2018 Rudius Savory Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

2018 Rudius Savory Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

with No Comment $80-$90Cabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaUSA

RUDIUS

SAVORY ESTATE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 HOWELL MOUNTAIN 

2018 Rudius Savory Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
In 1998, David Abreu and Rick Forman planted a tiny 1.3-acre plot at the top of Howell Mountain at an elevation of 1780 feet. Each vintage, the Savory Estate vineyard shows off its vast potential with powerfully concentrated fruit, rock-solid structure, and supreme ageability, that’s vividly depicted in Rudius’s 2018 vintage.
 
Jeff Ames began his winemaking career interning with Lynn Penner-Ash in Oregon and later worked as Thomas Rivers Brown’s assistant winemaker for Outpost, Schrader, and TOR before becoming the head winemaker for TOR in 2005. The Savory Estate vineyard provides Jeff with the pieces to the puzzle that make up his hedonistic signature style, with past vintages scoring well into the upper 90s. Here’s an opportunity to own this incredibly limited Howell Mountain Cabernet, priced to savor.
 
RUDIUS
SAVORY ESTATE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 HOWELL MOUNTAIN 
Retails at: $135
 
 
 
“The Rudius 2018 Savory Estate Cabernet is a visually compelling wine with an inky black center core and a deep ruby hue at the edges. The nose and palate dance beautifully together as they balance a vast array of compelling characteristics, including muddled blackberries, black currants, gunflint, dried green herbs, fresh cut violets, and Italian glove leather, along with hints of vanilla, baker’s chocolate, and white pepper. The palate is exceptionally concentrated and powerful yet finds the perfect symmetry between structure, intensity, and elegance. I struggled to find the perfect analogy to describe it, but it is like a bodybuilder who is also a world-class ballet dancer. It’s not what you’d expect at first glance but is thrilling to behold. I think this stunning effort is precisely what everybody looks for in an incredible mountain Cabernet. It is still a baby, and as great as it is now, you can enjoy it any time over the next several decades. Simply gorgeous!”
98 Points
2019 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond District

2019 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond District

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonDiamond MountainKevin VogtNapaUSA

MARTIN RAY

2019 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
DIAMOND MOUNTAIN

2019 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond District
There is an intrigue behind estate-grown and bottled wines, but the most critical piece of the puzzle is the site where the grapes are grown. Martin Ray has continuously operated under the “wines of place” philosophy, and quite frankly, they’re nailing it, producing wines that showcase the best each region has to offer.
 
Their Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is grown in the Andrew Geoffrey Vineyard located on the lower foothills of the mountain with a powdery mix of volcanic ash and porous tufa rock with some sprinkles of obsidian. The majority of the small lots are fermented in upright French oak puncheons, with a small portion in open-top stainless-steel vessels, followed by about 30 days on the skins after fermentation, giving a silky mouthfeel and a seamless integration between the fruit and the oak. 
 
MARTIN RAY
2019 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
DIAMOND MOUNTAIN
Retails at: $85
 
Your Price: $59.99
 
 
“Complex aromas of dark plums, blackcurrants, dried herbs, cedar and spice box. Some tar. Pine needles. Full-bodied with creamy tannins. Firm and polished with a velvety texture. Flavorful and long…”
95 Points
2019 Steps Reserve Barrel Select Proprietary Red

2019 Steps Reserve Barrel Select Proprietary Red

with No Comment $40-$50Diamond MountainKevin VogtNapaOakvilleProprietary RedRutherfordUSA

STEPS

RESERVE BARREL SELECT
2019 PROPRIETARY RED

2019 Steps Reserve Barrel Select Proprietary Red
Each year STEPS is re-birthed as it’s formed from declassified grapes from 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, opulent red, guided by the vintage and the varietals that performed best. The 2019 release reflects the vintage’s knockout power and blanketing intensity, and at $50, the value is nearly inconceivable.
 
