2018 Grand Napa Master Red Napa Valley

2018 Grand Napa Master Red Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40CoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaProprietary RedSaint HelenaUSA

GRAND NAPA 

MASTER RED
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Grand Napa Master Red Napa Valley
Grand Napa Vineyards in Rutherford produces wine in an approachable style that’s keenly balanced, richly textured, with seamless structure. They seek vineyards that produce concentrated fruit, naturally balanced by elegant tannins. Their Master Red combines grapes from warmer and cooler parts of the Valley and harmoniously balances fruit, acid, and structure, tying it all in with soft, velvety tannins. Notably, this wine earned double 92 point scores based on the winery’s $90 retail price, so at our price, it’s an amazingly delicious value. 
 
Dwight Bonewell, the winemaker at Grand Napa, keeps a black book of secret vineyard sources, and he created his 2018 Master Red from top sites in Coombsville and Saint Helena. His 2018 combines 55% Cabernet Sauvignon with nearly equal parts Malbec and Merlot. 
 
The 2018 vintage was an ideal growing season in Napa, virtually uninterrupted by significant heat spikes, providing a prolonged hang-time and allowing the fruit to accumulate intense flavor and complexity. Grand Napa’s 2018 Master Red envelopes your palate in a blanket of juicy red and black fruits, crushed flowers, hints of espresso beans, and a rich, supple mouthfeel.
 
GRAND NAPA 
MASTER RED
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $90
 
 
 
“Loads of black cherries, currants, tobacco leaf, chocolate, and spring flower notes emerge from the 2018 Master Red. A medium to full-bodied, lightly textured blend with integrated tannins and a clean, classy finish, I’d be thrilled to drink bottles any time over the coming 10-15 years.”
92 Points
 
“Savory aromas of dried mushroom and oyster shell on the nose, layered with dried blackcurrant and tobacco. It’s medium- to full-bodied with sleek, integrated tannins. Flavorful with a juicy, savory finish. Try from 2021.”
92 Points
2016 Maroon Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville

2016 Maroon Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

MAROON

SPECIAL RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2016 COOMBSVILLE 

2016 Maroon Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville
Fueled by unparalleled quality and extreme scarcity, the following for Maroon’s Special Reserve Cabernet grows stronger with each vintage. Patronage is furthered by winemaker Chris Corley’s ability to harness Coombsville fruit’s power and deliver it with finesse and elegance. The Special Reserve is created from the top-performing blocks in the vineyard and priced in line with Coombsville greats Favia, Merus, and Meteor at $160 retail; As you can imagine, at less than 1/3 of the retail price, we have great difficulty keeping it stocked. 
 
Deeper and more defined than Maroon’s other bottlings, winemaker Chris Corley introduced as little manipulation as possible during the winemaking process, allowing the remarkable terroir of Maroon’s best Vineyard Blocks to shine.
 
The 2016 Special Reserve is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged for a full 24 months in oak before bottling. If you’re looking for an elegant but powerful Cabernet with plenty of definition and complexity, this is it.
 
MAROON
SPECIAL RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2016 COOMBSVILLE
Retails at: $160
 
 
 
“The 2016 vintage of Maroon Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has a rich, intense nose with briary wild berries, graphite, fresh sage, and hints of vanilla. The palate is concentrated, with penetrating crushed blackberries, dense black plum, decadent cassis, and an ethereal mouthfeel. It is a concentrated and focused wine with a finish that is elegant, powerful, refined, and long. It is a gift for your mouth now and will continue to drink beautifully for another decade or more.”
97 points
2018 Arietta Quartet Proprietary Red

2018 Arietta Quartet Proprietary Red

with No Comment $60-$70CarnerosCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUncategorizedUSA

ARIETTA 

2018 QUARTET 
PROPRIETARY RED
 
2018 Arietta Quartet Proprietary Red
Arietta’s specialty is harmoniously balanced Bordeaux-style blends created from top vineyards in Napa Valley. They gain inspiration for their wine from music and believe that great wines should sing with balance, vibrancy, and depth. They’re able to achieve this with the proper instruments (super-premium grapes) and the help of gifted composer/winemaker Andy Erickson. Andy made Screaming Eagle from 2005 through 2010, and he also makes Mayacamas, which in the last two consecutive vintages ranked #2 and #4 on Wine Spectator Top 100. At 95 points and under $100, don’t miss Arietta’s 2018 Quartet.   
 
