2017 Farella Estate Merlot Coombsville

2017 Farella Estate Merlot Coombsville

with No Comment $30-$40CoombsvilleKevin VogtMerlotNapaUSA

FARELLA

ESTATE MERLOT
COOMBSVILLE 2017

2017 Farella Estate Merlot Coombsville
Tom Farella’s decades of farming experience and work in Burgundy and Oregon, combined with his lifelong passion for wine, resulted in many of Coombsville’s most memorable wines. Realm Winery recognized the quality of Tom’s grapes nearly two decades ago, and they’ve produced a single-vineyard wine from Farella, earning numerous 95 and above scores. Tom’s namesake wine is consistently outstanding and offers impressive quality, a sense of place, and balance, well above what you’d expect at this price level.
 
Farella’s hillside vineyard, planted in 1979, gives a Right Bank Bordeaux-style Merlot with supple tannins and bright acidity due to the proximity of the San Pablo Bay and its cooling effects. The 2017 Merlot is nuanced and spicy with grace and elegance blossoming from a rich Napa core, continuing in the Farella legacy of small-production fine wine for over 42 years.
 
FARELLA
ESTATE MERLOT
COOMBSVILLE 2017
Retails at: $45
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“Lots of plum and currant aromas here with some flowers and green olives. It’s full-bodied with round, ripe tannins and a generous finish of fruit. Drinkable now, but better in 2023.”
92 Points
2016 Levy & Mcclellan Ampersand Red Blend Napa Valley

2016 Levy & Mcclellan Ampersand Red Blend Napa Valley

with No Comment $100 and overKevin VogtProprietary RedUSA

LEVY & MCCLELLAN

AMPERSAND RED BLEND
NAPA VALLEY 2016

2016 Levy & Mcclellan Ampersand Red Blend Napa Valley
Bob Levy began his winemaking career in the mid-1970s at Cuvaison, moving on in the early 1980s as winemaker and general manager at Rombauer before dedicating himself to several years at Merryvale, where he met his future business partner, Real Estate Developer Bill Harlan. Bob became Harlan Estate’s founding winemaker and Director of Winegrowing and embarked on an illustrious career as Director of Winegrowing for all of the Harlan Family Domain properties, including BOND ESTATES, Promontory, and The Napa Valley Reserve. He recently handed over those responsibilities to the next generation; however, he continues to oversee the Harlan family winegrowing teams and properties. Over time, Bob worked with over 100 unique hillside cabernet vineyard sites in Napa Valley during his career.
 
Levy & McClellan was founded in 1999 by Bob and his wife, Martha McClellan, capitalizing on Bob’s profound experiences in the vineyard to select a prime location to plant a vineyard with specific ideas not previously done. His philosophies included producing a wine that would share the structure of a hillside cabernet while preserving the terroir’s character and providing a pleasurable experience through the finish with soft tannins. Martha is also a talented winemaker, crafting the wines at Sloan Estate, Checkerboard Vineyards, and Vineyard 7 & 8. She and Bob created Ampersand to tell the vintage story; Their 2016 Proprietary Red is predominately Cabernet Sauvignon-based with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, giving a clear portrait of excellence. 
 
LEVY & MCCLELLAN
AMPERSAND RED BLEND
NAPA VALLEY 2016
 
Your Price: $350
 
 
“The Levy & McClellan 2016 Ampersand has alluring aromas of lavender, violet, black currant, black plum, black olive, cedar, and dark chocolate. The palate is rich and densely concentrated with flavors of black cherry, blackberry, baking spices, and dried herbs, balanced with bright, refreshing acidity and seductively smooth tannins. This wine immediately grabs your attention and doesn’t easily let go with its infinitely long finish.”
98 Points
2018 Coho Headwaters Red Blend Napa Valley

2018 Coho Headwaters Red Blend Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50CoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

COHO

HEADWATERS RED BLEND
NAPA VALLEY 2018

2018 Coho Headwaters Red Blend Napa Valley
Gary Lipp worked in the California wine industry for over 35 years, founding Coho in 2002 with the principles he learned from his experiences working in multiple aspects of wine production. He started strong and continued down a path of excellence by hiring renowned winemaker Phillip Titus to help achieve his goal of crafting flavorful yet balanced wines. Philip has been with Chappellet for nearly 30 years and has produced some of California’s most sought-after wines. 
 
