California
California is one of the most renowned wine regions in the world, known for producing exceptional wines that reflect the unique character of the region.
One of the most famous vineyards in California is the Napa Valley's Robert Mondavi Winery, which produces a range of high-quality red and white wines, including the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, the Fumé Blanc Reserve, and the Chardonnay Reserve. The estate is committed to sustainable farming practices and is known for its focus on traditional winemaking techniques.
In California, there is also a strong focus on producing organic and biodynamic wines, with vineyards such as the Frog's Leap Winery and the Benziger Family Winery using these practices to produce exceptional wines that reflect the unique terroir of the region.
Overall, California is a region known for producing exceptional wines, with famous vineyards such as Harlan Estate, Dominus, Opus One, Screaming Eagle, Robert Mondavi and many others. With a focus on sustainable and organic farming practices, and a commitment to traditional winemaking techniques, wines from California are gaining increasing recognition and popularity among wine enthusiasts worldwide.
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California
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James Suckling (99)
A great example of a 2021 from a district of southern Napa that often produces the coolest, most supple cabernets. So dense yet silky and elegant. Graphite, iron, seashell and espresso aromas meet super-concentrated flavors of blackcurrant, blackberry and cocoa, all wrapped in extra-fine tannins that structure it for long aging without being at all harsh to sip now. Fresh and balanced. Drinkable now, but best from 2030.د.إ1,737.00 -
Jeb Dunnuck (98+)
In contrast, the 2021 Syrah Il Padrino Bien Nacido Vineyard is more masculine and feral, with ripe black fruits, cracked black pepper, leather, iron, and spring flowers, and a certain bloody character developing with time in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, it has a similar level of polish but is a touch more concentrated and lengthy on the palate, with ripe, building tannins and awesome length. Drink this spectacular Syrah over the coming 10-12 years.د.إ3,240.00 -
Jeb Dunnuck (97+)
The 2020 Chardonnay Kokoro is a selection made by Lato and comes from the single vineyards. Aged 16 months in 60% new French oak, it reveals a lighter gold hue to go with an incredibly pure and precise nose of stone fruits, honeyed minerality, brioche, and hints of baking spices. Riveting on the palate, with medium to full body and bright yet integrated acidity, it's balanced, has a distinct sense of minerality, and a great, great finish. It's up with the crème de la crème in the vintage.د.إ3,240.00 -
Jeb Dunnuck (100)
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Au Paradis is a saturated purple hue and is classic and inviting with lush aromatics of menthol, cassis, dark stones, and warming spice. An exceptional vintage of this wine, it’s long and balanced, with all its components harmonious throughout. It has a plush, velvety texture, even acidity, and fantastic length. As it unfolds, it boasts layers of mocha, leather, and earth, it’s all put together fantastically, and while it’s unquestionably decadent, it’s not sappy or overbearing. It’s one of those wines that’s a pleasure to drink now and will also age with ease over the coming decades. Perfection. Drink: 2027-2057.د.إ4,190.00 -
(12x75cl) 2022James Suckling (98)
So fresh and fruit-driven, yet full-bodied, creamy and rich in mouthfeel. This amazing wine starts with cool, crisp apple and juicy pear aromas, then offers a great blend of ripe fruit, cream, vanilla bean and lemon curd on the palate. Almost ethereal. Very lingering in the finish. Drink now or hold.د.إ8,091.00 -
James Suckling (97)
Love the sweet berries, black olives, tile and fresh herbs on the nose with floral undertones. Oyster shell, too. Full-bodied with round, creamy tannins that are beautifully polished and refined. Very long finish. All about finesse and wonderful length. 68% cabernet sauvignon, 19% cabernet franc, 10% merlot and 3% petit verdot. Drink after 2023.د.إ7,310.00 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94)
