2018 Beau Vigne Juliet Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Beau Vigne Juliet Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

BEAU VIGNE

JULIET CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Beau Vigne Juliet Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
With over two decades of experience, Julien Fayard began making wine at his family’s winery in Provence, then spent valuable time in Bordeaux at Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, and ultimately relocated to Napa Valley. Julien worked as the Director of Winemaking for Philippe Melka and now oversees small projects of his own, including Beau Vigne, whose signature style centers on Atlas Peak’s bold, multidimensional mountain fruit and Julien’s French finesse. 
 
Just like Juliet Capulet from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, my first impression of this wine is soft-spoken and shy, setting the stage for escalating depth of character and intensity that develops into a powerful, independent core. Beau Vigne proudly produces only a few thousand cases per year, and the 2018 vintage is quickly becoming prized for its delicate complexity that will continue to develop for years to come.
 
BEAU VIGNE
JULIET CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $120
 
 
 
“…Juliet is a savory beauty romanced by a sonnet of cigar leaf, black pepper, and sandalwood. Plummy flavors cling to dry, chalky tannins, delivering a complex mouthfeel as notes of soy sauce and dark cherry paint the palate.”
97 Points
2018 Acumen Peak Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak

2018 Acumen Peak Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak

with No Comment $90-$100Atlas PeakCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

ACUMEN

PEAK CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 ATLAS PEAK

2018 Acumen Peak Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak
Acumen Estate consists of 116 organically certified acres of vines on Atlas Peak, spread across two vineyards from which a small portfolio of estate-grown wines is born. The winery bases their sought-after style of Cabernet Sauvignon on the great Cabernets of the 1960s and 70s, which helped secure Napa on the international wine map.
 
Acumen sells a large portion of their mountain-grown fruit to other fine wineries in Napa Valley, allowing Chappellet’s 30-year veteran winemaker Philip Titus to focus on his favorite small vineyard blocks. The 2018 vintage is graceful with an exquisite yet powerful structure due to a cooler than average summer with zero heat spikes, allowing the grapes to slowly develop full physiological maturity, depth of aromas and flavors, and an incredible overall balance between fruit, earth, and minerality.
 
ACUMEN
PEAK CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 ATLAS PEAK
Retails at: $115
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Peak showed nicely, with beautiful blue fruits, scorched earth, licorice, and violet aromas and flavors. With medium to full-bodied richness, it stays tight and compact on the palate, with a fresh, Bordeaux-like style in its tannins and acidity. It needs 4-5 years of bottle age but should age nicely on its purity and elegance.”
95 Points
 
“Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Peak charges out of the gate with energetic scents of red and black currants, fresh blackberries and boysenberries with suggestions of camphor, cardamom, tar and new leather plus a waft of pencil shavings. Full-bodied, concentrated and decadent in the mouth, the palate has a solid foundation of firm, grainy tannins and lively freshness to support, finishing long with a pleasantly surprising floral perfume coming through at the end.”
94+ Points
2018 Bruliam Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard Santa Lucia Highland

220126 2018 Bruliam Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard Santa Lucia Highland

with No Comment $30-$40Central CoastKevin VogtMontereyPinot NoirSanta Lucia HighlandsUSA

BRULIAM

2018 PINOT NOIR
SOBERANES VINEYARD
SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS

2018 Bruliam Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard Santa Lucia Highland
Medical doctor-turned-winemaker Kerith Overstreet is the genius behind Bruliam, and it’s her intricate attention to detail that brings her wines energy and life. Bruliam Wines is a boutique winery producing around 1000 cases annually of single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay from some of California’s most celebrated vineyards.
 
Kerith’s relationships with many renowned growers secure her allocations of some of the highest quality fruit in California, hence her single-vineyard Pinot Noir from Soberanes Vineyard, the latest site developed by the Pisoni & Franscioni families. The character of Soberanes shines brilliantly in this wine with its captivating, majestic balance of complex aromas and flavors; the wine is a real over-achiever at this price.
 
BRULIAM
2018 PINOT NOIR
SOBERANES VINEYARD
SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS
Retails at: $55
 
 
 
“Dark, bright-rimmed red. Spice-tinged red fruits, incense and floral qualities on the perfumed nose, along with a building mineral topnote. Juicy and energetic on the palate, offering vibrant raspberry and cherry, rose pastille and exotic spice flavors that show fine delineation and appealing sweetness. Deeply flavored but graceful as well, finishing on a gently tannic note, with strong, red-fruit- and spice-driven tenacity.”
93 Points
2018 Recoltant Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Recoltant Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

RECOLTANT

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Recoltant Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Récoltant is a French term for a farmer who grows and harvests their fruit, intent on selling it to top winemakers who will represent the fruit in its purest form. Inspired by this, Recoltant Napa Valley Cabernet is sourced from some of the most revered landscapes in the region, rooting itself in a time and place that’s true of its terroir.
 