Gary introduced Headwaters Proprietary Red in 2005 after a fire destroyed the winery’s inventory of Cabernet Sauvignon for their 100% varietal wine. Thanks to the wine community’s generosity, Coho produced a red blend from Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. This Bordeaux-style blend still focuses on fruit from Coombsville, and the cooler 2018 vintage is already exquisite with layers of delicate complexity, creating aromas and flavors reminiscent of the Old World.
 
COHO
HEADWATERS RED BLEND
NAPA VALLEY 2018
Retails at: $60
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“Dark plums, mulberries, cloves and earthy undertones. It’s full-bodied with fine-grained tannins. Full and fruity with structure and freshness on the palate. Long finish. Very polished. Drink in 2023.”
93 Points
2019 Sullivan Coeur De Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford

2019 Sullivan Coeur De Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford

with No Comment $60-$70Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSA

SULLIVAN

COEUR DE VIGNE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
RUTHERFORD 2019

2019 Sullivan Coeur De Vigne Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford
Jim Sullivan’s obsession with wine began in the 1950s, making wine at home from a small plot of vines gifted to him and his new bride as a wedding present. Jim moved his family to a dusty Rutherford farm in 1972, establishing Sullivan Estate, which has been quietly producing and selling wine to friends, family, and wine lovers for nearly five decades.
 
Winemaker Jeff Cole earned a degree in Wine and Viticulture from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo before working with Schramsberg and J. Davies Vineyards, joining Sullivan in 2013. The 2019 Coeur de Vigne is a Left Bank Bordeaux-inspired blend with a clear and powerful voice, articulated through Jeff’s precise winemaking with an emphasis on displaying the dynamic terroir and rich potential offered by the Rutherford estate.
 
SULLIVAN
COEUR DE VIGNE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
RUTHERFORD 2019
Retails at: $120
 
 
 
“Blended with 8% Petit Verdot and 2% each of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this hearty red is brimming in thick tannin, considerable oak and expansively youthful layers of vanilla, cassis and plum. Impressive in its grasp of both variety and appellation, it is worth cellaring; enjoy best from 2029–2034.”
94 Points “Cellar Selection”
2019 Mt. Brave Merlot Mt. Veeder

2019 Mt. Brave Merlot Mt. Veeder

with No Comment $90-$100Kevin VogtMerlotMt VeederNapaUSA

MT. BRAVE

MERLOT 2019
MT. VEEDER

2019 Mt. Brave Merlot Mt. Veeder
Mount Veeder is Napa Valley’s largest AVA, yet it produces less than two percent of Napa’s total wine production, with the lowest average yields in the region. The mountain is an ancient seabed with thin, rocky soils and 30-degree slopes at varying angles creating several different microclimates that enjoy temperatures ten to fifteen degrees cooler than the Valley floor.
 
Chris Carpenter has a well-respected reputation for vinifying mountain-grown fruit and created classic vintages at Lokoya and Cardinale before taking on the Mt. Brave project, which began in 2007. The eastern-facing slopes of the vineyard produce fruit with tiny, concentrated berries full of lush flavors and rich structural components. The 2019 Merlot is near perfection and a clear standout with complex aromatics, depth of flavors, seductive mouthfeel, and long-lasting finish. 
 
This wine is the epitome of Napa Valley Mountain-grown Merlot and gets Merlot-of-the-vintage for my palate.
 