The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is quite a bit nervier than I recall from previous tastings. That won’t be an issue for readers who can wait. Dried herbs, mocha, graphite and incense build nicely in the glass. My impression is that the 2008 is going through a phase of reticence. Some previous bottles have been much more expressive. That is certainly not the case here, but it is a reminder of the uniquely human quality of artisan wines. They can have their moods. I look forward to tasting this again in a few years’ time.د.إ4,880.00 -
Wine Advocate (95+)
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon is stunningly beautiful and seductive in its red fruit, mint and tobacco. This is a surprisingly accessible vintage for the Cabernet Sauvignon. Today it looks like an excellent choice for readers who want to explore the wines of this iconic producer – as long as it doesn’t close down in bottle. Togni’s 2009 is notable for its exceptional elegance, finesse and pedigree. There is plenty of Spring Mountain structure, but today the 2009 is disarmingly sexy and radiant for such a young wine. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029.د.إ5,370.00 -
Jeb Dunnuck (97)
Taking lots of air to show at its best, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is a brilliant, classic, age-worthy wine from this great estate. It certainly shows the more structured, vibrant style of the 2018 vintage with lively acids, yet it has utterly classic Cabernet crème de cassis and almost blue fruits as well as Bordeaux-like notes of lead pencil, cedarwood, tobacco, and assorted floral nuances. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it brings rock-solid intensity, perfectly ripe yet building, firm tannins, and again, the vintage's freshness, purity, and elegance. It reminds me of a top Saint-Julien and is a classic, old school, structured Cabernet that will reward bottle age. It needs 7-8 years to hit maturity (it's approachable today with a healthy decant), and I have no doubt this will be a 30- to 40-year wine.د.إ3,215.00 -
Vinous (92)
The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Tanbark Hill is soft, succulent and inviting, all of which make it a super-appealing wine to drink now and over the next decade or so. The radiance and fruit intensity of the year comes through nicely, and yet the wine retains its classic, mid-weight sense of structure and overall feel. Crushed flowers and sweet spice add lift in this gracious, pretty wine from Togni.د.إ3,720.00 -
(3x75cl) 2021Jeb Dunnuck (96+)
Another brilliant wine from this family, the 2021 Chardonnay comes all from the estate Pisoni Vineyard in the southern part of the Santa Lucia Highlands. Unfortunately, it's made in tiny quantities, but I consistently think it ranks with the finest Chardonnay in California. Honeyed lemon, pear, flowers, crushed stone, and a beautiful kiss of toasted walnuts define the aromatics, and it's medium-bodied, vibrant, and elegant, with a liquid rock-like sense of minerality on the finish. It plays in the more elegant, focused, lengthy style of the vintage and is slightly closed and tight at present. Give bottles another 2-3 years in the cellar and enjoy through 2031. It's a beautiful Chardonnay.د.إ1,300.00 -
(3x75cl) 2022
Jeb Dunnuck (96)
Tasting like a top Puligny (or Chassagne?), the 2022 Chardonnay sports a vivid light gold hue as well as a vibrant perfume of ripe citrus, freshly crushed stone, honeyed pears, and white flowers. As always, this cuvée has a riveting sense of minerality and an almost salty character on the palate. With air, it picks up a kiss of grilled toast and green almonds, and it’s medium to full-bodied on the palate, has a vibrant, racy, pure style, bright yet integrated acidity, and a beautiful finish. Despite coming from a warmer year, the overall profile here is one from a cooler year. Give bottles 2-3 years if you can and enjoy though 2034. It’s a classic, age-worthy, beautiful Chardonnay from this team.د.إ1,300.00 -
Vinous (98)
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Auction 25 - Lot 23 is a one-off charity wine blended by Rosemary Cakebread, Cathy Corison, Dawnine Dyer and Diana Snowden for Premiere Napa Valley. It is a positively riveting wine. I don't use those words lightly. The purity of the flavors is just striking. Dark red/purplish berry fruit, graphite, lavender, sage and mint all soar out of the glass in a Cabernet that marries Napa Valley opulence with a classic sense of structure. Sadly, there are just twenty cases, all of them headed to London. Readers lucky enough to find a bottle or two are in for a real treat.د.إ9,445.00 -
