2018 Darms Lane Oak Knoll District Chardonnay

2018 Darms Lane Oak Knoll District Chardonnay

with No Comment $30 and underChardonnayKevin VogtNapaOak KnollUSA

DARMS LANE

2018 CHARDONNAY
OAK KNOLL DISTRICT
2018 Darms Lane Oak Knoll District Chardonnay

 

Most Chardonnay fans have a preferred style of either rich, buttery and opulent, or clean, crisp and minerally. For my palate, the most important characteristic, regardless of style is balance, and Darms Lane’s 2018 Chardonnay has it from first sip to the last drop. When you read about the winemaker and the vineyard, the quality won’t come as a surprise, but one thing that will surprise you is the unbelievable value at this price.

Darms Lane’s winemaker Brian Mox is well-versed in crafting premium Napa Valley Chardonnay. He spent several vintages as winemaker at Lewis Cellars, and he’s the current winemaker at Laird Family Estate, and both wineries are recognized for exceptional Chardonnay. 

The 2018 combines fruit from the winery’s Bon Passe Estate Vineyard, as well as neighboring Trefethen. The area is know for its complex soils and micro-climate that’s one of the coolest in Napa Valley, enabling the fruit to develop concentrated flavors at ripe sugar levels with refreshing, balanced acidity. 

DARMS LANE
2018 CHARDONNAY
OAK KNOLL DISTRICT

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“Refreshing and vibrant, our 2018 Chardonnay offers aromas of pear, brioche, vanilla, honeysuckle, toasted oak, and hints of lemon curd. The beautifully balanced pallet exhibits flavors of pear, apple, vanilla, and fresh hints of Meyer lemon and tart orange as well as a touch of white peach. The wine has medium body with a subtle richness leading to crisper, clean citrus and stone fruits through the mid pallet and a lively fresh finish. Enjoy!”

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 Vineyard 36 Foundation Napa Valley Proprietary Red

2017 Vineyard 36 Foundation Napa Valley Proprietary Red

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtNapaOak KnollProprietary RedRutherfordUSA

VINEYARD 36  2017 Vineyard 36 Foundation Napa Valley Proprietary Red

2017 FOUNDATION
PROPRIETARY RED
NAPA VALLEY 

 
Each year we make a handful of discoveries that are so inspiring, that the guys on our tasting panel can sometimes sell the wine completely out the instant it arrives in our warehouse.  Vineyard 36 is one of those wines, and when we tasted their 2016 Thirty Six Cabernet Sauvignon from Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard earlier this year, the wine disappeared in an instant.  As luck would have it, we just tasted their 2017 Foundation Proprietary Red, which includes 14% Cabernet Sauvignon from Beckstoffer George III heightened with Merlot from Oak Knoll.  We kept the wine hidden in our warehouse, just long enough to send you this note, (we hope). The wine was made at Vineyard 29, which is one of Napa Valley’s most innovative wineries with everything from gravity flow tanks to an optical sorter that can be programed algorithmically…  It was crafted by Keith Emerson who also makes Vineyard 29’s Cabernets…  At this price, you might want to skip straight to the order button.
 
Vineyard 36 is a partnership between professional athletes Cam Ward and Tim Gleason and their friend Jason Earnest.  With a shared goal of producing exceptional wines sourced from premier estates that express the diversity of Napa Valley’s finest terroirs, this is truly a winery to watch.  Wines of this quality and caliber at this price don’t not come around often, so I highly recommend grabbing what you can for your cellar, before this one disappears. 
 
VINEYARD 36 
2017 FOUNDATION
PROPRIETARY RED
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at:  $55/btl
 
 
Winery Notes: “Explosive red and black fruit aromas are complimented by hints of violets, perfume, baking spices and vanilla.  Bright Bing cherry, hints of sandalwood and clove with a mouthwatering acid profile, medium-full body and velvety tannin structure.  A slight mineral, slate component adds a nuance to this fresh, approachable red blend.  Drinkable upon release, will age gracefully for 10+ years.” 
2016 Revana Terrior Series Cabernet Sauvignon

2016 Revana Terroir Series Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonCalistogaKevin VogtNapaOak KnollSt HelenaUncategorizedUSA

REVANA  2016 Revana Terrior Series Cabernet Sauvignon

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 TERROIR SERIES

 
Some of my favorite winemakers have a signature style that’s detectable across multiple brands that they make.  For my palate, Thomas Brown’s Cabernets often combine a velvety mouthfeel with well-integrated oak and soft tannins that make them immediately enjoyable upon release and a gem behold.  Revana’s 2016 Terroir Selection Cabernet is a perfect example and even though it’s a massive Cabernet, the flavors unwind in supple layers and uncover remarkable complexity that’s complimented by perfectly integrated toasty oak.  Brown is absolutely at the top of his game and is one of the dominating forces in Cabernet Sauvignon…  He made history as the first American winemaker to receive a perfect 100 Point score from the Wine Spectator, and he’s also the winemaker at Revana, Maybach, Gemstone and Outpost to name a few.
 
