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Red
750ml
Bottle: $71.60
6 bottles: $70.17
As these mountaintop vines mature, the fruit gains more prominent character, yet the telltale structure remains....
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WE
94
VM
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $71.60
6 bottles: $70.17
The entire lineup of Clos de la Tech wines walks on a different plain than most other Pinot Noir, so consumers should...
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WE
93
Red
12 FREE
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $67.95 $71.60
Sharp aromas of stewed black plum, cocoa dust, wild mint and baked soil show on the nose of this bottling from a...
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WE
94
VM
93
Red
750ml
Bottle: $71.60
6 bottles: $70.17
Quite dark in the glass, this block-designated bottling from a ridgetop vineyard at 2,350 feet begins with earthy...
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WE
95
Red
750ml
Bottle: $53.20
6 bottles: $52.14
Rich, deep and effusive, the 2016 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountain Estates is a fabulous introduction to the Clos de la...
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VM
94
Red
750ml
Bottle: $33.75
6 bottles: $33.08
A dark shade in the glass, this blend from multiple vineyards begins with aromas of dried berry, iodine, mahogany and...
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WE
93
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $32.90 $34.20
12 bottles: $31.35
Rich and complex, with notes of salted hazelnut, fresh lemon curd, tangerine and Honeycrisp apple, showing a...
WS
92
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $34.83 $37.20
12 bottles: $34.20
Cranberry, crumpled thyme, dusty earth and a hint of fresh oregano show on the nose of this bottling. There's a...
WE
91
WS
90
White
750ml
Bottle: $47.93
12 bottles: $46.97
AROMA : Key lime, lemongrass, graham cracker. FLAVOR : Lemon bar, white tea, saline.
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $53.88
12 bottles: $52.80
SAVERIA vineyard in Santa Cruz mountains is a hidden vineyard near the town of Aptos, a mere 4.5 miles from the...
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White
750ml
Bottle: $58.88 $63.00
12 bottles: $58.71
Powerfully ripe yet racy and thrilling with acidity, this deeply concentrated Chardonnay exhibits a masterful balance...
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DC
95
WS
93
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $21.49 $24.00
Complex and distinctive, with pear, nectarine and Honeycrisp apple flavors, salted melon accents and a savory note of...
WS
90
Sale
Red
750ml
Bottle: $61.89 $67.20
This is more bone than flesh, with a wiry tannic structure around a core of savory, damson plum and blood orange...
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WS
91
Sale
White
750ml
Bottle: $39.90 $42.00
The 2021 Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains is a peek at the stellar produce of Rhys's 2021 single-vineyard white wines....
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WA
93
VM
92
Red
750ml
Bottle: $44.94
12 bottles: $44.04
Coming all from the Santa Cruz Mountains, the 2017 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains Alesia is similarly colored yet...
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JD
93
WA
91
White
750ml
Bottle: $24.00
12 bottles: $23.52
Straw color. Aromas of citrus blossom, green apple, yuzu, and sea spray are supported by flavors of quince, pear...
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White
750ml
Bottle: $39.93
12 bottles: $39.13
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Red
750ml
Bottle: $37.88
12 bottles: $37.12
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Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $71.94

Chardonnay Pinot Noir United States California Santa Cruz County 750ml Santa Cruz Mountains

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one which has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is the Chardonnay. This green skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape, and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.

Regularly described as being the grape varietal responsible for producing the world's most romantic wines, Pinot Noir has long been associated with elegance and a broad range of flavors The name means 'black pine' in French, and this is due to the fact that the fruit of this particular varietal is especially dark in color, and hangs in a conical shape, like that of a pine cone. Despite being grown today in almost every wine producing country, Pinot Noir is a notoriously difficult grape variety to cultivate. This is because it is especially susceptible to various forms of mold and mildew, and thrives best in steady, cooler climates. However, the quality of the fruit has ensured that wineries and vintners have persevered with the varietal, and new technologies and methods have overcome many of the problems it presents. Alongside this, the wide popularity and enthusiasm for this grape has ensured it will remain a firm favorite amongst wine drinkers for many years to come.

Of all the New World wine countries, perhaps the one which has demonstrated the most flair for producing high quality wines - using a combination of traditional and forward-thinking contemporary methods - has been the United States of America. For the past couple of centuries, the United States has set about transforming much of its suitable land into vast vineyards, capable of supporting a wide variety of world-class grape varietals which thrive on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines. Of course, we immediately think of sun-drenched California in regards to American wines, with its enormous vineyards responsible for the New World's finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines, but many other states have taken to viticulture in a big way, with impressive results. Oregon, Washington State and New York have all developed sophisticated and technologically advanced wine cultures of their own, and the output of U.S wineries is increasing each year as more and more people are converted to their produce.

California as a wine producing region has grown in size and importance considerably over the past couple of centuries, and today is the proud producer of more than ninety percent of the United States' wines. Indeed, if California was a country, it would be the fourth largest producer of wine in the world, with a vast range of vineyards covering almost half a million acres. The secret to California's success as a wine region has a lot to do with the high quality of its soils, and the fact that it has an extensive Pacific coastline which perfectly tempers the blazing sunshine it experiences all year round. The winds coming off the ocean cool the vines, and the natural valleys and mountainsides which make up most of the state's wine regions make for ideal areas in which to cultivate a variety of high quality grapes.