2015 Poggio Nardone Brunello Di Montalcino Italy

2015 Poggio Nardone Brunello Di Montalcino Italy

with No Comment $30-$40BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin Vogt

POGGIO NARDONE

2015 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY 

2015 Poggio Nardone Brunello Di Montalcino Italy
There are great wines made through the winemaker’s decisions, and then there are those that result from the vintage, which was a fantastic one in Montalcino for their 2015’s. The year produced wines with remarkable power, dynamic complexity, and a purity of fruit that’s spectacular. Finding a high-quality Brunello from 2015 is easy, but finding one at $40 is nearly impossible. Of the 118 2015 vintage Brunellos rated by the Wine Spectator, only 1 had a release price of $40. Here’s the needle in the haystack. 
 
Poggio Nardone’s 2015 Brunello is a classic blend of 100% Sangiovese Grosso aged four years in barrel. The vines were grown at an altitude of 350-450 meters in soils rich in marl and limestone and produced fruit with precision detail. 
 
The estate is less than 10 hectares, but it’s also the exact location where ideal soils and high altitude vineyards intersect and produce powerful, dense, and long-lived Brunellos that make a lasting impression.
 
POGGIO NARDONE
2015 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“A ripe but composed Brunello di Montalcino with tar, leather, dried brambleberries, dried tea leaves and ash. Chewy and foursquare on the full-bodied palate; the rustic tannins give this a silty, grainy quality. Decadent and powerful…”
94 Points
 
“This is a lovely expression of Sangiovese with a full and generous disposition… offers bright cherry, cassis, raspberry and other red berry fruits. Those fruity high notes are followed by savory tones of forest floor, candied orange peel, autumnal leaf and baking spice. The wine offers a smooth and silky mouthfeel with well-integrated tannins and a long, polished finish. This is a clean and compact interpretation of Brunello with the amped up and generous characteristics of this sunny vintage… Drink 2021-2035”
93 Points
2018 Marimar Estate Acero Unoaked Chardonnay Russian River Valley

2018 Marimar Estate Acero Unoaked Chardonnay Russian River Valley Don Miguel Vineyard

with No Comment $30 and underChardonnayKevin VogtRussian River ValleySonomaUSA

MARIMAR ESTATE

ACERO UNOAKED CHARDONNAY
2018 RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
DON MIGUEL VINEYARD

2018 Marimar Estate Acero Unoaked Chardonnay Russian River Valley
Marimar Estate’s Don Miguel Vineyard is in Green Valley, the coolest, foggiest part of the Russian River. The site is influenced by traditional Mediterranean viticultural practices and planted in a high-density European-style with more than 2,000 vines per acre, which naturally encourages low-yields with concentrated, and balanced flavors. The winemaking team selected specific blocks with great intensity and aromatics within the vineyard for their Acero Unoaked Chardonnay, which at around $25, is a serious value. 
 
Don Miguel Vineyard is organically farmed and contains desirable sandy loam, Goldridge soils of volcanic origin, and marine sediment. The high-density planting promotes vines to live longer and achieve fruit with greater concentration and more elegance and finesse. 
 
Marimar Torres teamed up with Bill Dyer, legendary winemaker at Sterling Vineyards, for 20 years to produce the best wines possible from the Estate. The wine team ages and ferments their Acero Chardonnay in 100% stainless steel to capture the purity of flavors and the fruit’s most natural essence.
 
MARIMAR ESTATE
ACERO UNOAKED CHARDONNAY
2018 RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
DON MIGUEL VINEYARD
Retails at: $34
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“Fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks, this wine never sees oak. A floral aroma of honeysuckle wrangles the nose as a crisp palate brings flavors of pear, peach and lavender. Stony minerality defines the texture, and the finish carries a touch of honey.”
90 Points
 
“This has a bright, green-melon and apple nose with light, flinty nuances. The palate has a supple, white-peach and pear core. Fresh, light and clean. Drink now.”
90 Points
 
“There are lots of stony notes to the open-textured, spicy Gala apple, dried apricot and quince flavors of this white. The plush finish offers plenty of creaminess. Drink now.”
89 Points
2018 Sparkman Holler Cabernet Sauvignon

2018 Sparkman Holler Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonColumbia ValleyKevin VogtUSAWashington State

SPARKMAN

2018 HOLLER
CABERNET SAUVIGNON

2018 Sparkman Holler Cabernet Sauvignon
Sparkman handcrafts powerfully concentrated and elegantly balanced wines from Washington State and people are noticing. We discovered them in 2016 and gushed about their 2013 Holler, which went on to rank #21 on the Wine Spectator Top 100, out-scoring icons like Screaming Eagle at more than 25 times its price. The winery hasn’t skipped a beat since, and their 2018 vintage powerfully reflects Columbia Valley’s distinct terroir and the winery’s hallmark style of crafting concentrated wines deep-seated in elegance. 
 
