chocolate-scented bouquet. Remarkably rich and heady, with a full-bodied mouthfeel as well as silky tannins, it should be consumed over the next 2-3 years."

- Wine Advocate (Aug. 2010)

90 pts RECOMMENDED VALUE PICK

Wine Spectator - 90 Points and Smart Buy

Ripe and dense, but fresh, with silky-textured plum, blackberry and blueberry fruit carried by sweet spice and maduro tobacco notes. The fleshy finish shows nice drive. Should open up more with brief cellaring. Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2011. 5,000 cases made. –JM

Pearson's Wines Notes

Wow! Very deep black-crimson, The Boxer shows a full spectrum of flavours from fresh berries and plum, to fig and blackberry jam, surrounded by cinnamon spice, licorice, and lovely warm oak with hints of cigar box and tobacco. Soft luscious palate-coating fruit with incredible depth, combined with creamy chocolate oak layers producing a complex wine with amazing power.

Tasting Notes from Calvert Woodley

Located on the left bank of the Serein River in the middle of the slope, the 260 acre Premier Cru Vaillons is considered to be among the very best of the Chablis Premier Cru vineyards. Vaillons bottlings typically sell for $30-45 but we are able to offer you this incredible deal based on this special purchase we made from our good friend Alain Corcia. This 2009, with its mineral infused bouquet and lush layers of yellow apple and stone fruit, is all about drink-now pleasure.

Wine Advocate - 90+ pts 
"The outstanding, silky, pure 2009 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Les Champauvins represents a baby Chateauneuf du Pape. Composed of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre, it reveals a deep ruby/plum color in addition to full-bodied flavors, light tannin, and lavender, truffle, black currant, and black cherry aromas." 
RECOMMENDED VALUE PICK

Wine Advocate - 90+ pts

 "Ripe and distinguished, with a beautiful beam of linzer torte and macerated red currant fruit supported by graphite and licorice notes. The long finish lets the fruit hang on while staying fresh and racy. Modern and very suave. Drink now through 2013. 5,000 cases made. –JM" 

Wine Spectator - 91 points

Plum and fresh mushroom aromas, with a hint of dried dark fruits. Full-bodied, with tangy acidity, slightly chewy tannins and an almost decadent aftertaste of ripe fruit. So delicious already. Hard not to drink now, but a year of bottle age will make this just right. Best after 2010. 10,085 cases made. –JS

This week WineFetch is bringing you a taste of white and red!  The white is the fantastic 2009 Christian Moreau Chablis and the red is the delicious 2009 Beaucastel Coudelet Cotes Du Rhone.  Here is what the reviewers are saying about these wines:

2009 Christian Moreau Chablis 

Wine Spectator - 90 points

A racy white, nicely balanced and showing lemon, apple, smoke and flint aromas and flavors. This is smooth and long, with a bright, refreshing finish. Drink now through 2016. 1,900 cases made.

Pearson's Wines Tasting Notes:

The 2009 vintage in Chablis continued the string of excellent vintages in the region, with a hot, dry summmer perfectly ripening the fruit for harvest. The 2009 Chablis AC is a classically styled Chablis, medium in body, ripe with mineral, bright fruit, salty "sea-air" saline and firm acidity on the finish.

Fabien Moreau describes the vintage as a "distinctly ripe vintage that achieved excellent maturities across the board." "...an extremely clean harvest that ranged between 12.2 and 13.5% in potential alcohols. As such, we did no chaptalization at all." "2009 is a pretty vintage that should drink well young."

2009 Beaucastel Coudelet Cotes Du Rhone

Robert Parker - 89-91 points

The 2009 Beaucastel Cotes du Rhone Coudoulet red is just a notch behind its brilliant 2007 counterpart and could turn out to be just as good. It boasts a deep ruby/purple hue in addition to abundant aromas of framboise, black cherries, truffles, herbs, grilled steak and meat blood. Spicy, peppery, rich and medium to full-bodied with silky tannins, this beautiful, reasonably priced wine should drink well for 10-12+ years.

A Message from Timeless Wines

How often do you see a Ken Wright Pinot for 20 bucks a bottle? For those of you who don't know Ken Wright, he is the reason the Yamhill-Carlton AVA exists today. He wrote the proposition for the Yamhill-Carlton AVA and served as the Association's first President. During all of this, he was producing some of the most sought after Pinot's in the US. Answer to the question, you never see his wines for 20 bucks.

What makes this area unique is the soil. Mainly consisting of ancient marine sediment over sandstone, which offers quick drainage. As well, the area is also horseshoe-shaped with two low ridges protecting it from bad weather. The soil allows the Pinot Noir grape to grow with lower acidity. This produces a dark colored fruit and earthy tones.

This same juice, under a different label (Angela), scored 92pts. We've sent this one off for scoring, but don't expect to be able to get a hold of a bottle by the time it comes back!

The wine is limited to 400 cases nationwide and we have 40 of them to offer!

Wine Advocate - 94+ points

The 2007 Numanthia is marginally more approachable but it, too, is a dense, layered, voluminous, structured wine. Given the requ isite cellaring, it will eventually become both elegant and powerful.

Wine Spectator - 92 points

This rich red brims with ripe, fresh flavors of blackberry and cassis, backed by toasty chocolate and dried spice notes that caress the palate and linger on the finish. Plush yet structured, in the modern style. Drink now through 2014. 1,000 cases imported.

International Wine Cellar - 94 points

Glass-staining purple. Exotic, pungent scents of cherry-cola, potpourri and white pepper, plus a sexy note of sandalwood. Very fresh in the mouth, with intense, floral-accented black raspberry and bitter cherry flavors that become sweeter and spicier with aeration. Blends vivacity and power smoothly, finishing with nervy mineral cut and a lingering note of spicecake. Like the Numanthia, this looks like it will drink well young and age well on its balance rather than power.

