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

2016 Arietta Quartet Proprietary Red

with No Comment $60-$70CalistogaCarnerosCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

ARIETTA

2016 QUARTET
PROPRIETARY RED

Harmonious is the first word that comes to mind when tasting Arietta’s Quartet. The wine brings together four Bordeaux varietals in a way that perfectly complements, supports, and defines one-another. The blend was composed by Andy Erickson, who made Screaming Eagle from ’05 – ’10, and he also makes Mayacamas, which just ranked #2 in the recent Wine Spectator Top 100. With 95 Points and a spot on Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100, don’t miss this vintage of Arietta Quartet.  

Arietta built this superior blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc around a core of Coombsville fruit that’s paired with carefully chosen sites in Carneros and Calistoga. The 2016 benefits from two new Cabernet Vineyards in Southern Napa that are both managed by one of Napa Valley’s top viticulturists, Mike Wolf. 

The 2016 was finely tuned for 22 months in oak and made its entrance from one of Napa Valley’s most exceptional vintages, and one that the Wine Spectator ranks as the highest-rated vintage since 1997. If you’re looking for a stunningly complex and deeply hedonistic blend to add to your cellar, this one is absolutely singing.

ARIETTA
2016 QUARTET
PROPRIETARY RED
 
Your Price: $68
 
 
“Winemaker Andy Erickson coaxes beautiful fruit and structure from this blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, many of the grapes from Coombsville and Carneros. Juicy and weighty on the palate in blackberry and blueberry, it offers firm integrated tannin and undeniable elegance, with lovely teases of dried herb, graphite and exotic spice.” 
95 Points, Editors’ Choice, #48 Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Wines of 2019
 
“The 2016 Quartet is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Deep purple-black in color, it features youthful, vivacious black and red currants notions with an undercurrent of black plums, mulberries, Indian spices and fragrant earth plus wafts of tobacco and new leather. Full-bodied and laden with decadent black fruit and spicy layers, it has a velvety backbone and long spicy finish.” 94 Points
2013 J Gregory Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2013 J Gregory Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaOak KnollUSA

J. GREGORY

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2013 NAPA VALLEY

2013 J Gregory Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
What comes after making some of Napa Valley’s most prestigious wines in the 1980s and 1990s? Mark Jessup was part of the original winemaking team at OPUS ONE from 1979 through 1987, and after OPUS, he chose to pursue his dream of building a winery of his own… Lucky for us, we found him, and his 2013 Napa Cabernet is genuinely a joy to behold.
 
The 2013 J Gregory Napa Cabernet hails from one of the areas most prized vintages. At nearly 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine perfectly embodies the power and focus that are hallmarks of this vintage. On the palate, the wine is detailed and expressive, yet firmly balanced and sophisticated.
 
Mark works closely with a handful of growers, where he has long term, mutual relationships. His 2013 vintage has origins in Coombsville and Oak Knoll, which are both situated in cooler-climate regions within Napa Valley, where in a great vintage like 2013, the grapes can achieve optimum ripeness, and at a gradual pace…
 
J. GREGORY
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2013 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $85
 
 
 
“There is a compelling way that this wine presents itself, with an intriguing nose of bright, briary wild berries and subtle eucalyptus that combine with balanced sweet vanilla and hints of wet earth. On the palate, ripe black cherries, red and black raspberries, red currants, and fresh cranberries beautifully frame elegant floral characteristics along with a subtle, minerally, slate-like thread. This beauty indeed begins bright and linear but puts on weight and body as it opens up in the glass over time. Drink or hold for a decade or more.” 94 Points
2017 Calculated Risk Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Selection

2017 Calculated Risk Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

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

CALCULATED RISK

BARREL SELECTION
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 NAPA VALLEY

2017 Calculated Risk Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel SelectionI love watching a brand that we’ve featured from their early days gain momentum, with high scores and well-deserved acclaim. Grand Napa Vineyards in Rutherford also produces the Calculated Risk and Heir Apparent brands, and top publications like James Suckling and Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate feature all three brands with high scores. With a mere 178 cases produced, the 2017 Calculated Risk Barrel Selection Cab impressed our panel, as well as James Suckling. 

Owner Dwight Bonewell produces multiple brands, all under one umbrella, and that’s a good thing because Grand Napa has access to a selection of Napa Valley’s top vineyards. When creating the 2017 Calculated Risk Barrel Selection, his team selected fruit from Coombsville and St. Helena AVA’s to create a wine that’s powerful, penetrating, and balanced.  