Authored by Julien Fayard, Récoltant celebrates Napa Valley’s farmers, crafted with the same standards of excellence Julien practiced while he was Director of Winemaking for Philippe Melka at elite Napa Valley producers like Lail, Gemstone, Hundred Acre, and Mastery. The 2018 vintage delivers intense complexity of aromas and flavors, offering unmatched quality and pedigree at $40.
 
RECOLTANT
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $60
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“The Recoltant Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 mimics sibling wines Purlieu and Le Pich in many ways. It is inky black in color, with a nose of mixed black berries, black currants, glove leather, and rose petal. On the palate, the wine is deep and rich with flavors of blackberry cobbler, kitchen spice, and grandma’s pie crust combined with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. Winemaker Julian Fayard’s genius shines through because even with all of these powerful characteristics, this wine is not the least bit cloying or overly heavy.”
94 Points
 
“Medium ruby-purple, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley opens with classic aromas of cassis, cedar, cigar box and bright touches of mint chocolate and red cherries. The palate is medium-bodied with pure, restrained fruits, a finely grainy texture, integrated freshness and a long, mineral-driven finish. I love this classy, mineral-laced Cabernet Sauvignon from winemaker Julien Fayard.”
92 Points
2018 Vermillion Red Blend California

2018 Vermillion Red Blend California

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtProprietary RedUSA

VERMILLION

2018 RED BLEND
CALIFORNIA

2018 Vermillion Red Blend California
Helen Keplinger is among winemaking royalty in Napa Valley, with many of her devoted followers more than willing to pay into the triple digits for one of her prized bottles. After Helen graduated from UC Davis’ MS program in Enology, she worked with many fine winemakers, including Heidi Barrett, Kathy Joseph, Michel Rolland, and David Abreu, fine-tuning her skills before creating a 100 Point wine under the Carte Blanche label.
 
Helen has been on the cover of Wine Spectator and been honored as one of Food & Wine magazine’s winemakers of the year, and her 2018 Vermillion Red Wine is an absolute gem that lives up to its expectations. The wine is a blend of 50% Grenache, 19% Syrah, 12% Mourvèdre, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petite Sirah, 4% Petit Verdot offering a wide range of complexity and supreme drinkability for an unreal price of $32 a bottle.
 
VERMILLION
2018 RED BLEND
CALIFORNIA
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $32
 
 
“The 2018 Vermillion is a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon (with a few other varieties in there as well) and comes mostly from Sonoma (69%) yet with 31% from the Sierra Foothills. Made by Helen Keplinger, it has a beautiful perfume of raspberry and strawberry fruits as well as notes of white pepper and flowers. It’s ripe, seamless, and plush on the palate, with lots of Grenache sexiness, yet it stays nicely balanced and has fine tannins, all making for a beautiful wine well worth seeking out.”
92 Points
2019 Duckhorn Merlot Napa Valley

2019 Duckhorn Merlot Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50CarnerosKevin VogtMerlotNapaUSA

DUCKHORN 

2019 MERLOT
NAPA VALLEY

2019 Duckhorn Merlot Napa Valley
The Duckhorn name is synonymous with Merlot due to Dan Duckhorn’s passion for the classic Bordeaux varietal, which he initially planted in the Napa Valley in 1978. His love for Merlot started after a trip to Bordeaux, France, and he vowed to grow it just as beautifully in Napa Valley, improving its reputation in the New World.
 
Duckhorn’s Napa Valley Merlot is a blend of some of the winery’s most iconic vineyards, including the Napa side of Carneros fruit chosen for its proximity to the cooling effects of the Pacific Ocean, which play a vital role in contributing brightness to this wine. The 2019 vintage began with abundant rainfall, followed by a long, warm summer with foggy mornings and the absence of significant heat spikes helping to preserve freshness, vibrance, depth of color, and overall structure. This vintage ranks among their best yet for their beloved Napa Valley Merlot. Our tasting panel members were all commenting on how it was the best Duckhorn Napa Merlot in recent memory, and possibly ever.
 