Cabernet Sauvignon takes center stage in the 2018 Quartet, followed by Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petite Verdot. They finely tuned this wine for 20 months in oak, and it makes a grand entrance from one of Napa Valley’s most exceptional vintages. 
 
The winery sources fruit from Meteor and Two Belles Farms in Coombsville, and in Carneros, they call on Lee Hudson’s renowned vineyard. If you’re looking for a stunningly complex and deeply hedonistic blend to add to your cellar, this one is singing.
 
ARIETTA 
2018 QUARTET 
PROPRIETARY RED
Retails at: $75
 
Your Price: $69.99
 
 
“This blends 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot into a cohesive whole of complex structure and grace. Cedar, pencil shavings, iron and crushed rock provide a savory foundation complemented by lush richness in the form of dense blueberry, dark chocolate and nutmeg…”
95 Points
2018 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

FAUST

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
The producers of Faust challenge themselves to create wines that purely express their Coombsville estate. They describe the wine as a modern classic that they craft in a bold style exemplifying their vineyard’s unique characteristics and dynamic terroir. At around $50, it’s one of Napa Valley’s best values in high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon.
 
Faust’s winemakers Jen Beloz and David Jelinek have every possible tool to make great wine inside Quintessa’s state-of-the-art winery in Rutherford. There, they craft a world-class Cabernet using an optical sorter that inspects each berry to ensure uniform ripeness before the juice travels gently by gravity through the winemaking process. 
 
The 2018 release is composed around a core of fruit from the winery’s estate vineyards in Coombsville and Rutherford and elevated with Atlas Peak, Mount Veeder, and Howell Mountain grapes, producing diverse and compelling flavors.
 
FAUST
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“Very attractive aromas of blackcurrants, black olives and dark leather with some cedar. It’s full-bodied with firm, silky tannins and a refined, polished finish. Shows finesse and focus. Grows on the palate. Really delicious now, but will improve with age. Drink or hold.”
94 Points
 
“…this full-bodied, highly expressive red is made from Coombsville estate grapes as well as grapes from sites in Rutherford and Oakville. It presents concentrated, burly black-fruit notes tempered by savory clove, espresso, leather and toasted oak.”
92 Points
 
“Intense yet fresh with juicy blue and black notes. Dark chocolate mixed with dried herbs seduces the palate, while silky tannins and lifting acidity lead to a layered and lingering finish.”
2016 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2016 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $100 and overCabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleNapaUSA

PALMAZ

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2016 NAPA VALLEY 

2016 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Palmaz combines cutting-edge technology, talent, and a passion for producing riveting Napa Valley wines. They believe in farming each vine, rather than the entire vineyard as a whole, and they achieve this through advanced Geographic Informational Systems. They also have consultants like legendary viticulturist Mike Wolf and top consulting winemaker Mia Klein to help give voice to their incredible Coombsville vineyard. Their 2016 Napa Cabernet is classically styled, profound, and penetrating, and at around $150, it stunningly delivers everything Cabernet lovers want. 
 
The winery itself is an architectural marvel, extending 18 stories underground, created for gravity-flow winemaking, eliminating mechanical pumps and minimizing the turbulence that damages wines’ molecular structure.
 
Emerging from the blockbuster 2016 vintage, which ranks as the highest-rated vintage since 1997 according to the Wine Spectator Vintage Report, this 2016 is powerfully elegant and effortlessly balanced. 
 
PALMAZ
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2016 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $165
 
Your Price: $150
 
 
“With a greeting of freshly fired creme brûlée and toasted currant, the 2016 Palmaz Cabernet draws you in for a cozy embrace. Comforting flavors of vanilla, caramel, and baked boysenberry dance across the palate. The voluptuous fruit flavors are effortlessly balanced with elegant tannins that cover the tongue like a feather – spreading to every hidden taste bud in the deepest corners of the palate. An everlasting finish that holds steadfast, begging to be remembered – satisfied only by the indulgence of a second glass.”
2016 Faust The Pact Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville Napa Valley

2016 Faust The Pact Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville Napa Valley

with No Comment $70-$80Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

FAUST

2016 THE PACT
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
COOMBSVILLE, NAPA VALLEY

2016 Faust The Pact Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville Napa Valley
Faust’s 96 point The Pact Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 was created from their most expressive blocks from the Estate Vineyard in Coombsville and was crafted to epitomize the purest expression of the Estate. Formerly a dairy farm, the property was developed by the Huneeus family, who also own Quintessa. They chose it for its diversity of soil, elevation, exposition, and climate that’s cooler than most areas of Napa Valley. This remarkable 2016 resulted from the culmination of their vision, work developing the land, and perfecting their winemaking.
 
