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This offer features two William Knuttel wines which have just arrived. William Knuttel is a GURU winemaker. Many of you have ordered, tried and then reordered his Knuttel Rafanelli Vineyards Terrace Block Cab. Thank You. Now we have received our allocation of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Bill is a perfectionist. He brought Chalk Hill Chardonnay to prominence in the 90's, placing that wine in the top 10 to 100 Wine Spectator wines of the year.
2013 William Knuttel Chardonnay Bacigalupi Vineyard, Russian
River Valley
Only 246 cases produced, 5 cases available
Pricing $38.00 per/ only available via Masuta or at the Winery
91 points Wine enthusiast;
An intensely concentrated white from the famous historic vineyard, this youthful wine shows toasted oak around a palate-coating flirtation with tropical flavor, finding a supportive streak of minerality as it develops in the glass.
The review above was written in March of this year. The Knuttel Chard is no longer flirting with tropical fruit, those components have gained wonderful clarity. Bill loves Burgundy and both his Chardonnay and his Pinot Noirs reflect that style of winemaking. Though this Chard is
big and rich, it is not bombastic or woody.
The acids are lively. Apple, apricot and peach components are underscored by a backbone of lemon, lime and wet stones. This Chardonnay is
unfined and unfiltered. Bacigalupi Vineyards has long been considered to produce some of the finest Chardonnay grapes in all of California. The fruit is very hard to get, consequently
this wine is not made every year. That fruit and masterful winemaking make this wine far more collectable than the price would indicate. The tannins are silk, this wine is beautiful. We believe it will cellar for 8-10 years. R and M
Winemaking;
This Chardonnay synthesizes over thirty years of winemaking in the style of Burgundy's great whites. I ( Bill Knuttel ) produced commercial unfiltered Chardonnay (perhaps the first in California) at Saintsbury; then, at Chalk Hill Estate, all Chardonnay received the full on treatments utilized in Burgundy, including whole-cluster pressing, barrel fermentation with native yeast in 100% French oak, 100% native malolactic fermentation, sur lees aging with weekly batonage, and extended aging with a significant percentage of new French oak. Starting with Bacigalupi's meticulously grown fruit, our own practices, which mirror those of Bacigalupi Vineyards, allowed the wine to let the vineyard stand out, retaining the flavors unique to the vineyard sites.
2014 Square Peg Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, Stoetz Lane Block 1
Only 190 Cases Produced, 5 cases available
Pricing $53.00 per, the lowest price on the net, $58.00 at the Winery
93 Points Wine Enthusiast;
The 2014 SP-SL Estate Vineyard Block 1 is rich, layered, soft and velvety. While it exhibits subtle fruit as well as the acidic backbone found in only the finest Russian River Valley/Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs, it shows incredible balance and restraint. The wine is elegant and complex, releasing aromas of blackberries and dark cherries with hints of chocolate, tobacco and earth that softly make their way to a long finish.
Blackberry, dark cherry, chocolate , tobacco. These are also the buzz words associated with Chambertin. This tuff tastes like Chambertin, very bright Chambertin. The biggest difference, Chambertin starts at about $300.00 per bottle. If you love Pinot Noir, you must try this one. Drink for 10. R and M
All of the very best Rex and Michele
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