Winemaker Linn Scott called on fruit from eleven different unique sites in Columbia Valley when creating the 2018 Holler. The resulting wine offers a well-rounded interpretation of Columbia Valley terroir, presented with supreme balance. 
 
The Wine Spectator describes the 2018 vintage in Washington State as producing “full-bodied yet well-balanced wines.” Sparkman Holler is a grand example, and after 18 months in oak and rest in the bottle, this wine is drinking beautifully.
 
SPARKMAN
2018 HOLLER
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
 
Your Price: $32
 
 
“This is a pan-Washington Cabernet, with fruit from White Bluffs, Horse Heaven, Red Mountain and Yakima Valley. The aromas offer notes of vanilla, sautéed dried herb, ground aniseed, coffee and cherry. Plump chocolate and cherry flavors follow, with a smooth feel upping the appeal.”
91 Points, Editors’ Choice
 
“We’re not sure how to fully and accurately describe this wine. Really. Stunning is a word that might work. It’s degree of texture and personality are something we have not seen before in this label. Silky. Deep. Polished. Round. Its sexy accessibility is counterintuitive for a wine this young. It possesses a dense purple saturation as well as a stunning nose of black and blue fruits, orange peel, sweet oak and crushed mineral. On the palate it leads with supple rich fruit balanced atop a fine tannic framework. Flavors erupting on the palate include blackberry, cherry, citrus, caramel, mocha, cedar and stone. Ready to roll right now and built for the long run.”
2016 Sebright Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2016 Sebright Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $60-$70Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

SEBRIGHT

2016 RESERVE 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
NAPA VALLEY

2016 Sebright Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Sebright wowed us last year with their Greenwood Block Cabernet. Their resolute style of crafting beautifully refined wines deep-seated in elegance made a memorable impact. We wondered if it could get any better, and their 48 case production of Reserve Cabernet from their Estate Vineyard loudly answered that question with a resilient YES. The wine is more profound, more opulent, and with more intensity than their Greenwood Block bottling. At $125, it’s an incredible wine, but at $65, there aren’t enough superlatives to describe it. 
 
Sebright’s Reserve Cabernet comes from their single-acre Garnett Creek Estate Vineyard, double planted to clone 7, a clone also used by Screaming Eagle. They farm the vineyard sustainably and by hand, and the volcanic ash soils produce tiny yields of intense fruit. 
 
Andy Jones, who worked under Thomas Brown at Outpost, makes this wine, which reigns from the remarkable 2016 vintage. The Wine Spectator ranks 2016 as the highest-rated vintage for Napa Cabernet since 1997. It spent 23 months in new French oak barrels, and with just 2 barrels (48 cases) produced, don’t wait to secure yours.
 
SEBRIGHT
2016 RESERVE 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $125
 
 
 
“This is a very concentrated, powerful wine with an intense nose including muddled black and blue berries, rose petals, glove leather, and sweet vanilla. The focused palate has an energetic approach with layers of mountain blackberries complex minerals, Burgundy plums, and cherry pipe tobacco. The lavish finish is compelling, dynamic, exceptionally long, beautifully presented in a wine that I want more of.”
97 Points
2016 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

2016 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $100 and overCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtMt VeederNapaOakvilleSaint HelenaUSA

BERINGER

2016 PRIVATE RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 

2016 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
The remarkable vineyards combined to form Beringer’s flagship Private Reserve Cabernet are so expressive and profound that the winemaking team can take a minimalist approach to production, allowing these incredible vines to shine. The wine is, at its core, a blend of Pauli, Steinhauer, and Bancroft Ranch vineyards atop Howell Mountain, providing the unmatched power, enormous structure, and richness of the wine. They completed it with fruit from Oakville, St Helena, Spring Mountain, and Mount Veeder, which round out the stunningly complex blend. 
 
Mark Beringer not only vinifies each renowned site individually, but he also ages them separately for a full 20 months before making the barrel selection. He does this to allow each vineyard to express the depth of its unique terroir fully.
 
Beringer is California’s oldest continually operating winery, and they’re the only winery in history to have both a red and white wine honored as the #1 wine on the Wine Spectator Top 100. The 2016 release is as James Suckling writes, “Breathtaking” and worthy of the 99 point score.
 
