May 26, 2016
Heard of Elba Island?

The island of Elba is a Mediterranean paradise tucked in the crystal blue sea—the perfect place for sipping crisp white wines all day long. Fortunately, it’s also the perfect place to grow them. With rocky, granite soil and a warm, dry climate, the Vermentino grape reaches its full potential. Grown on a vineyard overlooking the sea, it’s no wonder these grapes are happy as clams. The 2014 is a golden beauty, with notes of citrus fruit and a hint of marzipan. This is a balanced, lively wine that’ll have you packing your bags for the seaside—or at least closing your eyes and imagining you’re there with each sip.

Read more about Tenuta delle Ripalte.

May 18, 2016
The Throne

Davis Family Vineyards is made up of Guy and his sons Cooper and Cole, along with a small, tight-knit team. With infectious warmth and a true passion for the Russian River Valley, they craft focused, layered wines that will have you sticking your nose in the glass for more. The Davis family cares deeply about their home turf—Guy is part of a group called the Neighborhood Initiative that focuses on understanding the various undesignated subzones in the Valley—and their wines are all highly vineyard-driven.

The newest wine in their portfolio is the ‘Throne’ Rhone-style blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. The Syrah in this blend is from the 2.5 acres planted on the Davis Estate Soul Patch Vineyard. Soul Patch is cool site on an eastern facing hillside, allowing the Syrah and extended hang time on the vine. The Grenache is sourced from Saralee’s Vineyard, just five minutes down the road from Soul Patch Vineyard. All three varieties were aged in 100% French oak, separately. The Syrah was aged in puncheons (which are roughly equivalent to the size of a double barrel). Puncheons allow for more micro-oxygenation and allow for increased volumes of wine to have less exposure to surface area within the barrel. The Grenache and Mourvedre were aged in mainly neutral standard sized barrels.

The result: The Davis 2012 ‘Throne’ shows notes of black pepper and pretty lavender, with a juicy palate and grippy tannins. It’s complex and powerful, just begging for a big hunk of lamb.

We have a limited amount in stock. Please log into www.creamwine.com or ask your Cream Sales Representative for pricing and availability.

May 10, 2016
FEATURED: te Pā - our place, our home

New to our portfolio is an award-winning, family-owned Marlborough estate, te Pā Wines. We are excited to be one of the first to represent this estate in the USA (currently only in three states). Over the years, the MacDonald family has been many things: fishermen, farmers, horticulturists - and now, winemakers. Through everything, they have always remained bonded to their roots and to their land.