The 90s Wine Club” - A Basket of SIX Big and Beautiful Red Wines, ALL With Robert Parker Ratings of 93 or Better

Roger Sabon Chateauneuf-du-Pape les Secret des Sabon 2018, RP 97, WS 95, Rhone region – Almost entirely Grenache from two old-vine parcels that include more sand than the domaine's other plots, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape le Secret de Sabon is intoxicating just to smell—not because of the alcohol levels, but because of the enveloping aromas that combine rose petals and lavender with apricots and black cherries and drizzles them all with wisps of dark chocolate and coffee. It's full-bodied but paradoxically light in feel, with silky, gossamer-like tannins that give the wine a pillowy shape and feel on the palate, then linger elegantly on the long finish.

Shafer One Point Five 2016, RP 95, WE 95, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District - Made of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon One Point Five Stags Leap is very deep purple-black in color and gives up intense Black Forest cake, black berry pie and blackcurrant cordial scents with hints of licorice, eucalyptus, espresso, tar and chargrilled beef. Full-bodied, it packs the black fruit preserves flavors and earthy accents into the palate, with a firm frame and great freshness on the finish.

Sterling Iridium 2016, Napa Valley – WA 95 – The wine of the Emmy’s! Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Iridium is deep garnet-purple in color. It charges out of the glass with super-intense notes of blackcurrant cordial, Black Forest cake and blueberry pie plus touches of chocolate mint, red roses, fragrant earth and cedar chest with a hint of pencil lead. Full-bodied, the palate is bursting with ripe, opulent black fruit preserves, framed by plush tannins, finishing very long with a spicy kick. 2,000 cases were made.

Tenuta di Arceno Arcanum 2015 – RP 97, WS 93, Tuscany, Italy - It would be impossible to exaggerate the grandeur and majesty of the overachieving 2015 Arcanum. The blend is 74% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot. This full-bodied wine is mostly defined by its texture that is exceedingly rich and smooth with significant infusions of blackberry, plum, spice, tobacco and cured leather. The wine achieves beautiful balance, yet it remains intense and powerful all the while.

Yalumba The Signature Cabernet/Shiraz 2016 – RP 94, WE 94, Barossa Valley, Australia - Yalumba's 2016 The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz is a Barossa-based blend of 53% Cab and 47% Shiraz. Aged in a mix of barriques and hogsheads (28% new), it offers up scents of cherry, cassis and tobacco, with grace notes of cedar and vanilla. Medium to full-bodied, it's concentrated, silky, streamlined and long on the finish—very much a classic claret style despite the high proportion of Shiraz. Each year's edition of the wine is dedicated to a notable Yalumba employee; the 2016 is dedicated to Chief Winemaker Louisa Rose.

Petrolo Il Torrione IGT 2018 – RP 94, Tuscany, Italy - This Super Tuscan is such a fun edition of this wine with a fluttering heart sketched onto the front label. I imagine that the heart could be dedicated to proprietor Luca Sanjust's rambunctious mother who recently passed away. Made with organic fruit, the Petrolo 2018 Val d'Arno di Sopra Torrione is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The wine opens to a dark and rich appearance with punchy aromas of tart cherry and wild berry. Warm aromas of tobacco, spice and cedar wood appear gradually as the wine opens in the glass.

Bonus Bottle for Those Who are Not Parker Fans:

Heitz Cellar Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 – WS 95, W&S 96, Oakville, Napa Valley - Enticing, with the frankly ripe profile of the vintage showing off in a display of slightly exotic plum and blackberry coulis flavors, while dark licorice, menthol and sassafras notes course through. Sweet spice accents sparkle through the finish, revealing a lingering hint of singed juniper. The long finish features rippling acidity. Wine Spectator

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