2019 Martin Ray Pinot Noir Coast Grade Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains

2019 Martin Ray Pinot Noir Coast Grade Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtMontereyPinot NoirSanta CruzSanta Cruz MountainsUSA

MARTIN RAY

2019 PINOT NOIR
COAST GRADE VINEYARD
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS

2019 Martin Ray Pinot Noir Coast Grade Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains
Martin Ray’s winemaking is Burgundian-influenced, focused on single varietal wines representative of their terroir. Courtney Benham, the owner of Martin Ray, selected the Coast Grade Vineyard on the ocean side of the Santa Cruz Mountains for the cooling effects of the morning and evening fog from the San Francisco Bay and the vineyard’s ability to produce Pinot Noir with exceptional clarity, focus and natural acidity. 
 
Delicately refined, Pinot Noir grown along the Santa Cruz Mountains benefits from coastal fog and cooler temperatures preserving the natural acidity allowing the grapes to ripen slowly, producing fresher fruit character. The Coast Grade Vineyard’s steeply sloped terroir near the Pacific Ocean gives a seashell-like salinity and a distinct earthiness that marries perfectly with the fruit for a heightened balance and regional typicality. 
 
MARTIN RAY
2019 PINOT NOIR
COAST GRADE VINEYARD
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“A pinot with very fresh and aromatic, primary-fruit character with lightly under-ripe strawberry and citrus undertones. Fine tannins. Crisp finish. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”
92 Points
2017 Frisson Cabernet Sauvignon Alluvium Coombsville

2017 Frisson Cabernet Sauvignon Alluvium Coombsville

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaSanta Cruz MountainsUSA

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 spirit of the region with persuasive power and polished confidence, leaving a positive impression at its $115 retail price and a frisson at less than $40. 
 
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. Crafted by Paul Colantuoni and Wayne Donaldson, former winemaker at Domaine Chandon, Moet Hennessy, and Louis Martini, Frisson offers exceptional value. 
 
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
2019 Martin Ray Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains

2019 Martin Ray Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains

with No Comment $30 and underChardonnayKevin VogtMontereySanta Cruz MountainsUSA

MARTIN RAY

2019 CHARDONNAY
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS

2019 Martin Ray Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains
Santa Cruz Mountain Chardonnays display dense aromas, rich fruit, remarkable intensity, complex minerality, and tantalizing acidity. Martin Ray’s version expresses these distinct characteristics with tropical melon, orange zest, and a leesy, textured mouthfeel that makes the wine, as James Suckling writes, “hard to resist.” 
 
This Chardonnay comes from two 1000ft elevation vineyards on opposite sides of the Mountain and offers a stunning portrayal of the region’s dynamic terroir. Each site shares sizeable diurnal temperature shifts and excellent sun exposure, resulting in powerfully concentrated, expressive berries. 
 
Martin Ray’s winemaking team utilized a technique of stirring the lees bi-weekly during its 12 months aging in French oak. This technique results in a rich, leesy texture that perfectly contrasts the bright natural acidity.
 
MARTIN RAY
2019 CHARDONNAY
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $28
 
 
“Mouthwateringly intense aromas of salted butter and toast. Lemon curd, grilled pear, hazelnut and chalk, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with tangy acidity and a toasty, saline finish. Hard to resist. Drink or hold. Screw cap.”
93 Points
 
“Ripe Bosc pear, lemon mousse, and grilled pineapple with touches of honey- suckle on the nose. Subtle baking spices, sweetgrass, a hint of quince paste and Tahitian vanilla overlay a broad palate framed by linear acidity and minerality.”
2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains

2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonCentral CoastKevin VogtSanta Cruz MountainsUSA

MARTIN RAY

2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS
2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains AVA produces powerful Cabernet Sauvignons with appealing savory elements, firm tannins, and intriguing red and black fruits. Martin Ray sources their Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet from three high-elevation sites that produce intensely concentrated fruits. Our panel loved their 2018 vintage, but we weren’t the only ones. With a 95 point score, I’d jump on this sub $35 Cabernet before it’s too late.
 