Steps 2019 Barrel Select draws on Diamond Mountain’s concentrated fruit and expressive flavors, then brings Rutherford elegance and Oakville complexity into play with absolute grandiosity. The final blend is more than 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, elevated with Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot, crafted in a richly layered, lavish, hedonistic style. The wine is a steal at $50, and at $45, a single case won’t be enough.
 
STEPS
RESERVE BARREL SELECT
2019 PROPRIETARY RED
Retails at: $50
 
 
 
“The 2019 Steps Reserve Barrel Select is beautifully aromatic with violets, ripe black plums and black raspberries, dark chocolate, and wet stones. On the palate, flavors of blueberry pie, cocoa power, and a savory mushroom component add additional layers of complexity. The tannins are fine-grained, giving the wine a velvety texture felt throughout the long and opulent finish that slowly fades away on the palate, revealing its complexity one layer at a time.”
95 Points
2016 Anthem Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder

2016 Anthem Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder

with No Comment $60-$70Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtMt VeederNapaUSA

ANTHEM 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2016 MOUNT VEEDER

2016 Anthem Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder
Selected for its powerfully expressive, vividly detailed, and incomparably hedonistic qualities, Anthem’s 2016 Mount Veeder Cabernet is a show-stopper so irresistible that it was nearly impossible to keep stocked in the tasting room. Jeff Ames, the winemaker at TOR and Rudius, crafts Anthem Cabernet to showcase power and restraint while simultaneously exhibiting a stunning level of depth and persistent intensity, setting it apart from others.
 
Anthem winery is steadfast in creating exceptional quality Cabernets from distinctive Mountain AVA’s in Napa Valley. They’ve assembled a powerful team led by highly-respected viticulturist John Truchard and, as mentioned earlier, winemaker Jeff Ames. The winery’s production team is free to vinify without regard for cost, making every decision solely on its impact on the quality of their wine. All of this is present in their wines, and this 2016 release is their most remarkable yet.
 
ANTHEM 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2016 MOUNT VEEDER
Retails at: $125
 
 
 
“The 2016 Anthem Cabernet Sauvignon is an explosion of intense aromas beginning with violets, lavender, cassis, black plums, black cherries, balsamic reduction, black tea, graphite, and earth. The pronounced flavors penetrate the palate with great depth and firm tannins for a completely mouth-coating texture that slowly dissipates into the background. Drinking this wine is a truly ethereal experience, and its structure gives it the ability to be aged for several years of pleasure.”
95 Points, #3 WCC Top 5 Wines of 2021
2019 Steps Reserve Barrel Select Proprietary Red

2019 Steps Reserve Barrel Select Proprietary Red

with No Comment $40-$50Diamond MountainKevin VogtNapaOakvilleProprietary RedRutherfordUSA

STEPS

RESERVE BARREL SELECT
2019 PROPRIETARY RED

2019 Steps Reserve Barrel Select Proprietary Red
Each year STEPS is re-birthed as it’s formed from declassified grapes from 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, opulent red, guided by the vintage and the varietals that performed best. The 2019 release reflects the vintage’s knockout power and blanketing intensity, and at our price, the value is nearly inconceivable.
 
Steps 2019 Barrel Select draws on Diamond Mountain’s concentrated fruit and expressive flavors, then brings Rutherford elegance and Oakville complexity into play with absolute grandiosity. The final blend is more than 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, elevated with Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot, crafted in a richly layered, lavish, hedonistic style. The wine is a steal at $50, and at $45, a single case won’t be enough.
 
