Q4 2023 Premium Club

Matt Morris Wines

• Matt Morris does not have a physical winery.  They custom crush at a winery in Angwin, CA
• They have no tasting room.
• They produce ~300 cases annually across Charbono and Charbono based blends, but occasionally make Syrah. 

There are only 65 acres of Charbono left in the country. 

2019 Tofanelli Vineyards Charbono

• Only 50 Cases produced(!)
• 100% old vine, dry-farmed, head trained Charbono
• Aged 23 months in neutral oak

Tasting Notes:
The 2019 Charbono Tofanelli Vineyard is one of the more fresh, elegant wines in the trio, offering pretty red and black fruits as well as peppery herbs and floral, cedary notes. Medium-bodied, vibrant, and focused, it has building tannins and will benefit from a handful of years in the cellar.

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Kinsella Estates 

• Kinsella Estates is primarily just vineyards.  They do not have a physical winery.  The 12 acres of vines are situated in a 75 acre, mostly wooded property located in a private valley, about one mile west of West Dry Creek Road in Healdsburg, CA.
• There is no public tasting room. 
• They produce ~1,800 cases annually across Cabernet Sauvignon, and a small amount of Zinfandel (about 5% of their produciton) 
• Their winemaker is Thomas Rivers Brown, who has more 100-point wines [39] than any winemaker in history.

Kinsella Estates is ensconced in a private valley surrounded by hills of oak and redwood forest. They have a two-and-half acre irrigation lake which fills up every winter once the rains begin. Sitting approximately 600 feet above the Russian and Dry Creek rivers their location is ideal for stressing the fruit in the last month before harvest. This enriches the flavors of the fruit since the tap root of the vines cannot reach the water table – which they can do very easily if grown on the valley floor. Their vines are planted on steep slopes which is ideal for Cabernet since water, including irrigation water, will run off and not puddle around the vines. Cabernet grapes do not like “wet feet.”

2014 Jersey Boys Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

• 927 Cases Produced
• 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
• The primary fermentation takes place in large steel tanks. The secondary fermentation (malolactic fermentation) takes place in 75% new French oak barrels for approximately 20 months prior to bottling.

Tasting Notes:
This is a killer Cabernet Sauvignon with dazzling fruit levels and loads of loamy soil notes intermixed with black raspberry, blueberry and blackcurrant. The super-ripe and pure fruit hits the palate with a full-bodied crescendo. The wine offers up notes of underbrush, unsmoked cigar tobacco, pen ink and plenty of crème de cassis and blackberry.

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Gandona Winery

• Winery is located in Pritchard Hill, Napa Valley
• Tastings Room is by appointment
• They produce ~2,200 cases annually across Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and a dessert style wine made from Touriga Nacional

The winery is located at 1100 feet elevation on iron, volcanic soil above the fog line and overlooking Lake Hennessey. It provides an amazing expression of terroir!

2018 Encosta Cabernet Sauvignon

• 1,150 Cases Produced
• 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot
• Primary fermentation in 86% Concrete tank 8% Stainless steel and 6% barrel fermented. Then aged 21 months in 47% new French oak

Tasting Notes:
Composed of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Encosta has a deep garnet-purple color and explodes with a wall of fruit aromas – blackcurrant jelly, baked black cherries, blueberry compote and boysenberries – with underlying suggestions of cedar, cardamom and Indian spices plus a waft of menthol. Big, rich and full-bodied in the mouth, it has a beautiful velvety texture and loads of spicy sparks, finishing with a refreshing lift.