This vintage of Quail Hill Pinot Noir has been a joy to craft. We have in this wine a truly classic expression of our estate vineyard where elegance, balance, and depth are seamlessly interwoven. While the color is dark and intense, this has never been what this wine is about. Aroma and perfume are what sets this wine apart, and in this vintage those qualities are wonderfully abundant. There is an exciting array of fruit and spice notes with rosehips, pomegranate, and hibiscus complementing the more classic pie cherry and floral characters. Flavors shift slightly from the aromas with earthy, mineral notes layered into the fruit and spice, and a subtle orange rind component in the long, lingering finish. The texture here is what Pinot Noir does better than any other variety, showing structure and concentration but with "velvety" fine tannins, and a natural acidity that validates its cool-climate terroir. Like all our 2005's, this wine will be enjoyable upon release but will begin drinking at its best from spring 2008 onwards, with more complexity developing with further cellaring through at least 2012.

Accolades:

• 93 POINTS - Wine Enthusiast, March 2008 issue
• 94 POINTS - Wine & Spirits, April 2008 issue

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While this bottling shares many characteristics with the 2004, the combination of a great vintage, improved vine health and careful farming have yielded a notable increase in intensity and nuance. Focused aromas of lemon meringue, cantaloupe, ruby red grapefruit and a hint of lychee dance above the spicier, earthier notes of caraway seed, vanilla bean and baked pears. Bright acidity and minerality are immediately apparent on the palate, framing notes of blood orange, Gravenstein apple, tarragon and papaya. The floral lily note typical of Musqué clone Chardonnay is also present, as are earthy notes of ginger, white chocolate and a hint of fresh bread dough on the finish. The texture is rich but by no means cloying. Drink from late-2007 onwards.

Accolades:

• "Best of the Best California Chardonnay" - Quarterly Review of Wines

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The Five Sisters Pinot Noir is a tribute to the sibling bond of my five daughters. This blend of the finest barrels from Lynmar’s Estate and offsite vineyards mirrors the synergy and complexity of the relationship that exists among these very special sisters. True to the Lynmar philosophy, the Five Sisters Pinot Noir is a wine which illustrates that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Handcrafted in minute quantities only when vintage and quality warrant, this wine continues the Five Sisters tradition of presence and intensity balanced by nuance, grace and age worthiness.

The 2005 vintage marks our second Five Sisters release since 1999. Hugh Chappelle has produced an exemplary Pinot Noir with youthful garnet and violet tones. An unusual amount of floral high notes including some uncommon spiciness with notes of coriander, clove and gunflint. The fruit character is in the ripe, dark spectrum, with melded aromas of cherry cola, black raspberry and ripe strawberries. The palate is viscous and rich, yet light on its feet but to ultrafine tannins and an exceptionally balanced acidity. Drink now or cellar 7-8+ years.

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This second vintage of our Jenkins Vineyard Pinot Noir has much in common with the first, especially with its aromas and flavors. Once again, we have very pure, fresh notes of both red and dark fruits being complemented by a subtle, yet distinct, spiciness. The palate here has much more of a typical youthful “leanness” than the ‘05, but once again shows exceptional length and refreshing acidity. What you see this year is a true reflection of the growing season and how the unique transparency of Pinot Noir allows this to be captured and showcased better than with ANY other variety. We expect this wine to begin showing at its best during the summer of 2008 and to reward careful cellaring through 2012+.

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Our first vintage of Terra de Promissio Vineyard Pinot Noir has a beautiful deep color and a brooding nose of both red and dark fruits, wet earth, and subtle toasty barrel spice. Once this wine gets some air and warms up, the aromas really leap from the glass with high-toned red fruit notes of strawberry and cherry being particularly noticeable. Flavors are complex and layered, not immediately echoing the aromas, but balanced and with intense fruit in the long, lingering finish. The texture is youthfully firm, with grainy, grippy tannins in just the right proportion to the fruit. We expect this wine to begin showing at its best during the fall of ‘08 and to reward cellaring through 2013+.

