2018 Ty Caton Cabernet Sauvignon Moon Mountain District

2018 Ty Caton Cabernet Sauvignon Moon Mountain District

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtMoon MountainNapaUSA

TY CATON

2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
MOON MOUNTAIN DISTRICT

2018 Ty Caton Cabernet Sauvignon Moon Mountain District
Devoted to unveiling Moon Mountain Cabernet’s most captivating characteristics, Ty Caton developed his vineyard adjacent to world-class sites like Monte Rosso, planting multiple blocks, separated by soil type, elevation, and sun exposure. His Estate Cabernet Sauvignon offers a well-rounded depiction of the entire vineyard, capturing Ty’s commitment to land stewardship and drive to bottle the best wine possible from his Estate. 
 
Striving to produce wines of distinction, Ty’s vineyard on the Sonoma side of Mount Veeder is carved into steeply contoured hillsides with well-drained red volcanic soils that have fresh, focused fruit with outstanding depth. 
 
Ty’s 100% Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is blended from a wide selection of his individually farmed blocks, representing the vineyard as a whole with balance, character, and sense of place. Aged for 15 months in French oak, the 2018 release is stunning at this price level.
 
TY CATON
2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
MOON MOUNTAIN DISTRICT
Retails at: $44
 
 
 
“The 2018 Estate Cabernet greets the palate with rich and robust flavors of black cherries, plums, and cassis, followed by oak notes of sandalwood and vanilla. These dark flavors produce a dense textured mouth feel that combine with soft sturdy tannins, followed by a long silky smooth finish.”
2019 Y. Rousseau Proprietary Red Son Of A Butcher

2019 Y. Rousseau Proprietary Red Son Of A Butcher

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtProprietary RedUSA

Y. ROUSSEAU

2019 PROPRIETARY RED
SON OF A BUTCHER

2019 Y. Rousseau Proprietary Red Son Of A Butcher
Thoughtfully uniting earth, elements, and California fruit, Yannick Rousseau captures the spirit of his homeland of Gascony, France, attuned with American winemaking freedom. Calling on Tannat’s intense color and firm structure, elevated by additions of Bordeaux Varietals; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec, Rousseau utilizes a gentle hand, sharp nose, and keen taste, creating something truly unique, and offering tremendous value. 
 
Deemed the “healthy grape” due to high antioxidants, Tannat is a grape varietal native to Southern France, revered for power, robust character, intense fruit, spice, and structure. 
 
Harnessing Tannat’s muscle by skillfully blending softer Bordeaux varieties, Yannik Rousseau ages this wine for 18 months in barrel, revealing layers of elegance, character, and elements of intrigue.
 
Y. ROUSSEAU
2019 PROPRIETARY RED
SON OF A BUTCHER
 
Your Price: $23
 
 
“Deep black cherry in appearance. Bright, complex, generous and profound with notes of baked blackberry pie, dry sage, white pepper, licorice, medium roast coffee, forest floor and subtle French oak. Supple attack, delicate roundness, full-bodied, offering sweet spices, pure dark berries, silky tannins and fresh long finish. It’s an unmistakable California resident…rich, juicy and a youthful vibe…but this one doesn’t forget its french heritage and its ‘je ne sais quoi’.”
2019 Domaine Maison Cheverny Rogue Loire Valley

2019 Domaine Maison Cheverny Rogue Loire Valley

with No Comment $30 and underFranceKevin VogtLoire ValleyPinot Noir

DOMAINE MAISON

2019 CHEVERNY ROUGE
LOIRE VALLEY

2019 Domaine Maison Cheverny Rogue Loire Valley
Pinot Noir/Gamay blends from Cheverny offer remarkable value and are relished by the French locals because they possess vibrant red fruit, crisp acidy, palpable minerality, and energizing freshness. Burgundy and the Atlantic Ocean influence Cheverny, a small region in the Loire Valley with siliceous clay, limestone, and gravelly soils, well-suited for Burgundian grapes that produce supple fruit with gentle tannins and vibrant energy. Cheverny Reds are primarily Pinot Noir/Gamay blends, with up to 10% Cabernet Franc or Malbec, known locally as Côt.
 
