2019 Los Vascos Cromas Cabernet Franc Colchagua Valley Chile

2019 Los Vascos Cromas Cabernet Franc Colchagua Valley Chile

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet FrancChileKevin Vogt

LOS VASCOS

CROMAS CABERNET FRANC
GRAN RESERVA 2019
COLCHAGUA VALLEY, CHILE

2019 Los Vascos Cromas Cabernet Franc Colchagua Valley Chile
Spanish conquistadors brought viticulture to Chile in the 16th century. Today, the country boasts some of the world’s most prime vineyard land attracting foreign investment from some of the world’s most respected producers. After years of extensive soil research and tasting many wines to determine the potential of numerous unique sites, Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) acquired the Los Vascos estate in 1988.
 
Chateau Lafite’s technical director made several calculated decisions in planting new vines and restructuring existing vineyards, relying on his expertise gained while working for one of Bordeaux’s famous First Growths. The Cromas wine is 100% Cabernet Franc from fruit grown on granite hillsides in the Colchagua Valley, aptly named for the colorful composition of unique flavors in this wine from a Chilean terroir with a French pedigree. It’s simply stunning for this price.
 
LOS VASCOS
CROMAS CABERNET FRANC
GRAN RESERVA 2019
COLCHAGUA VALLEY, CHILE
 
Your Price: $28
 
 
“Los Vascos 2019 Cromas Gran Reserva Cabernet Franc opens with enticing aromas of cloves, cedar, Maraschino cherry, dried herbs, black pepper, and cinnamon sticks. On the palate, the wine has a supple mouthfeel with soft tannins and flavors of red plum, ripe raspberry, chocolate fudge, and cola. The flavor intensity lingers on the palate for a long, smooth finish and irresistible drinkability.”
93 Points
2019 Mader Rosacker Grand Cru Riesling Alsace

2019 Mader Rosacker Grand Cru Riesling Alsace

with No Comment FranceKevin VogtRiesling

MADER

ROSACKER
GRAND CRU RIESLING
ALSACE 2019

2019 Mader Rosacker Grand Cru Riesling Alsace
Domaine Mader was founded in 1981 by Jean-Luc and Anne Mader and continues to be family owned and operated, with their son Jèrome taking over in 2005 after studying enology. They converted their vineyards to organic farming in 2007, helping preserve each site’s unique expression of Alsatian terroir, consisting of thirteen distinct soil types.
 
The fruit for this wine comes from the family’s small 3.2 acres in the Grand Cru Rosacker, known for producing Rieslings with ripe fruit aromas, salinity, and laser focus. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats at low temperatures, protecting the variety’s fruit purity and flavor intensity, balanced with vibrant acidity that will allow this wine to age for added complexity, although it’s brilliant right now.
 
MADER
ROSACKER
GRAND CRU RIESLING
ALSACE 2019
 
Your Price: $45
 
 
“The 2019 Domaine Grand Cru Rosacker Riesling opens with opulent notes of elderflower, lime blossom, lime zest, honey crisp apple, and fresh honeydew melon. The palate had bright acidity, intense flavors of fresh herbs, and citrus zest with a fresh pastry dough that pulls everything into a perfect balance. This wine is an absolute joy to indulge and has a few years left to develop in the bottle.”
94 Points
2018 Ritual Pinot Noir Casablanca Valley Chile

2018 Ritual Pinot Noir Casablanca Valley Chile

with No Comment $30 and underChileKevin VogtPinot Noir

RITUAL

PINOT NOIR 2018
CASABLANCA VALLEY, CHILE

2018 Ritual Pinot Noir Casablanca Valley Chile
Ritual’s organic estate in the Casablanca Valley sits just a few miles from the cooling effects of the Pacific Ocean, where a Humboldt current creates early morning fog and breezes ideal for Pinot Noir. The vineyards are surrounded by 6000 acres of forest promoting biodiversity and sustainability in the environment.
 
The grapes were hand harvested and double sorted before fermentation, in which a portion of the fruit is whole-cluster fermented, adding extra spice and tannin. The 2018 growing season saw significant rainfall in the winter and moderate temperatures throughout the season, resulting in a long hang time that guaranteed full physiological ripeness and intense flavor profiles.
 
RITUAL
PINOT NOIR 2018
CASABLANCA VALLEY, CHILE
 
Your Price: $24
 
“Nuanced fragrance, full of racy raspberries, mossy berries, forest floor and spices. Elegant, but deep. Smooth, round and subtle on the palate. So much poise, showcasing fine, pinot character. From organically grown grapes. Drink now or hold.”
93 Points
2019 Two Old Dogs Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2019 Two Old Dogs Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

TWO OLD DOGS

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2019

2019 Two Old Dogs Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Two Old Dogs is an extension of the JACK wine portfolio through a partnership between Major League teammates Chris Iannetta and Vernon Wells and highly respected vintner Jennifer Lamb. They teamed up with Julien Fayard to make the wine, calling on his experience at Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte in Bordeaux and numerous top Napa Valley Estates. 
 
