2018 Hendry Zinfandel Blocks 7 and 22 Napa Valley

2018 Hendry Zinfandel Blocks 7 and 22 Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtMt VeederNapaUSAZinfandel

HENDRY

BLOCKS 7 & 22 ZINFANDEL
NAPA VALLEY 2018

2018 Hendry Zinfandel Blocks 7 and 22 Napa Valley
The Hendry family have farmed grapes at the base of Mount Veeder since 1939, obtaining a vast amount of knowledge while perfecting their practices with over 80 years of harvests. Their ranch has a substantial marine influence from the nearby San Pablo Bay that maintains acidity and keeps the fruit fresh and bright, resulting in some of Napa Valley’s most distinctive Zinfandels.
 
Block 7 was planted in 1975 and Block 22 in 1995 on benchlands with thin, stony soils exposed to dense morning fogs and strong afternoon breezes that result in complex, concentrated flavors. The cool weather of the 2018 growing season gave wines with focus, elegance, and ageability, and this Zinfandel will intrigue palates for years to come. 
 
HENDRY
BLOCKS 7 & 22 ZINFANDEL
NAPA VALLEY 2018
 
Your Price: $38
 
 
“George Hendry planted Block 7 in 1975. At the time, he was selling grapes from his family’s ranch at the base of Mt. Veeder, just west of the city of Napa. He planted Block 22 in 1995, a few years after he began to make his own wine. His nephew Mike manages the vines today, blending Blocks 7 & 22, both clone 2 zinfandel, and aging it in French oak barrels (one third of them new). If you love Napa Valley zinfandel as I do, you owe it to yourself to get this wine if just for the smell alone. It starts with tight floral clarity, then expands toward zinfandel’s classic generosity, touching every sense receptor with its purity of fruit. Immediately fresh and refreshing, this begins to sit in its oak as it develops over several days, suggesting that you drink it either now or in ten years when it will have completely digested that oak and show the vineyard through a mature lens.” 
94 Points
2020 Steps Proprietary Red Reserve Barrel Select Napa Valley

2020 Steps Proprietary Red Reserve Barrel Select Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Atlas PeakDiamond MountainKevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

STEPS

RESERVE BARREL SELECT
PROPRIETARY RED
NAPA VALLEY 2020

2020 Steps Proprietary Red Reserve Barrel Select Napa Valley
STEPS Barrel Select Reserve is designed each year from a powerfully expressive and quality-driven selection of fruit from some of Napa Valley’s most prized AVAs. Grant Long Jr. is well known for his winemaking at Aonair, Reverie II, James Joseph, and Witchery, and he creates STEPS Reserve in the same supple, concentrated, and hedonistic style that’s developed a devoted following.
 
The 2020 STEPS combines structured mountain fruit from Diamond Mountain and Atlas Peak with characteristically earthy, dusty Rutherford fruit to create a harmonious balance of Napa terroir. The blend consists of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon enhanced with Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, and Merlot, presented in a richly layered style that perfectly balances power and elegance and a long, smooth finish. 
 
STEPS
RESERVE BARREL SELECT
PROPRIETARY RED
NAPA VALLEY 2020
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“The 2020 Steps Reserve Barrel Select opens with an intense nose and aromas of violet, lilac, black tea, red plum, black raspberry, and volcanic rock. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and mouth-filling with flavors of ripe plums, cocoa powder, berry bramble, and savory spice. The tannins are velvety soft but with a strong backbone that will allow the wine to age and develop further.”
94 Points
2018 Westwood Pinot Noir Sonoma County

2018 Westwood Pinot Noir Sonoma County

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

WESTWOOD

PINOT NOIR 2018
SONOMA COUNTY

2018 Westwood Pinot Noir Sonoma County
Westwood proprietor Carl Stanton founded his Annadel Gap Vineyard in 1998, and over the next dozen years, his viticultural team planted and replanted each block to discover the vineyard’s unique identity. The Annadel Gap lies between Sonoma Mountain and Mount Hood. Like the Petaluma Gap, cool Pacific breezes and thick fog roll in most mornings and evenings, resulting in fruit with fully developed, complex flavors and fresh acidity.
 
