Cellar8wine

Tasting Notes

Heady aromas of oak, green apple and honey entice you. The creamy oak and honey flavor finishes with soft oak that lingers until your next sip.

Suggested Food Pairings

This Chardonnay pairs well with eggs Benedict, poached salmon, grilled veal chops, and pumpkin ravioli.

Tasting Notes

A complex blend of flavors inundate the senses. Raspberry and strawberry fruit combine with nuances of vanilla, toffee, and cedar to initialize the experience, while mellow tannins guide the wine toward a gratifying finale.

Suggested Food Pairings

French-style pork stew, turkey pot pie, beef Burgogne, grilled lamb chops.

Vineyard Notes

2022 was an excellent vintage for Lodi Zinfandel characterized by an early crop and ripening variances within the vineyard. Some grapes were ready while others required extended hang time. Here is where picking for flavors is the best tool in the kit.

Winemaker Notes

Medium bodied with hints of blueberries and cherries. A fruit forward style nicely balanced and rich full bouquets and flavors.

Food Pairing Suggestions

This Zinfandel is perfect for meat lovers. Team it with New York steak, pork loin roast, and rack of lamb.

Vineyard Notes

A relatively new variety, Petite Sirah first appeared in France in the mid-1800s. It is a crossing of Syrah and Peloursin. Today, in Northern California's Inland Valley, the Lodi AVA grows most of the world's Petite Sirah producing full bodied wines of extraordinary deep color.

Winemaker Notes

An immediately noticeable dark inky color typical of Petite Sirah greets your wine glass. Flavor and bouquet of blueberries, chocolate and black pepper. Nicely balanced, dense tannin structure balanced against the jammy character of this wine.

Food Pairing Suggestions

An excellent compliment to red sauce pasta dishes, roasted pork, barbecued beef and grilled chicken or salmon.

Tasting Notes

The 2022 Big Guy Cabernet Sauvignon combines full-bodied, mild tannins with a slightly spicy aroma on the nose. The wine opens with toasted oak notes accompanied by ripe red fruits and underlying hints of tobacco. Once tasted, the structure and natural balance of the wine combine in symphony with the fruit laden flavors. It all culminates in a wonderfully tasting style of Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a wine for every day drinking, and it is suitable for every occasion.

Suggested Food Pairings

Our Big Guy Cabernet Sauvignon pairs beautifully with barbecued meats and heavy pasta dishes. Don’t forget to share a tidbit with your faithful friend, and ENJOY!

Tasting Notes

Merlot lays the firm foundation as the rest of our unique blend lends ripe, luscious fruit to the nose and a juicy, delicious palate. Well balanced, with a lovely structure, the soft tannins and sweet vanilla oak carry the red fruits, delivering flavors that gently expand on the palate. Our carefully crafted blend results in a wine with plenty of dark fruit character, notes of sweet wood, moderate tannins, and sweetly spiced, juicy fruit.

Suggested Food Pairings

This wine is perfect for everyday drinking, whether on its own or accompanied with barbecued red meats.

Tasting Notes

Carmenet Chardonnay is a lovely straw-colored wine with hints of apple, banana, and vanilla. This opulent and sensual wine finishes with butterscotch and tropical fruit and ends with a smooth, crisp, enjoyable finish. Enjoy.

Tasting Notes

Carmenet Chardonnay is a lovely straw-colored wine with hints of apple, banana, and vanilla. This opulent and sensual wine finishes with butterscotch and tropical fruit and ends with a smooth, crisp, enjoyable finish. Enjoy.

Tasting Notes

With a dark rich red color, Carmenet Cabernet Sauvignon presents a complex bouquet of berries with hints of chocolate. The palate rounds out with spice and vanilla and ends with a smooth lingering finish. Enjoy.

Tasting Notes

Carmenet Chardonnay is a lovely straw-colored wine with hints of apple, banana, and vanilla. This opulent and sensual wine finishes with butterscotch and tropical fruit and ends with a smooth, crisp, enjoyable finish. Enjoy.

Tasting Notes

This Pinot Grigio has aromas of lemongrass, grapefruit, and honeysuckle. On the palate, there are notes of lemon with a crisp finish.

Tasting Notes

Our JFJ Almond flavored Sparkling Wine is pale straw in color with aromas of rich almonds, a touch of caramel apple and yeast. The tiny bubbles tingle in your mouth as you taste a balance of sweet and tart created by fruity and nutty flavors with a lasting finish.

Suggested Food Pairings

Use this sparkling wine for a special occasion and pair with appetizers and cheeses.

