Tasting notes:

Based in St Helena, Napa Valley, Luc Morlet, a fifth-generation member of a Champagne family, and his native Californian wife Jodie have vineyards and vine-growing partners in Napa Valley and Sonoma County, from which they have been crafting fabulous wines since 2006. The Morletowned, 20-acre Coeur de Vallée vineyard on the Oakville Bench, the ‘heart’ of Napa Valley Cabernet terroir, is the source for this quintessential wine, and the Coeur de Vallée wines are now sold on La Place de Bordeaux. Deep ruby-coloured, the wine exudes blackcurrants, dark berries and a violet note, with a gentle, creamy oak hint. Dry but sweet-fruited, with fresh acidity and dense, satin-textured tannins, the palate is intense, refined and lingering. Layered, elegant and persistent. A beautiful wine to pair with seared breast of duck with pomegranate molasses and okra on the side. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)