Westwood’s team farms their vineyards biodynamically, providing renowned winemakers Philippe Melka and Maayan Koschitzky pure and exceptional quality fruit to seamlessly bring their vineyards to life in their wines. The 2018 growing season gave Pinot Noir grapes great intensity, elegance, and layers of decadent flavors, and this wine from the Annadel Gap Vineyard is a stunning example.
 
WESTWOOD
PINOT NOIR 2018
SONOMA COUNTY
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $45
 
 
“Sourced from the estate’s Annadel Gap Vineyard as well as parcels in Petaluma Gap vineyard Terra de Promissio, this wine was aged 18 months in (41% new) French oak and bottled unfil- tered. Aromas of fresh red cherry, chocolate, and cinnamon lead to a palate that is juicy to its core. Caramel apple, tomato leaf, lavender, and cranberry are vibrant and the mouthfeel generous, opening up to baking spices backed by beetroot and rhubarb. Complex and delicious.”
95 Points
2021 Delmore Pinot Noir Bassi Vineyard Slo Coast AVA

2021 Delmore Pinot Noir Bassi Vineyard Slo Coast AVA

with No Comment $30-$40Central CoastKevin VogtPinot NoirUSA

DELMORE

PINOT NOIR 2021
BASSI VINEYARD
SLO COAST AVA

2021 Delmore Pinot Noir Bassi Vineyard Slo Coast AVA
San Louis Obispo native Darren Delmore cut his teeth in the wine industry, working for Hirsch Vineyard, Whitehorn, Goldeneye, and Two Hands before he became the National Sales Manager at Tablas Creek. His first-hand experience in the vineyards laid the foundation for Delmore wines. He launched his boutique brand in 2017 after purchasing 2,000 pounds of Pinot Noir and a bin of Syrah, setting out to make wild yeast-fermented, unfiltered wines from sea-sprayed coastal terroirs.
 
The biodynamically farmed Bassi Vineyard sits just a mile from the reefs where Darren grew up surfing and within the SLO Coast AVA. His 2021 Pinot Noir is 100% free-run juice, meaning no pressing, giving soft tannins and subtle layers of aromatic complexity before being bottled with love. The wine is an absolute delight.
 
DELMORE
PINOT NOIR 2021
BASSI VINEYARD
SLO COAST AVA
Retails at: $44
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“The 2021 Delmore Bassi Vineyard Pinot Noir begins with a bright, fragrant nose that includes spicy red berries, Spring florals, fresh herbs, wet leather, cold-smoked meat, and crushed stone. The palate is vibrant with zesty red cherries, wild strawberries, fresh pomegranate, and pie spices. The focused palate is penetrating and energetic, with a wonderful balance of freshness and length. Although young, it drinks nicely now and will continue to do so over the next eight years.”
94 Points
2018 Maroon Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve Coombsville

2018 Maroon Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve Coombsville

with No Comment $60-$70Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

MAROON

SPECIAL RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
COOMBSVILLE 2018

2018 Maroon Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve Coombsville
Paul Maroon obtained 37 acres in Coombsville over two decades ago, with 17 of those acres planted with Cabernet Sauvignon that he tended and sold to several of Napa Valley’s top wineries until 2009 when he decided to produce the first vintage of Maroon. Coombsville became an AVA in 2011 and quickly established a reputation for delivering sophisticated wines with elegant structure due to the cooler climate in the southern end of the Valley.
 
Chris Corley has been the winemaker since Maroon’s inaugural vintage and has worked with Paul for over 20 years, creating a symbiotic relationship built around their passion for the vineyards, the beautiful wines, and a solid commitment to quality. The wine team hand-picked the 2018 Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from the Maroon estate in Coombsville, fermented the grapes, and aged the resulting wine for 30 months in 75% new French oak for a complex flavor development that will continue to evolve and express this fantastic vintage.
 