The 2017 Barrel Selection is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and it lights up your senses with cocoa dusted black fruits, graphite, and crushed flowers. The wine perfectly fuses the elegance and restrained power of Coombsville, with St. Helena structure and depth. 

CALCULATED RISK
BARREL SELECTION
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 NAPA VALLEY

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“Wild flowers and roses with a fresh, blackberry and blackcurrant edge to the nose, too. The palate has soft, ripe and almost creamy tannins on offer, in a soft, easy mode. Drink or hold.”  91 Points

2014 Maroon Special Reserve Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon

2014 Maroon Special Reserve Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

MAROON 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
SPECIAL RESERVE
2014 COOMBSVILLE 

 
2014 Maroon Special Reserve Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon
There are many styles of California Cabernet, ranging from big, ripe, and inky, to silky, elegant, and linear, and both can be equally powerful and hedonistic, although in very different ways. Maroon’s 2014 Special Reserve Cabernet from Napa Valley’s highly acclaimed Coombsville region, falls into the more elegant style, with laser-like focus, powerfully hedonistic flavors, and Classic Coombsville attributes. At the winery’s $160 retail, Maroon priced it in line with Coombsville icons Favia, Merus, and Meteor. At our price it’s the most significant discount on premium Cabernet that we’ve ever offered.  
 
This stunning 2014 Cabernet arose from the winery’s Estate Vineyard in Coombsville, where for years the winery sold fruit to Joseph Phelps for their iconic Insigna Blend. On the palate, the wine is classic Coombsville and made in a focused, highly detailed style with sweet red fruits, vibrant red currants, clay, wet earth, and black raspberries.
 
Entering from one of Napa Valley’s best vintages, one that the Wine Spectator describes as producing “dense, charming, cellar-worthy wines.” The 2014 Special Reserve is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged for a full 24 months in oak before bottling. If you’re looking for an elegant, medium-bodied Cabernet with plenty of power and personality, this is it. 
 
 
MAROON 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
SPECIAL RESERVE
2014 COOMBSVILLE
Retails at: $160
 
 
“Brown brick red color. Aromas and flavors of spiced dried berries, honeycomb, leather bag filled with coffee, chocolate and spice, and wet clay with a satiny, bright, fruity medium-to-full body and a warming, complex, very long finish with notes of cassis pie a la mode, honey glazed carrots, cherry cola, and chocolate mint with silky, soft tannins. A stately, seamless cabernet with deep rich flavors, finely balanced oak, and a long satisfying finish.” 96 Points, Cellar Selection
2015 Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve Proprietary Red

2015 Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve Napa Valley Proprietary Red

with No Comment $40-$50Atlas PeakCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaProprietary RedRutherfordStags LeapUSA

BEAULIEU VINEYARD2015 Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve Proprietary Red

TAPESTRY RESERVE
PROPRIETARY RED
2015 NAPA VALLEY

 
Tapestry is defined by an intricate or complex combination, and BV’s Tapestry Reserve intricately combines 75% Cabernet Sauvignon with each of the five major Bordeaux varietals and lives up to the literal definition of its name.  The winery tailors their winemaking for each varietal to best capture the individual nature of the vintage and unique origins of the grapes.  Fifty percent of the Cabernet Sauvignon arose from the Western benchlands of Rutherford, and was balanced with fruit from Stags Leap, Atlas Peak, and Coombsville.  On the palate the Cabernet plays a key role in imparting a generous core of wild blackberries, cassis, while the Merlot shows vivid dark cherry fruit.   Malbec adds black plum while Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot complete the wine with wild violets and added structure.  In blockbuster vintages like 2015, the Tapestry Reserve can take on all of the best qualities of the vintage and deliver them with stunning elegance, complexity and profound definition.  At around $50/btl the value is off-the-charts.
 
Alluring, engaging and balance all come to mind when tasting the 2015 Tapestry Reserve.  The winery has Napa Valley winemaking history embedded deep in its DNA and was established in 1900.  Throughout the years they’ve produced many timeless classics that embody the essence of Napa Valley.  Their 2015 Tapestry Reserve is an absolute classic that can be enjoyed now and over the next decade.
 
BEAULIEU VINEYARD
TAPESTRY RESERVE
PROPRIETARY RED
2015 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at:  $65.00/btl
 
Your Price: $49.99/btl   
YOU SAVE 23%
 

93 Points
“Lots of ripe fruit with very fine tannins and a juicy mouthfeel. Medium to full body, polished and round texture and a flavorful finish. Soft with lots of flavor. Drink or hold.“

92 Points
“…a beautiful perfume of roses and lilacs with a core of cassis, redcurrant jelly and blackberry tart plus a touch of cedar chest. Full, velvety and seductive, it delivers layers of perfumed red and black fruit with a very long finish.”

