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
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“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 Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Estate

2016 Paradigm Oakville Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $70-$80Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

PARADIGM

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2016 OAKVILLE ESTATE2016 Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Estate

If I were to choose one wine that perfectly articulates Oakville’s notorious complexity, Paradigm Cabernet would be my first choice. Their Estate is positioned directly South of Andy Beckstoffer’s Iconic To-Kalon Vineyard, and in an area widely considered the epicenter of Grand Cru quality Cabernet. The winery’s neighbors include icons, Dominus, Harlan, Opus One, and Martha’s Vineyard, and at this price, Paradigm tips the scales with groundbreaking quality.  

This absolutely stunning Cabernet was made by Heidi Barrett whose past and present clients includes Amuse Bouche, Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Grace Family, Revana, David Arthur and Barbour… 

Heidi made the 2016 vintage in a focused, beautifully knit style that’s concentrated and highly detailed. The wine spends 20 months in oak and 20 months in the bottle before release and offers a parade of focused red and black fruits, minerals, and vanilla bean. 

 

PARADIGM
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2016 OAKVILLE ESTATE
Retails at: $84

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“Dark Cabernet color with beautiful aromas of black cherry, cassis, plums, 5-spice, vanilla. Big, ripe and mouthcoating across the palate. The flavors are similar to the aromas with ripe fruit, berry/cherry pie, moderate tannins, and nice length. This wine shows enough structure to be age-worthy yet soft and balanced enough to enjoy upon release. Flavors linger in this tasty dense wine. Tastes like Oakville.”

2017 Vine Cliff Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2017 Vine Cliff Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $70-$80Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

VINE CLIFF

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 NAPA VALLEY

2017 Vine Cliff Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
One of the most remarkable terroirs in Napa Valley lies on the Eastern side of Oakville at the base of the Vaca Mountain range, where the soils are loaded with minerals and volcanic composites. Icons Dalla Valle, Tierra Roja, Peter Michael’s Au Paradis and Vine Cliff produce some of the most complex, memorable Cabernets from this hollowed ground. These wines often exhibit an intense red-fruited perfume, dark, supple fruits, crushed rock and brilliant complexity.
 
Vine Cliff’s 2017 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced 100% from the winery’s iconic Estate vineyard, and combines 38% fruit from their Oakville Bench block, and 62% from the North facing terraced vines. 
 
The 2017 checks in at 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and incorporates five separate clones that each contribute layers to the wine’s vast complexity. The winery has an outstanding reputation of excellence, and is one of Napa Valley’s historic wineries that was established in 1871.
 
At around eighty bucks the value is almost inconceivable… 
 
VINE CLIFF
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $79
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“Ripe and rich in feel, with dark plum and cassis fruit rolling through, flanked by warm cocoa and tobacco notes and scored by a flash of loam on the finish. Drink now through 2026.”  92 Points

“The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is dense, plush and super-expressive. Black plum, espresso, chocolate, licorice and dark spice all open up in a mid-weight, beautifully persistent Cabernet that will drink well right out of the gate.”  90 Points
2014 Rudius Kaley Elizabeth Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

2014 Rudius Kaley Elizabeth Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $80-$90Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

RUDIUS 2014 Rudius Kaley Elizabeth Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

KALEY ELIZABETH 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2014 OAKVILLE 

 
Rudius is a wine so profound that it gave every one of our buyers a you gotta be kidding me moment the first time we tried it.  Even after tasting over 5,000 wines this year, Rudius stands out on multiple levels.  For starters, it gave me goosebumps when I first tasted it, and it hails exclusively from a secret vineyard source in Oakville just across from Screaming Eagle.  It’s serendipitous that Rudius chose not to list the vineyard name on their label, or they would have had to charge $175 per bottle, and less of us would get to experience this brilliant wine.  The wine was expertly crafted by Jeff Ames, who mentored under Thomas River Brown at Schrader, Maybach, Outpost and TOR before becoming head winemaker at TOR in 2005.  Since then, he’s made wines scoring in the high-90’s look easy, and words absolutely cannot express how great this wine is at $135/btl.
 
This secret vineyard source has beautiful red soils that give wines from this area intense, prolific flavors, and with neighbors like Screaming Eagle, Rudd, Dalla Valle’s Maya and Joseph Phelps’ Bacchus Vineyards, no doubt this is a great place to source fruit.  The wines from this vineyard have a trademark intense red-fruited perfume, dark, supple fruits, crushed rock and brilliant complexity.  If you enjoy the best wines that Napa Valley has to offer, you do not want to miss this… 
 
RUDIUS
KALEY ELIZABETH 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2014 OAKVILLE
Retails at: $135/btl
 