James Suckling (100)
This is incredibly complex and complete with white and black-truffle aromas, as well as wet earth and blackcurrants. Then, it changes to tobacco, cedar and wild forest fruit. Dazzling complexity in both the nose and palate. Full-bodied, yet tight and harmonious. The tannins melt into the wine. Drinkable now, but one for the cellar. This estate could one day rival Harlan, which shares its ownership.د.إ8,175.00 -
Wine Advocate (99)
The best wine so far (although I suspect the 2015 may ultimately enter the picture as well) is the nearly perfect 2013 Promontory Estate. It is simply richer and fuller, with greater integration of tannin, and tastes spectacular. With an opaque, dense purple color and notes of graphite, wet rocks, blackberry and blueberry fruit, some charcoal, and again, loads of spice and loamy soil nuances, the wine has great intensity, a full-bodied texture, and finely grained, sweet tannin. This is a stunner and again, accessible, but its best days are probably a good decade away, as this could very well turn out to be a 40- to 50-year wine.د.إ6,915.00 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)
The 2014 Promontory has aged impeccably. Dark cherry, plum, leather and lavender are all pushed forward. A wine of density and power, the 2014 shows the richer, more overt style that was in place here ten years ago. I loved this wine on release, and it is still both very special and incredibly young. The 2014 represents a point of transition. It was aged 70% in cask and 30% in small French oak barrels. Today, Promontory is aged exclusively in large-format oak.د.إ5,165.00 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)
The 2014 Promontory has aged impeccably. Dark cherry, plum, leather and lavender are all pushed forward. A wine of density and power, the 2014 shows the richer, more overt style that was in place here ten years ago. I loved this wine on release, and it is still both very special and incredibly young. The 2014 represents a point of transition. It was aged 70% in cask and 30% in small French oak barrels. Today, Promontory is aged exclusively in large-format oak.د.إ6,755.00 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (99)
The 2015 Promontory is just as magnificent as it has always been. Tasted next to current releases, the 2015 shows the riper style of the year, and also a bit more oak influence from the new casks the estate was moving to during this era. Dark-hued fruit, graphite, leather, dried herbs, lavender and a touch of oak open with a bit of coaxing. More than anything else, I am so impressed with the quality of the tannins, by far the biggest challenge the Harlan family faced in the early days of making wines from this rugged hillside site. If I think back to the 2008, the first vintage here, and wines I tasted prior to release, the progress made at Promontory in under a decade is nothing short of remarkable.د.إ10,300.00 -
The Wine Independent (100)
Deep purple-black colored, the nose of the 2016 Promontory starts a little sluggish and broody before positively erupting with powerful scents of plum preserves and crème de cassis, followed by exotic hints of cardamom, Indian spices, and sandalwood, plus wafts of fertile loam and crushed rocks. The palate is full-bodied, rich, and velvety, intertwining opulence and minerality with wonderful vibrancy and gravitas, finishing with an epically long-lasting array of earthy sparks. Now starting to shut down as it heads into a slumber, give it a good 4-5 more years in the cellar before broaching, then drink it over the next 30+ years.د.إ9,480.00 -
Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)
Packed full of vivid (there really doesn't seem any other word for it) cassis and blueberry fruits, floral, textural and nuanced. Cabernet Sauvignon signature mix of crushed rocks, mint, crayon and slate, just a brilliant wine and a reflection of its exceptional site. This is elegant and precise while still delivering muscular, powerful flavours. I first tasted it at the property last November, and it's reassuring to see it make exactly the same impression when retasted back in Bordeaux, away from the awe-inspiring landscape. Harvest September 10 through to October 23. David Cilli winemaker, director Will Harlan.د.إ9,120.00 -
