de Negoce offer

[Gray G]

to me these wines kind of are cellar protection wines, and the ones I went for this year are ready to drink today
love it!

[Kevin Patrick]

If this were To Kalon fruit, there would be some appropriately over the top language in the offer. That would definitely be a score worthy of a round number offer, though...

I also think Mondavi To Kalon is in the Oakville fan, not Rutherford.

Were he to source To Kalon fruit, I agree the salesmanship would be even more over-the-top.

Still a fun game playing "pin the vineyard" to the bottling.

[Timothy B a l l a r d]

Freemark Sycamore or Bosche are WELL over $100 wines at the winery. Both in Rutherford. Age very well- 20-30 years. This wine could be the Cbernet component fom Sycamore or Bosche as those are blended with other varietals.

Primary Vineyard: Sycamore Vineyard—Rutherford (100%): Small 24-acre vineyard located about 1.2 miles south of Bosche, right up against the Mayacamas Range, this vineyard has a rich clay loam. Sycamore Vineyard produces small berries reminiscent of mountain fruit berries, with intense extract of color and flavor.

[G. D y e r]

Interesting move on N.100. This seems to be aligning to a more futures-driven business model. Which makes sense since CH's major issue in his prior venture seemed to be cash flow related. And the 2018 grape glut is not a permanent condition.

[ScottieB]

Freemark Sycamore or Bosche are WELL over $100 wines at the winery. Both in Rutherford. Age very well- 20-30 years. This wine could be the Cbernet component fom Sycamore or Bosche as those are blended with other varietals.

Primary Vineyard: Sycamore Vineyard—Rutherford (100%): Small 24-acre vineyard located about 1.2 miles south of Bosche, right up against the Mayacamas Range, this vineyard has a rich clay loam. Sycamore Vineyard produces small berries reminiscent of mountain fruit berries, with intense extract of color and flavor.

These sound like great vineyards but the are not "iconic."

[saul_cooperstein]

How about Staglin?

[R Roberts]

Icon Estates is Constellation Brands fine wine division. Thoughts on this offer coming from a winery in that portfolio?

Yes, if you pay note to the capitalization used in the offer:

A sublime Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the Icon Estates of Napa Valley

I can't find anything newer than from 2005, but the wines under Icon Estates at that time were: Robert Mondavi Winery * Franciscan Oakville Estate * Mount Veeder Winery * Quintessa * Simi Winery * Ravenswood * Estancia * Columbia Winery * Ruffino * Tintara * Drylands * Veramonte

Of those, Mondavi clearly has the production volume and is considered a "true icon of Rutherford". Any others?

[Timothy B a l l a r d]

Scottie B...maybe you've not been around Napa Valley much? I remember my parents drinking Freemark decades ago.


Freemark Abbey:

A NAPA VALLEY ORIGINAL
EST. 1886
LEARN MORE


1 : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an icon. 2a : widely recognized and well-established an iconic brand name.

[David Kim]

How about Staglin?

This would be my guess.

Cam mentions "OG N.100 comes to us from one of the true icon's of the Rutherford. The estate is located at the southern end of the appellation, yet in the heart of the Oakville and Rutherford Bench complex of alluvial fans".

Staglin is on the southern end of Rutherford, west of hwy 29 (therefore situated within the Rutherford Bench). Their cabs start at $115, their vineyard is historic (originally planted in 1860, previously owned by BV during Tchelistcheff's days), and their tasting notes (https://www.staglinfamily.com/our-wines) of cherry, damson plum, confection, resinous flowers, etc. seem to be a fair match.

[DavidChang]

Gave away a couple of mixed cases of de Negoce for Christmas presents. Haven’t been impressed with any of them, but my mom and sister thought they were just fine!

Totally agree with you. At this point in my life I want good stuff, not always looking for cheapest deal. Btw, if you want to try good stuff at discount Claudine Wines BLOW de Negoce away, to me.

How old are you? I think it's good to balance cheap and good

[Toby P]

How about Staglin?

This would be my guess.