Two Old Dogs Cabernet Sauvignon is a true expression of Napa terroir designed to be approachable and to offer extraordinary value. 2019 was an excellent growing season that produced wines with power and complexity that will develop beautifully with bottle age but have soft enough tannins and finesse to enjoy a glass right now.
 
TWO OLD DOGS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2019
 
Your Price: $55
 
 

“The 2019 Two Old Dogs Cabernet Sauvignon begins with notes of violets, volcanic rock minerality, red and black plums, dried herbs, and espresso. The palate is lush with soft tannins and flavors of blueberry, cassis, and dark chocolate. This wine has a solid backbone for further aging, but due to its supple texture is drinking wonderfully.”

96 Points

2019 Matthew Wallace Cabernet Sauvignon Section 15 Napa Valley

2019 Matthew Wallace Cabernet Sauvignon Section 15 Napa Valley

with No Comment $70-$80Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

MATTHEW WALLACE

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
SECTION 15
NAPA VALLEY 2019

2019 Matthew Wallace Cabernet Sauvignon Section 15 Napa Valley
Matthew Wallace is an exclusive boutique wine brand that combines the extraordinary talents of Matt Hardin and winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown. Matt spent his career managing some of Napa Valley’s most exceptional vineyards and worked with Thomas Brown at Maybach, Outpost, Pulido-Walker, Casa Piena, and Caterwaul. Their skills combine beautifully in this powerfully captivating Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. 
 
Section 15 is part of the Wallace Ranch where Matt grew up in Napa, and he knows the site like no one else as he played in the alluvial and colluvial soils of the vineyard as a child. He and Brown created this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from another fantastic vintage in Napa Valley. They made it in the big, concentrated, and beautifully polished style that put Thomas Brown Cabs at an elite level. We are the exclusive retailer for this 2019 release and cannot wait for you to try it.
 
MATTHEW WALLACE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
SECTION 15
NAPA VALLEY 2019
 
Your Price: $75
 
 
“Stacked with everything I look for in a high-quality Thomas Rivers Brown wine, the Matthew Wallace Section 15 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 is a gorgeous offering. It begins with a perfumed nose of brambly wild mountain blackberries, red currants, English rose petals, fresh green herbs, and baking spices. What follows is a concentrated palate with layers of plush ripe plums, dark chocolate, dried blueberries, and black tea, wrapped in velvety tannins and mouth-quenching acids that carry it to a long, satisfying finish.”
95 Points
2017 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montacino

2017 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montacino

with No Comment $60-$70BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin Vogt

CASTELLO ROMITORIO 

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO 2017

2017 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montacino
Castello Romitorio’s history is extensive, beginning as a temple in Roman times with many transformations before its purchase in 1984 by Italian artist Sandro Chia, who restored the property into a winery and art workshop. Sandro believes art and wine thrive on minute details and that natural progression should never be altered or changed but enhanced.
 
The winery is dedicated to promoting the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG region, recognized over several centuries for its suitability for viticulture, now with sustainable farming practices that respect the environment and surrounding biodiversity. This flagship bottling from the 2017 vintage reflects the proprietor’s intimate understanding of the estate’s terroir that brilliantly transforms after maturing for 24 months in oak and one year in the bottle before release, creating a magnificently impressive wine.
 
CASTELLO ROMITORIO 
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO 2017
Retails at: $70
 
Your Price: $65
 
 
“The Castello Romitorio 2017 Brunello di Montalcino comes from an estate that is quickly becoming a leader in a special niche of the Montalcino market. The wine is modern and soft, showing lots of contained ripeness and creaminess, yet it successfully embraces the fundamentals of the appellation and Sangiovese, thanks to its bright acidity and finely tuned structure. Few wines reach this level of precision, especially in a challenging vintage such as this.”
94 Points
2019 Goldeneye Pinot Noir Gowan Creek Vineyard Anderson Valley

2019 Goldeneye Pinot Noir Gowan Creek Vineyard Anderson Valley

with No Comment $70-$80Anderson ValleyKevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaUSA

GOLDENEYE

PINOT NOIR
GOWAN CREEK VINEYARD
ANDERSON VALLEY 2019

2019 Goldeneye Pinot Noir Gowan Creek Vineyard Anderson Valley
Dan Duckhorn recognized the potential for cultivating some of the world’s finest Pinot Noir in California’s Anderson Valley in the 1990s and founded Goldeneye Winery in 1996. He knew that the oceanic influence brings mild temperatures, fog, wind, and a considerable diurnal temperature variation providing an ideal environment for growing cool-climate varietals.
 
The Gowan Creek Vineyard offers a southwestern exposure with several blocks planted with clones of Pinot Noir expertly matched by each block’s particular soil type. The 2019 vintage is considered one of the top vintages in Goldeneye’s near three-decade history due to the length and quality of the growing season that produced Pinot Noir with pronounced aromatics, deep flavor complexity, and a silky texture.
 
