2018 Grand Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaRutherfordSaint HelenaUSA

GRAND NAPA 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
RESERVE NAPA VALLEY 2018

Grand Napa Vineyards in Rutherford produces rich, full-bodied wines with depth and character from premium vineyards in Napa Valley, hand-selected by winemaker Dwight Bonewell. Dwight’s involvement in the vineyards ensures harvesting only the highest quality fruit before he works his magic in the winery, carefully nurturing each vineyard’s unique character into its purest expression.
 
Grand Napa’s 2018 Reserve Cabernet arose from prime sites in Rutherford, St. Helena, and Coombsville, compellingly representing the vintage and distinct origins. The 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon spent 22 months in 50% new French oak and 50% two-year-old oak giving a graceful balance between fruit and spice components from the oak, plush tannins, and impressive depth and structure.
 
GRAND NAPA 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
RESERVE NAPA VALLEY 2018
Retails at: $110
 
 
 
“Another terrific wine, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve offers lots of blackcurrants, spice box, tobacco leaf, and chocolatey nuances to go with a full-bodied style on the palate. It has the 2018 vintage’s fresher, more elegant style yet brings ample fruit and has an expansive, layered mouthfeel as well as a great finish. It’s another wine to enjoy any time over the coming 15-20 years.”
94 Points
2018 Ramey Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

2018 Ramey Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtPinot NoirRussian River ValleySonomaUSA

RAMEY 

PINOT NOIR 2018
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

2018 Ramey Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
David Ramey earned a graduate degree from UC Davis in 1979, just before he began working for the Moueix family at their renowned property, Château Pétrus. There he absorbed every detail of their old-world winemaking philosophy, which he brought back to California, firmly establishing Matanzas Creek and Chalk Hill as winemaker, then project manager for Dominus Estate.
 
Ramey Wine Cellars was founded in 1996 by David and his wife Carla, and they have been producing award-winning wines of critical acclaim ever since. The 2018 Russian River Pinot Noir arose from top vineyard sites, including De La Montanya, Bucher, Dutton Goff, and Kilcullen. David fermented them with native yeast using 25% whole clusters, and aged them on the lees for 13 months in French oak, resulting in a beautifully elegant, delineated Pinot Noir.
 
RAMEY 
PINOT NOIR 2018
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“The 2018 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley is spicy and lifted with cinnamon and dried roses, fresh with wild raspberry fruit and blood orange. The palate is medium-bodied and softly textured, characterized by elegance and finesse. Drink over the next 10 or so years.”
94 Points
2019 Eco Terreno Cuvee Tierra Red Blend Alexander Valley

2019 Eco Terreno Cuvee Tierra Red Blend Alexander Valley

with No Comment $30 and underAlexander ValleyKevin VogtProprietary RedSonomaUSA

ECO TERRENO

CUVEE TIERRA RED BLEND  
ALEXANDER VALLEY 2019

2019 Eco Terreno Cuvee Tierra Red Blend Alexander Valley
Eco Terreno Wines are at the forefront of sustainable farming and a leader in biodynamics, placing a high importance on the health of the vineyard and the environment to grow the highest quality fruit. Founder and winemaker Mark Lyon, the former lead winemaker at Sebastiani Vineyards, draws from his years of experience with Alexander Valley fruit and focus on finding harmony with nature.
 
The winery is located within a small hamlet of the Russian River in Alexander Valley, experiencing coastal fog from the Petaluma Gap, blanketing the vineyards each morning, preserving acidity and freshness. The ideal growing season in 2019 allowed Mark to dial into each plot for the Cuvée Tierra blend consisting of 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc, 24% Merlot, and 10% Petit Verdot that delivers serious quality for this value price.
 
ECO TERRENO
CUVEE TIERRA RED BLEND  
ALEXANDER VALLEY 2019
 
Your Price: $27
 
 
“The Eco Terreno 2019 Cuvée Tierra Alexander Valley Red Blend opens with violets, earth, dried herbs, chocolate-covered strawberries, black cherries, and cloves. On the palate, the wine has ripe, chalky tannins and beautifully balanced flavors of blackberries, red plums, cinnamon, vanilla bean, savory spice, and black olives. The wine has a soft texture that is easy to drink right now with enough intensity to age a few years in the cellar.”
94-95 Points
2020 Arbe Garbe White Blend Sonoma County

2020 Arbe Garbe White Blend Sonoma County

with No Comment $30-$40Proprietary WhiteSonomaSonoma ValleyUSA

ARBE GARBE

WHITE BLEND 2020
SONOMA COUNTY

2020 Arbe Garbe White Blend Sonoma County
Letizia Pauletto and Enrico Maria Bertoz have reconnected with the roots of their native region of Friuli, Italy, by crafting pure, refined wines from Friulian varieties uncommonly found in the US. Enrico and Letizia worked harvests in Friuli while attending college, polishing their skills and picking up valuable old-world techniques. After arriving in California, Enrico gained additional experience at Sine Qua Non, Joseph Phelps, and Flora Springs, paving the way for his success with this brand.
 
