Duke of Bourbon: E-mail Specials

We are certain that you were aghast and agape when you received two consecutive emails from the Duke that featured Chardonnay. You may have even stood there with mouth ajar and arms akimbo. Never fear! We have come back to the "dark" side and are reminding you of some of the outstanding red wines on our shelves. You probably are familiar with all these wines, so we won't bother you with lots of verbiage - just the "big guy's" score and notes and our price. You can do the rest and Call the Duke today!!

Dalla Valle 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon - RP 94 - Very limited production - only 500 cases!
Parker's notes: "A sumptuous nose of blueberries, creme de cassis, blackberries, graphite, and spring flowers soars from the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Dalla Valle Vineyards. More restrained than the 2004, it exhibits a refreshing, vibrant, pure, beautifully constructed style with a seamless integration of acidity, wood, tannin, and alcohol. Long and pure with ripe tannin, it should drink well for 15-20 years. It is a classic example of elegance plus substance."
Duke's price - $225.00 per bottle.

Dalla Valle 2005 Maya - RP 96+ - Very rare and limited!
Parker's notes: "The 2005 Maya Proprietary Red Wine is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Cabernet Franc. Many experienced observers believe that the Cabernet Franc grown in the red soils of Dalla Valle's vineyards is the finest in California, and this cuvee has always reflected that. The dense ruby/purple-hued 2005 reveals a lovely, sweet perfume of scorched earth, black and red fruits, truffles, and a whiff of pain grille. The flavor profile possesses notions of chocolate and smoky oak along with rich, layered fruit, an enticing texture, and a long finish. This outstanding red wine will age well for 20-25 years. It is one of the most graceful, approachable Mayas made recently."
Duke's price - $350.00 per bottle. One bottle of Maya available with the purchase of 3 bottles of Dalla Valle 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. Sorry, we must limit purchases of Maya to a total of 3 bottles.

Araujo 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Eisele Vineyard - RP 98+
Parker's notes: "From their 40+ acres of vineyard in the very northeasterly sector of Napa, just south of the quaint town of Calistoga, anywhere from 1,600 to 2,200 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard are produced. The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele (a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot) shows wonderfully sweet black currant notes intermixed with some licorice, incense, crushed rock, and floral characteristics. It is deep, medium to full-bodied, with beautiful purity, virtually perfect integration of tannins, and extraordinary length which lasts over 60 seconds. This is an exceptional, seamless Cabernet Sauvignon that is the vinous equivalent of haute couture. This sensationally pure wine (actually the first vintage of the estate Cabernet to have a little Merlot in it, but only 2%) borders on perfection. This is a gorgeously proportioned wine with beautiful floral and black fruit notes intermixed with some mineral and gentle background oak.

One of California's and the world's great wine estates, Araujo continues to exhibit remarkable consistency and impeccably high quality. Little seems to change other than some minor tweaking with respect to viticulture and winemaking. The team of Bart and Daphne Araujo, their talented longtime winemaker, Francoise Peschon, and the globe-trotting oenologist, Michel Rolland, are to be commended on the extraordinary elegance of these wines."
Duke's price - $350.00 per bottle.

O'Shaughnessy 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon - RP 95
Parker's notes: "The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder has a soaring bouquet of smoked meats, black fruits, espresso roast, lavender, and creme de cassis. Gorgeously rich, with high tannins, high extract, and superb purity and concentration, this is a beautiful wine that may be even better than my score. The good news, I think, is that they produced nearly 1,000 cases in this vintage, and by Napa standards, this is still a decently priced Cabernet Sauvignon for such compelling quality.

A I said last year, this relatively new producer is off to a flying start. Winemaker Sean Capiaux (who has his own Pinot Noir operation) seems to be doing some stunning work with this 35-acre vineyard, planted with 29 acres of Cabernet and the rest other Bordeaux varietals."
Duke's price - $75.00 per bottle.