Tasting Notes

The color is stunning and is an indication of the experience to be enjoyed. Black cherry, blackberry, and currant flavors are framed by spicy vanilla and toasty notes. The finish is luxurious as gentle tannins dissipate on the palate.

Suggested Food Pairings

Pairs well with grilled salmon, risotto with prosciutto and mushrooms, herb roasted pork tenderloin, charcuterie platter with soft cheeses and baguette.

The cool and foggy Russian River Valley is a haven for Burgundian-style varietals. Well-drained soils, warm afternoons and nights cooled by Pacific fog yield Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with pure, crystalline flavors. Winemaker John Allbaugh has sought out small, exceptional vineyards, meticulously planted, cultivated and harvested, to bring out the true terroir expression of this appellation.

Wine

Lush, ripe white peach, pineapple and pear notes mingle with toasty vanilla and oak spice nuances in the rich aromas and flavors of our Russian River Chardonnay. A hint of white flower and streak of minerality—typical of Russian River Valley terroir—add enticing complexity. The wine’s pitch-perfect acidity, influenced by the cool Pacific Ocean fog that funnels through a gap in the Sonoma Mountains, gives the wine vibrancy on the richly textured palate. Malolactic fermentation and new French oak barrels enhanced the lingering citrus and crème brûlée finish.

Vineyard

Winemaker John Allbaugh selected several small vineyards, including Mill Station, which he believes epitomize the character of the Russian River Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA). Their old vines, with small yields of great concentration, show the fabulous balance and flavor of Chardonnay grown in this cold, foggy appellation. These vines, which are as old as 35 years, are grafted to a collection of Dijon clones and field selections that yield small clusters and berries.

Winemaking

After hand harvesting in the foggy early morning, we immediately pressed the clusters to retain optimum fruitiness and balance in the wine. We fermented all the juice with wild yeast in toasted French barrels (45 percent new oak) for complexity. During malolactic fermentation (100 percent complete) and barrel aging, we gently stirred the yeast lees (bâtonnage) every two weeks to integrate fruit, oak and winemaking flavors and to add weight on the palate.

Vintage

A very low rainfall winter was followed by a dry, warm spring and nearly ideal summer. These factors resulted in balanced vine canopies, excellent fruit set and small, concentrated grapes. Perfect weather throughout harvest—fostering intense, beautifully balanced and expressive wines—crowned the vintage.

The cool and foggy Russian River Valley is a haven for Burgundian-style varietals. Well-drained soils, warm afternoons and nights cooled by Pacific fog yield Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with pure, crystalline flavors. Winemaker John Allbaugh has sought out small, exceptional vineyards, meticulously planted, cultivated and harvested, to bring out the true terroir expression of this appellation.

Wine

The crystalline, complex flavors of our 2016 Orogeny Pinot Noir speak to the distinctive soils and micro-climates of four tiny vineyards in the Russian River Valley. The sunny 2016 vintage intensified the wine’s fragrant ripe blackberry, blueberry and mulberry expression, while its notes of forest loam and redwood bark reflect the terroir. Warm spice nuances, from 40 percent new French oak barrels, lift the aromas and linger on the finish. Fine tannins and beautifully balanced acidity support the silky palate. John recommends this luscious Pinot Noir with grilled salmon over mashed potatoes with truffle oil, or smoky pork tenderloin with sage polenta.

Vineyard

John selected a number of small, exceptional vineyards within the Russian River Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA), which is the coolest and foggiest region in Sonoma County. While the vineyards share similar mesoclimates, their roots dig deep into different soil types, including famous Goldridge soil and Pajaro gravelly loams. Our 2016 Pinot Noir includes grapes from the outstanding Martinelli Vineyard, Gallaher Vineyard, the Lancel Creek Vineyard farmed by Ulysses Valdez, and Vineyard 11. The clones and selections budded to these vines include 114, 115, Pommard and 777, which together build the wine’s rich complexity.

Winemaking

We picked the grapes very early in the morning and then sorted them three times: first in the vineyard and then at the winery as both clusters and destemmed berries. The berries were cold soaked, with twice daily punch-downs, for gentle extraction of varietal character and tannins. Native yeast fermentation in small open-top fermentors was followed by in-barrel, native malolactic fermentation to round acidity. John tasted the wines every day during fermentation so he could tailor his winemaking procedures to develop the unique aroma, flavor and tannin profile of each vineyard. Ten months of aging in French oak barrels integrated oak spice and toffee into the vibrant berry character.

Vintage

Here, in one of the coolest appellations of the North Coast, the 2016 vintage even surpassed the highly touted 2014 vintage in grape quality. A very low-rainfall winter was followed by a dry, warm spring and nearly ideal summer. These factors resulted in balanced vine canopies, excellent fruit set and small, concentrated grapes. Perfect weather throughout harvest—fostering intense, beautifully balanced and expressive wines—crowned the Russian River Valley vintage.