Faust winemakers Jen Beloz and David Jelinek produced this masterpiece. Jen gained her experience while working under Joel Peterson at Ravenswood Winery before joining Huneeus and becoming winemaker at Prisoner in 2011.  
 
The 2016 release is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, born in Quintessa’s state-of-the-art winery in Rutherford. After 19 months in barrel and a couple of years of development in the bottle, the 2016 offering is a stunning beauty.
 
FAUST
2016 THE PACT
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
COOMBSVILLE, NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $130
 
Your Price: $79.99
 
“This is very layered and beautiful with tannins that unfold horizontally and melt into the wine. So much subtle and complex currant and green-olive character with a hint of fresh tobacco. Drink or hold.”
96 Points
 
“… Deep garnet-purple colored, it reveals bold red and black currants scents with touches of crushed rocks, new leather, fried herbs, rose hip tea and wood smoke plus a hint of incense. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers and rock-solid structure of firm, ripe, grainy tannins framing the muscular fruit, finishing very long and mineral laced.”
95 Points
 
“Black cherry and black currant generously welcome the nose and reward the palate with a plush texture and fresh acidity. Dark fruit and graphite, along with tobacco, star anise and dark cocoa flavors await you with a seductive finish that lasts for an eternity.”
– David Jelinek, Winemaker
2018 Steps Reserve Barrel Select Proprietary Red

2018 Steps Reserve Barrel Select Proprietary Red

with No Comment $40-$50CalistogaCoombsvilleHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

STEPS

RESERVE BARREL SELECT
2018 PROPRIETARY RED

2018 Steps Reserve Barrel Select Proprietary Red
Each year STEPS is re-birthed as it’s formed from declassified grapes out of some of Napa Valley’s most coveted vineyards and meticulously blended by winemaker Grant Long, Jr, whom you might know from Aonair, Witchery, and James Joseph. Grant makes the blend with an unwavering goal of producing a showy, hedonistic red that’s guided by the vintage and the varietals that performed best. The 2018 release perfectly reflects the vintages knockout power and underlined elegance, and at $50, the value is nearly inconceivable.
 
Steps 2018 Barrel Select draws on the concentrated flavors of Howell Mountain fruit and brings into play the elegance of Coombsville and the minerality of Calistoga grapes. Each lot was fermented separately and barrel-aged for 23 months before the blend was assembled and guided into bottles. 
 
The final blend is nearly 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, elevated with Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. The 2018 vintage is richly layered and ladened with ripe blackberries, assorted chocolates, minerals, and red flowers on the palate. With just four barrels produced, don’t hesitate to secure this release. 
 
STEPS
RESERVE BARREL SELECT
2018 PROPRIETARY RED
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
“The 2018 Steps Barrel Select begins with an intense, ripe nose of black red currants, graphite, fresh mushrooms and sweet vanilla. The palate is powerful and penetrating with crushed mountain blackberries, lush black fruits, espresso roast and refined minerals. It finishes with satiny tannins, and a long, balanced, supple mouthfeel. Drink now until 2030.” 
94 Points
2017 Calculated Risk Barrel Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2017 Calculated Risk Barrel Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaSaint HelenaUSA

CALCULATED RISK

BARREL SELECTION
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2017 NAPA VALLEY

2017 Calculated Risk Barrel Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Adding up the reasons why Calculated Risk offers such an extraordinary value, and the summation will point to fruit source, winemaking, and price. The fruit quality multiplies with their vast selection of premium vineyards under their brands Heir Apparent and Grand Napa Vineyards, and the winemaking gets huge scores from top publications like James Suckling and Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, that have featured all three brands with high ratings. It doesn’t take a calculus degree to see the no risk value in this Calculated Risk… 
 
The winemaking team selected fruit from Coombsville and St. Helena AVA’s to craft a powerful, penetrating, and balanced wine. The wine perfectly fuses the elegance and restrained power of Coombsville, with St. Helena structure and depth.
 