Arbe Garbe is a white blend of Tocai Friulano, a relative of Sauvignon Blanc, of which only around 50 acres are planted in California, Malvasia Bianca, an ancient variety with Greek origins, and Chardonnay. The 2020 release may be the freshest yet with clean, crisp, focused flavors that are unlike any other wine from California and provides a unique and inviting drinking experience.
 
ARBE GARBE
WHITE BLEND 2020
SONOMA COUNTY
 
Your Price: $35
 
 
“The Arbe Garbe 2020 Sonoma County Proprietary White begins with opulent floral notes of honeysuckle, orange blossom, and jasmine, followed by cinnamon apple strudel, quince, ginger, and lemon verbena. The flavors on the palate are a bit riper with golden apple, green pineapple, white peach, nectarine, and a hint of honey. This wine is delightfully refreshing with a medium body, providing roundness and checking all the boxes.”
95 points
2019 Acumen Cabernet Sauvignon Mountainside Napa Valley

2019 Acumen Cabernet Sauvignon Mountainside Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Atlas PeakCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

ACUMEN

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MOUNTAINSIDE 2019
NAPA VALLEY

2019 Acumen Cabernet Sauvignon Mountainside Napa Valley
Acumen Estate sits high above the fog line on top of Atlas Peak, where sunshine slowly ripens the fruit, and volcanic soils give distinctive minerality. One hundred sixteen acres of sustainably farmed vines make up two vineyards from which a small portfolio of estate-grown wines are born under renowned winemaker Phillip Titus.
 
Acumen sells a large portion of their estate-grown mountain fruit to other top wineries in Napa Valley, allowing Philip to focus on his favorite small blocks within the vineyards. The 2019 growing season was similar to the fantastic 2018 vintage, with cooler-than-average summer temperatures that ensured a slower development, giving Cabernet Sauvignon deeper, more complex flavors and fine-grained tannins for structure and ageability.
 
ACUMEN
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MOUNTAINSIDE 2019
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $75
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“A blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Mountainside has a deep garnet-purple color, bursting with bold scents of black cherries, mulberries and warm cassis, plus hints of fragrant earth and cedar. Full-bodied, intense and possessing bags of fresh, lively black fruits, it has a firm structure of grainy tannins, finishing long with a spicy kick.”
91+ Points
2020 Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The Haze Napa Valley

2020 Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The Haze Napa Valley

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

CARTER CELLARS

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
THE HAZE 2020
NAPA VALLEY

2020 Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The Haze Napa Valley
Carter Cellars is the concomitant of Mark Carter’s historic Carter House hotel and his Grand Award-winning wine list. Mark’s relentless pursuit of producing world-class Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa’s top vineyards has led to around a dozen 100-point scores and a reputation for producing thrilling and memorable wines of the highest quality.
 
The 2020 vintage is the second release of The Haze Cabernet Sauvignon, primarily sourced from younger vines in the Fortuna Vineyard, which flanks icons Plumpjack and Groth on Oakville’s volcanic Eastern side. It also contains grapes from a plot south of Napa township exposed to cool ocean breezes from San Pablo Bay. This wine portrays the winery’s signature style with ripe fruit, seasoned tannins, and incredible depth that lingers into a layered, complex finish.
 
CARTER CELLARS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
THE HAZE 2020
NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $95
 
 
“This is our second release of The Haze which is sourced from vineyards in Oakville and the southern Napa AVA, a site heavily influenced by the clean Bay air. The Haze has a deep dark purple ruby hue, matched with dark red and black fruits, fresh leather, graphite and currents all wrapped in powerful integrated oak. On the palate, it is has a full-bodied lifted finish with a balanced mouthful matched with firm, yet supple tannins.”
2021 Occidental Pinot Noir Freestone-Occidental Sonoma Coast

2021 Occidental Pinot Noir Freestone-Occidental Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $60-$70Kevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

OCCIDENTAL 

FREESTONE-OCCIDENTAL
PINOT NOIR 2021
SONOMA COAST

2021 Occidental Pinot Noir Freestone-Occidental Sonoma Coast
Steve Kistler worked his first harvest for Ridge Vineyards in 1975 and observed the obvious difference in the character of the cool climate, coastal fruit versus fruit grown in warmer vineyards further inland. Steve developed a taste for marine-influenced wines, opened Kistler Vineyards in 1978, and has been a Pinot Noir pioneer since the early 1990s. He then sought ridges and terraces near the small town of Bodega, which he believes have the ideal soil and climate for producing Burgundian-styled wine. 
 
After selling his stake in Kistler Vineyards in 2008, Steve embarked on a new project named Occidental focused on cool-climate Pinot Noir of the utmost quality. The 2021 Freestone-Occidental Pinot Noir comes from the Bodega Headlands, Occidental Station, and Bodega Ridge vineyards and shares the same winemaking regimen as their single vineyard Pinots and projects a bright, focused energy that will develop beautifully over time.
 