The Wine Independent (100)
The 2019 Promontory has a deep garnet-purple color. It is quite closed at the moment, needing a little swirling to reveal notes of crushed rocks, garrigue, iron ore, and lavender, leading to a core of black cherries, redcurrant jelly, and fresh blackcurrants, with a hint of mossy tree bark. The medium to full-bodied palate is so tightly wound, delivering multi-layered black and red berries with mineral and earthy sparks, supported by fine-grained tannins, finishing long and fragrant.د.إ11,380.00 -
James Suckling (97)
Aromas of spearmint, sweet tobacco, cigars and blackcurrants follow through to a medium to full body, very polished and refined tannins and an intense finish. Extremely fine and long. Savory. Extremely long finish. Biodynamically grown.د.إ3,610.00 -
Decanter (97)
Heading into harvest at the peak of the California drought years, the 2015 vintage also marks the first full vintage produced by winemaker Rebekah Wineburg. ‘We saw a small crop with small berries and incredible concentration. Not a hot year but warm,’ she recalls. What a drop-dead lovely wine sporting red, black, and blue-toned fruit flavours and aromas, with enticing cardamom and sweet cedar. Expansive and voluminous on the palate with divine concentration lifted by a spine of tingly acidity. The tannins are almost feathery, light, and delicate, yet present and built on a long, seamless finish. 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Carménѐre. Harvest: September 2 – September 30, 2015. 21 months in 75% new French oak barrel.د.إ3,750.00 -
James Suckling (98)
Phenomenal aromas of crushed berries, forest fruit, mushrooms and iron. Medium to full body, with layers of soft and refined tannins that follow through to a beautiful finish. Extremely long and refined. This shows depth and structure with balance and harmony. Hard not to open the bottle now and drink it, but it appears to be closing down now. Needs four to five years to show it all.د.إ4,225.00 -
James Suckling (99)
This is beautifully polished with firm, dusty tannins to the blue fruit, as well as chocolate and cedar character. Some much earthier character, too, from mushrooms to bark. Forest flowers. Perfumed. It’s full-bodied with round tannins and a soft, creamy finish. Some iron and iodine to this. So attractive at the finish. From biodynamically grown grapes. Better after 2023.د.إ2,955.00 -
Wine Enthusiast (100)
This is a winemaker's master class in blending and understanding of a long-standing site. Dried herb, cedar and pencil shavings accent lifted red fruit and brilliant acidity on the palate, with a supple yet still youthfully grippy texture that is framed by structured, graceful tannins.د.إ3,535.00 -
The Wine Independent (96)
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Carmenere, and 2% Petit Verdot, is deep garnet-purple in color. It leaps with vibrant scents of wild blueberries, redcurrant jelly, and warm cassis plus hints of underbrush, pencil shavings, and bay leaves. The full-bodied palate is lively and fine-grained, with bags of bright fruit and a fragrant lift on the finish of this impressive wine.د.إ3,590.00 -
(6x75cl) 2021Vinous (94)
The 2021 Chardonnay Bentrock Vineyard is another stellar wine in this range from Racines. Deep mineral veins drive through a core of citrus fruit in this exquisite, vibrant Chardonnay. Citrus peel, white flowers and graphite linger.د.إ1,796.00 -
(6x75cl) 2020Vinous (93)
The 2020 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills Cuvée is a terrific introduction to the range. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, spice, rose petal and a touch of whole cluster savoriness are all beautifully delineated. This is such a gorgeous and expressive Pinot.د.إ1,320.00 -
(6x75cl) 2021Vinous (96)
The 2021 Pinot Noir La Rinconada Vineyard is another captivating wine from Racines. Blood orange, red cherry fruit, mint, spice, chalk and white pepper all open in the glass. The 70% whole clusters work beautifully with the wine's natural personality. Bright saline notes extend the dynamic finish effortlessly. This is a very, very pretty wine.د.إ2,059.00
