DESSERT WINES

Every so often, one of our wine distributors bring us a wine that throws us for aloop...this is one of those times! Mueller-Thurgau is a cross of two different varieties. This was done by Hermann Mueller from the town of Thurgau (yes, coming up witha name is that easy!). As of 2006, it is the second most widely planted grape in Germany, yet is also planted in Austria, Italy, U.S.A., and Australia, among others. It is hard to think a grape this obscure would actually light a fire under us, but this wine offers so much flavor, texture, and sheer pleasure, that every single person who tried it with the vendor was amazed!

Anne Amie offers two renditions of their Muller Thurgau dessert wines, one called "Anne" and the other called "Amie". The Anne bottling received a 7-month cool fermentaion, creating a Vin Glace dessert wine that highlights notes of honeysuckle, apricot and pineapple. This would pair exceptionally well with freshly sliced pears and pineapple upside down cake.

Every so often, one of our wine distributors bring us a wine that throws us for aloop...this is one of those times! Mueller-Thurgau is a cross of two different varieties. This was done by Hermann Mueller from the town of Thurgau (yes, coming up witha name is that easy!). As of 2006, it is the second most widely planted grape in Germany, yet is also planted in Austria, Italy, U.S.A., and Australia, among others. It is hard to think a grape this obscure would actually light a fire under us, but this wine offers so much flavor, texture, and sheer pleasure, that every single person who tried it with the vendor was amazed!

Anne Amie offers two renditions of their Muller Thurgau dessert wines, one called "Anne" and the other called "Amie". The Amie bottling was maderized and fortified to produce a Vin Doux Naturel styled dessert wine showing caramelized and nutty flavors that pair exceptionally with strong cheeses and candied almonds. We think this could be the perfect match with an apple pie!

Aromas of apricot, poached pear and orange rind dominate the more subtle clove and mineral notes. The flavors mimic the aromas on the nose, melding with a mouthwatering texture and added notes of juicy orange and citrus blossom. This wine shows the restraint of youthfulness with the expectation that its bottle bouquet will emerge with a few more years of bottle age.

Close your eyes...imagine the flavor of a chocolate kiss melting with your tongue on a summer afternoon. Now open your eyes and find yourself a glass to pour this "manifestation in liquid form" of America's favorite fetish... Chocolate! Combined with the velvety rich character of our fine Cucamonga port, this release has no rivals but the fight with your guests as to who will get the last glass. The sweet creamy feel on your tongue and the aroma of chocolate make you taste what you smell. What translates as "Sweet Heaven", Fondante Ciello truly is. The original chocolate-essenced port wine which is great over fresh berries or vanilla bean ice cream. WOW! Multi-gold medals. 18.3% alc by vol. Limited production (500mls).

For the third year in a row, Napa Valley received only two-thirds of its average rainfall in 2012, which reduced crop levels somewhat. A few days of heat in September boosted ripeness and allowed botrytis to fully develop.

A blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Gewurztraminer, Grgich's late harvest wine is the result of Botrytis cinerea, a beneficial mold that evaporates moisture while concentrating the flavor in the berry but yielding very little juice when the grapes are pressed. Grgich ferments the thick, rich juice and then aged the wine in French oak to develop its subtle flavors and textures. Aromas of baked pear, orange blossom honey and citrus are prominent and the wine has remarkable depth of flavors that linger in the mouth. Violetta is perfect with fruit tarts, rich cheeses or serve it all by itself for dessert.

The deep hue of our Ink Grade Port sets the tone for the rich, full-bodied wine to follow. Mouth-watering flavors of dark berry with notes of ripe plum delight the palate with an appealing sweetness that never careens over the top.

The red berry characteristics of the vinifera grape Cabernet Franc translate as an Icewine into strawberry like aromas and flavours. This Icewine is completely different from the white Icewines. The colour comes from pressing only as there is no skin contact during fermentation. The earlier it is harvested, the darker the colour and the deeper the flavours.

Icewine is winter's gift to the wine lover and one of the best-kept secrets of the wine world. Grapes used to make Icewine are left on the vine well into December and January. The ripe berries are dehydrated through constant freezing and thawing which concentrates the sugars and acids, thereby intensifying the flavours. The grapes are painstakingly picked by hand in their natural frozen state with yields often as little as 5% to 10% of normal. Genuine icewine must follow VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) regulations that prohibit any artificial freezing of grapes. Much of the water in the juice remains frozen as ice crystals during the pressing, and only a few drops of sweet concentrated juice are salvaged. Sublime aromatics of fresh lime, apricot, grapefruit and peach blossoms with a slight mineral edge. A racy interplay of sweet and tart offer up echoing flavors of lemon, lime and candied apricot. Icewine is intensely sweet and flavorful in the initial mouth sensation. The balance is achieved by the acidity, which gives a clean, dry finish. Truly a vibrant and refreshing experience!

WINE ENTHUSIAST 94 POINTS - "Intensely aromatic, this wine brings concentrated flavors of peach syrup, apricot jam and candied pineapple. Lush and tongue-coating, the sweetness (250 g/L residual sugar) is adequately offset with acidity, and as it rolls down the throat brings added layers of maple syrup, butterscotch and butter brickle. Editors' Choice

Vidal is a hybrid (Ugni Blanc and Seibel) that has a thick skin suitable for harvesting late in the season. It is the grape grown most for Icewine in Ontario. It's good natural acidity gives great structure to the lusciousness of its tropical aromas and flavors of mango and lychee.