The 2017 Barrel Selection is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, and it lights up your senses with cocoa dusted black fruits, graphite, and crushed flowers. The 2017 vintage is rocking right now, and every time I taste it, I’m perplexed by how incalculably good it is. 
 
CALCULATED RISK
BARREL SELECTION
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2017 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $79.99
 
2017 Mike and Molly Zinfandel R.W. Moore Vineyard

2017 Mike and Molly Zinfandel R.W. Moore Vineyard

with No Comment $30-$40CoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSAZinfandel

MIKE AND MOLLY

2017 ZINFANDEL
R.W. MOORE VINEYARD

2017 Mike and Molly Zinfandel R.W. Moore VineyardThe only thing deeper than the roots of the ancient vines in the 1905 planted R.W. Moore Vineyard, is the combined family ties in the Napa Valley wine industry of Mike & Molly Hendry. Mike’s grandparents purchased 120 acres at the base of Mount Veeder in the 1930s, where the Hendry Winery sits today, and Molly grew up visiting her uncle Bill at his R.W. Moore Vineyard, which Turley and Biale fans recognize. 

The historic R.W. Moore Vineyard is located in Napa Valley’s highly acclaimed Coombsville region and is an entirely dry-farmed vineyard, where winter rains are the sole source of irrigation. The vines are a field blend of approximately 95% Zinfandel intermixed with Petite Sirah, Carignane, Mourvedre, and Mourtaou. 
 
The wine team made the 2017 vintage in a richly elegant, enchanting style that envelopes your palate in plush dark fruits, satiny tannins, and compelling spice notes. At $36, this Old Vine Zinfandel is an absolute joy.
 
MIKE AND MOLLY
2017 ZINFANDEL
R.W. MOORE VINEYARD
Retails at: $40
 
 
 
 
“This graceful wine is aged in French oak, one-third of it new. Brambly, rich red fruit remains lifted and structured on the palate, alongside a grip of baking spice, black pepper and leather.” 91 Points
 
 
 
“A blend of 95% Zinfandel and 1% each of Petite Sirah, Carignan and Mourvèdre as well as 2% of the rare Cabernet Pfeffer. In some years it shows red fruits like raspberry and cherry; in others, dark fruits like black cherries and blackberries. The vines are dry-farmed, giving small, peppery, intense berries. Drinking Window 2020 – 2028” 91 Points
2018 Mica Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Mica Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $100 and overCabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleOakvilleSt HelenaSt. HelenaUSAYountville

MICA 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY 

2018 Mica Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

 
When we can access it, Buccella is a pillar on our reserve list in the shop, and MICA is the second wine from Buccella. However, in 2018 the quality of fruit was so stupendous that referring to MICA as a second wine, doesn’t seem to fit… The 2018 vintage shows more like a first wine from a top Estate, with deep, penetrating fruit, sharply defined details, and stunning balance. At around 1/2 the price of Buccella, this wine mimics a much pricier wine.   
 
Buccella and Mica are made by Landon Donley, who gained experience interning for Australian powerhouse Mollydooker before joining Spottswoode Estate as the assistant winemaker. At Spottswoode, he learned to craft wines worthy of 100 Point scores, and everything he absorbed there is transparent in a glass of 2018 Mica. 
 
The 2018 Mica stitches together fruit from Oakville, Yountville, St Helena, and Coombsville in a way that embellishes the best qualities from each iconic AVA, without losing sight of balance. The wine checks in at 90% Cabernet, balanced with Merlot and Malbec, and with just over 500 cases produced, I wouldn’t hesitate to secure yours…
 
MICA 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $120
 
Your Price: $115
Click to Order
 
 
 
 
“The 2018 Mica Cabernet Sauvignon from Buccella is a masterpiece. It begins with a deep nose of blueberry cobbler, English rose petals, sweet vanilla and iron. The palate explodes with a mixed basket of fresh red, black and blue berries, beautifully balanced by toasty oak. The finish is long, concentrated, penetrating and makes your mouth water, leaving it begging for the next sip. Drink now to 2032.” 95 Points