Cam mentions "OG N.100 comes to us from one of the true icon's of the Rutherford. The estate is located at the southern end of the appellation, yet in the heart of the Oakville and Rutherford Bench complex of alluvial fans".

Staglin is on the southern end of Rutherford, west of hwy 29 (therefore situated within the Rutherford Bench). Their cabs start at $115, their vineyard is historic (originally planted in 1860, previously owned by BV during Tchelistcheff's days), and their tasting notes (https://www.staglinfamily.com/our-wines) of cherry, damson plum, confection, resinous flowers, etc. seem to be a fair match.

This looks like the best guess, fits the "prices at the winery start at well over $100" comment(although it could be read to refer to just the specific cabernet on offer I suppose), and unless Cam is intentionally misdirecting (pretty much no chance IMO), the use of damson plum seems to be a giveaway.

[JBucholz]

Icon Estates is Constellation Brands fine wine division. Thoughts on this offer coming from a winery in that portfolio?

Yes, if you pay note to the capitalization used in the offer:

A sublime Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the Icon Estates of Napa Valley

I can't find anything newer than from 2005, but the wines under Icon Estates at that time were: Robert Mondavi Winery * Franciscan Oakville Estate * Mount Veeder Winery * Quintessa * Simi Winery * Ravenswood * Estancia * Columbia Winery * Ruffino * Tintara * Drylands * Veramonte

Of those, Mondavi clearly has the production volume and is considered a "true icon of Rutherford". Any others?

I hadn’t noticed the capitalization in the email, but I think this is the key. Of these wineries, only Franciscan and Mondavi are located in the Rutherford area. Both have the production volume to qualify and I think could be called iconic.

Points FOR Mondavi:
- the winery is located just south of the Rutherford bench
- the reserve cab sells for > $100

Points AGAINST Mondavi:
- the estate is technically in Oakville, not Rutherford
- the reserve cab sources from the To Kalon Vineyard, which borders on the Rutherford Bench, but is really just south of it in the Oakville Bench.
- hard to imagine if this juice really did come from To Kalon that it wouldn’t have gotten a reference in the marketing.

Points FOR Franciscan:
- located in Rutherford
- the Stylus cab sells for > $100
- the Stylus cab includes juice from the Beckstoffer Georges III vineyard on the southern border of the Rutherford AVA

Points AGAINST Franciscan:
- estate is located more on the northern end of the AVA

I think I’d lean to Franciscan.

[Toby P]

Franciscan lists Stylus at $110 and nothing above that, doesn't fit with "prices at the winery *start* at well over $100". Also not sure they have the production for 850 extra cases though didn't find that info

[ScottieB]

Scottie B...maybe you've not been around Napa Valley much? I remember my parents drinking Freemark decades ago.


Freemark Abbey:

A NAPA VALLEY ORIGINAL
EST. 1886
LEARN MORE


1 : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an icon. 2a : widely recognized and well-established an iconic brand name.

I'm sure Freemark Abbey is a great place, but being around a long time doesn't make it an icon per se...

[JBucholz]

How about Staglin?

This would be my guess.

Cam mentions "OG N.100 comes to us from one of the true icon's of the Rutherford. The estate is located at the southern end of the appellation, yet in the heart of the Oakville and Rutherford Bench complex of alluvial fans".

Staglin is on the southern end of Rutherford, west of hwy 29 (therefore situated within the Rutherford Bench). Their cabs start at $115, their vineyard is historic (originally planted in 1860, previously owned by BV during Tchelistcheff's days), and their tasting notes (https://www.staglinfamily.com/our-wines) of cherry, damson plum, confection, resinous flowers, etc. seem to be a fair match.

This looks like the best guess, fits the "prices at the winery start at well over $100" comment(although it could be read to refer to just the specific cabernet on offer I suppose), and unless Cam is intentionally misdirecting (pretty much no chance IMO), the use of damson plum seems to be a giveaway.

Certainly a possibility... particularly as you point out with the use of damson plum. The reasons I would lean against it though is because the email calls the offering a “sublime Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the Icon Estates of Napa Valley...”. Not from one of the iconic estates, but from one of the Icon Estates. I think that’s at least an equally strong clue.