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Our second vintage of La Sereinité remains an exciting and truly distinctive wine. The color is again classically light golden, though with a bit more yellow this year due to the very lightest touch of Botrytis. The result is a nose with not only a dominant core of citrus aromas, but also noticeable hints of apricot, peach. These vintage characteristics are highlighted by toasty, grilled bread notes and uncommon minerality for a California Chardonnay. The palate upon release shows bracing acidity and firm structure, but with a solid, round mid-palate leading into a pleasantly long finish. We anticipate this wine to begin showing at its best from May 2008 onwards, with optimal maturity between 2009 and 2011.

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The color this year is immediately bright and youthful with an attractive violet hue and a translucence that boldly declares this is not another “over-extracted” Syrah-like Pinot Noir. Aromas begin with an assortment of wonderfully forward red fruits such as pie cherry, strawberry, and cranberry. These upfront fruit characters are accented by complexing notes of baking spice, deeper dark fruits, and orange blossom. There is also a subtle earthiness here that evokes the local coastal forests and the breezes coming in from Pacific….giving this wine a heightened sense of place. On the palate cleansing, “zippy” acidity results in a taut, yet balanced, structure with flavors that truly linger and draw you back. Always enjoyable upon release, this wine will only get better through fall of 2009, and should continue to reward cellaring through 2012.

Accolades:

• 2005 Vintage - Exceptional. Dan Berger's Vintage Experiences, June 7, 2007, "We’ve previously rated this as Exceptional and it’s even better now, with wild cherry and raspberry aroma, complex note of thyme, and a sweet-ish entry."

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In appearance, a water rim edge leads to a pale salmon core in color with bright clarity and medium intensity. The nose is clean, of medium
intensity and youthful development. Fresh aromas of strawberry, cranberry, cherry and raspberry lead to faint touches of blood orange and
rose petal. The palate is dry, alcohol balanced, and the wine is of medium body and flavor intensity. The flavors mimic and confirm the
nose. Medium plus acidity leaves a refreshingly crisp and balanced finish of medium plus length. There is really no reason to age this wine,
as its charms are precisely its youth and its clean, satisfying, thirst-quenching quality. Enjoy!

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While there is a thread of continuity from this 2005 back through recent vintages, there is also a clear sense of evolution. Each of the contributing vineyards has added a layer, and more than ever the sum is truly greater than the parts. Aromas are fresh and vibrant—fragrant Bartlett pear and spicy applesauce go head to head with distinct notes of lemon custard and ripe mango. There is also a noticeable minerality which is much more upfront this vintage than in the past. Nuances of yeasty fresh rising dough are in the background, which we know will turn wonderfully “toasty” with a little more bottle age. Where this vintage really shines, though, is on the palate. The entry is deceptively soft with no hard edges. A remarkable flavor density is then apparent, seamlessly flowing into a rich mid-palate and bracing acidity. While this wine will drink great upon release, it will get even better over the next 12-18 months. We estimate excellent cellaring potential through at least 2009.

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Accolades:

• 92 points. Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide, October 2007 "Really classic Russian River Chard, so elegantly structured and sleek, yet so flavorful. A wonderful structure of bright acidity and fine, toasty oak frames succulent flavors of pineapples, tangerines, green apples pears and minerals, leading to a long, richly spicy finish." — Steve Heimoff
• Recommended. Food & Wine, April 4, 2007 "Fifty percent of this is tank-fermented sur lie, the other fifty percent barrel-fermented in about 20% or so new oak. It's firm and bright, a finely focused, pear-apple flavored Chardonnay with almost tingly acidity—the kind of wine you wish more California Chardonnay would head towards, stylistically speaking." — Ray Isle

Our second Syrah has yielded a wine much closer to our "cool climate ideal" than the more robust 2004. At 13.7% alcohol, there is no argument that this fruit came from cool, challenged locations. While the nose offers up a similar range of classic smoky and gamy notes to the '04, there is something more. Here we are seeing the more elusive rose, violet, and white pepper aromas that are the markers of true cool-climate Syrah. The fruit aromas are also brighter and fresher with more of a red fruit quality this vintage. Flavors are ripe and full with floral, spice, and tar notes complementing the fruit. The palate is round and balanced with acidity, alcohol and tannins all seamlessly integrated and contribute to an uncommonly refreshing quality for a varietal more normally though to yield only "big and bold" wines from local terroirs. This wine should drink well upon release, but will only get better over the next 18 months in bottle. We expect it to continue to evolve nicely over the next 2–3 years, and should hold through at least 2011.

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Call the winery for availability: 877-282-3441
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