Winery Spotlight on G.B. Crane from Dave Phinney

Winey Spotlit on The Crane Assemby

What do you get when the creator of The Prisoner Brand, Orin Swift, D66, Locations, ect. pertners up and buys one of the Oldest Vineyards in Napa?  You get amazing complexity and power in each and every bottle.

Cabernent and Zinfandel from 130+ year old vines from one of the most well know winemakers in the world!

The Crane Assembly is centered around a unique eight-acre vineyard located in the gravel rich soils of southern St. Helena. It is believed that George Beldon Crane, or simply G.B. Crane, first established grapes on this site in the year 1885, making it one of the oldest vineyards in the Napa Valley. Although records are scarce, it was most likely planted as a field blend commonly known as “mixed blacks”. This field blend traditionally consisted of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignan, and a smattering of lesser-known grape varieties such as Alicante Bouschet, Mourvedre and Valdiguie.

Of the eight acres in production, approximately four acres are Crane’s original plantings. This four-acre block has been continuously farmed for nearly one hundred and thirty years by a number of different people…and now it is our turn to take on that responsibility. In addition to Crane’s old vine section, there is also a 1.6 acre block of Cabernet Sauvignon, a 1.4 acre block of Petite Sirah, and two rows of Merlot.

So why haven't you heard of it before?  Well, they don't even have a tasting room or winery!  They make the wine at the Orin Swift facility.  If you go out there and look for a tasting...you'll end up sitting at a picnic table in the middle of a field surrounded by some of the most historic and rare vines in all of Napa.  You won't find any fancy ornate marble or limestone caves, you'll just find grapes and winemaking in it's most raw and powerful form.

The Disciples

Regular Price $49.99

Yiannis Price $44.95

6 or more $39.99

https://www.yianniswine.com/websearch_results.html?kw=disciples

Do you remeber when The Prisoner was one of the best wines on the market?  Then you probably rember Dave Phinney selling it off almost a decade ago and it never being quite the same.  Well, did you know that when Dave left the Prisoner he actually took some of his grape growers with him?  Guess what they produce now?  That's right, the same wine maker and the same grapes that used to produce the Prisoner are now in a new bottle...The Disciples!

El Coco

2017 on Sale for 69.98

A few bottles of 2016 left for 74.99

https://www.yianniswine.com/websearch_results.html?kw=coco

Now take a field blend of those oldest vines in Napa, stay stong with Zinfandel, but mix in what nature gives you since some of these vines are so old you actually have no idea what types they really are...and come up with one of the most complex blends you'll ever try.

2016 G.B. Crane Vineyard el Coco

Decandent and rich, the nose opens with ripe boysenberry, blackberry and dark chocolate with a touch of aromatic nuance - forest floor and a satiating minerality. The entry is expansive and weighty with dark berries, ripe stone fruits, a hint of bing cherry with a long chain of white pepper. The complex finish is lengthy with soft, supple tannins stemming from teh high percentage of new French oak.

95 pts Robert Parker

G.B. Crane Cabernet MMXIII

2015 for $249.99 

https://www.yianniswine.com/websearch_results.html?kw=gb+crane

Now you have just over one acre of cabernet, so what do you do with it?  Make one of the most powerful, explosive cabernets to come out of Napa!

When I say this is RARE, I mean RARE.  Right now we have ONE CASE of this wine.  Heck, we get more Chateau Petrus, then we do this wine!

Blend Composition 87% Cabernet Sauvignon 8% Merlot 5% Petite Sirah

Powerful opulence. The 2014 G.B. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon opens with layered aromatics of overripe cassis, blackberries and plum. Shades of tarragon, sage and fragrant California chaparral follow closely. The entry is, as expected, rich and lush with a balanced mid-palate rife with juicy stone fruit, black cherries and traces of graphite, clove and licorice. The soft, refined tannins bring the experience to a slow, elegant close - flavors persisting at length.

97+ Pts Robert Parker