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Reviews

91 2005 Elyse Cabernet Sauvignon Tietjen Vineyard Napa Valley

Black cherries and cassis abound in this incisively varietal, very carefully crafted offering, and the impressions of complexity and concentration that show in its nose are confirmed by its well-focused, deeply filled flavors. It finishes with a bit of the tannic toughness expected from young Cabernet Sauvignon, but its persistent fruit outdistances everything else and points the way to a very bright future ahead.

91 - 2006 Elyse Petite Sirah Rutherford

Bright medium ruby. Vibrant aromas of blackberry, licorice and pepper. Densely packed and chewy, with very good defi nition and lift to the palatesaturating fl avors of blackberry, kirsch and cracked pepper. A lively fruit bomb of a petite sirah, fi nishing with tannins that dust the front teeth. A very good example of this variety, and long on personality.
– Stephen Tanzer

2004 Elyse Morisoli Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Ray Coursen started making wine in the 1980's, and within the tight-knit world of Napa growers he gets tremendous respect. That's thanks to wines like this pure, fruit-driven red, filled with dark, wild berry flavor. Coursen's upcoming '05 vintage, out in March, is equally impressive.
Food & Wine: "30 Classic, New & Value Cabernets"

2005 Elyse Winery L’Ingenue - 89 pts.
A Proprietary Blend Dry White Table wine from California, USA
Review by Robert Parker, WA # , #177 (Jun 2008), Drink 2008 - 2010
The only white wine, the 2005 L’Ingenue, is a blend of Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, and Grenache. It offers beautiful notes of white peaches, quince, and apricots. Medium-bodied, it has excellent purity and a dry, crisp finish. Drink it over the next 1-2 years.

2005 Elyse Winery Le Corbeau Hudson Vineyard 89 pts
A Proprietary Blend Dry Red Table wine from , Los Carneros, North Coast
Review by Robert Parker, WA # , #177 (Jun 2008),Drink 2008 – 2010
A blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah from the Hudson Vineyard, the 2005 Le Corbeau possesses a medium dark ruby color in addition to copious quantities of black cherry fruit intermixed with sandy, loamy soil notes, licorice, and roasted herbs. It is a sexy, mediumbodied effort with soft acids and round tannins. Enjoy it over the next 1-2 years.

2005 Elyse Winery C'Est Si Bon Naggier Vineyard 90 pts
Review by Robert Parker, WA # , #177 (Jun 2008),Rating: 90,Drink 2008 – 2012
The 2005 C’est Si Bon from the Naggiar Vineyard is a blend of 89% Syrah and 11% Cinsault. A Cotes du Rhone-inspired effort, it reveals a deep ruby color, an intriguing perfume of tree bark, raspberries, dusty black cherries, and earth, sweet tannins, medium to full body, and excellent ripeness. This complex 2005 should be drunk over the next 3-4 years.

2005 Elyse Winery Syrah 90 pts
A Syrah Dry Red Table wine from , Napa, North Coast Review by Robert Parker,WA # , #177 (Jun 2008),Rating: 90,Drink 2008 – 2014 The delicious 2005 Syrah exhibits classic blackberry and cassis characteristics intermixed with notions of camphor, creosote, and charred oak. Soft tannins, medium to full body, and excellent purity suggest it will drink well for 5-6 years.

92 - Elyse 2003 Petite Sirah Rutherford

Has the bones and authority of a great Cab. Lush, smooth tannins and full-bodied, with powerful, intense flavors of blackberries, plums, espresso, peppery spices and subtle notes from oak barrels

2001 Elyse Cabernet Sauvignon Morisoli Vineyard Napa Valley (two puffs)

Decidedly Cabernet in focus with its curranty fruit made all the more interesting by the loamy, dusty richness of the Rutherford Bench soils, this superb bottling is still a baby when it comes to its potential. There is fruit depth galore here and a fairly full and supple entry impression that is immediately buttressed by solid, never coarse tannins that provide grip without grit. We love its polished feel and its finely constructed flavors and think that it will age well for a decade or more.

The International Wine Review
September 2005
Report #1 California Petite Sirah

*** Elyse 2003 Petite Sirah Rutherford
The Elyse 2003 Petite Sirah produced by owner/ winemaker Ray Coursen is a beautifully structured wine exhibiting a rich black purple color, highly extracted blackberry fruit aromas, and lots of blackberry fruit, tar chocolate and spice on the palate. This textbook of high quality Petite Sirah also offers up spicy oak, big tannins, and a long pleasing finish. This is a wine for aging and should taste terrific even after a decade of cellaring.

*** 2003 Jacob Franklin Petite Sirah Hayne Vineyard
This Petite Sirah from the renown Hayne Vineyard in Napa Valley is a dark purple and highly aromatic bottling, offering lots of blueberry and plum fruit, spice and earth on the nose. On the palate, this blend of 75% Petite Sirah and 25% Zinfandel, exhibits highly extracted lush black berry fruit with velvety and supple mouth feel. This big elegant wine is well-balanced with ripe tannins and offers a long pleasant finish. Only 10 barrels of this wine were produced.