MT. BRAVE
MERLOT 2019
MT. VEEDER
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“Aromas of violets and blackberries with some black olives follow through to a full-bodied palate with finesse, polish and great length. Velvety tannins. Incredible finish. Great class here. Drinkable now, but better to hold for about five or six years.”
98 Points
2018 Tolosa Heritage Pinot Noir Edna Valley

2018 Tolosa Heritage Pinot Noir Edna Valley

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

TOLOSA

HERITAGE PINOT NOIR
EDNA VALLEY 2018

2018 Tolosa Heritage Pinot Noir Edna Valley
Tolosa Winery is part of the Alpha Omega Collective and specializes in Burgundian varieties grown in Edna Valley, California’s coolest AVA. The region’s transverse valley extends inland from the Pacific Ocean and funnels cold air and fog, creating an ideal environment for cool-climate varietals such as Pinot Noir. The Franciscan Mission of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa planted the first vines in the area and is the inspiration behind the winery’s name, paying homage to the hardworking farmers who pioneered the land.
 
Tolosa’s winemaker works to convey the distinct character of the wine, beginning in the vineyard with specially selected clones for each unique soil type, followed by gentle fermentation in stainless steel and oak barrels for a fine-tuned, integrated Pinot Noir. The 2018 vintage features earthy, herbal tones and bright red fruit aromatics, trademark characteristics of the Edna Valley AVA Pinots that elevate and delight the senses at a very fair price point.
 
TOLOSA
HERITAGE PINOT NOIR
EDNA VALLEY 2018
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $32
 
 
“Hearty aromas of black raspberry and muddled plum are lifted by sage and pepper on the ripe but clean nose of this bottling. There’s a pleasantly herbal kick to the palate, where the sagebrush aspects wrap around the dark-mulberry and wild-plum flavors. Rocky tannins give both structure and minerality.”
93 Points
2018 Sixto Chardonnay Uncovered Washington State

2018 Sixto Chardonnay Uncovered Washington State

with No Comment $30 and underChardonnayKevin VogtUSAWashington State

SIXTO

CHARDONNAY UNCOVERED
WASHINGTON STATE 2018

2018 Sixto Chardonnay Uncovered Washington State
Charles Smith is the visionary Washington State winemaker behind several successful brands that have received over 200 scores of 95 Points and above. Musician Sixto Rodriguez and the documentary Searching for Sugar Man inspired the SIXTO label. It’s a project from Charles Smith and his VP of Winemaking and Viticulture Brennon Leighton that focuses on old-vine Chardonnay grown at higher elevations from cooler climate vineyards throughout Washington.
 
The ‘Uncovered’ Chardonnay is a cuvée of three single vineyards, including the Moxee Vineyard planted in 1973, the Rosa Hills Vineyard planted in 1977, and the Frenchman Hills Vineyard planted in 1998. The 2018 growing season began with mild temperatures followed by a long, dry fall enabling the fruit a long hang time and complete flavor development marking an outstanding vintage.
 
SIXTO
CHARDONNAY UNCOVERED
WASHINGTON STATE 2018
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“This is always a pretty chardonnay with transparent cooked-apple, lemon-rind and ripe-pineapple character. It’s full-bodied, layered and beautiful. Drink now.”
93 Points
2021 Sea Slopes Pinot Noir By Fort Ross Winery Sonoma Coast

2021 Sea Slopes Pinot Noir By Fort Ross Winery Sonoma Coast

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

SEA SLOPES

BY FORT ROSS WINERY
PINOT NOIR 2021
SONOMA COAST

2021 Sea Slopes Pinot Noir By Fort Ross Winery Sonoma Coast
Lester and Linda Schwartz purchased a section of forest straddling the edge of the Sonoma Coast in 1988, where wind-swept, foggy ridges overlook the Pacific. Experts advised against planting vines in this cool-climate area, claiming it was too risky for viticulture. Still, after six years of experimentation with different clones, rootstocks, and trellising systems, Lester and Linda produced their first vintage, proving the site’s ability to grow exceptional Burgundian varieties.
 
