2019 Walter Hansel The South Slope Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

2019 Walter Hansel The South Slope Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

WALTER HANSEL

THE SOUTH SLOPE
PINOT NOIR 2019
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

2019 Walter Hansel The South Slope Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

Consistently exceptional, Walter Hansel’s Pinot Noirs mirror qualities that you’d expect from California’s most elite Pinot Noir producers, doing so at a price that’s drawn many admirers. 

Walter Hansel had a penchant for horticulture early on and enlisted the help of his son, Stephen, to plant a half-acre of vines in the 1970s. During the next decade, the Hansel family would harvest their tiny vineyard, and produce two barrels, making about 50 cases of wine. 

The Estate now farms 80 acres of contiguous vineyards. The South Slope is at the highest elevation and southernmost plot, planted to Clone 777, known for giving wines a distinct earthiness. The 2021 South Slope Pinot Noir was fermented in stainless steel and aged 12 months in oak before release, earning 96 points from Vinous and highlighting “knock-out” qualities.

WALTER HANSEL
THE SOUTH SLOPE
PINOT NOIR 2019
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

Your Price: $48

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“The 2021 Pinot Noir The South Slope is a classic Steven Hansel wine. A rush of dark cherry, plum lavender, rose petal and licorice are all dialed up. This boisterous, exuberant Pinot Noir has a ton of character. Plush contours wrap it all together in style. The 2021 will be nearly impossible to resist on release. What a knock-out!”

96 Points

2019 Dievole Petrignano Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy

2019 Dievole Petrignano Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy

DIEVOLE PETRIGNANO

CHIANTI CLASSICO
TUSCANY, ITALY 2019

2019 Dievole Petrignano Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy

Dievole is a renowned winery in the heart of Tuscany in the Chianti Classico region near Castelnuovo Berardenga. Celebrated for exceptional wines and a commitment to sustainable winemaking practices, the estate has a rich history dating back to the 11th century.

The winery’s flagship wine, Dievole Chianti Classico DOCG, is outstanding and hails from the 2019 vintage, a year the Wine Spectator describes as producing “fresh, balanced reds with finesse and the structure to age.” 

Dievole’s Chianti Classico wines effortlessly showcase the region’s quintessential characteristics; combined with an outstanding growing season and the DOCG’s aging regulations, this wine is already shining brightly.

DIEVOLE PETRIGNANO
CHIANTI CLASSICO
TUSCANY, ITALY 2019

Your Price: $28

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

 

“Petrignano is a new wine for Dievole, the result of the estate’s collaboration with Chilean soil specialist, Pedro Parra. It comes from a recently planted 15ha site between 300 and 330 metres above sea level, distinguished by an abundance of limestone near the surface. The nose is flinty and iron-speckled, giving way to sun-soaked wild berries. It balances the generous warmth of the south with freshness and long, chalky tannins, sneaking some vibrant acidity in there too.”

91 Points

2021 My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon San Luis Obispo

2021 My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon San Luis Obispo

MY FAVORITE NEIGHBOR

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
SAN LUIS OBISPO 2021

2021 My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon San Luis Obispo

In 2001, Eric and Lisa Jensen purchased 100 acres in Paso Robles, founding Booker Vineyards, followed by My Favorite Neighbor, initially focusing on farming high-quality grapes for nearby wineries. Eric started making wine on the side with his friend Justin Smith of Saxum and neighbor Stephan Asseo of L’Aventure before he and Lisa decided to create wines that would rival the best out of Napa Valley in their categories. 

Established with unwavering commitment and a refusal to compromise, My Favorite Neighbor strikes a balance with impeccable ripe fruit, intense flavors, and sumptuous textures, presenting a formidable challenge to some of the finest $100 New World Cabernets. 

Eric has consistently crafted wines from successive vintages that have garnered impressive mid-90-point scores, and his 2021 vintage stands as a remarkable successor, propelling his wine toward widespread recognition as a premier name in San Luis Obispo-area Cabernet Sauvignon.

MY FAVORITE NEIGHBOR
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
SAN LUIS OBISPO 2021
Retails at: $55

Your Price: $45

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is smoking good, with a full-bodied, rich, opulent wine that has classic cassis and darker blue fruits as well as leafy tobacco, baking spice, and bouquet garni notes. This textured, ripe, sexy wine stays nicely balanced, has ripe tannins, and a great finish. It’s another awesome value.”

94 Points

2021 Kanzler Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

2021 Kanzler Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

KANZLER

PINOT NOIR 2021
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

2021 Kanzler Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

In 1996, the Kanzler family was the first to plant vineyards in the chilly Sebastopol Hills in western Sonoma County, just eight miles from the Pacific Ocean. Steve Kanzler immersed himself in viticulture, taking classes at UC Davis, and sought advice from neighbors, winemakers, vineyard managers, and soil experts all around the county to perfect his knowledge and understanding of grape growing. 

