Reviews of Teatown Cellars Wine
2004
Napa Valley Merlot
Connoisseurs’ Guide To California Wine
March 2007
92% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon
87 Points
"Clean, moderately fruity and decently focused on ripe cherries with a dollop
of sweat oak for richness, this balanced, fairly supple wine starts with
invitingly fruity and supple-textured impressions and then takes on an edge of
grippy tannins as it finishes. Withal, this is a very comfortable Merlot
for now and the next few years."
2001 Napa Valley
Merlot
Connoisseurs’ Guide To California Wine
May 2004
Two Stars - 92 Points
Very well-concentrated and
somewhat complex aromas of black cherries, briar, hints of berries and creamy
oak show the wine off nicely from the first sniff, and the layered, rich, and
fairly succulent flavors that follow are classically Merlot in direction. Also
very much on point in the mouth with its supple, fairly mouthfilling texture,
this incredibly price worthy wine delivers succulent flavors of ripe red
cherries, crème brulée, caramel and casis. Its light-medium tannins add a bit
of toughness to the finish and call for bottle age of three to five years and
service with steaks or chops.
GOOD VALUE $20.00
Wine
Spectator - April 15, 2004, Page 140
87 Points
Ripe, with stewed black cherry,
roasted currant and balsamic tones, framed by generous cedar and coconut notes
that fold into gripping tannins. Drink now through 2007. 1241 cases made.
$20.00
Sante
Magazine - Holiday 2003 Issue, Annual Buying Guide 2004 Issue
Fruit-forward, ripe style with
berry patch and mocha notes; tannic finish. Venison. Serve now but will
hold for some time.
1999 Napa Valley Merlot
Harrington's
West Coast Wine Net - December, 2001
Bob Wesley at Lazy Acres Market in Santa Barbara, California
An Exceptional
Red - Teatown is ripe, thick and
chewy, with cedar, graphite, plum and blackberry flavors, dosed with smoky, sweet
oak spice. In a recent blind Merlot tasting, (see results), put on by my
monthly tasting group, Teatown was voted the number one wine of the night, and
bested many heavy hitters in the Napa wine community. I actually picked it
over the pricier wine that I'd brought.
Read
the Full Review and Results of Taste Test
Wine
Spectator - September 30, 2001,
Page 155
87 Points
Ripe and juicy, with spicy
plum, black cherry, coffee and chocolate flavors and a lingering, smooth
finish. Drink now through 2004. 800 cases made.
K
& L Wine Merchants - May, 2001
A deep, full bodied wine that shows
flavors of black cherry, raspberry and hints of chocolate. These flavors
balanced nicely with a good dose of toasty oak. The finish is long and
silky, and will rival such excellent productions as Duckhorn or Swanson.
This is a newcomer that serious collectors should try.
- Jim Barr
Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wines
- April 2001
This broad, mouth-filing, highly ripened wine, is
far removed from poise and polish, and it is overdone by any standard of classic
Merlot. It is, however, strikingly rich and long on character, and it's
bombastic style is sure to be greatly praised by unredeemed fans of dramatic
ripeness. It should not sit in the cellar for too long, and will show best
when paired with richer roasts and braised meats.
Cincinnati International Wine Festival - March, 2001
Bronze Medal Winner
San
Francisco Sommelier -
Wine of the Week, January 26, 2001
This is the third vintage from
Teatown Cellars, a winery without a winery. They buy all of their grapes
and contract to have the wine made. The result in their 199 Napa Merlot is
excellent and a good value. It has an opaque, very deep ruby to purple
color. It is extremely ripe and lush with plum, cedar and dill aromas and
flavors. There are also notes of blackberry and eucalyptus. It has
powerful tanins and nice acid structure. It is a bit much for any food
other than pungent cheeses, such at Roquefort, but should settle down after a
year or two in the bottle.
1998 Napa Valley Chardonnay
Connoisseurs' Guide to California
Wines - February 2000 An interesting name and an interesting approach to
Chardonnay. This very ripe, almost honeyed wine, smells of sweet apple juice and high toast barrels with
sprinklings of pineapple and roasted almonds also evident. Yet, for all of its
complexities, it is somewhat soft and sweet on the palate, and its obvious, lush,
honeyed flavors lead it away from true varietal identity. Withal, it is a tasty wine that might
partner best with dishes having a bit of a sweet edge in their makeup.
Cincinnati
Enquirer,
Wine of the Week,
November 12, 2000
and Cincinnati Wine Festival Recommendations, March, 2001
Virtual wineries are becoming more
common in the United States as companies, such as Teatown, contract wines from
established wineries, rather than produce wines themselves. Regardless of
origin, this Chardonnay has stunningly rich color, complex aromas, medium-full
flavones and a texture that defines smooth.
- John Vankat
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