The other reason I would lean against it is because the cab that Staglin lists as having damson plum notes sells for $200 a bottle. Given all of the chatter on this thread calling for a “200 for 18” doesn’t it seem likely that this would have made its way into the marketing?

[Chris Crutchfield]

This looks like the best guess, fits the "prices at the winery start at well over $100" comment(although it could be read to refer to just the specific cabernet on offer I suppose), and unless Cam is intentionally misdirecting (pretty much no chance IMO), the use of damson plum seems to be a giveaway.

I'm not sure why you would put it outside of the realm of possibility that Cam would add red herrings like capitalizing "Icon Estates" or adding misleading tasting notes. His goal is to sell wine, not give us enough clues to be able to track down the producer (in fact, he is disincentivized from doing so because the producer may not work with him again if reveals too much info).

There's so much dissecting of pig entrails in this thread which I think is rather pointless. Stick to the specific objective facts in the offer, which are things that Cam cannot fudge, and go from there.

[JBucholz]

There's so much dissecting of pig entrails in this thread which I think is rather pointless. Stick to the specific objective facts in the offer, which are things that Cam cannot fudge, and go from there.

Touché! Alternatively, you could ignore the posts that you find to be pointless and allow those of us who find value in the dissection of pig entrails to indulge ourselves. That way we’re all happy.

[larry schaffer]

Instead of guessing, just purchase if you want to - or don't if you don't. But for goodness sake, when you purchase and the wine arrives and you want to 'compare it' to what it's 'supposed to be', please do so blind. Seriously . . .

Cheers.

[Christopher Dunn]

Yes, a LOT of dissecting here. One thing that is noted on the dN website on the No. 100 is that he is blending it:
"The wine is currently composed of 100% Cabernet but we have purchased small lots of other blending components from the same producer (also in barrel) and we will assemble the final blend next year."

If it is truly "iconic" cabernet, I'm not sure I want it blended. Thus, an easy pass for me.

[David Kim]

This would be my guess.

Cam mentions "OG N.100 comes to us from one of the true icon's of the Rutherford. The estate is located at the southern end of the appellation, yet in the heart of the Oakville and Rutherford Bench complex of alluvial fans".

Staglin is on the southern end of Rutherford, west of hwy 29 (therefore situated within the Rutherford Bench). Their cabs start at $115, their vineyard is historic (originally planted in 1860, previously owned by BV during Tchelistcheff's days), and their tasting notes (https://www.staglinfamily.com/our-wines) of cherry, damson plum, confection, resinous flowers, etc. seem to be a fair match.

This looks like the best guess, fits the "prices at the winery start at well over $100" comment(although it could be read to refer to just the specific cabernet on offer I suppose), and unless Cam is intentionally misdirecting (pretty much no chance IMO), the use of damson plum seems to be a giveaway.

Certainly a possibility... particularly as you point out with the use of damson plum. The reasons I would lean against it though is because the email calls the offering a “sublime Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the Icon Estates of Napa Valley...”. Not from one of the iconic estates, but from one of the Icon Estates. I think that’s at least an equally strong clue.

The other reason I would lean against it is because the cab that Staglin lists as having damson plum notes sells for $200 a bottle. Given all of the chatter on this thread calling for a “200 for 18” doesn’t it seem likely that this would have made its way into the marketing?

It’s 100% cabernet but my assumption is that it’s a mix of clones/barrels/lots/etc. that didn’t make it into the final blends for their wines. Therefore you’d pick up notes that span the spectrum. The wine could have been excess for many reasons so the comparison to the $100+ wine is unlikely an apples to apples comparison, but would still be a quality wine nonetheless.

[Christopher Dunn]

This looks like the best guess, fits the "prices at the winery start at well over $100" comment(although it could be read to refer to just the specific cabernet on offer I suppose), and unless Cam is intentionally misdirecting (pretty much no chance IMO), the use of damson plum seems to be a giveaway.