 
From Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate: “Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Kaley Elizabeth comes from the Tierra Rojo vineyard in Oakville planted in 1988 and contains a small splash of Cabernet Franc. The nose explodes with baked cherries, blackcurrant cordial and blueberry pie notes with touches of Chinese five spice, wood smoke and beef drippings with a waft of dried herbs. Full-bodied, rich and spicy with mouth-filling savory and spice layers, it has a solid backbone of chewy tannins and a lively line, finishing long. 300 cases were made.”  96+ Points
2014 Rudius Kaley Elizabeth Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

2014 Rudius Kaley Elizabeth Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $80-$90Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakville

RUDIUS 2014 Rudius Kaley Elizabeth Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

KALEY ELIZABETH
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2014 OAKVILLE

 
In winemaking, when the stars align perfectly and combine fruit from one of Oakville’s best vineyards with one of Napa’s most talented winemakers, the end result is a wine that competes with the best in the world.  The 2014 Rudius Kaley Elizabeth gave me goosebumps when I first tasted it, and it hails exclusively from a secret vineyard source in Oakville just across from Screaming Eagle… If Rudius chose to list the vineyard on their label they would have to charge around $175 per bottle.  The wine was brilliantly crafted by Jeff Ames, who mentored under Thomas River Brown at Schrader, Maybach, Outpost and TOR before becoming head winemaker at TOR in 2005.  Since then, he’s made wines scoring in the high-90’s look easy, and with his own label Rudius, he’s applied that same skill-set to creating value wines with unrestrained character and profound hedonism. Words absolutely cannot express how great this wine is at $135/btl (join our free Insiders Club for special offers).
 
This secret vineyard source has beautiful red soils that give wines from this area intense, prolific flavors, and with neighbors like Screaming Eagle, Rudd, Dalla Valle’s Maya and Joseph Phelp’s Bacchus Vineyards, no doubt this is a great place to source fruit.  The wines from this vineyard have a trademark intense red-fruited perfume, dark, supple fruits, crushed rock and brilliant complexity.  If you enjoy the best wines that Napa Valley has to offer, you do not want to miss this…
 
RUDIUS
KALEY ELIZABETH
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2014 OAKVILLE
Retails at:  $135/btl
 
 
From Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate: “Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Kaley Elizabeth comes from the Tierra Rojo vineyard in Oakville planted in 1988 and contains a small splash of Cabernet Franc. The nose explodes with baked cherries, blackcurrant cordial and blueberry pie notes with touches of Chinese five spice, wood smoke and beef drippings with a waft of dried herbs. Full-bodied, rich and spicy with mouth-filling savory and spice layers, it has a solid backbone of chewy tannins and a lively line, finishing long. 300 cases were made.”  96+ Points
2015 Cornerstone Benchlands Cabernet Sauvignon

2015 Cornerstone Benchlands Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleRutherfordUSA

CORNERSTONE 2015 Cornerstone Benchlands Cabernet Sauvignon

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2015 BENCHLANDS

 
When it comes to the highest quality, most powerful Cabernet Sauvignons in our shop that sell for less than $75, there’s one brand that’s been a Cornerstone (figuratively and literally) in that category for years… It’s a wine that has every component necessary to be truly outstanding, and it begins with winemaker Kari Auringer who worked under Celia Welch at Cornerstone as well as contributing to the fame of some of the Napa Valley’s most luminous names including Scarecrow, Keever, Kelly Fleming, and Corra to name a few.  Adding another level of greatness to the wine is winemaker Charles Thomas who has more than 30 years winemaking experience crafting Robert Mondavi’s Reserve Cabernets, the first twelve vintages of OPUS ONE, or his work at Cardinale, Lokoya, Verité and Rudd.  And then there’s the vineyards…
 
Cornerstone’s 2015 Benchlands Cabernet is built around a core of Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from Oakville and Rutherford.  The 2015 is made in a rich, opulent style with remarkable intensity and stunning length.  On the palate, the wine is rich and elegant with wonderful energy, and flavors that unwind methodically across your palate.  At $75/btl you’d be thrilled by the quality. From us, you’ll want to make extra room in the cellar, and go deep…
 
CORNERSTONE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2015 BENCHLANDS
Retails at:  $75.00/btl
 
 
Tasting Notes: “The 2015 Cornerstone Benchlands Cabernet Sauvignon is another beautiful rendition, picking up right where the 2014 left off.  The elegant, sultry nose begins with captivating ripe blackberries, toasty oak and black olives, followed by hints of beechnut gum, lavender and rock dust.  The palate starts with a pristine elegance and balance, paralleling the focused flavors of black cherries, red currants and black tea, then followed by beautifully integrated, toasty, sweet vanilla spice.  The orchestrated finish lingers with elegant acidity, dusty fruit tannins and a wonderful freshness.  Drink now, or drink later, but I’m  going back for a second glass now...” 94 Points
2016 Witchery Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

2016 Witchery Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

WITCHERY 2016 Witchery Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

2016 OAKVILLE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON

 
You know a brand has something extra special when just about everybody that tries it becomes a devoted fan and collects each subsequent vintage.  It’s almost like one taste of Witchery casts a powerful spell with its rich and hedonistic flavors, and wine lovers really don’t stand a chance.  It’s the wines spellbinding style that’s enchanting, filled with chillingly rich, extracted flavors that casts you on a witch-hunt for more once you taste it.  Their flagship Oakville Cabernet was hewn from a vineyard that sits directly South of Opus One, and at under $100, we’re certain it will have you spellbound.
 
