A few years ago, Vice Versa began selling its wines “en primeur” and allowed Paul Hobbs to complete his integral work as the team welcomed consulting winemaker Philippe Melka to the helm of the winemaking team which also includes Maayan Koschitzky and Torri Cusik Leon. More recently, Vice Versa celebrated the opening of a by-appointment private tasting lounge in St. Helena and secured access to an incredible vineyard site, the stories of which Patrice and his team are honored to be able to tell through the wines to come.
The 2018 Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard comes from a site on the Sonoma Coast and saw 15-20% stems, which make an appearance on the nose, with lots of stem and forest notes balanced by terrific spice, redcurrant, and blackberry fruits. Medium to full-bodied and beautifully textured, with both elegance and richness, drink this classic Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir over the coming decade.
A serenely beguiling Pinot Noir, this conjures the essence of Platt Vineyard; a superlative, ocean-breezed slope on the cool Pacific Coast. Initial impressions suggest a youthful restraint; then it quickly reveals aromas of Bing cherry, plum blossom, chanterelle mushrooms, underbrush and rose hip tea. The enticing savory character shows pomegranate, mulberry, kirsch along with a soupçon of tamarind and freshly tilled soil. The significant dry extract gives the calm temperament new murmurs of lingering complexity.
There were 32 barrels of the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley produced. It’s a great wine, offering full-bodied richness and depth in a rich, concentrated, satisfying package. Classic Cabernet notes of cassis, tobacco, and chocolate all emerge from the glass, and it has ripe tannins, no hard edges, and the purity that’s the hallmark of the vintage front and center. A blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot, enjoy bottles any time over the coming 20 years or more.
The Napa Valley Cabernet is a blend of their most preferred vineyards, providing a snapshot of the reputation of the brand. Ripe brambly black fruit, with spice, red flower, and tea emanate from the glass. The smell of Napa Valley Sunshine is accompanied by a full and flavorful palate consisting of bursting ripe berries and vanilla with heady layers of crushed florals and spice. The tannins are polished and long in the mouth, and braced by fresh acidity.
Enjoy Vice Versa with Sunday’s Prime Rib au jus or miso-soy glazed pork ribs and with flavorful cheeses like aged cheddar or gruyere.
A new cuvée from this team, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Steltzner Old Vines comes from vines planted in 1981, and there are a scant 100 cases produced. It’s a textbook example of this great vintage, offering loads of tobacco, white flowers, and leafy herbs, full-bodied richness, loads of blueberry and cassis fruits, and a rich, opulent, sexy style that’s rare to find in the vintage. Made from 100% Cabernet aged 18 months in 75% new barrels, enjoy this classic Napa Valley red any time over the coming 20+ years.
Introducing our inaugural Steltzner vineyard designate, which embodies the axiom that exceptional Cabernet sites not only deliver jaw-dropping pleasure, but also imprint indelible accents of their origin in the glass. This is a handsome, graceful wine draped with raspberry, violet, bay laurel and laced with a flint-like minerality and verve. A brilliant illustration of the marginally cooler Stags Leap District, our Stelztner bottling concludes with measured hints of cedar and graphite outlined by an alluring finesse.
The 2018 Vice Versa Houyi Vineyard is decadently hedonistic. Rich and concentrated, supple and fresh, it meets the palate with abundantly plush tannins, complexity, and minerality while showing a mélange of dark berries, licorice, spring flowers, dark chocolate, graphite, black truffle, and incense. Perched above the clouds on Pritchard Hill, and nestled between Colgin, Brand, Ovid, and Continuum, Houyi Vineyard is idyllic, extremely rocky, and complex. This is a finessed and authentic expression of Pritchard Hill.
Our first vintage of this historic site showcases a vivacious, rich, and multifaceted personality that offers lavish aromatics of mocha, ripe red and black berries, and savory notes of mountain herbs, sage, gravelly loam, and French oak spices. While it is incredibly regal now, the layers, powerful mid-palate, acidity, and abundant silky ripe tannins foretell a generous life.
There are 12 barrels of the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras, which is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in 90% new French oak. Dense purple/blue-colored, it has an extraordinary bouquet of crème de cassis, black raspberries, crushed flowers, candied violets, and loamy, rocky earth-like nuances. Massively textured, full-bodied, opulent, and seamless on the palate, this monster of a wine is just about pure perfection in a glass.