Certainly a possibility... particularly as you point out with the use of damson plum. The reasons I would lean against it though is because the email calls the offering a “sublime Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the Icon Estates of Napa Valley...”. Not from one of the iconic estates, but from one of the Icon Estates. I think that’s at least an equally strong clue.

The other reason I would lean against it is because the cab that Staglin lists as having damson plum notes sells for $200 a bottle. Given all of the chatter on this thread calling for a “200 for 18” doesn’t it seem likely that this would have made its way into the marketing?

It’s 100% cabernet but my assumption is that it’s a mix of clones/barrels/lots/etc. that didn’t make it into the final blends for their wines. Therefore you’d pick up notes that span the spectrum. The wine could have been excess for many reasons so the comparison to the $100+ wine is unlikely an apples to apples comparison, but would still be a quality wine nonetheless.

As I posted above, the No. 100 is NOT 100% cabernet. The description on the dN website states "The wine is currently composed of 100% Cabernet [i.e., that's what he purchased, and note careful use of the word 'currently'] but we have purchased small lots of other blending components from the same producer (also in barrel) and we will assemble the final blend next year."

Those other "blending components" are not going to be other cab clones, or he would have said so. It's interesting, too, that the email he sent out advertising No. 100 did not give such details. Nor do we know what those "blending components" are.

Thus, as I said, I'm not buying.

[David Kim]

Certainly a possibility... particularly as you point out with the use of damson plum. The reasons I would lean against it though is because the email calls the offering a “sublime Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the Icon Estates of Napa Valley...”. Not from one of the iconic estates, but from one of the Icon Estates. I think that’s at least an equally strong clue.

The other reason I would lean against it is because the cab that Staglin lists as having damson plum notes sells for $200 a bottle. Given all of the chatter on this thread calling for a “200 for 18” doesn’t it seem likely that this would have made its way into the marketing?

It’s 100% cabernet but my assumption is that it’s a mix of clones/barrels/lots/etc. that didn’t make it into the final blends for their wines. Therefore you’d pick up notes that span the spectrum. The wine could have been excess for many reasons so the comparison to the $100+ wine is unlikely an apples to apples comparison, but would still be a quality wine nonetheless.

As I posted above, the No. 100 is NOT 100% cabernet. The description on the dN website states "The wine is currently composed of 100% Cabernet [i.e., that's what he purchased, and note careful use of the word 'currently'] but we have purchased small lots of other blending components from the same producer (also in barrel) and we will assemble the final blend next year."

Those other "blending components" are not going to be other cab clones, or he would have said so. It's interesting, too, that the email he sent out advertising No. 100 did not give such details. Nor do we know what those "blending components" are.

Thus, as I said, I'm not buying.

Right, the final blend will not be 100% cab but his current tasting notes are based on the 100% cab, hence my comments. The 100% cab is already different from what the winery sells as one of their own and once Cam adds other blending components it will continue to be (more) different.

In this case (and often with Cam’s offerings), I would assume buyers aren’t buying based on trying to get the exact same product the original winery bottles and sells unless Cam explicitly states it. Folks are (at least I am) buying on the faith that it’s quality juice coming from a respectable winery that farms with a high level of care and treat the grapes/wine they sell to Cam similarly to what they use to put in their own bottling.

[Toby P]

This looks like the best guess, fits the "prices at the winery start at well over $100" comment(although it could be read to refer to just the specific cabernet on offer I suppose), and unless Cam is intentionally misdirecting (pretty much no chance IMO), the use of damson plum seems to be a giveaway.

I'm not sure why you would put it outside of the realm of possibility that Cam would add red herrings like capitalizing "Icon Estates" or adding misleading tasting notes. His goal is to sell wine, not give us enough clues to be able to track down the producer (in fact, he is disincentivized from doing so because the producer may not work with him again if reveals too much info).

There's so much dissecting of pig entrails in this thread which I think is rather pointless. Stick to the specific objective facts in the offer, which are things that Cam cannot fudge, and go from there.