Domaine Maison’s Cheverny Rouge is a classic representation, combining 60% Pinot Noir with 30% Gamay with 10% Côt, balancing bright, supple fruit, floral character, and minerality, with vibrant energy, depth, and focus. This bottling is very typical for what the French locals might drink at a local Bistro, great wine that is an exceptional value.
 
Located between two rivers, Loire and Cher, the Domain Maison’s plots consist of vines between 20 and 45-years-old, grown in clay-limestone and light gravel soils, that produce focused fruit with depth and a sense of place. The team fermented this wine in stainless steel to preserve the fruit’s natural essence, beautifully delivered into your glass.
 
DOMAINE MAISON
2019 CHEVERNY ROUGE
LOIRE VALLEY
 
 
 
“Red wines of the Loire Valley are known for their brightness and vivacity. Cheverny AOC, located within the Touraine district, is planted mainly with Pinot Noir. This blend in particular is comprised of 60 percent Pinot Noir, 30 percent Gamay, and 10 percent Côt, the local name for Malbec. The region’s fruit ripens beautifully leading to wines with juicy, red cherry and raspberry flavors with great depth and concentration. Sweet spice notes, such as cloves and cinnamon, add an additional layer of complexity to the wine followed by a lush and silky finish. The locals enjoy this easy-drinking wine just a tad below room temperature, making it a perfect wine for the summer. Even at a fantastic value, the most surprising aspect of this wine is how quickly you’ll need another glass.”
95 Points
2017 Adaptation Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2017 Adaptation Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOak KnollStags LeapUSA

ADAPTATION

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 NAPA VALLEY

2017 Adaptation Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Framed by Mountain fruit’s power, harnessed with additions of Stags Leap, Oak Knoll, and Pope Valley grapes, Adaptation’s Cabernet Sauvignon is purposefully versatile and abundantly complex. The 2017 release emerges from the rugged, dynamic terrain of Howell Mountain’s Ink Grade Vineyard, supplying structure, depth, and flavor intensity. 100-point powerhouse Odette Winery creates Adaptation, under the guidance of Jeff Owens, formed to combine power and elegance while simultaneously showcasing its origins. 
 
Napa Valley’s diversity of micro-climates, terrain, soils, and exposures created an Artist’s palette of flavors, textures, tannins, and aromas for Jeff to adapt Howell Mountain’s power unveiling an approachable, elegant wine that delivers on all fronts. 
 
Centered around a core of nearly 80% Cabernet Sauvignon transformed with additions of Merlot, Malbec, and Petite Sirah, then aged 18 months in oak, Adaptation personifies the best characteristics of the vintage and the winery’s drive to showcase Napa Valley’s unique terroir gracefully.
 
ADAPTATION
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $62
 
Your Price: $59.99
 
 
“From the folks at Odette and Plumpjack, this lovely red is juicy, broad and immensely likable, with soft layers of baking spice, black cherry and licorice. With 16% Merlot and smaller additions of Malbec and Petite Sirah, it delivers supple texture and length without fuss.”
91 Points, “Editors’ Choice”
2018 Martinelli Zinfandel Vigneto Di Evo

2018 Martinelli Zinfandel Vigneto Di Evo

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtSonomaSonoma ValleyUSAZinfandel

MARTINELLI

2018 ZINFANDEL
VIGNETO DI EVO

2018 Martinelli Zinfandel Vigneto Di Evo
The Martinelli Family’s intimate knowledge of their land developed over 135 years, encompassing six generations with an unsurpassed dedication to farming and crafting wines expressing their place and heritage. Their plantings include Jackass Hill; The steepest non-terraced vineyard in Sonoma County at a death-defying 65 degrees slope, compared to today’s 30 degrees limit. Their Vigneto di Evo Zinfandel is a barrel selection from Jackass, Vellutini, Lolita, and Giuseppe & Luisa vineyards. At $33, it offers a profound glimpse into the lifeblood of their wines. 
 
Guardians of terroir, the Martinelli team strives to consistently produce wines deeply rooted in place, highlighting the vineyard’s character through a hands-off winemaking approach, allowing the wine to go through a set of natural processes with minimal intervention.
 