Jeff Pisoni, son of the legendary winemaker Gary Pisoni, joined the team in 2009, bringing his experience gained from growing up immersed in wine culture and his degree in Enology from the California State University Fresno. The 2021 growing season was drier than average, forcing the vines’ roots to dig deep into the earth for nutrients and water, resulting in very concentrated Pinot Noir fruit, with flavors carefully integrated by aging the wine in 80% neutral and 20% new French oak for nine months.
 
SEA SLOPES
BY FORT ROSS WINERY
PINOT NOIR 2021
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $33
 
 
“The Sea Slopes Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2021 is a virtual basket of red fruits on the nose and palate, with bright and fresh red raspberries, red cherries, and ripe plum, along with violets, cola, and fresh sage. It has an excellent concentration of fruit on the finish, surrounded by slightly chalky tannins in its youth, which will soften over the next few months.”
92 Points
2021 Orin Swift 8 Years In The Desert Zinfandel Blend

2021 Orin Swift 8 Years In The Desert Zinfandel Blend

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtUSAZinfandel

ORIN SWIFT

8 YEARS IN THE DESERT
ZINFANDEL BLEND 2021

2021 Orin Swift 8 Years In The Desert Zinfandel Blend
In 2000 Dave Phinney released the inaugural vintage of a Zinfandel-based red blend called The Prisoner, which he continued to create for the next eight years until he sold the brand to Huneeus Vintners. The sale came with an eight-year non-compete agreement, preventing Dave from producing Zinfandel blends under his brand, Orin Swift.
 
Orin Swift’s 8 Years in the Desert debut in 2016 and represents those next eight years. The wine was an instant success, driven by its smooth, approachable style with seductive fruits sourced from a collection of premier vineyards in California. The 2021 vintage is the sixth iteration in the brand’s return to Zinfandel blends, with Petite Sirah and Syrah rounding out the mouthfeel and providing extra complexity; the wine is impressive in its fruit-forward style and remains beautifully balanced.  
 
ORIN SWIFT
8 YEARS IN THE DESERT
ZINFANDEL BLEND 2021
Retails at: $53
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“A deep marron core with a ruby rim, the 2021 Eight Years in the Desert opens with aromas of wild blackberry, pepper, oatmeal raisin cookie, Sequoia forest floor, bay leaf and spices. The entry is broad and opulent with a mid-palate of brambly raspberry, black cherry, ripe blueberry and a hint of cacao. The wine has superb length through the finish with ripe tannins and a close of sweet oak.”
2017 MC4 Cabernet Sauvignon Martin & Croshaw Vineyard St. Helena

2017 MC4 Cabernet Sauvignon Martin & Croshaw Vineyard St. Helena

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaSt. HelenaUSA

MC4

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MARTIN & CROSHAW VINEYARD
ST. HELENA 2017

2017 MC4 Cabernet Sauvignon Martin & Croshaw Vineyard St. Helena
Neighbors Paul Martin and Fred Croshaw joined forces to produce their first vintage of just eight cases of Cabernet Sauvignon in 2009. The two have intimate knowledge of their vineyard located in a prime stretch of St. Helena near AXR and Turley Estate. They’ve farmed the vineyard organically and by hand since its initial planting using cuttings from Chateau Margaux.
 
MC4 winemaker Victoria Coleman assisted Michael Silacci at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars while earning her Enology degree from UC Davis, leading to International experience working at Chateau Mouton Rothschild. The 2017 production was a mere 196 cases that encompass the spirit of Napa Valley Cabernet by showcasing varietal purity, soft tannins, and depth of flavors suitable for further aging but are beginning to shine at the present moment.
 
MC4
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MARTIN & CROSHAW VINEYARD
ST. HELENA 2017
Retails at: $75
 
 
 
“The MC4 Saint Helena Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 begins with blackberry preserves, coffee, vanilla spice, white rose petals, and dried mushrooms on the nose. The palate is dominated by red currants, Kalamata olives, and black cherries, with a lively style and satiny tannins. Drink now through 2030.”
93 Points