Arising from carefully selected vineyard sites in St Helena, Oak Knoll and Calistoga, the 2016 is packed with concentrated blackberry, supple cherries, graphite and a touch of sweet vanilla. Housed for 14 months in French oak barrels and a full year in the bottle before release, this Cabernet will thrill you from first sip to last.
 
REVANA
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 TERROIR SERIES
Retails at: $105.00/btl
 
Your Price: $99.99/btl 
 
“This has a very suave, supple and fleshy style to it with aromas of poached blueberries and plums that lead to a soft, fleshy and seamlessly honed palate that’s easygoing, even and balanced. Drink or hold.” 92 Points
“…a deep garnet-purple color and oak to begin, giving way to a red and black currant core with blueberries, warm plums, earth and mocha plus a tobacco waft. The palate is medium to full-bodied, firm and grainy with good concentration and an earthy finish.” 92 Points
 

Customers who enjoy Revana Terroir Series Cabernet may also enjoy these two outstanding Cabs…

2016 Witchery Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 Morlet Les Petits Morlet Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
WITCHERY
2016 OAKVILLE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Retails at: $110.00/btl
 
Your Price: $99.99/btl

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Tasting Notes: “Some Cabernets are styled more elegantly with laser like precision, while others are monstrous, bold and powerfully inky. Somewhere in the middle lies the perfect balance of power & grace and I’ve found it in this wine.  The Witchery Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 is a picture of balance with a nose that actually smells satiny with fresh black plums, crushed blueberries, sweet vanilla and delicate floral notes.  The palate is lush and beautifully balanced with black cherry, red currants, ever so slightly dusty tannins and beautifully integrated toasty oak...”  96 Points
MORLET
2012 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
LES PETITS MORLET
 
Your Price: $95/btl

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Winemaker Notes: “Displaying a very intense bouquet of black currant, candied red and black cherries and mocha, intermixed with hints of blond tobacco leaves and earthy notes of leather and toasted red pepper. This wine possesses youthful, yet sweet tannins and is characterized by its overall richness, suave character and approachability.“
0215 Reynolds Persistence Proprietary Red

2015 Reynolds Persistence Proprietary Blend

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtNapaOak KnollProprietary RedUSA

REYNOLDS 0215 Reynolds Persistence Proprietary Red

2015 PERSISTENCE
PROPRIETARY BLEND

 
Have you ever tasted a wine so inspiring that you felt as if you could taste the passion, hard-work and persistence that went into creating it? Steve Reynolds wines, and in particular his 2015 Persistence Blend completely embodies every little attention to detail.  Steve’s passion for wine came from his father who was an avid wine collector, so in 1995 Steve bought an old chicken ranch on Silverado Trail, bordering the iconic Stags Leap AVA.  Through hard-work and persistence, Steve became a self-taught winemaker who’s now one of Napa’s most respected in the valley. He was recently featured in the Netflix documentary Decanted where he gives insight into his winemaking techniques, and his 2015 Persistence perfectly shows off his skills. BTW, it took no small amount persistence on our part to be able to negotiate this special price…
 
Conjured from Steve’s Persistence Vineyard located in Oak Knoll, the 2015 marries 56% Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Petit Verdot, and makes an entrance from one of Napa Valley’s greatest vintages.  Jeb Dunnuck, formerly with Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, wrote the 2015’s “are rich, powerful, and concentrated wines. At their best, the 2015’s share similarities to the 2013’s, yet with the intensity turned up, slightly more exuberance to their fruit, and a more open, exotic style.” Don’t miss this opportunity to try one of the best in the under $100 range.
 
REYNOLDS
2015 PERSISTENCE
PROPRIETARY BLEND
Retails at:  $59.00/btl
 
 
 
Tasting Notes: “The intriguing nose of this Reynolds Persistence 2015 begins with black cherry, pomegranate and red currants, followed by mild aromas of violets, sweet vanilla, fresh sage, herbs de Provence and baking spices.  The palate starts with a beautiful balance of concentrated red and black fruits that are very focused and penetrate your palate with depth and intensity.  The finish is long and elegant and leave you wanting more. 93 Points, Kevin M. Vogt, Master Sommelier