Courtney Wagoner and Erin Green created this wine to represent the winery’s best Zinfandel plots, manifesting primal energy, heritage, and balance. Deeper, darker flavors developed from the vineyard’s proximity to the Pacific, heightened by old-vine intensity, and refreshed with younger vines, resulting in a fantastic representation of the Estate.
 
MARTINELLI
2018 ZINFANDEL
VIGNETO DI EVO
Retails at: $40
 
Your Price: $33
 
 
“… 2018 “Vigneto di Evo” Zinfandel has energetic aromas of wild strawberry, sweet leather and star anise lift and fill your nose. The palate has balanced acidity and elegant tannins with layers of chocolate and black cherry. Sweet and juicy flavors of blackberry and baking spices linger through the finish.”
2019 Widows Peak Pinot Noir By Beau Vigne Anderson Valley

2019 Widows Peak Pinot Noir By Beau Vigne Anderson Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Anderson ValleyKevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaUSA

WIDOWS PEAK

BY BEAU VIGNE
2019 PINOT NOIR
ANDERSON VALLEY

2019 Widows Peak Pinot Noir By Beau Vigne Anderson Valley
Beau Vigne is a boutique producer whose signature style is in making balanced, rich, multidimensional wines, and one that Robert Parker says is “one of my favorite wineries.” Their founding winemaker was Dave Phinney, later succeeded by Kirk Venge, and now, Julian Fayard, former Director of Winemaking for Philippe Melka, is at the helm. Their recently released Widows Peak Pinot Noir impresses at its $85 retail price, but at $38, it’s an absolute delight.  
 
This remarkable Pinot Noir emerged from a small vineyard in Anderson Valley centered between two creeks where well-drained gravelly soils and large diurnal temperature swings inspire fruit with clarity, place, and dynamic complexity. 
 
This soul-stirring Pinot Noir gains complexity from a wide range of Dijon clones 115, 667, and 777, as well as Swan and Pommard, each distinctively showcased, flawlessly delivering the vineyard’s identity. At this price, you’ll thank me once you taste it. 
 
WIDOWS PEAK
BY BEAU VIGNE
2019 PINOT NOIR
ANDERSON VALLEY
Retails at: $85
 
 
 
“The finished Anderson Valley Pinot Noir offers a provocative and swirling mélange of aromas and flavors. Lush bing cherry, raspberry and fine-grained tannins, spice, and a flinty mineral notes.”
2016 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2016 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $60-$70Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

HEITZ

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2016 NAPA VALLEY

2016 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Dedicated to classic winemaking, Heitz Cellar’s invariant style of producing profoundly hedonistic and age-worthy Cabernets is a hallmark of their brand. The winery has reliably produced its unmistakably intense, savory, well-built Cabernets since 1961. Their 2016 Napa Cabernet perfectly expresses their timeless approach, fusing power and elegance, enriched with history, and a desire to handcraft Cabernets at the highest level. 
 
Joe Heitz had a keen eye for discovering vineyards capable of producing age-worthy wines. Their 2016 Napa Valley Cabernet showcases two Saint Helena Vineyards, Only One and Spring Valley, enhanced with a touch of Rutherford fruit. 
 
Each decision made at the winery, from when to pick, through the entire fermentation and aging process, is purposefully made to guide the wine into a style that’s both stunning upon release and will stand the test of time, rather than be flashy and forward when consumed young.
 
HEITZ
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2016 NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $65
 
 
“A subtle savory edge leads off, followed by enticing rooibos tea, red currant preserve and raspberry coulis flavors. Elegant finish. Drink now through 2026.”
91 Points
2016 Department 66 Grenache Cotes Catalanes

2016 Department 66 Grenache Cotes Catalanes

with No Comment $30-$40GrenacheKevin VogtUSA

DEPARTMENT 66

2016 GRENACHE 
COTES CATALANES

2016 Department 66 Grenache Cotes Catalanes
Inspired by the raw beauty of ancient Grenache vines grown on steep hillsides of Cotes Catalanes, France, Department 66 was created by Dave Phinney, founder of Prisoner and Orin Swift brands, a talented winemaker and visionary. He purchased 300 acres of gnarley vines and constructed a winery when he saw the potential of these 60-year-old vines. Today, the wine team produces gorgeous wines, including this brilliant 95 Point Grenache blend, which Jeb Dunnuck glows is a “bonafide blockbuster.” 
 