Step into the realm of sophistication and immerse yourself in the smooth embrace of a truly remarkable wine with our first release Panther Rock, 2021 Napa Valley Meritage – a masterpiece that encapsulates the spirit of terroir and winemaking finesse. This Meritage, an artful union of Bordeaux varietals, elegantly balances power and grace, embodying the very spirit of the vineyards. A blend of CABERNET SAUVIGNON (53%), MERLOT (28%), CABERNET FRANC (18%), and a touch of PETIT VERDOT (1%) crafted by fourth-generation California winemaker, Carol Franzia.

This Meritage captures the essence of Napa Valley, where sun-kissed vines and cool breezes harmonize to make world-class wines. Carol crafted a blend that tells the story of the 2021 vintage. The growing season started with astonishingly little rain as the Valley was in its second year of drought. These conditions resulted in a low-yield harvest with intensely flavored, petite-sized berries. This lack of water and less vigorous vine growth led to reduced fruit drop resulting in concentrated flavors in the grapes.

The wine was meticulously AGED FOR 12 MONTHS IN 100% FRENCH OAK WITH 50% NEW BARRELS from acclaimed cooperages – Sylvain, Taransaud, and Boutes. As it gracefully matured, an additional six months in neutral barrels imparted a complex texture before being carefully racked.

With aromatic notes of blackberry, dark cherry, and hints of cedar from oak aging, the bouquet highlights subtle vanilla and spice nuances. On the palate, the wine features bold, dark fruit flavors, and a velvety texture with integrated, well-structured tannins. The wine offers a harmonious balance with a lingering finish that combines elements of ripe fruit, elegant oak, and a touch of earthiness. The result? A wine with a lusciously smooth and well-rounded mouthfeel, giving way to a profound depth of finish. Overall, this is an opulent and well-crafted Meritage showcasing the unique characteristics of Napa Valley.

Tasting Notes

This wine has classic Cabernet characteristics of cassis, cherries and hints of leather and cocoa powder. French and American oak combine vanilla and spice, creating a foil for the blackberry and plum fruit flavors and a round, flavorful finish.

Suggested Food Pairings

Pair with grilled grass-fed beef or bison or try with aged and semi-hard cheeses, pistachios and walnuts.

Tasting Notes

This light straw-colored wine has aromas of green apple and melon; with citrus, honey, and vanilla flavors. A hint of toast leads to a soft, lingering finish. Sip by itself, or enjoy with charred halibut, a strawberry quinoa spinach salad, or a chilled potato leek soup.

Tasting Notes

With a rich red color and full fruit expression, this Cabernet has lush aromas of blackberry and cherry. Smooth and elegant, this wine can be enjoyed now or aged.

Tasting Notes

The stream of tiny bubbles indicates this sparkling wine was made using the classic bottle fermented method. The aroma of apples coupled with a hint of yeast is complex and delicious. The finish is dry and tart—the signature character of a traditional brut sparkling wine.

Suggested Food Pairings

We firmly believe that the nature of a brut sparkling wine lends itself to a wide variety of food pairings. We suggest that Richard Grant Brut Chardonnay not be limited to just aperitif status or special occasions. Instead, we recommend you make any occasion special by serving Richard Grant Brut Chardonnay before, during, and after a meal.

Tasting Notes

This wine is rich and dark in color. The aromas and flavors have many layers including plum, cedar, black pepper, and vanilla. Soft silky tannins provide a lingering finish.

Food Pairing Suggestions

This wine is a fine partner to a number of foods. It goes well with aged cheddar and Gouda cheeses. Also try it along with lamb, flank steak or pasta in a marinara sauce.

Tasting Notes

This aromatic wine offers lovely aromas of nectarine, apricot, honey-crisp apple, and pear. There are also hints of honeycomb, jasmine, and lime peel. This wonderful acidic wine will leave your palate refreshed and wanting more.

Food Pairing Suggestions

Because of this wines sweetness and acidity, it makes the perfect accompaniment to spicy food. Strong Indian and Asian spices are a perfect match. A classic pairing would be spiced duck leg.

Tasting Notes

This Chardonnay is straw colored and exhibits a wonderful variety of fruit aromas that include peach, melon, and banana. On the palate, this wine shows fresh fruit of apple and melon blending with rich oak characteristics to finish smoothly. This wine speaks to our standards of winemaking excellence and we hope that you’ll cherish it with your family as we do with ours.

Suggested Food Pairings

Trout Meunière, Gruyère or a Fruit Tartine