WE'VE BEEN ATOP THE SWEET MOUNTAIN FOR A WHILE!

Ever since the introductions were made about 7 years ago we've continued to stock the Bevan arsenal of wines on our shelves. A Cult Club sensation then and today this wine continues to showcase a masterful blend inspired by old-world giants.

 ~ The Wine Lab

97 Points Jeb Dunnuck

2019 BEVAN CELLARS

Huge blue fruits, cassis, violets, and leafy herbs notes emerge from Bevan’s 2019 Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, a full-bodied, fresh, lively Cabernet that has silky yet building tannins, good acidity, and one heck of a finish. As with all of the 2019s here, it already offers pleasure, yet I suspect a few years of bottle age are warranted here.

JD

NOTHING LIKE ALWAYS BEING IN THE MOMENT

"When you expect greatness and you are overcome with sensations of limitless pleasure ~ now that is what I call living. We simply have no time to settle for ordinary anything. We demand sense of place, quality, textures and flavors that can on be delivered through precession in production.

~ The Wine Lab

UNANIMOUS

100

2019 DALLA VALLE MAYA

THE WINE ADVOCATE REVIEW

As fans know, Maya comes from a very special section of the estate vineyard, situated in the valley's eastern foothills, below Pritchard Hill and in the above the Oakville floor, overlooking Screaming Eagle. The blend is two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Maya slowly unfurls to reveal a firework display of redcurrant preserves, kirsch, boysenberries and wild blueberries, followed by iron ore, red roses, cardamom, fallen leaves and crushed rocks, with a waft of pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is stunningly graceful and refined, featuring exhilarating mineral sparks among the red and black fruits, finishing with so much brightness and energy. Breathtaking!

JEB DUNNUCK REVIEW

One of the finest wines in the vintage is the 2019 Maya Proprietary Red Wine, and red wine doesn’t get any better. The usual blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc, its deep purple hue is followed by an incredible bouquet of blackcurrants, tobacco, dark chocolate, and crushed stone, which turns more floral, pretty, and complex with time in the glass. Full-bodied on the palate, it marries a rare sense of elegance and finesse with incredible intensity. It’s impossible to resist today yet merits at least 5-7 years of bottle age, and I have no doubt this beauty will still be enjoyable at age 50. Bravo!

A WINE LAB TASTING PANEL STANDOUT

A unique site created in the early eighties, the future vision to employ dynamite in order to fracture the bedrock was visionary.  The result is continued production of world class highly coveted Bordeaux varieties for which legendary winemakers for continue to line up. The history of the site is framed by innovative farming taking place at the iconic family owned vineyard.

These wines express a sense of place and are designed for enjoyment now and show characteristics of aging nicely well into the future.

~ The Wine Lab

Jeb Dunnuck ( A ) Rated

2019 HOSSFELD ESTATE BLEND

The 2019 Red Blend checks in as a blend of 40% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, with the balance Merlot, that spent 20 months in French oak. Its deep purple hue is followed by an up-front, exuberant red offering lots of candied red and black fruits, notes of violets, tobacco, and flowery incense, medium to full body, ripe tannins, and a great finish. Drink this solid, impeccably made blend over the coming decade or more.

UN ALTRO GRANDE GIORNO

Thanks to the kindness of our clients we have been indulging in some of Italy's most iconic producers.  The Lab is constantly enhancing to point that the palate has become microscopic with precision!

THREE ICONS IN ONE SET, DON'T MISS OUT

~ Il Laboratorio Del Vino

2019 MASSETO 

98 Points The Wine Advocate

This bottle opens a new chapter for one of Italy's most celebrated and collected wines. The first vintage made entirely in its dedicated state-of-the-art winery (and the first vintage with a 10% dabble of Cabernet Franc added to what has historically aways been a pure expression of Merlot), the Masseto 2019 Masseto has two main themes at heart: concentration and elegance. And managing those two seemingly contrasting elements requires a little bit of magic. That's the Masseto magic we look for. The 2019 vintage delivers it in spades with lovely concentrated fruit, blackberry, integrated spice, tobacco, crushed slate, pencil shaving and lots of texture and fiber to push a lasting mouthfeel. The wine's richness translates into density and power to the palate, meanwhile the bouquet reveals fluidity and new sides as the wine opens in the glass. The finish is tapered and focused.