92 Points
“soft, pliant and supple, all qualities that make it an excellent choice for drinking now and over the next handful of years. Sweet red cherry, plum, rose petal, mint and dried flowers are all laced together in this racy, super-expressive blend from BV. The Cabernet Sauvignon-based Tapestry is one of the hidden gems in the range.” 

91 Points
“Takes a bright and relatively fresh approach, with raspberry and plum coulis flavors racing through first, backed by a plumper feel on the back end, showing notes of anise, mocha and briar. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2026″
2016 Mastery Napa Valley Proprietary Red

2016 Mastery Napa Valley Proprietary Red

with No Comment $90-$100CoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

MASTERY  2016 Mastery Napa Valley Proprietary Red

PROPRIETARY RED
2016 NAPA VALLEY

 
The 2016 vintage of Mastery is everything you would expect from this near perfect vintage.  Wine Spectator Magazine touts 2016 as their highest rated vintage for Napa since 1997 and rated it a 98 point score.  The new 2016 Mastery is a perfect reflection of this other-worldly vintage.  With just three barrels produced, Mastery is one of our most popular wines every year, but the demand always exceeds our supply.  This thrilling wine is finely detailed with a sweet inner core of focused red and black berries, supple tannins, and concentrated flavors that build layer upon layer of hedonistic bliss.  With a total production of 73 cases, this vintage of Mastery will disappear far too early…
 
Created from Napa Valley’s highly acclaimed Coombsville region, the vineyard is located on volcanic soils on the Eastern outskirts of the town of Napa.  This elegantly styled, yet focused and penetrating Napa Valley Cabernet Blend satisfies everything a Cabernet drinker looks for.  After spending about 2 years in French oak, this perfectly balanced Cabernet Sauvignon enchants your taste buds.  If you would like to add some of this exceptional wine to your cellar, please place your order right away.  This is another in a long list of near-perfect vintages of Mastery and we know you will absolutely love it!  It is spectacular.
 
MASTERY
PROPRIETARY RED
2016 NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $95/btl

 Click to Order

Tasting Notes: “Embodying every finite nuance that makes the 2016 vintage so great, Mastery 2016 has alluring aromas of black currants, bing cherries, crushed minerals and dried rose petal.  Seductive wild mountain blackberries, ripe red plum and cassis, are in perfect harmony with the concentrated, rich, supple black fruits balancing the brighter red fruits, providing both depth and length as well as complexity on the palate.  The finish is focused with an amazing seamless structure, providing immense satisfaction.”  Kevin M. Vogt, Master Sommelier
2012 J Gregory Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon

2012 J Gregory Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

J GREGORY 2012 J Gregory Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2012 COOMBSVILLE

 
When we wrote about J Gregory’s Extol Red Blend in July, the wine sold out in a matter of hours, and nearly simultaneous to the delivery notices came an overabundance of re-order requests and glowing feedback.  Anybody that tasted the Extol, knows this winery is the real deal, and here’s a chance to try their 100% Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon from the epic 2012 vintage.  With around 5 years inside the bottle, this wine is indescribably stunning right now and it’s perfectly balanced and poised to go another decade. The bouquet alone merits the $95 retail price, and on the palate, the brilliantly detailed and absolutely classic Coombsville cocoa dusted black berries and graphite light up your senses.  Once you taste it, you’ll feel like you stole it.
 
Making an entrance from one of Napa Valley’s most prized vintages, this wine was expertly crafted by Mark Jessup who was on the original winemaking team at OPUS ONE from 1979 through 1987.  The Napa Valley earthquake destroyed around half of the 600 cases that were originally produced.  Lucky for us, some of the inventory has been safely tucked away at the winery for all of these years and as soon as we tasted it, we grabbed every bottle available.  If you love Cabernet, I highly recommend going BIG on this one…
 
J GREGORY
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2012 COOMBSVILLE
Retails at:  $95/btl
 
 
Tasting Notes: “I love the way this wine sneaks up on you.  On the nose, intriguing aromas of dried blueberries, lavender, pencil lead and wet stone tease you. On my first taste, dried currants, earthy minerals, dried herbs and a hint of sweet vanilla prevail.  After some time in the glass, this one puts on weight, with concentrated cherry and dried cranberry., The excitement in the glass builds as it puts on weight in the glass, with a crescendo that peaks after well over an hour in the glass, leaving a long, penetrating finish.  This perfectly ready to drink beauty is great now, but has the structure to age for a decade or more. What a delight to drink. 94 Points