Fair points, I just think it would be stupid of him to burn bridges by insinuating that wineries were selling to him that aren't actually doing so - much worse than dropping subtle hints about the actual wineries he's buying from (who know that he has to be able to give some details to entice sales). I initially thought damson plum was rare enough that it couldn't be an accident / made Staglin fairly likely, but seems that it does show up in a number of other tasting notes as well. The pig entrail dissection is mostly just entertainment, fun to play the game but of course I don't think it makes anything 100% likely without the more concrete details if/when offered. Plus, if we can all convince ourselves it's the winery we want, we can get that sweet sweet placebo effect

[Chris Crutchfield]

Fair points, I just think it would be stupid of him to burn bridges by insinuating that wineries were selling to him that aren't actually doing so - much worse than dropping subtle hints about the actual wineries he's buying from (who know that he has to be able to give some details to entice sales). I initially thought damson plum was rare enough that it couldn't be an accident / made Staglin fairly likely, but seems that it does show up in a number of other tasting notes as well. The pig entrail dissection is mostly just entertainment, fun to play the game but of course I don't think it makes anything 100% likely without the more concrete details if/when offered. Plus, if we can all convince ourselves it's the winery we want, we can get that sweet sweet placebo effect

Oh, I find it to be a fun diversion as well. I think it's pretty clear that with some of Cam's offers he really makes very little effort to disguise who the producer is, and we are able to figure it out with near certainty. For offers like N.100, there is so little concrete information in the offer text that either Cam's NDA was much stricter than normal about what he could disclose, or (more likely) he doesn't want us to figure out where the wine came from, probably because it would hurt the perceived value of the offer. For the record I still bought N.100, despite this.

[RandyF.]

I'm satisfied so long as herring (red or otherwise) stays in the clues like "Icon Estate" but doesnt end up in anyone's tasting notes...

[ScottieB]

Fair points, I just think it would be stupid of him to burn bridges by insinuating that wineries were selling to him that aren't actually doing so - much worse than dropping subtle hints about the actual wineries he's buying from (who know that he has to be able to give some details to entice sales). I initially thought damson plum was rare enough that it couldn't be an accident / made Staglin fairly likely, but seems that it does show up in a number of other tasting notes as well. The pig entrail dissection is mostly just entertainment, fun to play the game but of course I don't think it makes anything 100% likely without the more concrete details if/when offered. Plus, if we can all convince ourselves it's the winery we want, we can get that sweet sweet placebo effect

Oh, I find it to be a fun diversion as well. I think it's pretty clear that with some of Cam's offers he really makes very little effort to disguise who the producer is, and we are able to figure it out with near certainty. For offers like N.100, there is so little concrete information in the offer text that either Cam's NDA was much stricter than normal about what he could disclose, or (more likely) he doesn't want us to figure out where the wine came from, probably because it would hurt the perceived value of the offer. For the record I still bought N.100, despite this.

Cam's Gambit

[JonathanG]

Was just at the Costco thread reading about their Kirkland Rutherford Cab. Was thinking it would be fun to do a head to head tasting of the dN cabs from the same regions as Kirkland ones. The Rutherford cab is $19, so roughly the same price point as the dN cabs. Will have to start a little collection of the Kirkland ones when I see them now for this taste-off.

[R Scott Hughes]

Was just at the Costco thread reading about their Kirkland Rutherford Cab. Was thinking it would be fun to do a head to head tasting of the dN cabs from the same regions as Kirkland ones. The Rutherford cab is $19, so roughly the same price point as the dN cabs. Will have to start a little collection of the Kirkland ones when I see them now for this taste-off.

100% agree - but would really like to see this expanded beyond Kirkland. I think it would be fascinating to mix in a few dN wines along with their suspected sources - as well as some other comparable bottles - and have them all tasted blind. Mix in a few dN fanboys, a few dN haters, and a few disinterested parties and you could have the makings of a fun party.

[JonathanG]

Was just at the Costco thread reading about their Kirkland Rutherford Cab. Was thinking it would be fun to do a head to head tasting of the dN cabs from the same regions as Kirkland ones. The Rutherford cab is $19, so roughly the same price point as the dN cabs. Will have to start a little collection of the Kirkland ones when I see them now for this taste-off.