Kanzler’s Vineyard has a legacy highlighted by Pinot Noir icons Lynmar, Rivers-Marie, and Kosta Browne, who’ve all produced a single-vineyard Pinot from Kanzler for around 20 consecutive vintages, ranking among their best wines produced. 

Striving to create intensely exquisite Pinot, winemaker Alex Kanzler crafted this Russian River Valley Pinot Noir around a core of Estate fruit, layering in Mes Filles, Marshall, Walker Station, and Wild Horse Vineyards for increased nuance. Their winemaking is gentle, precise, and skilled, and the results are simply stunning.

KANZLER
PINOT NOIR 2021
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

Your Price: $60

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“Ripe, with deliciously succulent waves of plum, boysenberry and mulberry fruit rolling through, laced with iris and hibiscus notes and ending with light anise and apple wood hints on the finish. Packs a nice finishing kick of fruit at the end, too, while keeping a racy edge. Best from 2024 through 2032.”

94 Points

2021 Sparkman Holler Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley

2021 Sparkman Holler Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley

SPARKMAN

HOLLER 2021
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
COLUMBIA VALLEY

2021 Sparkman Holler Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley

Sparkman Cellars is renowned for crafting concentrated yet gracefully balanced wines from Washington State. Their wines are continually turning heads, and in 2016, their 2013 Holler Cabernet ranked #21 on the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list. The winery was also named one of Wine Spectator’s Rising Stars, Wine Enthusiast’s Cult Wineries, and Wine & Spirits’ Top 100 Wineries in the World, solidifying them as a top winery in the region. 

Winemaker Linn Scott carefully selected grapes from eight distinct vineyards within Columbia Valley for the Holler Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, resulting in a wine that delivers a well-rounded representation of Columbia Valley’s terroir.

Bordeaux-inspired, the 2021 Holler checks in at 77% Cabernet Sauvignon heightened with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Aged in a combination of French, Eastern European, and American oak for 18 months, the 2021 Holler thoroughly impresses at its modest $35 Retail price.

SPARKMAN
HOLLER 2021
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
COLUMBIA VALLEY

Your Price: $35

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“The Sparkman Holler Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 begins with a rich nose of red, blue, and black fruits, roasted coffee, milk chocolate, pencil shavings, and lavender. The powerful, opulent palate continues with sweet black currants, tart red currants, ripe blackberries, toasted hazelnuts, chocolate-covered espresso beans, allspice, and dried bay leaves. This is a complex wine with a deep richness on the palate, combined with satiny tannins that lead to a long, supple finish, optimally framing a wine that drinks well above its price level.

94+ Points

2021 Sojourn Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2021 Sojourn Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

SOJOURN

PINOT NOIR 2021
SONOMA COAST

2021 Sojourn Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

Specializing in intensely flavored, terroir-driven Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Sojourn Cellars emerged as a top-tier artisanal winery in 2001, motivated to craft exclusive wines from California’s most vibrant and unique vineyards. Decades later, the winery continues turning heads by skillfully showcasing the brilliance of each carefully chosen site.

Sourcing high-quality Pinot Noir grapes from the windswept regions along Sonoma Coast and foggy Russian River Valley, the 2021 release intertwines fruit from Gap’s Crown, Sangiacomo, Walala, and Dorothy Cameron Vineyards. 

The optimal 2021 growing season offered exceptional quality grapes that were 100% destemmed, fermented in open-top fermenters, finished in French oak, and bottled unfined and unfiltered for ultimate purity.

SOJOURN
PINOT NOIR 2021
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $45

Your Price: $39.99

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“Juicy and engaging, with heavy mulled raspberry and blood orange flavors coursing through, carried by a bright mineral edge and a flurry of red tea and savory notes. The long, lingering finish has nice latent tension. Drink now through 2030.”

93 Points

2019 Blacksmith Cabernet Sauvignon C.L.R.T. Napa Valley

2019 Blacksmith Cabernet Sauvignon C.L.R.T. Napa Valley

BLACKSMITH

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
C.L.R.T. NAPA VALLEY 2019

2019 Blacksmith Cabernet Sauvignon C.L.R.T. Napa Valley

Founded in 2003 by winemaker Matt Smith, Blacksmith Cellars carved its niche in the world of high-quality wines produced at a remarkable value. Driven by their balance, freshness, and sophisticated complexity, Blacksmith wines highlight the skill, expertise, and heritage integral to exceptional, autonomous winemaking. 

Emerging from Napa Valley, where Cabernet prices regularly top $100 and up per bottle, Blacksmith’s C.L.R.T. stands out, representing unparalleled value in this premium, high-priced area.

C.L.R.T. comes from the term “claret,” a centuries-old British term used for Bordeaux wines, centering on the primary red varieties of the famous, historic region. 

The 2019 vintage results from 77% Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Cabernet Franc, aged in French oak, and defines value in an area known for premium Cabernet Sauvignon.