The wine team harvested the 2016 vintage from the old vines grown in black schist, with small granite and limestone deposits scattered in red, rocky soils known as angile. The region is deep in France’s southwest corner, adjacent to the Pyrénées-Orientales mountain range, where old vine Grenache thrives. 
 
Combining a core of old vine Grenache with Syrah, Carignan, and Mourvedre, aged 18 months in oak, the 2016 release is intensely captivating, exuberantly textured, and laced with intriguing spices, perfectly ripe berries, and savory undertones. 
 
DEPARTMENT 66
2016 GRENACHE 
COTES CATALANES
Retails at: $38
 
Your Price: $34.99
 
 
“The 2016 Côtes Catalanes D66 is a bonafide blockbuster from winemaker Richard Case that does everything right. Loaded with notions of ripe blackberry and currant fruits, chocolate, ground pepper, licorice, and leafy herbs, this puppy hits the palate with full-bodied richness and depth yet stays nicely balanced and light on its feet. Rich, opulent, and decadent are the buzzwords here, and it should keep for 7-8 years. The blend is 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah aged 12 months in barrel.”
95 Points
2018 Galius Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux

2018 Galius Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux

with No Comment $30-$40BordeauxBordeauxFranceKevin Vogt

GALIUS

SAINT-EMILION GRAND CRU 
2018 BORDEAUX 

2018 Galius Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux
Named for a Roman soldier that settled in Bordeaux after receiving land for military service, Galius lives up to its namesake delivering powerful favors with enchanting old-world complexity, depth, and minerality, balanced with military precision. The 2018 Galius commands an impenetrable presence on the palate and has “gorgeous fruit,” as noted by Decanter. At $32, the quality dominates. 
 
Farmed sustainably, with terroir on the front lines, Galius’s eleven hectares of half-century-year-old vines grown in clay-limestone soils produce fruit with intense minerality and penetrating focus. 
 
Fermented in stainless-steel tanks for freshness and polished with 15 months in oak, the blend is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. Merlot offers rich, supple approachability and the Cab Franc, contributes floral lift and heightened refinement.
 
GALIUS
SAINT-EMILION GRAND CRU 
2018 BORDEAUX
 
Your Price: $32
 
 
“Enchanting nose of sweet leather, ripe blue fruit and even honeyed flowers. Refined, plunging, gorgeous fruit on the palate…”
93 Points
2020 Joseph Jewell Rose Of Pinot Noir Slusser Vineyard Russian River

2020 Joseph Jewell Rose Of Pinot Noir Slusser Vineyard Russian River

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtRoséRussian River ValleySonomaUSA

JOSEPH JEWELL

ROSÉ OF PINOT NOIR
SLUSSER VINEYARD
2020 RUSSIAN RIVER 

2020 Joseph Jewell Rose Of Pinot Noir Slusser Vineyard Russian River
Representing a singular expression of the people, place, and vintage, Joseph Jewell wines bring people together with easy approachability, conversation-driving quality, and powerful varietal character. They source from expressive, cool-climate vineyards that provide the ingredients necessary to create wines that stand out for their pristine balance and thoughtful sophistication. Their 2020 Rosé was a bright star at our tasting with piercing aromatics, mineral-intensity, and contagious energy, and at $24, it’s a superb value. 
 
Farmed by the same family for over 100 years, Slusser Vineyard is in the middle reach of the Russian River Valley, where Mark West Creek’s flooding resulted in intense minerality in the wines. 
 
Calling on 100% Pinot Noir, winemaker Adrian Jewell crafted this Rosé in a brightly focused style, highlighting the vineyard’s keen minerality and freshness of fruit that will leave your taste buds craving more.
 
JOSEPH JEWELL
ROSÉ OF PINOT NOIR
SLUSSER VINEYARD
2020 RUSSIAN RIVER
 
Your Price: $24
 
 
“Fruity and layered in waves of raspberry, strawberry and watermelon, this light, crisp wine delivers vibrant flavor and texture. Dried herb and a hint of lemongrass add complementary nuance and deliciousness.” 
91 Points