100% agree - but would really like to see this expanded beyond Kirkland. I think it would be fascinating to mix in a few dN wines along with their suspected sources - as well as some other comparable bottles - and have them all tasted blind. Mix in a few dN fanboys, a few dN haters, and a few disinterested parties and you could have the makings of a fun party.

Ill bring the Kirkland wines you can bring the suspected sources wines

[EAScrog]

Was just at the Costco thread reading about their Kirkland Rutherford Cab. Was thinking it would be fun to do a head to head tasting of the dN cabs from the same regions as Kirkland ones. The Rutherford cab is $19, so roughly the same price point as the dN cabs. Will have to start a little collection of the Kirkland ones when I see them now for this taste-off.

100% agree - but would really like to see this expanded beyond Kirkland. I think it would be fascinating to mix in a few dN wines along with their suspected sources - as well as some other comparable bottles - and have them all tasted blind. Mix in a few dN fanboys, a few dN haters, and a few disinterested parties and you could have the makings of a fun party.

Ill bring the Kirkland wines you can bring the suspected sources wines

I'll bring the cheese and crackers.

[BjeanG]

Was just at the Costco thread reading about their Kirkland Rutherford Cab. Was thinking it would be fun to do a head to head tasting of the dN cabs from the same regions as Kirkland ones. The Rutherford cab is $19, so roughly the same price point as the dN cabs. Will have to start a little collection of the Kirkland ones when I see them now for this taste-off.

The #100 was my first dN purchase. I'm REALLY hoping it's a step up from Kirkland. Would never buy a case of Kirkland Cab. I'm new to this, but assumed (hoped) it was higher quality than Kirkland.

[Eric White]

Was just at the Costco thread reading about their Kirkland Rutherford Cab. Was thinking it would be fun to do a head to head tasting of the dN cabs from the same regions as Kirkland ones. The Rutherford cab is $19, so roughly the same price point as the dN cabs. Will have to start a little collection of the Kirkland ones when I see them now for this taste-off.

The #100 was my first dN purchase. I'm REALLY hoping it's a step up from Kirkland. Would never buy a case of Kirkland Cab. I'm new to this, but assumed (hoped) it was higher quality than Kirkland.

this is really an "it depends" situation. Some Kirkland wines are very, very good. Some are truly awful.

[Chris Crutchfield]

The #100 was my first dN purchase. I'm REALLY hoping it's a step up from Kirkland. Would never buy a case of Kirkland Cab. I'm new to this, but assumed (hoped) it was higher quality than Kirkland.

It's no certain thing whether this will be better than a Kirkland Rutherford, however Cam's track record seems to be good with the "notable number" releases. We'll see in May I guess.

[Mike R]

Anyone heard anything on No 77 or 82? I have received all my wines except these (and No. 100).

[Eric White]

Anyone heard anything on No 77 or 82? I have received all my wines except these (and No. 100).

both of these are still outstanding for me as well, plus 90, 93, and 100

[Alan Newman]

I'm still missing #4 Merlot. Waiting to hear back from "Shipping".

[larry schaffer]

Was just at the Costco thread reading about their Kirkland Rutherford Cab. Was thinking it would be fun to do a head to head tasting of the dN cabs from the same regions as Kirkland ones. The Rutherford cab is $19, so roughly the same price point as the dN cabs. Will have to start a little collection of the Kirkland ones when I see them now for this taste-off.

The #100 was my first dN purchase. I'm REALLY hoping it's a step up from Kirkland. Would never buy a case of Kirkland Cab. I'm new to this, but assumed (hoped) it was higher quality than Kirkland.

I personally think that's a bit narrow-minded - perhaps the 'Kirkland' name does not have as much 'panache' as 'DeNegoce', but the reality is that they play in the same arena and are searching out the best deals that they can. Go in with an open mind and you might be surprised . . .

Cheers.

[Kyle S chaffer]

8, 82, and 98 are outstanding for me. 82 was billed as "shipping december"...

[rsmithjr]

I'm still missing #4 Merlot. Waiting to hear back from "Shipping".

