We are so excited for the opportunity to host someone who's not only a brilliant businessman but someone I have the privilege of calling a dear friend for over 11 years, Mr. John Harris, owner and CEO of Amici Cellars.
Amici Cellars was started in 1991 over a love of friendship and of course good wine! It was started after winemaker, Jeff Hansen and friends crushed a few tons of grapes in 1991 for their own personal use. “This was good wine”, they unanimously agreed and soon thereafter released their first commercial vintage. The name Amici means “friends” in Italian and is a tribute to the friends who started this winery as well as to their Italian heritage. Coming up with a slogan to honor this, their wine is “created by friends for friends”.
Over 25 years later Amici is producing some of the most highly recognized wines and are proud to say that every wine in the portfolio has a history of 90+ points across multiple vintages, as well as receiving Winemaker of the year.
We are so excited to finally be able to make this tasting possible and has been in the works for years. Please join us for an unforgettable evening full of stories, history and full of laughs from this fellow native Texan!
2021 Amici Charlie Heintz Chardonnay, Russian River $74.99
97 Points | James Suckling
Wonderful ginger, lemon zest and lemon blossom aromas follow through to a full-bodied palate with an intensity and spiciness, with superb depth and length. Hints of vanilla and brioche to the lovely fruit. The real deal and really shows the character of this vineyard.
2021 Amici Reserve Pinot Noir, Russian River $76.99
95 Points | James Suckling
Complex aromas of blackberries, black cherries, ripe strawberries and hints of flowers. Orange peel and leaves. Full-bodied with a tight tannic frame and a horizontally driven finish. Excellent length. Drinkable, but give it time to open.
2019 Amici Reserve Cabernet, Napa Valley $99.99
96 Points | Jeb Dunnuck & Robert Parker
The 2021 Amici Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon opens with a captivating nose of ripe cassis, juicy black cherry, and delicate raspberry aromas, with a subtle hint of anise. On the palate, flavors of succulent black cherry are complemented by notes of cedar box and toasted vanilla beach, rounded out with a lingering finish of rich cocoa powder. This wine shows great acidity, lush tannins, and impressive age-worthiness.
Blend: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 4% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
2018 Amici Hirondelle Cabernet, Stags' Leap District $185
96 Points | Jeb Dunnuck & James Suckling
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Hirondelle Vineyard is another 100% varietal release from Amici that has a darker, powerful profile in its black and blue fruits, liquid violet, candied orange, and chocolate-driven aromas and flavors. It's medium to full-bodied, has a balanced, elegant mouthfeel, plenty of tannins, and a great finish. It needs to be hidden in the back of the cellar for 5-6 years, but it's a gorgeous bottle of wine.
2021 Amici Missouri Hopper Cabernet, Oakville $250
98 Points | Jeb Dunnuck
The team at Amici always seems to make the most of this valley floor site, and their 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard is riveting stuff. All varietal aged 18 months in new barrels, this saturated purple-hued beauty has a monster nose of ripe black and blue fruits, smoke tobacco, chocolate, and a Pessac-like scorched earth and smoky quality that I just adore. Full-bodied, rich, and powerful on the palate, it has beautiful tannins, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a layered, silky mouthfeel. This will drink brilliantly over the coming two decades.