Kamen 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma) - RP 95
Parker's notes: "The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon has put on significant weight since last year. This seems to be a common occurrence in 2005, which do have a more European structural underpinning, but have definitely increased their intensity of fruit as they have aged in cask =E2=80=93 always a positive sign. This wine has an inky bluish/purple color to the rim, a sweet nose of white flowers intermixed with black currants, a deep full-bodied mouthfeel, superb purity, plenty of tannin, but it is sweet, integrated, and the wine long (over 40 seconds), with stunning perfume. This wine should drink beautifully for 15-20 years.

This small artisinal estate produces a total of just over 1,000 cases, with the vineyards organically farmed by Philip Coturri. Winemaking consultant Mark Herold is the wizard behind the wines, which seem to be going from strength to strength. It would be hard to argue against the fact that Kamen is now producing one of the top four or five Cabernet Sauvignons from Sonoma ."
Duke's price - $75.00 per bottle.

Hundred Acre 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Kayli Morgan - RP 96-99
Parker's notes: "The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan looks to be the finest Cabernet Sauvignon Jayson Woodbridge has yet produced, and has put on weight and complexity since I tasted it last year. Like all of his Cabernet Sauvignons, this wine is fermented in wood puncheons or demi-muids, and is a breathtaking example of plush, layered, complex Cabernet Sauvignon. A total thrill, this wine has absolutely awesome aromatics of creme de cassis, cedar, sweet cherries, spice box, as well as licorice and graphite. A caramelized sweetness to the fruit, loads of glycerin, unbelievable unctuosity and opulence a la Pomerol's Le Pin or some of the legendary vintages of right bank Bordeaux leads into a full-bodied, concentrated, exceptionally pure wine that is a total delight to smell, contemplate, sip, and in my case, spit out. This is a wine that can be drunk young or cellared for 20+ years."
Duke's price - $259. 99 per bottle.

Hundred Acre 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Ark - RP 94-96
Parker's notes: "The debut vintage from a 17-acre Howell Mountain parcel of vines, planted meter by meter, is the 2005 Arc. Yields were tiny (one ton of fruit per acre) in this relatively abundant vintage. The result is a wine revealing a bouquet of cigar box, graphite, cedar, and black currant scents intermixed with fresh tobacco and spice aromas. Supple tannin, medium to full body, and beautiful concentration suggest a high-class wine of elegance and complexity.

The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Ark is gorgeously rich, with a deep ruby/purple color and creme de cassis aromas intermixed with some graphite, licorice, espresso, and spice. An opulent, fleshy wine with more noticeable tannic structure and earthiness, this wine will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age, and drink well for two decades."
Duke's price - $259.99 per bottle.

Spottswoode 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon - RP 96
Parker's notes: "The prodigious 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate may be Spottswoode's strongest effort since their superb 2002 and 2001. A deep ruby/purple color is accompanied by a classic bouquet of violets, graphite, blueberries, and creme de cassis with hints of licorice and cedar. Stunningly pure and elegant as well as substantial and authoritatively flavored, this is a long, rich, concentrated wine with the grace of a ballerina. Give it 2-3 years of bottle age and consume it over the following 20-25+ years."
Duke's price - $129.99 per bottle.

Joseph Phelps Vineyards 2005 Insignia - RP 93-96
Parker's notes: "The 2005 Insignia (12,500 cases) is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec. Elegant and restrained (which is very much in keeping with the style of this vintage), the wine is also rich, dense, pure, with chocolatey cassis notes intermixed with hints of subtle wood, roasted herbs, and spice. It is ripe, rich, full-bodied, but in need of 4-5 years of bottle age. It should last for 25-30 years."
Duke's price - Please call the store for our special pricing on Insignia.

Chateau Montelena 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate - RP 94+
Parker's notes: "The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, all from their old vineyards in Calistoga. This is a dense, ruby/purple-tinged wine with full body, and despite the softness of the general vintage, Montelena has plenty of structure. Like nearly every vintage of their top Cabernet Sauvignon, it will last for 25 or more years. The wine has sweet tannin in a broad, flavorful, concentrated style with plenty of black currant, licorice, and spice. The wine is beautifully textured, slightly more forward than most Montelena Cabernets tend to be. It is another beauty from probably the most consistent winery for Cabernet Sauvignon over the last three decades."
Duke's price - $119.50 per bottle.

Note: Prices are good while our supplies last and we reserve the right to change them at any time without notice.