94 -Elyse 2002 AKA Zinfandel
93 -Elyse 2002 Korte Ranch Zinfandel
93 -Elyse 2002 Howell Mountain Zinfandel

Hats off to one of the good guys in the wine business, Ray Coursen, for these three outstanding 2002 Zinfandels. They are all about as good as Zinfandel can be… complex, rich savory, and ideal for drinking now and over the next 7-8 years.

The 2002 Zinfandel AKA tastes like a California version of a Rhône Valley Côte Rôtie, although it is admittedly more powerful. Aromas of black raspberries, flowers, spice box, and incense jump from the glass of this beautifully textured, deep ruby/purple-tinged effort. It is full-bodied, pure, heady, and lusty (15.7% alcohol).

Another knock-out effort is the 2002 Zinfandel Korte Ranch, which offers up abundant amounts of crushed rock, blueberry, raspberry, and plum characteristics as well as mouthcoating levels of glycerin. It's 15.9% alcohol is well-concealed by the wealth of fruit.

Lastly, the 2002 Zinfandel Howell Mountain (produced from the old Park Muscatine as well as the Black Sears vineyard) is a beautiful mountain Zinfandel displaying garrigue-like notes of underbrush, compost, black raspberries, blueberries, pepper, crushed stones, and white flowers. It possesses great fruit, full body, tremendous purity, and 15.7% alcohol.
- Issue 157 2/28/05

92 - Elyse Tietjen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2001

Grown on alluvial soils, this wine's distinctive red fruit falls somewhere between the flavor of persimmon and strawberries. It lends the wine an elegance and bright character, a balance to the darker, savory tones of the tannins. Firm and spicy, this should be drinking at its best six to eight years from the vintage.
(1,180 cases)

88 - Elyse 2002 Rutherford Morisoli Vineyard Zinfandel

Sweet flavors of roast tomatoes and beef bouillon make this a simple, Italianate style of zin for osso buco. (1,733 cases)

87 Elyse 2002 California d'Aventure Red

Bold and vibrant aromatics brighten the darker, earthy tones of this wine, both rosy and black. The soft, round texture will tie those elements to braised lamb. (1100 cases)

87 Elyse 2001 Napa Valley Syrah

Heady fruit scents of red plum fill this soft syrah, an easy red for grilled chopped sirloin. (918 cases)

2002 Elyse, "Morisoli Vineyard" Zinfandel, Napa Valley (VERY HIGHLY RECCOMMENDED)

Medium-dark purplish ruby color; attractive, intense, briary, peppery, jammy, sweet raspberry fruit aroma with notes of vanilla; full body; big, forward, highly concentrated, rich, jammy, very ripe blackberry fruit flavors with notes of smoky oak and a touch of framboise; medium-full to full tannin; some heat on the slightly harsh finish; lingering aftertaste. Richly flavored and very appealing to drink now, though also has good aging potential.

2001 Elyse, "Tietjen Vineyard", Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (VERY HIGHLY RECCOMMENDED)

Medium-dark ruby with purplish tinges; attractive, forward, intense, cedary, toasty, ripe black cherry fruit aroma with notes of chocolate and green olive; full body; big, forward, dense, concentrated, cedary, chalky, highly extracted, ripe blackberry fruit flavors with good depth; full tannin; lingering aftertaste…...

90- Elyse Winery Zinfandel Napa Valley Morisoli 2001

90- Elyse Winery Zinfandel Howell Mountain 2001

These are two of the finest Zinfandels I have tasted from Elyse. The Napa bottling of 2001 Zinfandel Morisoli reveal as ripe raspberry and cherry fruit with notions of spice and pepper in its fragrant, expressive bouquet. Medium-boded, with nicely integrated wood, and no hard edges, it will drink well for 2-4 years. Produced from a cooler climate vineyard, the elegant, dark ruby/purple-colored 2001 Zinfandel Howell Mountain exhibits more blue fruits than black or red along with good structure, well-integrated acidity, and a sweet, ripe finish. Consume it over the next 3-4 years.

2004 Commercial Wine Competition Awards

Gold Medal
2001 Elyse Syrah, Napa Valley
2002 Elyse Pinot Noir, Napa Valley

Silver Medal
2001 Tietjen Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford

Bronze Medal
2002 D'Aventure, California
2001 Morisoli Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford

91- Elyse Winery Zinfandel Howell Mountain 2001

Intense, with rich, supple texture, wild berry, coffee grounds, black pepper and blackberry flavors, spicy oak and hazelnut. Finishes with a burst of heat. (JL)

91- Elyse Winery Zinfandel Howell Mountain 2001

Intense and extracted, with a rich, supple texture, mixing wild berry, coffee grounds, black pepper and blackberry flavors that are exotic and concentrated, with spicy oak and hazelnut flavors. Finishes with a burst of heat on the finish. Drink now through 2008. ( JL)