It is rare for a winery to make its mark after just three vintages. It’s even more rare to make that mark based on a grape used more often for blending than as a single varietal. Dracaena Wines has managed to stake its claim early as a winery to watch by doing both.
2002 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon
Wow. It’s been a while since we’ve had a wine this well balanced. Incredibly complex, it displayed lots of dark fruit—black cherry, blueberry, currant—with secondary notes of pepper, earth and tobacco. It had the power you’d expect from a California Cab but the elegance of a Bordeaux. Smooth and plush mouthfeel, the length was ridiculously long. Fully mature and drinking beautifully.
Excellent+
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2004 Hanzell Pinot Noir
Medium red in colour showing some age on the rim. Cherry, plum and earth on the nose with a hint of pepper. Secondary notes revealed more dark fruit and leather. A very complex and elegant wine with a smooth mouthfeel that was definitely more Burgundian in style. We weren’t sure if it would be anywhere near its peak after 13 years and were wonderfully surprised. While it was showing no signs of breaking down, it’s drinking beautifully now so wouldn’t wait if we had another in the cellar. Excellent
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The view at St. Francis Winery.
St. Francis Winery and Vineyards has for a long time been on our list of favourite California wineries. We can still remember the 1996 St. Francis Reserve Merlot, the wine that tuned us on to St. Francis and the wine that turned us on to Merlot! The fruit-forward and beautifully textured style of that wine remains the house style today.
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In Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley, just outside the town of Healdsburg, sits a 1200-acre winery featuring a yellow Chateau, covered in vines, perched at the top of the estate. If you didn’t know better, you’d be forgiven for thinking you had stumbled upon a winery in Bordeaux, France rather than one in California wine country. Jordan Vineyard and Winery not only conjures up this feeling when gazing upon its stunning property, it also evokes Old World tradition with each sip of their wine.
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