GOLDENEYE
PINOT NOIR
GOWAN CREEK VINEYARD
ANDERSON VALLEY 2019
Retails at: $88
 
Your Price: $79.99
 
 
“An impressive vintage bolsters this wine’s already stellar reputation. Following scents of nutmeg, cardamom, and watermelon rind, the earthy liquid spreads across the palate, anchored by animale, plum, heather, wet soil, and gingerbread. Cinnamon takes shape on the mid-palate with candied yam, iron, and rhubarb. Exotic and profound.”
97 Points
 
“A dried-floral nose with notes of coffee, ripe strawberry and sage. Medium-to full-bodied with a cool profile of redcurrants and ripe raspberries. Silky tannins. A pleasant lavender note, too. Really well layered and complex with balance and precision. Drink or hold.”
95 Points
2019 La Sirena Aviatrix Grenache El Dorado

2019 La Sirena Aviatrix Grenache El Dorado

with No Comment $30-$40GrenacheKevin VogtUSA

LA SIRENA

AVIATRIX GRENACHE
EL DORADO 2019

2019 La Sirena Aviatrix Grenache El Dorado
Heidi Peterson Barrett is one of Napa Valley’s most celebrated and talented winemakers and has created some of Napa Valley’s most sought-after wines since the 1980s. Between her position as an independent winemaker at Dalla Valle in the late 1980s and developing a small project called Screaming Eagle soon afterward, Heidi’s career took flight as she earned five 100-point scores for her efforts within a few short years.
 
Heidi started La Sirena in 1994, and Aviatrix, a brand that’s an homage to her love of flight as a helicopter pilot, is a boutique line of small production wines she crafts with her distinguished expertise, unparalleled passion, and very adventurous spirit. The 2019 Grenache comes from El Dorado County, an area recognized for producing Rhône-style wines with incredible complexity and pure varietal character at a price point with sky-high appeal.
 
LA SIRENA
AVIATRIX GRENACHE
EL DORADO 2019
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“The 2019 La Sirena Aviatrix Grenache has a complex and intriguing nose with aromas of rosemary, lavender, peppercorns, red cherry, berry bramble, and cigar box. On the palate, flavors of cranberry, red plum, white pepper, and dried herbs are in a delicate balance with soft, ripe tannins and juicy acidity. This wine drinks best with a slight chill that allows the complex range of flavors dances into an elegant, lengthy finish.”
95 Points
 
2021 Pop 300 Chardonnay Oakville

2021 Pop 300 Chardonnay Oakville

with No Comment $30-$40ChardonnayKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

POP 300

CHARDONNAY
OAKVILLE 2021

2021 Pop 300 Chardonnay Oakville
The Oakville AVA produces some of the world’s most enchanting and complex Cabernet Sauvignon, but very few people know that Chardonnay also exists in the region. Proprietor Luke Russ was raised in Oakville and maintained close relationships with his neighbors, allowing him to obtain Chardonnay grapes from a hidden parcel near a creek, offering the much-needed cooling influence for the Chardonnay grapes.
 
Luke is the Commercial Director at O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery on Howell Mountain, and with this wine, he showcases his deep roots and impressive connections. Crafted in a rich, opulent, California-style, POP 300’s 2021 vintage was aged on the lees for ten months in new French oak barrels, adding body and creaminess to this delightful Oakville Chardonnay.
 
POP 300
CHARDONNAY
OAKVILLE 2021
 
Your Price: $35
 
 
“The 2021 Pop 300 Oakville Chardonnay begins with rich aromas of honeysuckle, peach, melon, toast, and meringue. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied with flavors of apricot, nectarine, passion fruit, and roasted marshmallow. The finish is long and strong with deep flavor intensity and a round mouthfeel.”
91-92 Points
2018 Sixteen by Twenty Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

2018 Sixteen by Twenty Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $30-$40ChardonnayKevin VogtSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

SIXTEEN by TWENTY

CHARDONNAY 2018
SONOMA COAST

2018 Sixteen by Twenty Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
Sixteen by Twenty Winery gets its name from an artist’s most common canvas size used for oil paintings because the dimensions create an ideal balance for displaying their artwork. As artists, owners David and Karen Dunphy apply this balance philosophy to every wine they produce.
 
The vineyard team is hands-on in the vineyards, individually positioning each vine shoot, removing unhealthy or damaged clusters, and ultimately harvesting by hand for utmost quality fruit. The Sonoma Coast AVA is their favorite region for Chardonnay because of the oceanic influence that gives a distinct minerality, ripe fruits, and fresh acidity. The 2018 vintage is noticeably softer and more elegant than previous vintages and celebrates the unique personality of the vineyards, displayed brilliantly.
 
SIXTEEN by TWENTY
CHARDONNAY 2018
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $50
 
 
 
“The 2018 Sixteen by Twenty Sonoma Coast Chardonnay has inviting aromas of acacia blossoms, peach, passion fruit, butterscotch, sweet baking spices, and wet stones. On the palate, the wine is rich and creamy in texture with flavors of apricot, melon, vanilla cream sauce, and honeycomb. The pronounced flavors are balanced by bright acidity that promotes a long-lasting finish.”
93 Points