MAROON
SPECIAL RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
COOMBSVILLE 2018
Retails at: $174
 
 
 
“The 2018 Maroon Special Reserve Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon opens with lavender, sage, red plum, blackberry pie, mocha, and crushed rocks. The wine has flavors of dark berries, baking spices, cassis, and dark chocolate with a tension that will soften with time. This beautifully balanced 100% Cabernet Sauvignon captures the essence of the Coombsville AVA with refreshing acidity, structured tannins, and long aging potential that will reveal more profound layers of complexity.”
94-95 Points
2015 Buselli Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

2015 Buselli Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

BUSELLI

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
OAKVILLE 2015

2015 Buselli Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville
Italo and Rosalia Buselli planted their family vineyard in 1990 on the Eastern slopes of the Vaca Mountains in Oakville, neighboring Tierra Roja Vineyard, and across Silverado Trail from Screaming Eagle. The vineyard site receives fog-infused mornings and warm sunny afternoons as the vines dig deep into the rocky, volcanic soils bringing concentration and complexity to the fruit.
 
This 100% estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon was carefully crafted by winemaking team Stacy Vogel and Tim Milos, focusing on a pure and unpretentious approach without fining or filtering, allowing for full expression of the terroir. The 2015 vintage saw 24 months in 90% new French oak and has nearly six years of bottle age showing brilliantly now and with plenty of longevity ahead for those who wish to cellar this beauty.
 
BUSELLI
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
OAKVILLE 2015
Retails at: $150
 
 
 
“The gorgeous Buselli Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 begins with an opulent nose of ripe black cherries, ripe figs, sweet pipe tobacco, and violets. It is powerful on the palate, which builds on the aromatics with dark chocolate, bright red fruits, concentrated sweet black fruits, and vanilla spice. This beauty is luxuriously rich, decadently supple, and pristinely balanced, with polished fine-grained tannins. The abundant, complex red and black fruits that build to a very long, focused finish is everything I look for in the finest quality Oakville Cabernet Sauvignons.”
96 Points
2019 Scarlett Cabernet Sauvignon Mcgah Family Vineyard

2019 Scarlett Cabernet Sauvignon Mcgah Family Vineyard Rutherford Estate

with No Comment $60-$70Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

SCARLETT

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
MCGAH FAMILY VINEYARD
RUTHERFORD ESTATE 2019

2019 Scarlett Cabernet Sauvignon Mcgah Family Vineyard
Scarlett Wines comprises four generations of wine growers working their family vineyards in Rutherford. The McGah family owns and operates the winery, formerly known as McGah Family Cellars, which rebranded in 2015 to celebrate its flagship wine named after the founder’s daughter— Scarlett. The winemaking philosophy encourages “equal parts heart and soul, art and science,” resulting in supremely balanced, classically styled, and delightfully approachable wines that are unique and compelling.
 
Award-winning winemaker Mike Smith began learning his craft by working for free for three harvests with Thomas Rivers Brown before being offered a full-time position as a winemaking assistant and later working with a collection of brands, including Maybach Family, Tamber Bey, Carter, and Rivers Marie. The beautiful 2019 vintage is another fantastic growing season for Napa, and this indulgent estate Cabernet Sauvignon proudly represents its Rutherford heritage.
 
SCARLETT
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
MCGAH FAMILY VINEYARD
RUTHERFORD ESTATE 2019
Retails at: $74
 
Your Price: $65
 
 
“Beautiful, sweet cassis and blue fruits as well as lots of violet and floral notions emerge from the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, a full-bodied, rich, concentrated barrel sample with wonderful purity of fruit, a good sense of freshness, and serious length on the finish. This promising, elegant yet powerful wine is going to shine with short-term bottle age and keep for two decades.”
93-95 Points
2019 Larkmead Firebelle Napa Valley

2019 Larkmead Firebelle Napa Valley

with No Comment $90-$100Kevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

LARKMEAD

FIREBELLE
NAPA VALLEY 2019

2019 Larkmead Firebelle Napa Valley
The historic Larkmead estate was founded in 1895, making it one of the oldest family-owned properties in Napa Valley. The winery’s secret sauce lies in its vineyard, which borders the Napa River and Selby Creek at the conjunction point of two colluvial fans, where an accumulation of ancient riverbed gravel, clay, and loam, gives the wines a hillside-grown structure.
 