Martin Ray’s Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet comes from high-elevation vineyards, Fellom Ranch, Cooper-Garrod, and Beauregard, each sharing large diurnal temperature fluctuation shifts, which result in powerfully concentrated fruit. 
 
The 2018 release is a blend of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and fermented on its skins for a month, which extracted the deep purple color. They stored the wine for 18 months in French and American oak barrels, which added compelling vanilla and spice elements.
 
MARTIN RAY
2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $33
 
“Loads of forest floor, mushrooms, leaves and dark fruit on the nose. It’s full-bodied with juicy fruit and chewy tannins. Hints of toasted oak and cedar, too. This is a structured red that needs two or three years to soften, then you can give it a go. Best Santa Cruz Mountain cab for a long time from here. Try after 2023.”
95 Points
 
“Notes of dense cassis with touches of nutmeg and cherry. Blackberry brush and mountain sage with bright acidity and a touch of graphite. Firm, chalky tannins and well-integrated oak.”
2013 Mount Eden Estate Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon

2013 Mount Eden Estate Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $60-$70Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtSanta CruzSanta Cruz MountainsUSA

MOUNT EDEN

2013 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
ESTATE, SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS

 2013 Mount Eden Estate Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon
Outside of Napa and Sonoma, there’s really only one other California wine region that comes to mind for producing world-class Cabernet Sauvignon…  The Santa Cruz Mountains is home to the iconic Ridge Monte Bello Vineyard as well as Mount Eden Estate, which have both produced countless high 90’s rated wines, competing with many of the best wines in Napa Valley.  Founded in 1945, the historic Mount Eden Estate Vineyard is perched at 2,000 feet elevation and produces fruit of remarkable detail and stunning complexity.  Their 2013 Estate Cabernet has already earned three 94-95 point scores and it was absolutely rocking when we tasted it last week….
Created in a style that perfectly balances all the elements necessary to age gracefully for 40 years, and yet it will also knock your socks off if you enjoy it this week.  The Estate Cabernet Vineyard yields just 1.5 tons of fruit per acre, producing a wine of unparalleled complexity and definition.  Kept for 23 months in barrel, the 2013 has reaped the rewards of around 2 1/2 years in the bottle and it’s brilliant right now… 
 
MOUNT EDEN
2013 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
ESTATE, SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS
Retails at:  $70.00/btl
 
“A True classic, bursting with red and black fruit vine smoke and pencil shavings; structured fine tannins and bracing Santa Cruz acidity. Consistently one of the most age worthy Cabernets in California, gaining in volume and expansiveness with time in the cellar, always vibrant and intense.” 
 
95 Points
“….Blackberry jam, grilled herbs, smoke and plum all resonate on the palate. Inky, deep and plush… I will not be surprised at all if the 2013 develops into an even better wine with time. That said, the 2013 is positively striking today, with compelling inner sweetness, tons of perfume and exceptional balance…” 
 
94+ Points
“There’s an unparalleled woody intensity on the nose of this offering, with cigar box, myrrh, incense and bay leaf decorating the black peppercorn, herb-laced salt, dark chocolate and black plum aromas. The palate’s leathery flavors are woven into fine-grained tannins, revealing flashes of elderberry, violet and gravel.” Cellar Selection
95 Points
Customers who enjoy Mount Eden’s Estate Cabernet may also enjoy these two outstanding wines…
AMAPOLA CREEK
2014 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
ESTATE, SONOMA VALLEY
Retails at:  $90.00/btl
 
From Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate: “…offering glimpses at blackberry and black plum notes over pencil shavings, garrigue, lavender and Mediterranean herbs. Full-bodied and packed with black fruits and earthy flavors, it is built like a brick house with a solid frame of firm, ripe tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long.”
93-95 Points
MOUNT EDEN
2014 CHARDONNAY
ESTATE, SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS
Your Price: $63.99/btl
 
From The Wine Enthusiast: “An oil-like shade of yellow in the glass, this is still a baby, showing aromas of walnut, seared lemon, yogurt, white flowers, oak and smoke. The acidity is pure and strong, cutting through the nutty flavors and savory richness. Sea salt, browned butter, Meyer lemon peels and orange marmalade flavors will only grow more cohesive with time.”   94 Points