Witchery’s 2016 Oakville is their best yet, and flaunts a dramatic perfume laced with intense brambleberry, dried violets, Baker’s chocolate and sweet camphor.  Those of you who tasted any of the previous vintages of Witchery know what this wine is capable of…  I strongly recommend conjuring up your case before it’s too late.  Just six barrels were produced.
 
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.  The finish is long, penetrating and so mouth watering that it evokes a pavlovian response.  It is absolutely beautiful now, but will age gracefully for a decade or more.”  96 Points

 
Customers that enjoy Witchery Oakville Cabernet, may also enjoy these two terrific Reds…
2015 James Joseph Cabernet Franc 2015 Misc Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
JAMES JOSEPH
NAPA VALLEY RESERVE
2015 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
 
Your Price: $60/btl

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Tasting Notes: “An enchanting bouquet of ripe bing cherry, black plum, raspberry liqueur, mocha, violets and hints of sweet vanilla spice.  On the palate the wine is remarkably rich and densely concentrated.  Lavish layers of ripe blackberries, bittersweet chocolate, espresso and sweet black cherry are intertwined and compel you to another sip.  This wine can be enjoyed upon release or cellared for 10-15 years.”  150 Cases Produced
MISC.
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2015 DIAMOND MTN
TWO BARREL PRODUCTION
 
Your Price: $95/btl

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Winery Notes: “These grapes were grown on the highest vineyard on Diamond Mountain. Harvest was low yield and the more appellation characteristics of black cherry and chocolate were concentrated in this vintage. The bouquet flourishes in red fruit, pipe tobacco and rose petals.  Undertones of cedar box spice and mint.  Finishes with lush tannin and fruit preserves.” 50 Cases Produced
2015 Paradigm Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

2015 Paradigm Oakville Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $70-$80Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

PARADIGM 2015 Paradigm Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

2015 OAKVILLE ESTATE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON

 
If I were to choose one wine that perfectly expresses Oakville’s notorious complexity, Paradigm would be my first choice.  This absolutely stunning wine made by Heidi Barrett comes from the Western side of Oakville, just South of Beckstoffer’s Iconic To-Kalon Vineyard in an area widely considered the epicenter of Grand Cru quality Cabernet Sauvignon.  Paradigm’s neighbors include icons, Dominus, Harlan Estate, Opus One, and Martha’s Vineyard…  The average price of wine from those vineyards is likely well over $200 per bottle and at $79.99/btl Paradigm tips the scales with groundbreaking levels of quality.
 
A perpetual favorite, the 2015 is made in a style that’s both compact and lush and opens up to cocoa dusted blackberries, dark chocolate, plum and cigar box. Supple tannins wrap effortlessly around your palate in all directions, as a parade of vivid black fruits, black currants, minerals and vanilla bean seduce your senses.  Spending around 18 months in French oak barrels, Paradigm remains one of the best values in the coveted Oakville Appellation.  Here’s a fantastic opportunity to taste a Heidi Barrett made Cabernet, sourced from one of Napa Valley’s crown jewel growing regions, and at a fraction of the price of many of its neighbors…
 
PARADIGM
2015 OAKVILLE ESTATE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Retails at:  $84.00/btl
 
Your Price: $79.99/btl

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Winery Notes: “The 2015 vintage produced delicious concentrated wines in smaller quantity than normal. This black raspberry colored Cabernet has lovely open aromatics of black cherry, berry, and plum layered with a perfect balance of new and used French Oak. Our blend uses several blocks of Cabernet, Merlot, and Cab Franc from our Estate vineyard in Oakville. The effect is one of layered complete flavors and a delicious expression of how beautiful Oakville wine can be. Flavors match the aromas. Tannins are moderate yet add a nice chewy texture and the length goes on several seconds. This is a beautiful wine that will age surely for decades but is delish now.“
 
Customers who enjoy Paradigm Oakville Cabernet may also enjoy these two Heidi Barrett made wines...
 