Wine Enthusiast - 92 points

Stocky, dark and pure, with inky aromas of shoe polish, black fruits and charcoal. The palate is brawny and tannic, with saturated blackberry, espresso and bitter chocolate flavors. It's rowdy but also attractive and full of everything good including chocolate, spice and pepper on the finish. Drink from 2011 through 2015.

Wine Spectator - 90 points

Polished, velvety and spicy, this is generous with its tobacco and loamy earth elements that surround a lithe core of dark berry and herb. Lingers softly. Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Shiraz. Drink now through 2015. 10,000 cases made. –HS

Notes from Timeless Wines

Made from 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Malbec, 18% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, 3% Merlot. 

The grapes are crushed and destemmed into fermenters. Yeast is added immediately once in fermenter and the ferments are pumped over twice daily to maximize color, tannin and flavor extraction. Cooling is used to ensure ferments remain in the 22-25 degrees Celsius range which will allow the fruit to display maximum fruit expression. Pressing then occurs approximately seven days after crushing and the wine is then put into a mix of French and American oak to mature.
Aged for 18 months in tight grain French (85%) and American oak (15%).

The 2008 saw ideal, warm and dry growing conditions. These weather conditions resulted in fruit ripening to ideal levels and without disease pressure. The red wines from the 2008 vintage all display luscious fruit and soft approachable tannins, making them great for drinking now or mid term cellaring propositions.

Deep red. The nose has some complex developed notes with roasted meats, aniseed and red capsicum. The palate is rich, full bodied and enticing with plums, roasted capsicum and vegemite notes. The maturation in French oak has led to some subtle spice lift and a lovely roundness and richness on the palate. There are some fleshy tannins which will make this wine an ideal match to rich dishes, especially red meats or game. The flavors linger in the mouth. 

Wine Advocate - 95 points

Antinori’s 2007 Tignanello is wonderfully ripe and seductive in its dark cherries, flowers, spices, tobacco, sage, cedar, mint and minerals. This is as opulent a Tignanello as I have ever tasted but there is just enough acidity and structure from the Sangiovese to keep things from going over the top. The wine’s richness and warmth are such that in a blind tasting I mistook the 2007 Tignanello for a wine from Maremma! The dense, muscular fruit follows through to an impeccable finish with no hard edges and impossibly fine, silky tannins. Simply put, the 2007 is a magnificent Tignanello. The 2007 Tignanello is 80% Sangiovese aged in 300-liter French oak barrels (1/3 new), 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, both aged in 100% new 225-liter French oak barriques. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2027.

—Antonio Galloni, October 2010. 

Wine Enthusiast - 94 points

You can’t help but love this wine. The richness, density and intensity are all outstanding and Tignanello is extraordinary in terms of aromas and flavors. The traditional formula for this groundbreaking super Tuscan was Sangiovese with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. This vintage sees 5% Cabernet Franc for additional texture and longevity.

—Monica Larner, April 01, 2010. 

Wine Spectator - 92 points

Displays sweet plum and berry aromas and flavors, with hints of toasty oak and cappuccino. Full-bodied, yet reserved and fine. Turns chewy and juicy. Best after 2012.

—James Suckling, October 31, 2010. 

Notes from Antinori

Tignanello 2007 is a wine which presents itself with a great impact. To the nose this wine opens with a pleasant concentration of aromas ranging from ripe red fruit to spiciness; with hints of vanilla and toasty notes which compose a bouquet with great persistence and elegance. It is a wine of unquestionable personality, with typical characteristics which deeply bond the wine with the land where it was born, exalting and rewarding this maximum expression of the wonderfully ripened sangiovese, so particularly optimal in this harvest.

Notes from the Seller

"The 2007 Rubus Cabernet rocks and Bell Wine & Spirits has sold more of it than anyone else in the area. Working with Winefetch.com, we are able to offer this old vine Stag's Leap AVA wine from Napa at an incredibly low price. It has sold for many times this special offer price and at $14.99 per bottle it is a screaming "back the truck up".  You'll be sorry you missed it. Once the 2007 Rubus Cabernet is gone... It's gone!"

The Discovery

"I had been hearing from my long time friend Eddie about some fantastic lots of 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon becoming available ... possibly the best in 30 years, but thanks to the recession there's no market for $80.00 - $175.00 per bottle Cabernet Sauvignon ... (We taste a) 2007 Stag 's Leap AVA that is finished and bottled but has no home. The wine is fantastic; the quality equivalent to anything from Outpost, Paradigm, or Silver Oak... this wine would have sold for just under $100.00 per bottle, but given today's new economy, it sells for $24.00 per bottle...." - Fran Kysela, Master Sommelier (Kysela Pere et Fils)

The Wine

The 2007 Rubus Cabernet displays full mature flavors of blackberry, currant and chocolate with just a hint of toasty oak and black cherry. The tannins are refined and polished, allowing the fruit to be the focus. Serve this Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with a variety of bold preparations r anging from Osso Bucco to grilled red meats and cheeses.

Wine Spectator - 90 Points

This fresh, balanced red shows firm tannins, fresh acidity and focused flavors of black cherry, licorice and spice that linger on the finish. Sleek and stylish, with good intensity. Drink now through 2012. 787 cases imported.

Wine Advocate - 90 Points

The 2001 Roda I Reserva is selected from vineyards said to provide firmer, more structured, longer-lived wines. More deeply colored, it offers a fragrant bouquet of wood smoke, spice box, mineral, and assorted black fruits. On the palate it is medium to full-bodied with a firm structure, ripe flavors, good depth, and a moderately long finish. It will benefit from 2-3 years of cellaring and drink well through 2020.