STEPS
RESERVE BARREL SELECT
2019 PROPRIETARY RED
Retails at: $50
 
 
 
“The 2019 Steps Reserve Barrel Select is beautifully aromatic with violets, ripe black plums and black raspberries, dark chocolate, and wet stones. On the palate, flavors of blueberry pie, cocoa power, and a savory mushroom component add additional layers of complexity. The tannins are fine-grained, giving the wine a velvety texture felt throughout the long and opulent finish that slowly fades away on the palate, revealing its complexity one layer at a time.”
95 Points
2017 Frisson Cabernet Sauvignon Alluvium Coombsville

2017 Frisson Cabernet Sauvignon Alluvium Coombsville

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

FRISSON

2017 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
ALLUVIUM COOMBSVILLE

2017 Frisson Cabernet Sauvignon Alluvium Coombsville
Frisson is a French word defined by a sudden feeling of excitement or thrill; Taking inspiration from this, Frisson Cabernet is mindfully crafted in a magnetic style, awakening your senses with intensely compelling characteristics, drawing you in with soul-stirring energy. The winery’s Alluvium Coombsville Cabernet whispers the region’s spirit with persuasive power and polished confidence, leaving a positive impression at its $115 retail price and a frisson at $36.
 
Focusing on revealing Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley’s leading sub-appellations most dynamic features, Frisson proprietors drew on Coombsville’s gravelly loam soils and cooler climate that naturally encourages balanced fruit in creating this masterpiece. This wine embodies the proprietor’s mission of creating boutique wines from grapes grown in superior terroir, transforming them into balanced wine with a sense of place. Frisson offers exceptional value at our Customer Appreciation Week Price.
 
FRISSON
2017 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
ALLUVIUM COOMBSVILLE
Retails at: $115
 
 
 
“Frisson’s 2017 Alluvium Coombsville Cabernet is striking in the glass with a deep, brooding, inky-purple color. This full-throttle wine begins with a powerful nose that includes very ripe dried plums, dried cherries, black currants, dried herbs, Asian spices, light florals, and bramble. The intense palate has concentrated black fruits with black plums, black cherries, vanilla hints, and exotic spice. This is certainly no cocktail wine, and it begs to be enjoyed with food. I had it with orange-barbecue glazed pork, and it was delightful.”
91 points
2018 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Aux Lieux-Dits

2018 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Aux Lieux-Dits

with No Comment $30-$40Cotes du RhoneFranceKevin VogtRhone ValleyRhone Valley

DOMAINE SANTA DUC

2018 GIGONDAS
AUX LIEUX-DITS

2018 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Aux Lieux-Dits
Domaine Santa Duc embodies the cumulative knowledge, heart, and experiences of six generations, each contributing to the wine’s signature, becoming a permanent part of their evolving story. Aux Lieux-Dits is a blend of eight unique parcels of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Cinsault, farmed biodynamically, bringing out the purest essence of Gigondas terroir.
 
Meticulous in every aspect of production, Domaine Santa Duc’s team handpicks and hand-sorts the grapes, feeding them into stainless-steel thermoregulated vats by gravity, ensuring the quality of each berry remains intact. Aging takes place in 3600-liter Stockinger oak foudres and 800-liter terra-cotta amphorae, emphasizing the wine’s fruit and spice characteristics, creating an ethereal mouthfeel and tantalizing finish that’s profoundly memorable, vastly overdelivering at this value price.
 
DOMAINE SANTA DUC
2018 GIGONDAS
AUX LIEUX-DITS
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“….Black-cherry and mulberry flavors are ripe but briskly balanced by a dazzling mineral freshness and salty, chalky finish. Fruity yet shaded by subtle kisses of charcuterie and dried earth, it’s a complex, hedonistic wine that’s at peak now through 2030. Made from organic and biodynamic grapes.”
94 Points
 
“Discreetly floral with blueberry and liquorice – rounded and juicy. A discrete style of wine, but it’s well balanced and has a sense of drinkability. There’s a nice sense of tannic finesse and it has good sense of direction and focus. Firm and well balanced, without excesses. Eight different plots around Gigondas, biodynamically farmed, partly destemmed. Drinking Window 2021 – 2027.”
94 Points
 
“Ripe but understated style, with a mix of Damson plum, black cherry and blackberry fruit flavors mixed with wood spice and black tea notes. Stylish, pure finish. Drink now through 2033…”
93 Points
2019 Silver Ghost Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2019 Silver Ghost Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonCalistogaKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSAYountville

SILVER GHOST 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2019 NAPA VALLEY

2019 Silver Ghost Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Named after Weston Eidson’s great-grandfather’s love for the legendary automobile of the same name- the 1909 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Silver Ghost Napa Valley Cabernet embodies the same precision, power, and class. Weston’s winemaking parallels in quality, gaining much of his experience from mentors Jason Moore and Russell Bevan.
 