BERINGER
2016 PRIVATE RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Retails at: $170
 
Your Price: $150
 
 
“Breathtaking. Exceptional integration of super ripe blackberries and the very finest oak. The tannins build up beautifully, forming wave upon wave as the wine flows across the palate. Then the wave breaks on your palate and shoots way out at the finish, so that you wonder where it will end and normal life begin again. Needs time to soften, but this is so, so good…”
99 Points
 
“… the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve shows the vintage beautifully and is more pure, classic, and elegant. Notes of crème de cassis, graphite, lead pencil shavings, and freshly crushed rocks give way to a medium to full-bodied, seamless Cabernet that has remarkable purity of fruit and impeccable balance…”
97+ Points
 
“… the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve sings of crème de cassis, kirsch, blackberry preserves and blueberry pie, with loads of chocolate box, floral and baking spices hints. Full-bodied with a firm, chewy frame and loads of savory accents, it delivers a long, multilayered finish…”
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.”
2017 B. Kosuge Pinot Noir The Shop, Carneros

2017 B. Kosuge Pinot Noir The Shop, Carneros

with No Comment $30 and underCarnerosKevin VogtNapaPinot NoirUSA

B. KOSUGE 

2017 PINOT NOIR
THE SHOP, CARNEROS 

2017 B. Kosuge Pinot Noir The Shop, Carneros
Byron Kosuge is a highly-skilled winemaker who’s spent decades immersed in Carneros Pinot Noir, but it’s his curious nature that sets him apart from the rest. He continually experiments with farming and fermentation techniques to create a more distinctive, fresher Pinot Noir. He describes his style as a “new tradition” of winemaking, inspired by old-world methods but recombining them in ways that seem to suit New World conditions. The results are brilliant, and at $30, his 2017 Carneros Pinot Noir is also a glaring value.
 
Byron spent the first 15 years of his winemaker career at Saintsbury Winery in Carneros, where he meticulosity studied the region and surrounding vineyards. His vast skill set has attracted several other high-quality Pinot producers like MIURA and Small Vines as the consulting winemaker. 
 
In the vineyard, and the cellar, Byron is incredibly hands-on; walking the vineyards, working the vines, sorting grapes. He ferments his Carneros Pinot in a combination of neutral oak vessels of various sizes and concrete, resulting in a clean, fresh style of Pinot Noir that’s remarkably balanced.
 
B. KOSUGE 
2017 PINOT NOIR
THE SHOP, CARNEROS
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“The 2017 Shop was, as usual, aged in a combination of neutral oak vessels of various sizes and concrete. In response to the somewhat riper flavors in the fruit, I included a fairly healthy portion of whole clusters in the fermentations, slightly more than usual, to help balance out the ripe fruit flavors. But no drastic changes. In its youth the wine was deeply colored, very plush and a bit brooding during its time in barrel and cask. Now, it still tends towards the darker fruit end of the spectrum. One other benefit of mature vines—despite the heat of the vintage, the alcohol checks in at surprisingly modest 13.3%”
2018 Vineyard 29 Cru Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Vineyard 29 Cru Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $60-$70Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaSt. HelenaUSA

VINEYARD 29

CRU CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Vineyard 29 Cru Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Vineyard 29 utilizes a combination of Old-World techniques and the most advanced methods available in their constant pursuit of perfection. These processes include everything from gravity flow tanks, an optical sorter that can be programmed algorithmically, to a control room that monitors the conditions inside the vineyards, caves, and winery. They center their philosophy on Elevage, which translates to raising the wine from grape to bottle. The 2018 Cru Cabernet perfectly portrays the character of the Napa Valley terroir, and as Jeb Dunnuck writes, it does so with “notable purity, balance, and length.”
 
The wine team thoughtfully constructed the 2018 release from fourteen vineyards, with their core composed of parcels surrounding the winery’s Estate in St Helena. The winemaking team hand-selects the balance of fruit from different parts of the Valley, creating a well-rounded and richly layered Cabernet that’s effortlessly balanced. 
 
Vineyard 29 Winemaker Keith Emerson has crafted this wine since the inaugural vintage in 2005. He gained invaluable experience while working alongside Philippe Melka on the winery’s high-scoring Estate wines through 2017, while Philippe was consulting winemaker. At under $100, this is a steal in terms of the sheer quality of what’s inside the bottle.
 
