The wine has an intense, opaque deep ruby colour, very slight gradation to the rim. Bright and vivacious in the glass, very youthful. The nose is brooding and restrained at this stage, yet beginning to emerge with deep, dark fruit, cassis, plum and black cherry. There is a pronounced minerality on the nose with graphite, cedar smoke and cigar box bouquet. The palate is beautifully structured, fuller bodied than some earlier vintages of Rubicon due to the intensity of the fruit and intricate tannin structure. The wine exhibits rich juiciness and savour a... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

93 points from The Wine Spectator: "Ripe and polished, with a superfresh core of red and black currant fruit, licorice, spice cake and braised fig. The great tangy, embedded structure carries the long, iron-tinged finish. Should stretch out nicely with cellaring. Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot. Drink now through 2015." 3,060 cases made. "The Rust en Vrede Estate Red Blend is the first South African wine to be in The Wine Spectators Top 100 four years in a row and only once in a decade did it score below 90 points, and that was 89 points.! The 200... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco

The 2008 Chocolate Block is a blend of Syrah (69%); Grenache noir (12%); Cabernet Sauvignon (10%); Cinsault (7%) and Viognier (2%). Finding it hard to fathom what such a blend might taste like? Imagine intense spicy notes supported by ripe plum, black fruit and violet aromas. The wine has a grippy acidity and well integrated tannins with a well textured and rounded mouth feel. The long, elegant and succulent finish with superb structure from the Cabernet Sauvignon leads us to believe that this wine has at least 8 years of aging potential. According to W... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

A red wine created to celebrate the distinct palates of Ernie Els (Bordeaux style) and Jean Engelbrecht (Shiraz-based style) to crown their new venture. The EE vineyards are located high up on the northern slopes of the Helderberg Mountain. This contribution imparts warmer fruit flavours to the wine. In summer, the vineyards’ close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean result in cool sea breezes that keeps temperatures lower, extending the ripening period. The different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot were ... Read More » 

Inventory: Redwood City San Francisco

92 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Mar/Apr 09: "Bright yellow with a golden tinge; much lighter than the 2007. Sexy, highly nuanced nose combines white peach, pineapple, iodiney minerality, musky ginger and leesy nuances, all lifted by a floral topnote; like a hypothetical blend of Meursault and Chassagne. Densely packed, brisk and deep, with lovely racy acidity and a rocky element giving a light touch and impressive energy to the flavors of citrus and stone fruits, nutmeg and minerals. Finishes very subtle and very long, with excellen... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood

Strange that Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling hit it so big time on the wine scene, but Semillon is still a relative unknown. It offers lots of those same flavors: green apple notes with a strong citrus character. And it has gobs of acidity when done right, as this one from Boekenhoutsloof certainly is. Can be aged, too, but why bother when it's so open and elegant now, especially when paired with classic fish dishes like trout almondine. 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City San Francisco

94 points from the Wine Spectator: "A very bright, racy style, with superclean apricot and tangerine notes laced with hints of quince and clementine. The long, pure finish is sweet but stylish, and this just sails on. Puts on weight and shows more drive as it airs. Should give the superb 2004 a run for its money. Non-blind Vin de Constance vertical (2010). Drink now through 2023. 3,004 cases made." (Posted on James Molesworth's Wine Spectator Blog on Apr 12, 2010) 

Inventory: Hollywood

If you like your Cabernet Sauvignon to offer plenty of rich cassis fruit balanced by lively acidity and firm tannin, this South African number will thrill you. No question it's Cab from this first whiff redolent with blackcurrant and graphite notes. This will fans in both the California Cabernet Camp as well as Bordeaux freaks. 

Inventory: Hollywood Redwood City San Francisco

Shannon Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc expresses all the typical Elgin Sauvignon Blanc nuances. A dash of Semillon is added to round off the edges of the Sauvignon Blanc acidity and also provides a fuller mouth feel to the mid palate. This 2008 exhibits a complex gooseberries and tropical fruit medley, even spicy, with excellent purity, bringing along a juicy texture, which is ripe, intense and delicate, the length is further complimented by lots of quartz minerality, which is very rare in the Cape, but seems to be an emerging hallmark of Elgin Valley Sauvign... Read More » 

Inventory: Hollywood Main Warehouse Redwood City San Francisco