JEB DUNNUCK 100 POINTS - "Unfortunately, there won't be a 2017 due to the fires, but the perfect 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder should certain tide you over. This literally off-the-charts effort is a good as Cabernet Sauvignon gets, offering complex blueberry and blackberry fruits, violets, bay leaf, and forest floor aromas and flavors. It's a big, structured mountain Cabernet, yet it has a seamless texture, incredible elegance paired with full-bodied power, building tannins, and a great, great finish. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and it will keep for 3+ decades. Good luck keeping your hands off it, though. Anticipated maturity: 2023-2051."

ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 100 POINTS - "The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder is composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with gregarious crème de cassis, wild blueberries and black raspberries with nuances of black tea, violets, aniseed, truffles and new leather plus wafts of charcuterie and chargrill. Full-bodied, very firm and very tightly wound at this youthful stage, the palate is absolutely packed with black fruit and earthy layers, finishing with epic persistence. 1,100 cases produced."

Ripe berries, rich caramel and toffee aromas lead to a flavorful dessert wine with warm spice, raspberry and cream soda highlights. A very complex and rich dessert wine. Cellar note: Although ready to drink now, this port will benefit from aging for the next 10 years.

Produced fom Petite Sirah, Tinata Roriz, Tinta Cao, and Touriga. The depth and structure of the Petite Sirah compliments the soft fruit notes of the Portuguese varieties, resulting in a soft yet age-worthy Port with many layers of flavors.

Drier in style than most other Ports, Prager's 2015 Royal Escort Port is 100% Napa Valley Petite Sirah. The deep rich garnet color lends to a fresh pressed berry bouquet, followed by ripe cherries on the palate.

With the first sip you feel the wine- light as springtime, delicately sweet, refreshingly crisp, a bouquet of flowers with the taste of peach and melon. Electra is electricity for the mouth! Electra goes with summer fruits (strawberries, nectarines, peaches, melons), salads, spicy Asian and Indian foods, light desserts, blue skies and fresh air. And with only 4% alcohol, you can still play volleyball after the picnic.

The distinctive flavor of Essensia wine is derived from the Orange Muscat grape. Found in France, Spain, and Italy, where it is called "Moscato fior d'Arancio" (Orange Blossom Muscat), the variety has characteristics of oranges.

Winery's Tasting Notes: This rose-like aroma led us to name the wine Elysium, Greek for heaven. Drinking this, you can almost feel you have fallen into a rose garden and been transported to heaven. Made in the same manner as Essensia, it is used, like Essensia to either accompany or replace dessert. One favorite is to pour the wine onto vanilla ice cream. Serve Elysium Sundae with a glass of Elysium. Great with vanilla, dark chocolate, blue cheeses, and candlelight.

Electra is a low alcohol (4.5%) delicately sweet wine - refreshingly crisp, and mysteriously aromatic. A picnic wine, it goes with salads, spicy foods, fruit, desserts, sunny afternoons, blue skies, and fresh air. To preserve the enchanting sweetness of ripe Orange Muscat, the grape juice was cold fermented and the fermentation arrested by chilling.

Bootlegger is an exceptional wine done in the traditional solera style used in the making of fine cream sherries. The solera system of fractional blending is used to maintain the consistency and style of the wine from year to year. For this reason, wines from the solera are non-vintage and each bottle has some wine in it from every year that the wine has been produced. Our version is layered with rich hints of peaches and pears combines with a hint of hazelnut.

From our century-old solera, this fortified wine tastes of pecan, caramel and toffee and is a perfect ending for a festive dinner.

BEST OF CLASS - SF CHRONICLE WINE COMP
93 POINTS & GOLD - WINEMAKER CHALLENGE
GOLD - SAN FRANCISCO INT'. WINE COMP.
94 POINTS & PLATINUM - MONTEREY WINE COM
This decadent 15 year old port is the sweet finish you've been dreaming of. Linger over layers of rich chocolate ganacha and black chaerries that melt into a melange of dried fruits and toasted nuts.

Celebrate V. Sattui's 130th Anniversary with this collector's bottling of Madeira. Our Madeira is a Solera-made, wood-aged wine, fortified with brandy. Our Solera is over 120 years old, one of the oldest in the U.S. The wine is sweet and luscious with flavors of almonds, caramel, toffee and orange zest. It shares similar characteristics with a 20-year-old Tawny Port.

BEST OF CLASS - SF CHRONICLE WINE COMP
93 POINTS & GOLD - WINEMAKER CHALLENGE
GOLD - SAN FRANCISCO INT'. WINE COMP.
94 POINTS & PLATINUM - MONTEREY WINE COM
This decadent 17 year old port is the sweet finish you've been dreaming of. Linger over layers of rich chocolate ganacha and black chaerries that melt into a melange of dried fruits and toasted nuts.

Celebrate V. Sattui's 130th Anniversary with this collector's bottling of Madeira. Our Madeira is a Solera-made, wood-aged wine, fortified with brandy. Our Solera is over 120 years old, one of the oldest in the U.S. The wine is sweet and luscious with flavors of almonds, caramel, toffee and orange zest. It shares similar characteristics with a 20-year-old Tawny Port.