Me too,,,,, # 3 Cab Franc

I have found 8, 21, and 68 to be exceptionally promising. 8 from mt veeder has GREAT structure....

[Doug Uno]

I checked with the support staff and they said that OG N.82 is shipping later this week or next week. They said I would receive a confirmation email with the tracking details upon shipping.

[MatthewT]

#107 sounds good. I'd buy 3 if I could!

[Kevin N]

I personally think that's a bit narrow-minded - perhaps the 'Kirkland' name does not have as much 'panache' as 'DeNegoce', but the reality is that they play in the same arena and are searching out the best deals that they can. Go in with an open mind and you might be surprised . . .

Cheers.

Completely agree with this. I'm a bit of an anomaly on this board as I come more from the spirits world and have quite a bit more experience with old world wines than new. That said, the Kirkland Rioja Reservas and Chianti Classico Reservas can hold their own...especially at under $10/bottle. I really enjoyed the 2018 Kirkland Napa Cab for the price. I'm in MN and we never saw the Rutherford.

Bottom line to expand on what many have said and to go along with my prefacing my spirit background...Give yourself the chance to do a lot of blind tasting and you'll be surprised what you think is best. I'm just getting more into the California wines and using the de Negoce for comparison. Some are winners and some aren't as much, but at 1/5-1/6 the price the gamble is generally worth it and it's always fun to find a gem.

[Kevin N]

#107 sounds good. I'd buy 3 if I could!

Situated just off State Lane on the east side of Napa Valley in the Yountville AVA, this vineyard sits close by legendary producers Kapscandy and Clif Lede. The estate Petite Sirah on offer today is itself a component of a just south of $100 per bottle red blend. The producer simply had about 600 gallons of extra Petite as the blend is usually a specific percentage split between the two varietals. Dismiss this wine as simply "excess" juice at your own risk.

Raised in 100% new French oak, this beautiful and powerful Petite Sirah has excellent intensity. It is, of course, inky in the glass (the hold back sample I have from September 3rd has completely stained the clear glass purple) but its beautifully perfumed with a lovely potpourri of floral aromatics haloing black cherry, blueberry, dark chocolate-covered figs and toasty oak. Its muscular yet supple on the palate with terrific density nicely balanced against excellent acidity. Raspberry compote, blue fruit, vanilla and seasoned oak mingle in this rich structure, unfurling their intensity against a wave of robust, chewy tannins. If you like it big and bold, this is your wine!


I'm considering it right now. I've got a couple more cases coming and don't have a lot of petite sirah in my life. I've got a glass to finish tonight and will probably buy if it's not sold out by the end of the night. The description does sound good.

[DanielP]

*please note: the wine was bottled in Burgundy glass, not Bordeaux as pictured above.

Alas, if only de Negoce actually bottled in Bordeaux glass...

[T0ny Dr13r]

Sounds like this is the Petite Sirah component of Goosecross Petit Petite. Thoughts? Oak matches. 50/50 blend matches Cam’s description.

[Chr!s G|@rn3r]

I think #107 lines up well with Goosecross's "Petit Petite". $95, 50% Petite Sirah, 50% Syrah, 100% New French Oak. Many of the tasting notes line up. The winery sits on State Lane road right by Kapscandy and Cliff Lede. The only thing that doesn't line up is Cam said this Petite comes from their estate vineyard, whereas the 2016 bottling shows that the petite sirah came from Nord Ridge which is in St. Helena, not Yountville. However, with the 2018 surplus, they may have used their own for this vintage only. Or it was a typo. Just a guess, and in for a case either at $15/btl. and don't care either way!

https://goosecross.com/shop/?view=produ ... t%20Petite

[Kevin N]

Sounds like this is the Petite Sirah component of Goosecross Petit Petite. Thoughts? Oak matches. 50/50 blend matches Cam’s description.

https://goosecross.com/shop/?view=produ ... t%20Petite

This is not helping me try not to buy.

[T0ny Dr13r]

Only around 50 cases left

[Kevin N]

Only around 50 cases left

Damn FOMO got me.

[Glenn L e v i n e]

I went for the PS. Wife likes the only ones.