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> Main Catalog
Please click on the buttons on the left to view detailed information about each of our wines from every vintage. Autumn 2008 releases are listed below.
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Downing Family Vineyards produces small case lots of hand-crafted, ultra-premium wines. Our premier vintage of Zinfandel was released in May 2001 and our premier vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon was released six months later.
Downing Family wines are distributed at select retail locations and restaurants and are also available via mail order. Mailing list members are notified of the upcoming release and given the opportunity to purchase wine prior to the general release. We share a tasting room at Napa Wine Company in Oakville and occasionally have large format bottles or library wines available in the room. Our shared tasting room can also ship to all fifty states so if you aren't in a state where we are permitted, please call our tasting room at 1-800-848-9630 to place your order. The tasting room can also arrange tours.
Detailed vintage and tasting notes for all of our released wines including library releases is available simply by clicking on the varietal buttons on the left side of this screen. Library releases, when available are also listed.
We currently ship to these states, preferable to a business address: AK, CA, CO, DC, FL, IA, MN, NV, NH, NM, NC, RI, TX, VA, & WA. |
Autumn 2008 New Releases
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1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - LIBRARY RELEASE!
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This is our Premier vintage so it's a special one for us with only 200 cases produced. Last week while sorting through our personal library we decided to offer 10 of our last 12 cases to our mailing list. You can only store so much wine.... We just opened a bottle with our friends over dinner last night (December 2008) just to make sure they had been properly stored. All we can say is WOW! Cabernet Sauvignon for this classic Bordeaux blend was harvested from the Del Bondio Rutherford vineyard and the famed Rock Cairn vineyard in Oakville. This won't last long! Rated 92 by the Wine Spectator.
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1999 Rutherford, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - LIBARARY RELEASE!
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Made from Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, Yountville Cabernet Franc and Oakville Merlot, this wine exhibits vibrant fruit and an earthy base layered with floral notes. It has aged for seven years in the bottle and is ready to enjoy today. "Smooth textured, with toasty oak nuances upfront. The wine serves up a complex blackberry, currant, chocolate, spice and herb pastiche that spreads out wonderfully on the palate, finishing long." - Wine Enthusiast February 2003 (91 points).
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2000 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - LIBRARY RELEASE!
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This wine is a lovely Bordeaux-style blend
consisting of 83% Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon,
7% Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, and
just 3% Cabernet Franc. Forget about what the critics said about the 2000 vintage. This wine is drinking beautifully right now!
MAGNUM MADNESS! TRY A MAGNUM FOR ONLY $36!
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2005 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon - NEW RELEASE!
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A remarkable blend of Rutherford valley floor fruit and hillside fruit supplied by two famed Napa Valley winegrowers. Earthy Rutherford notes combined with loads of black cherry, currant and raspberry. Excellent structure and balance and a finish measured in geologic time!
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2006 Oakville, Napa Valley Fly by Night Zinfandel - NEW RELEASE!
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Here it is, Fly by Night fans - our brand new 2006 Fly by Night Zinfandel straight from the heart of Cabernet country in Napa Valley! Our 2006 was the second harvest from the new H&H vineyard in Oakville, Napa Valley. The H&H vineyard, like the original Pelissa vineyard in Oakville is CCOF certified organically farmed. Makes sense because it's farmed by the Pelissa family, pioneers in Napa Valley organic farming. This vineyard is located a few hundred yards from the original. We harvested 15 tons of amazing fruit yielding 986 cases. Barrel samples of the 2006 were poured at the January 2008 ZAP tasting in San Francisco to rave reviews reminiscent of our wonderful 1999. Bright crisp fruit, remarkable balance, and Cabernet like depth and complexity define this Zinfandel as something special. Sorry, no screwcap this year.
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2002 Fly by Night Zinfandel - LIBRARY RELEASE!
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The 2002 vintage was a classic for Napa Valley red wines. Harvested at dawn on October 9, 2002, this unique Oakville zinfandel has developed a powerful structure that is sweet on the front palate and spicy on the back. Black currants, wild huckleberries and a melting essence of dark chocolate emerge from this full-bodied wine that finishes with a note of vanilla and cracked pepper. "Outstanding, one of their best efforts to date. Score 9.5/10." - Vinography (ZAP tasting January 2005) MAGNUM MADNESS! Only six magnum cases remain.
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2001 Fly by Night Zinfandel - LIBRARY RELEASE!
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Deeee-lishous! Cherry strawberry, chocolate, spice - this vintage has it all. Critically acclaimed. "A nicely crafted effort, this 2001 Zinfandel possesses good structure in addition to sweet cherry and currant fruit and a spicy, moderately endowed finish. If a noticeable spicy oak/vanilla character becomes better integrated, it may merit an even higher score. ...medium to full-bodied, pure well-made Zinfandel..." Robert M Parker, Jr., Wine Advocate October 2003 (88 points). Wine Enthusiast 90 points. MAGNUM MADNESS! Only 3 magnum cases remain.
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2000 Fly by Night Zinfandel - LIBRARY RELEASE!
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Made in the same rich style as our 1999 Fly by Night Zinfandel, thw wine shows intense fruit that is deep and complex. Ripe blackberry, brambleberry and fig with hints of exotic spices such as cardomom and allspice. After seven years of bottle aging it's now at it's peak. MAGNUM MADNESS! Four cases remain at a bottle price of only $30. Steve Tanzer's International Wine Cellar scored this wine 88 points.
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2005 Oakville, Napa Valley Syrah - NEW RELEASE!
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Patience has been well rewarded with our 2005 Oakville Syrah. It has turned into a beautiful wine after 24 months of aging in French and American Oak followed by nine more months of bottle aging. Our 2005 Syrah is 100% Syrah from a CCOF certified organically farmed vineyard.
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Library release MAGNUM MADNESS!
Please click on www.cellartracker.com for independent tasting notes, ratings and reviews of our wines.
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