VINEYARD 29
CRU CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $75
 
Your Price: $69.99
 
 
“Plums, Asian spices, tobacco, and lead pencil notes emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Cru, which hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a beautifully polished, elegant texture, and outstanding length. This is another gorgeous 2018 displaying notable purity, balance, and length as well as richness. It can be drunk any time over the coming 15+ years.”
94 Points
#28 Top Napa Cabernet Under $100
 
“The 2018 CRU Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon holds nothing back upon opening. Grilled meat, cocoa and Bing cherry perfume a beautifully expressive nose. Pulling from multiple vineyards throughout Napa Valley, this wine truly encompasses the incredible diversity that our valley has to offer. Firm tannins and structure house notes of cassis, plums, black peppercorns and fresh tobacco leaf. This wine finishes with a long, weighty finish that never loses its focus and remains pure throughout.”
2017 Ten Acre Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2017 Ten Acre Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

TEN ACRE

2017 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST

2017 Ten Acre Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
The wine team at Ten Acre believes that they should make wine with respect for the land’s character from which they celebrate. Their 2017 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir celebrates three remarkable cool-climate vineyards farmed by passionate growers. They choose each specific block for its defined sense of location, and then carefully blended it so all three vineyards shine through.
 
This Pinot Noir strategically combines fruit from Three Perch, Stephens, and Jenkins Vineyards, producing tiny-yields of powerfully expressive Pinot Noir berries. Each site is grown in Goldridge soils, highly regarded for producing premium Pinot Noir fruit. 
 
Michael Zardo, the winemaker at Ten Acre, was previously the assistant winemaker at Pisoni Vineyards. He crafts balanced, expressive, terroir-driven wines, which he achieves through gentle winemaking, and fermenting with native yeast. The quality of fruit, skilled craftsmanship and balance of this wine is very distinctive and worth every cent.
 
TEN ACRE
2017 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $38
 
 
“… Moderate garnet color in the glass. Very appealing aromas of darker red and purple fruits with hints of spice and white pepper. More concentrated than the Russian River Valley bottling, featuring a mid weight array of blue and purple fruits along with a touch of oak and licorice. Nicely integrated tannins and some finishing persistence.”
90 Points

“Embodying the character and quality of the three vineyards it comes from, this dynamic Pinot Noir combines luxurious fruit with layered complexity. On the nose, aromas of plum, black cherry, rhubarb and sweet baking spices mingle with sophisticated hints of sage, graphite and crunchy fall leaves. The red and black fruits is echoed on the palate, where lively underling acidity frames the blackberry, cherry and pomegranate flavors, while drawing the wine to a long, bright finish.”
2018 Rochiolo Pinot Noir Estate, Russian River

2018 Rochiolo Pinot Noir Estate, Russian River

with No Comment $80-$90Kevin VogtPinot NoirRussian River ValleySonomaUSA

ROCHIOLI 

2018 PINOT NOIR 
ESTATE, RUSSIAN RIVER

2018 Rochiolo Pinot Noir Estate, Russian River
Rochioli is one of the most distinguished vineyards in North America, and it’s revered for producing powerful and vividly distinct berries. The family recognized the potential to grow world-class Burgundian varieties on their property early on. Their first release was named The Best Pinot Noir in America by the Wine Spectator, and decades later, the following for their brand is more robust than ever.
 
The 2018 Russian River Pinot Noir represents the essence and character of the entire Estate by intricately combining five of the winery’s coveted single-vineyards; Sweetwater, Little Hill, Big Hill, West Block, and East Block. 
 
Tom Rochioli’s winemaking philosophy of producing terroir-driven wines made with minimal intervention, and built on a foundation of superb fruit, helped make them one of the top producers in North America. The 2018 release is supremely balanced, concentrated, and powerfully focused.
 
ROCHIOLI 
2018 PINOT NOIR 
ESTATE, RUSSIAN RIVER
 
Your Price: $89.99
 
 
“This blockbuster wine is a single-vineyard blend of the winery’s best blocks, including 40% Sweetwater, 39% Little Hill, 12% Big Hill, 6% West Block and 3% East Block. Together, they find unison in spicy, woody and earthy tones of white pepper and tingling acidity. It delivers a powerful freshness followed by forest notes, black tea and baked strawberry.”
97 Points
 
“A good value in world-class Pinot Noir, the 2018 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley comes from a mix of the estate’s single vineyard and was 95% destemmed and brought up in French oak. It has a great red fruit-driven core as well as lots of floral and spice notes, medium body, great acidity, and no shortage of length on the finish. It’s great today and will shine for 7-8 years.”
94 Points
 
“The 2018 Pinot Noir Estate is such a pretty wine. Crushed red berries, rose petal, mint, spice and blood orange infuse the 2018 with tremendous character, especially at this level. A Pinot of precision and nuance, the 2018 Estate brilliantly shows the direction Tom Rochioli has taken his wines in recent years. Readers will find an especially compelling edition of the Estate in 2018.”
93 Points
 
“Powerful and pure-tasting, with underbrush accents and hints of white pepper to the dark currant and dried raspberry flavors. Cedary in the midpalate, with a long finish of dried beef and loamy notes. Drink now through 2025.”
93 Points