2009 Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley, Monte Rosso Vineyard, Viñas Antiguas
Amapola Creek
Richard Arrowood's production is moving up quickly here at his small-scale winery, which he founded in 2001 on a western slope of the Mayacamas range, just outside the town of Sonoma. Twenty of his property's 100 acres are planted to vines in four separate parcels and are farmed organically. Arrowood also buys some fruit, most notably from the Monte Rosso vineyard, which sits just above the winery. "The point here is doing something that is completely hands-on, on a scale that keeps me involved in as many details as possible," he told me.
2009 Amapola Creek Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard Vinas Antiguas Sonoma Valley
($42) (includes about 9% petite sirah; 16.1% alcohol): Inky ruby. An explosively perfumed bouquet displays dark berry liqueur, cherry-cola, licorice and smoky Indian spices. Lush and expansive blackberry and blueberry flavors show surprising vivacity for a wine of this size, with lively spice and floral qualities emerging with air. Closes smoky and very long, with lingering vanilla and violet nuances. 92 pts.
By Josh Raynolds
Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Issue #162
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May 17th, 2012
90
POINTS
Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
2009 Cuvée Alis, Sonoma Valley, Amapola Creek Estate
Amapola Creek
Richard Arrowood's production is moving up quickly here at his small-scale winery, which he founded in 2001 on a western slope of the Mayacamas range, just outside the town of Sonoma. Twenty of his property's 100 acres are planted to vines in four separate parcels and are farmed organically. Arrowood also buys some fruit, most notably from the Monte Rosso vineyard, which sits just above the winery. "The point here is doing something that is completely hands-on, on a scale that keeps me involved in as many details as possible," he told me.
2009 Amapola Creek Cuvee Alis Sonoma Valley
($48) (55% syrah and 45% grenache): Opaque ruby. Smoky, highly perfumed bouquet evokes black raspberry, cherry-cola, dried flowers and anise, with a peppery topnote. Weighty dark berry flavors become livelier with air and pick up an element of spiciness. Finishes tangy and long, with lingering smoke and vanilla qualities. 90 pts.
By Josh Raynolds
Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Issue #162
.
May 17th, 2012
90
POINTS
Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Valley, Amapola Creek Estate
Amapola Creek
Richard Arrowood's production is moving up quickly here at his small-scale winery, which he founded in 2001 on a western slope of the Mayacamas range, just outside the town of Sonoma. Twenty of his property's 100 acres are planted to vines in four separate parcels and are farmed organically. Arrowood also buys some fruit, most notably from the Monte Rosso vineyard, which sits just above the winery. "The point here is doing something that is completely hands-on, on a scale that keeps me involved in as many details as possible," he told me.
2007 Amapola Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Valley
($70) Inky purple. Complex aromas of dried cherry, licorice, tobacco and aged beef, plus a subtle smoky nuance. Sappy and creamy in texture, offering intense dark fruit flavors that gain power and spiciness with aeration. Shows bitter cherry pit and smoked meat notes on the back end, finishing with very good breadth and sweetness. 90 pts.
By Josh Raynolds
Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Issue #162
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May 6th, 2012
Press Democrat Wine List: This week's picks
2010 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Jos. Belli Vineyards
Press Democrat Wine List: This week's picks Press Democrat wine writer Peg Melnik scopes out restaurant wine lists around the North Bay, looking for good value and the occasional splurge. This week's picks (prices are retail; restaurant markup varies):
Amapola Creek, 2010 Sonoma Valley Chardonnay
“Amapola Creek, 2010 Jos. Belli Vineyards. 14.1 percent, $35. A Burgundian-styled chardonnay with depth. Aromas and flavors of nectarine, peach and melon. Lovely.”
Peg Melnik
Press Democrat
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April 11th, 2012
Pizza and BBQ Ribs and Wine
2009 Cuvée Alis, Sonoma Valley, Amapola Creek Estate
"Amapola Creek Cuvée Alis 2009, Sonoma Valley. Here’s a blend of syrah (55 percent) and grenache (45 percent) fully worthy of its Rhone Valley heritage, but I have to apologize for its lack of wide distribution. In any case, this wine went head to head and toe to toe with arack of barbecue ribs and did them both proud.
The grapes were grown organically at about 900 feet above Sonoma Valley, in a vineyard that lies next to the legendary Monte Rosso vineyard, once the mainstay of the Louis M Martini cabernet sauvignon wines and now owned by Gallo. Cuvée Alis 09, named for Richard Arrowood’s wife and co-proprietor of Amapola Creek, aged 18 months in new and used French oak. The color is an almost opaque ruby-purple with a magenta rim; the bouquet is first earth, leather, smoke, ash, black pepper; then intoxicating aromas of pure blackberry, black raspberry and plum, permeated, after a few moments in the glass, with beguiling notes of sandalwood, cumin and cardamom, ancho chili and bittersweet chocolate. The wine is characterized by huge presence and tone; it’s dense and chewy and powerfully imbued with smooth packed-in tannins and an iron and iodine-like mineral nature, yet it remains vital and vibrant, even a bit poised, while black fruit flavors are spicy, fleshy and meaty. The finish, though, is daunting and rather austere, a quality that deepens as the minutes pass.
14.9 percent alcohol. Production was 95 cases, so mark this Worth a Search. Try from 2014 to 2018 to ’22. I wrote about Richard Arrowood’s Amapola Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 and his history as a winemaker in Sonoma County here, and I rated that wine Exceptional; this Cuvée Alis 09 is no exception, it’s also Exceptional. About $48."
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