Crafted from a selection of high-quality grapes from Rutherford, Calistoga, and Yountville, Silver Ghost is bold and expressive with 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 5% Petite Verdot aged 22 months in 50% new French oak barriques. This value-driven wine compares to other Napa Valley Cabernets that are double and triple the price and thoroughly impressed our tasting panel when it stood out in a lineup of a few dozen respected producers within Napa Valley.
 
SILVER GHOST 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2019 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at $40
 
Your Price: $35
 
 
“I’m always impressed by the quality to value this producer offers in his wines, and this new release is another absolute winner. The 2019 Silver Ghost Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon begins with a nose including black cherries, pink peppercorns, dried sage, bay leaf, and violets. The palate showcases red currants, wild red berries, fresh tobacco leaf, cardamom, delicate mint, and oak spice. While this bottle will certainly benefit from a few extra years of aging, it is drinking beautifully now and will continue to for another decade.”
92 Points
2019 Flowers Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

2019 Flowers Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $30-$40ChardonnayKevin VogtSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

FLOWERS

2019 CHARDONNAY
SONOMA COAST

2019 Flowers Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
The heart of the winemaking philosophy at Flowers is for the wine to express its origin and promote the unique flavors of the rough, rugged, and remote coastal ridges of the Sonoma Coast. Three distinct qualities define the vineyards used to source their Chardonnay: extreme elevation, coastal influence, and sustainable farming practices that together create a haven for growing cool-climate varieties.
 
Winemaker Chantal Forthun believes in low intervention and uses a natural yeast strain from the skin of the grapes for fermentation, giving Flowers wines their particular characteristics. The 2019 vintage saw a cold, wet winter, followed by a mild spring and summer, resulting in moderate to slow ripening for delicate but complex layers of flavor with bright acidity and a pleasantly lingering finish. Our panel was thrilled with the quality of their 2019 Chardonnay, marking one of their best vintages yet, offering a stratospherically high level of quality for its value price.
 
FLOWERS
2019 CHARDONNAY
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $50
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“I love the Chardonnay from this estate, and their appellation 2019 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast is well worth seeking out, revealing a lighter gold hue as well as a crisp, nicely defined bouquet of poached pear, citrus, spice, and hazelnuts. Beautiful on the palate as well, it’s medium-bodied and has nicely integrated acidity, notable balance, and a great finish.”
94 Points
 
“Rich and finely textured, with concentrated white fruit flavors that show buttery hints. The spicy finish lingers with minerally snap and creamy accents. Drink now through 2025.”
92 Points
2016 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Lot C-91

2016 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Lot C-91

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaOakvilleRutherfordSt HelenaUSA

HEITZ CELLAR

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 LOT C-91
2016 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Lot C-91
Joe Heitz pioneered single-vineyard wines in Napa Valley, and in 1969 he blended select plots from his most prized vineyards, discovering that he could create a wine with the qualities he desired most – aging potential, complexity, and depth. Lot C-91 encompasses this art of assemblage, gracefully presented with concentrated fruit, focus, and sophisticated complexity. 
 
Heitz is a historic winery that continues to pursue the same traditional, age-worthy style for which they’re well known and respected. For the last 50 years, Heitz Cellar has sourced fruit for Lot C-91 from premium parcels in St. Helena, Oakville, Rutherford, and Howell Mountain, representing a step-up in quality, achieving the density and length of a genuinely fantastic wine, which recently earned an extraordinary score.
 
HEITZ CELLAR
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 LOT C-91
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“Blue fruit with stone, lavender and currant aromas and flavors. Fresh herbs too. Medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins. Such firmness and focus and beauty. A blend of all their top single vineyards. Drink or hold.”
96 Points