2019 TENUTA SAN GUIDO

BOLGHERI SASSICAIA

98 Points The Wine Advocate

The latest release from Tenuta San Guido is the 2019 Bolgheri Sassicaia. The bouquet is up front and very expressive from the get-go. It offers a generous display of crunchy, dark cherry that hints at the extra concentration and fruit weight obtained in the 2019 growing season. This vintage will be remembered for the crisp richness of the fruit and its important textural imprint. It also shows fine elegance, bordering on the ethereal, with berry aromas, tarry earth and brushes of balsam herb or grilled rosemary. Sassicaia always shows an almost-glossy finely knit quality to the polished mouthfeel, and I find it again here next to fresh acidity and firm tannins. Mouthfeel in 2019 is the wine's strongest suit. The 2019 is one of the prettiest and most balanced editions of Sassicaia we've seen this past decade, along with the back-to-back duo of 2016 and 2015. The 2019 marries the precision of the 2016 with the rich fruit weight of the 2015.

2019 ORNELLAIA BOLGHERI SUPERIORE

ORNELLAIA

97 Points The Wine Advocate

This is a beautiful expression of coastal Tuscany and the sunny Mediterranean. The Ornellaia 2019 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia (a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot) pours from the bottle with a specific darkness that has elements of both inky saturation and ruby highlights. The wine is saturated and rich—this is something you notice off the bat—but it also reveals a pleasing lightness or grace that is transmitted to both the bouquet and the palate. Dark fruit, pressed blackberry and plum mingle with more substantial aromas of spice, leather and sweetly cured tobacco. The tannins are beautifully managed, and the wine sports considerable heft and density on the palate that drives a very long and pleasurable mouthfeel.

THIRTY-ONE YEARS AFTER THEIR INITIAL PERFECT SCORE

Key observation moving forward, the brands that own and control their own vineyard(s) and farming practices are the ones that will lead the revolution of quality as we head into the age of artistry in winemaking. Several newer producers that are surging higher than ever or the classics that have maintained their quality will be at the forefront. When others are worried about the new demographic, legendary vision, and history will always maintain their timeless appeal.

~ The Wine Lab

2019 DALLA VALLE

MAYA

PROPRIETARY RED WINE

100 Points The Wine Advocate

As fans know, Maya comes from a very special section of the estate vineyard, situated in the valley's eastern foothills, below Pritchard Hill and in the above the Oakville floor, overlooking Screaming Eagle. The blend is two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon and one-third Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Maya slowly unfurls to reveal a firework display of redcurrant preserves, kirsch, boysenberries and wild blueberries, followed by iron ore, red roses, cardamom, fallen leaves and crushed rocks, with a waft of pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is stunningly graceful and refined, featuring exhilarating mineral sparks among the red and black fruits, finishing with so much brightness and energy. Breathtaking!

100 Points Jeb Dunnuck

One of the finest wines in the vintage is the 2019 Maya Proprietary Red Wine, and red wine doesn’t get any better. The usual blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc, its deep purple hue is followed by an incredible bouquet of blackcurrants, tobacco, dark chocolate, and crushed stone, which turns more floral, pretty, and complex with time in the glass. Full-bodied on the palate, it marries a rare sense of elegance and finesse with incredible intensity. It’s impossible to resist today yet merits at least 5-7 years of bottle age, and I have no doubt this beauty will still be enjoyable at age 50. Bravo!