Firebelle gets its name from Lillie “Firebelle Lil” Hitchcock because of its extraordinary balance of elegance, softness, power, and expression. The 2019 growing season was perfect for Merlot which comprises 43% of the Firebelle blend, adding plush tannins and gorgeous aromatics with a backbone of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon giving concentration and balance.
 
LARKMEAD
FIREBELLE
NAPA VALLEY 2019
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“Combining 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 43% Merlot from the property, this is a showcase of savory earthiness and supple tannin. Inky dark, it offers a wealth of balanced red fruit, notes of tobacco, gun smoke and dried herb, with an understated elegance that shines.”
95 Points “Cellar Selection”
2020 Widows Peak Pinot Noir by Beau Vigne Sonoma County

2020 Widows Peak Pinot Noir by Beau Vigne Sonoma County

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

WIDOW’S PEAK

BY BEAU VIGNE
PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COUNTY 2020

2020 Widows Peak Pinot Noir by Beau Vigne Sonoma County
Beau Vigne’s signature style was developed by founding winemaker Dave Phinney, making rich, balanced, multidimensional wines, with Robert Parker calling the boutique estate “one of my favorite wineries.” Kirk Venge succeeded Dave Phinney, and Julien Fayard, former Director of Winemaking for Philippe Melka, is the mastermind behind the wines known for producing California varietals with a French twist.
 
The Widow’s Peak Sonoma County Pinot Noir was sourced from a single vineyard in the Green Valley of the Russian River Valley, with several aspects and microclimates creating a range of diversity within the vines. The grapes producing the 2020 wine are from four separate clones, including 667, 777, and two California Heritage clones. The fermented juice spent eight months in 40% new French oak, delivering a wine that energetically showcases the complexity of the variety.
 
WIDOW’S PEAK
BY BEAU VIGNE
PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COUNTY 2020
Retails at: $85
 
 
 
“Beau Vigne 2020 Widow’s Peak Sonoma County Pinot Noir opens with lush notes of ripe red plum, maraschino cherry, Christmas cake, vanilla, cocoa powder, and earth. The wine is full-bodied on the palate with flavors of sweet red fruit, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, cola, and espresso bean. The rich flavor intensity carries into a long finish, and the spice component will make a perfect match for holiday pairings.”
93-94 Points
2019 La Pitchoune La Revolte Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

2019 La Pitchoune La Revolte Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $30-$40ChardonnayKevin VogtSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

LA PITCHOUNE

LA RÉVOLTE CHARDONNAY
SONOMA COAST 2019

2019 La Pitchoune La Revolte Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
Inspired by a small family property in Southern France, La Pitchoune Winery’s name translates to “the little one.” The winery is proud of its small size and production, which the owners consider their most significant asset because they can spend more time, attention, and focus to every bottle they produce. 
 
Winemaker Andrew Berge’s Master’s degree in Agriculture gives him a deep understanding of geography, soil, and vines that are the foundation of his wines. The 2019 La Révolte Chardonnay was sourced from the Pratt and Falcon Crest Vineyards and hand-crafted using Old-World style techniques, including barrel fermentation without fining or filtering for opulent flavor and impeccable balance.
 
LA PITCHOUNE
LA RÉVOLTE CHARDONNAY
SONOMA COAST 2019
Retails at: $48
 
 
 
“La Pitchoune 2019 La Révolte Chardonnay begins with rich notes of apricot, honeydew melon, vanilla, and beeswax. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied with opulent flavors of ripe peach, nectarine, honey, and toasted brioche. The flavor intensity lingers into a pleasant finish balanced by refreshing acidity.”
92 Points