Exquisitely cellar-worthy, the 2018 Proprietary Red Napa Valley will reward patience over the next decade or more. This Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend opens with aromas of wild blackberry, cocoa and supple leather. Deep and beautifully structured, with elegant, lengthy tannins matched by ideal balance. Dark and opaque, the concentrated, complex palate brings generous notes of forest berries and black currant, layered with hints of freshly turned earth, aromatic herbs and dark spices, evolving into a long, energetic finish.

Blend: 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc

The warm-but-not hot vintage of 2018 gave us a Le Vigne Barolo of great delicacy and excellent structure. The nose is forceful but not explosive - it is balanced and open, expanding upwards in the glass with spicy notes framing black and red fruits. On the palate, the wine is open and engaging, recalling vintages of similar climatic character such as 2012 and 2015. The tannins are ripe, open and silky, the mouthfeel is filling without being heavy, the acidity is fresh and the finish is long with a distinct mineral note.

 Silver Oak was founded to focus on Cabernet Sauvignon in 1972 by entrepreneur Raymond Twomey Duncan and winemaker Justin Meyer, and makes two key wines based on their respective AVAs. The 2017 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is comprised of 80.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.6% Merlot, 2.9% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 0.7% Malbec. In early 2018, the final blend was transferred to American oak barrels from the winery's own cooperage, The Oak, where it aged for 24 months.

A shade darker than the Boal, this Malmsey offers the chocolatey aromatic depth that makes you think of a Malmsey nearing the half-century mark. The palate is quite sweet, and very rich and lush, with just enough acidity to provide focus and precision, and to balance and sweetness. Absolutely delicious and a treat for sweet wine lovers.

"In 1998, The Rare Wine Company began a project to create a series of Madeiras unprecedented in the marketplace: moderately priced wines with the aromatic fingerprint and quintessential texture and flavors of far more expensive vintage Madeiras.

It took years of work, but in 2003, they began releasing the wines which are named in honor of American cities with strong ties to Madeira. New York Malmsey, Boston Boal, and Charleston Sercial all eerily resemble vintage Madeiras -- thanks to the inclusion of wines ranging in age from 30 to 60 years old in the blends. Working with Vinhos Barbeito, which possesses one of the great libraries of legendary 19th century Madeiras, each wine represents a style of Madeira popular in the cities they're named after." - Distributor Notes

Knights Valley is one of the most remote AVAs in Sonoma County, bordering Napa Valley to the east and Alexander Valley to the northwest. Protected by ocean influences, this region experiences a moderated climate, offering a longer and later growing season that develops more dark fruit aromatics. Very fine textured soils allow for great drainage even at lower elevations, producing small berries that deliver powerful tannins and densely structured wines.

Our 2019 Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is bold with black forest fruit, fresh plum and anise, nuanced with violet, pine resin, sage, notes of crème brûlée and clove. Densely concentrated and intensely flavorful on the palate with dark fruits such as black berry, graphite and cocoa nibs.

“The Devil Proof vineyard sites need to be world-class and rival the best of the best..

-Jesse Katz

ROCKPILE RIDGE

ROCKPILE, SONOMA COUNTY

Devil Proof Malbec, Rockpile Ridge, is a robust and powerful wine from the single vineyard site of Rockpile Ridge, in the Rockpile appellation in Northern Sonoma County, the smallest AVA in the United States.

Sitting at an elevation of 1,380 feet, with vineyard rows jutting down at 25-degree slopes towards the Lake Sonoma basin, this dramatic vineyard site provides ideally moderate temperatures, forceful coastal breezes, and well-drained soils.

Taking our cues from the site itself, we mold our winemaking to best showcase this complex powerful mountain fruit. This Rockpile Malbec is 100% barrel-fermented to control the power of the site’s tannins but at the same time highlight the intensity and concentration of the fruit. This is the first time I have ever seen a wine that was 100% barrel-fermented, which is such labor-intensive process but one that this site demands so we will do nothing less.

With little water retention in the gravelly loam soils to begin with, our practice of dry-farming this vineyard further enhances the naturally occurring stress in the vines. Here, our fruit ripens evenly and deeply. The wine is rich, diverse, and striking, and a true expression of its distinctive vineyard source.

Rare new release from winemaker Jesse Katz one of California's hottest new winemakers under the Devil Proof and Aperture labels. Limited.

The label was shot by Jesse's father, renowned photograph Andy Katz, in Cuba in the early 90s and is one of his favorite photographs. The expression of the Cuban woman joyfully holding a Cuban cigar in hand says what you need to know about the wine. For his first wine under his first label, Jesse wanted to make a wine that pushed the boundaries. He didn’t want to take the easy road. So, he decided to take a grape varietal that’s not commonly made in California (and when it is made, it’s generally not well-made), stuck to his guns and made a great Malbec.