BLACKSMITH
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
C.L.R.T. NAPA VALLEY 2019

Your Price: $25

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“The Blacksmith C.L.R.T. Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 begins with a nose with briary ripe blackberries, mocha, nutmeg, pie spices, and light florals. The palate continues with black currants, dried prunes, cherry Luden’s cough drops, baker’s chocolate, and cloves. It is ripe on the palate with penetrating fruit, rich flavors, complex aromas, and a medium-long finish. It’s always great to find a ridiculous value in Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.”

93 Points

2021 Lingua Franca Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

2021 Lingua Franca Estate Pinot Noir Eola-Amity-Hills Willamette Valley

LINGUA FRANCA

ESTATE PINOT NOIR
EOLA-AMITY-HILLS 2021
WILLAMETTE VALLEY

2021 Lingua Franca Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

A rising star in Oregon’s prized Eola-Amity Hills region, Lingua Franca winery is the brainchild of Master Sommelier Larry Stone. Collaborating with legendary Burgundy icon Dominique Lafon, Lingua Franca’s organic and biodynamically farmed vineyard neighbors iconic sites, Argyle’s Lone Star, Domaine Serene’s Jerusalem Hill, and Evening Land’s Seven Springs vineyards.

The winemaking team produces world-class wines that balance New World intensity with Burgundian finesse, and for the 2021 Estate Pinot Noir, winemaker Thomas Savre consulted with Lafon and fermented 20% whole clusters for added complexity. 

Aged in primarily neutral French oak barriques to preserve the fruit’s natural essence and reflect the region’s terroir, this stunning example of Pinot Noir beautifully showcases a harmonious blend of concentration, balance, and a strong sense of place reminiscent of Burgundy but grown in Oregon.

LINGUA FRANCA
ESTATE PINOT NOIR
EOLA-AMITY-HILLS 2021
WILLAMETTE VALLEY
Retails at: $60

Your Price: $55

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“A compelling, multilayered red, with lilting raspberry and cherry flavors that expand to reveal fresh violet and earthy mineral accents, which build tension toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2032.”

95 Points

2019 Maroon Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville

2019 Maroon Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville

MAROON

SPECIAL RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
COOMBSVILLE 2019

2019 Maroon Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville

Paul Maroon acquired 37 acres in Coombsville over two decades ago, supplying grapes to Napa Valley’s leading wineries until 2009, when he ventured into crafting the inaugural vintage of Maroon. Coombsville gained AVA status in 2011, swiftly earning acclaim for its cooler climate, which imparts sophistication and elegant structure to its wines in the southern reaches of Napa Valley.

Maroon Estate’s 17 acres of vines reside in a bowl-shaped depression at the base of Mount George, an extinct volcano. This site provides a patchwork of rocky volcanic soil and fertile gravelly loams, ensuring efficient drainage and optimal water supply for the vines, culminating in impeccably balanced wines. 

The 2019 Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon arose from 30-year-old vines and some younger vines, providing a wide range of complex flavors and aromas, highlighting the exceptional vintage from Napa’s most celebrated new subregion.

MAROON
SPECIAL RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
COOMBSVILLE 2019
Retails at: $174

Your Price: $79

Click to Order

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

 

“The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve is deep garnet-purple in color. Notes of blackberry pie, black cherry preserves, and warm cassis leap from the glass, leading to wafts of violets, mint tea, and tar with a hint of licorice. The medium to full-bodied palate is wonderfully soft-spoken and savory, with nice, ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness to support, finishing long and mineral-laced.”

95 Points

2019 Hendry Cabernet Franc Blocks 9D & 26 Napa Valley

2019 Hendry Cabernet Franc Blocks 9D & 26 Napa Valley

HENDRY

CABERNET FRANC
BLOCKS 9D & 26
NAPA VALLEY 2019

2019 Hendry Cabernet Franc Blocks 9D & 26 Napa Valley

The Hendry family has cultivated grapevines in Napa Valley since 1939, accumulating over 80 years of expertise in viticulture and standing as one of the region’s most prominent wine families. 

Located in the southern part of Napa, their 203-acre ranch benefits from a substantial coastal influence from San Pablo Bay, contributing to fresh acidity and vibrant fruit. Block 26 and 9D, planted in 1998 and 2003, are the Estate’s only Cabernet Franc vines, initially intended for blending; however, George Hendry was so impressed with the fruit quality that he began bottling the Cabernet Franc independently. 

Aged 15 months in French oak, Hendry’s 2019 Cabernet Franc presents fine tannins and a soft texture with a depth of flavor that evolves in the glass and is drinking beautifully after time in the bottle.

HENDRY
CABERNET FRANC
BLOCKS 9D & 26
NAPA VALLEY 2019

Your Price: $48

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“The Hendry 2019 Cabernet Franc from Blocks 26 and 9D opens with beautiful aromatics of lavender, cloves, a wet stone minerality, plums, baking spices, and cigar box. On the palate, the wine has an elegant entrance with soft tannins and flavors of blackberry, red plum, mocha, and saffron, intricately laced with sophistication. The wine’s silky texture flows into a smooth finish that doesn’t let you forget why Cabernet Franc is so special.”

95 Points