OAKVILLE IS SYNONYMOUS WITH SHOW-STOPPING, TREND-SETTING WINES THAT INSPIRE INTRIGUE!

The 2019 rendition has been crafted to illustrate the vivacity of legendary winemaking and the most premium of premium fruit source combinations available.

Each bottle is etched and numbered, the Cuvee possesses a unique tapestry of Oakville's finest vineyards.

Wine is ART, imagine having the freedom to blend as you wish and craft a super blend that has no parallel. As the founding member of the Wine Lab, I would love to take part in such an illustrative construction of greatness!

~ The Wine Lab

2019 OAKVILLE

WINEGROWERS CUVEE

The 2019 Cuvée announces itself with vibrant aromas that immediately engage and invite you to experience more. The nose offers depth, with brown spice and toasted almonds, yet it is also beautifully floral, redolent with violets and red cassis tones that are fresh and exhilarating. The wine is velvet on the palate, with both bright red and dark fruits that spill over the solid tannin structure, bringing forth plums, cherries, cassis and huckleberry. This wine is drinking beautifully now and decanting further enhances the gorgeous aromas and opens the wine to greater complexity.

REMEMBERING THE DAYS OF WORKING AT OPUS ONE....I've been drinking Opus One since the mid 90's, worked many a lavish dinner at the winery in the early 2000's as well. Sensory recall allows me to say that this is the best Overture I've ever tasted. The prices might be a little different than the early days of The Wine Lab mind yet the quality has sky rocketed for this iconic wine that continues to posses global recognition.

~ The Wine Lab

2019 OPUS ONE OVERTURE

( Every Vintage In The Blend Is Blockbuster )

A timeless expression of our estate vineyards, Overture is full bodied but approachable in its youth. Overture shows generous dark fruit aromas and flavors with a soft, supple mid-palate. The freshness and soft glow of acidity parallel the subtle tension with dark fruit flavors, savory herbs, espresso, and cocoa.

YOUR INSPIRATION SHOULD BE POETIC, MINE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LUMINESCENCE

Continuing with PNV current legends. I remember tasting this then new project from John & Stacy Reinert at PNV 2020. I bought 5 future cases on the spot, as I saw then that the evolution of Brilliant Mistake wines had shifted into the realm of artistic allure of sensuality. A most definite seductive wine!

~ The Poetic Wine Lab

98 Points Jeb Dunnuck

2019 THE POET & THE MUSE

Another brilliant vintage for the cuvée, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve The Poet & The Muse is a tiny production release that’s a barrel selection of the best in the vintage. Its deep purple hue is followed by awesome aromatics of ripe blue and black fruits, new leather, tobacco, flowery incense, and chocolaty oak. With full-bodied richness, a layered, opulent mouthfeel, sweet tannins, and a great finish, it’s a classic, gorgeous Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to drink any time over the coming 20-25 years.

IT'S LIFESTYLE WINES & THEIR ALLURE, THAT'S ALL I CRAVE ~ WINES THAT ELEVATE THE SENSES

One of my Wine Lab panelists said the other day, "we can only consume X number of bottles, so we choose wisely". The 2020 Janasse Old Vine has stories of history in every ounce dating back more than 50 Years. An old-world wine that illustrates the best philosophies in modern-day world winemaking ~ the 2020 has a commanding presence that transcends regions and palates alike.

~ The Rhone Lab

97+ Jeb Dunnuck

2020 DOMAINE DE LA JANASSE

CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE

VIELLES VIGNES

Much more powerful and intense, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes comes more from the La Crau and La Janasse lieux-dits and is the usual blend of mostly Grenache with a touch of Syrah. Blackberries, graphite, scorched earth, pepper, and sappy garrigue all emerge on the nose, and it's full-bodied, has beautiful concentration, polished tannins, and a great finish. Nothing is out of place, and this perfectly balanced, authoritative, powerful, and incredibly impressive 2020 will benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age and evolve for 15-20 years in cold cellars.