2014 La Sirena Pirate Treasured Proprietary Red 2016 Vin Perdu Napa Valley Proprietary Red
LA SIRENA
PIRATE TREASURED
2014 PROPRIETARY RED
 
Your Price: $64.99/btl 

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Winery Notes: “The fabulous 2014 vintage delivers a deep black-ruby colored wine with open aromatics of sweet ripe fruit layered with toasty French oak and hints of caramel. Layers of flavor coat the palate with broad appeal, wonderful cherry texture and seamless tannins. Fruit is dense berry with a slightly more pronounced oak note than last year, giving a beautiful vanilla impression. These flavors persist a long time in a lengthy and powerful finish. A great example of the magic of blending!”
VIN PERDU
PROPRIETARY RED
2016 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at:  $95/btl
 
Your Price: $75/btl  

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From Vinous: “… absolutely gorgeous. In 2016, Vin Perdu is once again based on a core of Cabernet Sauvignon. Rich, ample and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2016 has a lot to recommend it. Mocha, plum, bittersweet chocolate, leather and spice meld together in a super-expressive, resonant wine from John Schwartz and Heidi Barrett. The Vin Perdu is technically the second wine of Amuse Bouche, but in many vintages I prefer it. At $75 a bottle, it is one of the great values in Napa Valley wine.”  94 Points
2015 POP 300 Oakville Rosé

2018 Pop 300 Oakville Rosé

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtNapaOakvilleRoséUSA

POP 300  2015 POP 300 Oakville Rosé

2018 ROSÉ
OAKVILLE 

 
For wine lovers, being in-the-know can sometimes result in drinking a wine that performs so stratospherically above the realm of possibilities, that you feel like you stole something when you taste it. POP 300’s Oakville Rosé hands you all of that on a sterling silver platter, and here’s why… Many would argue that the To Kalon Vineyard in the heart of Oakville is the greatest vineyard in California.  A little known secret is that there’s a tiny block of Pinot Noir in the center of this magical vineyard.  It’s called Wilsey-To Kalon and in a case where location and being connected takes you the distance, POP 300 has my vote.  The aromas alone give you a rush, and compelling notes of bright raspberry, crushed sea shells, minerals, pink grapefruit and pomegranate let you know what you’re about to get into… Oh yeah and at $29.99/btl, it’s truly one of the best Rosé wines produced in California.  
 
It’s well known that Oakville produces some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon in the world, but very few people would know that Pinot Noir even exits in this iconic region. This is a truly unique, Rosé of Pinot Noir with a dash of Viognier tossed in, is made by Luke Russ, whose day job is the Commercial Director at O’Shaughnessy Winery.  Beware, it might just leave you in disbelief of just how good it is.  Just don’t let the shock last too long, because it will be gone before you know it…
 
POP 300 
2018 ROSÉ
OAKVILLE
 
Your Price: $29.99/btl 

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Tasting Notes: “What a delight to find an absolutely one-of-a-kind wine that is immensely delicious too.  The nose begins with ripe peach, nectarine and fresh, ripe raspberries intermingled with a whiff of banana and spring flowers.  The palate is bursting with flavors including Bosc pear, white strawberries, Meyer lemon, along with a saline minerality and bright acidity.  It is a complex, dry wine with very little if any residual sugar and a zesty mouthfeel that perfectly balances the powerful flavors.  I highly recommend this for your Spring and Summer enjoyment.”  94 Points, Kevin M. Vogt, Master Sommelier
2016 Heir Apparent Cellar Selection Oakville Red Wine

2016 Heir Apparent Cellar Selection Oakville Red

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUncategorizedUSA

HEIR APPARENT 2016 Heir Apparent Cellar Selection Oakville Red Wine

2016 OAKVILLE RED
CELLAR SELECTION

 
I love watching a brand that we’ve featured early on gain momentum, as well as earn the really high scores that they deserve… If you read Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate you’ve likely already taken notice of Heir Apparent/Grand Napa’s 2016’s, which earned monster scores including 95 Points on their Rutherford Blend.  The Oakville Red is my favorite, and although unrated, we’ve experienced an expanding flow of re-orders since we first wrote about it in December.  The level of value at this price-point is unlike anything else that I’ve tasted in Oakville.  Some of the greatest wines produced in Napa Valley have Oakville origins, and the average price per bottle is likely higher than any other AVA in the Valley.  It’s rare to find an Oakville wine at this price, the value is unmatched.
 
Heir Apparent’s 2016 Oakville Red seduces your senses with intense aromas of dark berries, exotic florals, minerals and hints of graphite.  Calling on Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot all sourced exclusively from Oakville, the 2016 Cellar Selection offers stunning levels of pleasure, and should drink well over the next 12-15 years.  I highly recommend locking up a case… You’ll be glad you did.
 
HEIR APPARENT
2016 OAKVILLE RED
CELLAR SELECTION
Retails at:  $110/btl
 

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Winery Notes: “Coming from the prestigious Oakville appellation, this carefully selected of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and a dash of Merlot shows firm tannins, a compact structure along with hits of black cherry, currant, plum and dark toast.“