OCCIDENTAL 
FREESTONE-OCCIDENTAL
PINOT NOIR 2021
SONOMA COAST
 
Your Price: $69.99
 
 
“The Occidental Freestone-Occidental Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2021 begins with an evocative nose of cherry cough drop, cola bean, salami, Spring florals, and dried herbs. The gorgeous, penetrating palate continues with bright red fruits, fresh mixed berries, sweet dark cherries, bay leaf, and a saline minerality. It balances power and elegance in a way that beautifully expresses the best characteristics of the Pinot Noir varietal. The long, drawn-out finish and mouth-quenching acidity make it an amazing treat that I can’t wait to enjoy again.”
95 Points

2021 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

FLOWERS

PINOT NOIR 2021
SONOMA COAST 

Over three decades ago, Joan and Walt Flowers took a risk and planted their first vineyard along the “far” Sonoma Coast, known for its rough and rugged windswept shoreline. They were among the first to grow in the area, seeing the vast potential to create wines that express their origin and promote the region’s unique flavors from the remote coastal ridges.
 
This Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir features a selection of fruit from Lavio Ranch, Hallberg Ranch Vineyard, Bohan Ranch, and the Flowers’ Sea View Ridge Estate, reflecting the ultimate expression of cool-climate, coastal fruit. The 2021 vintage gave small yields of grapes with an impressive depth of flavors elaborately layered into a backbone of fine tannins, giving a polished texture and a refined, lush finish.
 
FLOWERS
PINOT NOIR 2021
SONOMA COAST 
Retails at: $60
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“This has nice tension and tannic framing. Full-bodied, firm and lightly chewy with freshness, and spicy character to the ripe strawberry and cherry on the finish.”
93 Points
2021 My Favorite Neighbor Blanc Chardonnay San Luis Obispo

2021 My Favorite Neighbor Blanc Chardonnay San Luis Obispo

with No Comment $30-$40Central CoastChardonnayKevin VogtUSA

MY FAVORITE NEIGHBOR

MFN BLANC CHARDONNAY
SAN LUIS OBISPO 2021

2021 My Favorite Neighbor Blanc Chardonnay San Luis Obispo
Eric Jensen’s original “favorite neighbor,” Stephan Asseo of L’Aventure, is a close friend and mentor that helped shape him as a grower and winemaker. What began as an homage to Stephan in 2006 with the launch of the My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet-based wine has turned into a line of carefully crafted wines that can unabashedly stand up to many award-winning, cult-style wines. They’ve been getting lots of well-deserved attention ever since their initial release.
 
Eric believes that great wine begins in the vineyard, so every site that contributes to MFN gets farmed using organic or biodynamic practices for vines that live up to their full potential. The 2021 Blanc/Chardonnay has already earned a blockbuster 97-point score from Wine Advocate, calling it “an old-school style reminiscent of Napa” because of its rich, voluptuous mouthfeel and ripe stone fruit aromatics. At around $40, this wine is a big win for Cali-style Chardonnay fans.
 
MY FAVORITE NEIGHBOR
MFN BLANC CHARDONNAY
SAN LUIS OBISPO 2021
Retails at: $50
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“The 2021 Chardonnay is very ripe in style with scents of banana chip, apple pie, jasmine, allspice and brown sugar. The full-bodied palate is packed with ripe, spicy fruits and plenty of refreshing acidity, and it finishes long with a satiny, mouth-coating texture. It’s an old-school style reminiscent of Napa that fans of ripe, oaked Chardonnays will enjoy.”
97 Points
2018 Pope Valley Winery Merlot Napa Valley

2018 Pope Valley Winery Merlot Napa Valley

with No Comment $30 and underHowell MountainKevin VogtMerlotNapaUSA

POPE VALLEY WINERY

MERLOT 2018
NAPA VALLEY

2018 Pope Valley Winery Merlot Napa Valley
Pope Valley Winery is family owned and operated on the northern side of Howell Mountain in a more quaint, quiet part of Napa Valley. Ed Haus founded the property as the Burgundy Winery & Olive Oil Factory in 1897, and Eakle family purchased the historic winery a century later. Eager to elevate the winery to a new level with a new name and a small, passionate team, led by renowned winemaker Jean Hoefliger who’s drawn experience working in the cellars at Alpha Omega, AXR, Chateau Carbonnieux, and Chateau Lynch-Bages in Bordeaux.
 
The 2018 Merlot was grown in the Eakle Vineyard, known for its complex mineral soils that produce rich, distinctive wines with expressive character. The wine matured for 24 months in 40% new French oak barrels, and the final blend comprises 75% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Malbec and drinks fabulously with a silky smooth texture and lingering finish.
 
POPE VALLEY WINERY
MERLOT 2018
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $38
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“A fragrant nose of mulberries, plums, dried herbs, roasted meat and spice box. Full body with fine-grained tannins. Layered, with a plush texture. Creamy and vibrant with a fresh, fruity finish. Drink or hold.”
91 Points