SCORE! What a massive coup we have today!

GANDONA!! One of the hottest new projects around has landed in our warehouse and it’s only a matter of minutes or hours before every bottle is gone.

The price?! $110 normally. HALF off from us.

Perched way above the valley floor overlooking Lake Hennessey you’ll find Gandona Estate. Tucked between Colgin and Bryant family, and not far from Chappellet, this relatively new winery has been making serious moves and pulling out all the stops as they punch their way to the top.

Gandona is the vision of Manuel Pires come to life. He grew up on his grandfather’s land in Douro, Portugal and always wanted to return to those farming roots. With a fortune made in the electronic key control business he set to work purchasing an estate on Pritchard Hill. The name “Gandona” is Portuguese for “hillside”. He planted 12 blocks of vines on the steep terrain. Then he got 100-point winemaker Phillipe Melka to make the wine. No expense was spared - from the excavated caves to the barrel program.

Encosta (meaning “beginning” in Portuguese) is their entry level wine, but it’s anything but basic. Meant to be enjoyed early, it boasts ripe and forward fruits, with minerality, spices and a general sophistication. Ripe blueberries, brambly blackberries, sweet violets up front with snappy black licorice, toasty spices, and cedar lingering out back. Chewy, dusty tannins and a fairly nice acidity add to the equation, and the sum equals one fantastic Cabernet.

Very, very little of this one. Move quickly!

93 Points - International Wine Report

“The 2017 ‘Encosta’ is an absolutely fabulous showing in this vintage. Composed of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petite Verdot, this instantly begins to impress as it opens to incredibly perfumed aromas of dark cherries, black raspberries and currants are woven together with baking spices, mocha, tobacco, dried violets, dusty loam and hints of anise all taking shape in the glass. On the palate this is medium to full-bodied and beautifully structured around polished, yet firm tannins that surround the fresh core of ripe dark fruits that persist though the supple finish. The 2017 ‘Encosta’ has so much to offer and while it is drinking exceptionally well upon release, it should also age gracefully.”

92 Points - Robert Parker

“The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Encosta, fermented 89% in concrete and 11% in stainless, is blended of 77.95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12.44% Cabernet Franc and 9.61% Petite Verdot aged 20 months in 59.4% new French oak. Deep purple-black in color, it sings of dark chocolate, spice box and cedar chest over a core of cassis, blackberry pie and kirsch plus suggestions of menthol and tapenade. Medium-bodied, the palate has great freshness and energy, with a firm, grainy frame and a long fruity finish. 730 cases produced.”