DUCKHORN 
2019 MERLOT
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $56
 
Your Price: $45
 
 
“From its tantalizing aromas of ripe cherry and black plum to its fine-grained tannins and lively complexity, this is a lovely expression of Napa Valley Merlot. On the palate, the flavors are rich and fleshy, with luxurious layers of black currant, red licorice, fig compote, blueberry and crushed rose petal flowing to a long, elegant finish.”
2019 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2019 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $40-$50Fort Ross SeaviewKevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

FLOWERS

2019 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST 

2019 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Flowers Vineyards and Winery founders were among the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA early pioneers recognizing the potential of growing cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the rugged, isolated Sonoma Coast. Their organic and biodynamic approach to farming is part of their continued commitment to respect the environment and cultivate healthier vines for higher quality wines.
 
The 2019 vintage started quite cool with some snow on the estate that helped oxygenate the soils, bringing vital nutrients to the vines. The cool coastal temperatures throughout the summer allowed for slow ripening and intricate flavor development that is unforgettably irresistible, resulting in this remarkable expression of coastal Pinot Noir.
 
FLOWERS
2019 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST 
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $45
 
 
“Aromas of ripe strawberries, red cherries and colored flowers. Medium-to full-bodied with fine, well-integrated tannins. Fresh acidity and bright, juicy fruit on the palate. Well balanced. Drink now.”
93 Points
 
“…The 2019 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is deeper ruby-hued and has pure, classic, textbook notes of ripe cherries, raspberries, spring flowers, and underbrush. The balance is spot on, it has ripe, present tannins, good freshness, and a great finish.”
92 Points
2019 Prisoner Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2019 Prisoner Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

PRISONER

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 NAPA VALLEY

2019 Prisoner Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
The Prisoner Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 is a wine made in a similar fashion and style as The Prisoner Red Blend but with Cabernet Sauvignon as the main blending component. Director of Winemaking Chrissy Wittman works with a team of growers in Napa Valley to select fruit that best fits the profile of her spellbinding wines unhindered by tradition.
 
She blended in small percentages of Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Petite Sirah, and Charbono for that extra rich mouthfeel well known by Prisoner drinkers worldwide. It served time in French and American oak, giving the wine a signature spice rack of flavors and silky smooth finish for under $50. Our panel was impressed by this wine’s stunning concentration, superior richness, and riveting flavor profile, guaranteed to delight fans of rich, inky-style Napa Cabs.
 
PRISONER
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“The Prisoner Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 begins with a deep, rich nose of black and blue fruits, toasted coconut, sweet vanilla, and wood spice. The palate is lush and rich, with deep, ripe blackberry and sweet black currants combined with espresso, baker’s chocolate, and tobacco notes.”
90 Points
2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaOak KnollRutherfordStags LeapUSA

MARTIN RAY

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Martin Ray Vineyards and Winery embraces the “wines of place” philosophy, perenially producing wines that showcase the best of the region’s site-specific terroir. The Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon blends four different sought-after appellations: Howell Mountain, Oak Knoll, Rutherford, and Stags Leap District, giving this wine diversity from the select vineyards.
 
This release is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that underwent hand punch-downs for two weeks in open-top fermenters and then aged in 40% new French oak for 16 months. Any wine drinker familiar with Martin Ray knows the consistency of high quality from vintage to vintage the wines have to offer, and the 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon hits a home run for the superior level of sophistication in the bottle at this price.
 
MARTIN RAY
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $30
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“Deep and manicured with blueberry and blackberry aromas and flavors. Full-bodied and tight with super polished tannins and a tight, racy finish. Beautifully crafted tannins make this exciting. Better after 2022, but already beautiful. Screw cap.”
93 Points
Purecru Brut Rose Cuvee XXI California

Purecru Brut Rose Cuvee XXI California

with No Comment $30-$40Champagne/SparklingKevin VogtLodiUSA

PURECRU

BRUT ROSÉ
CUVEE XXI CALIFORNIA

Purecru Brut Rose Cuvee XXI California
Mitch Cosentino is a seasoned winemaker with nearly a half-century of experience, placing him in the top tier of knowledge in California wine production; however, he hasn’t released a sparkling wine since the mid-1980s until now. In true “Mitch” fashion, he created this masterpiece using a single-stream fermentation in which, midway through fermentation, he transferred the partially fermented juice into a custom pressure-controlled tank, resulting in a wine with remarkable fruit intensity, balance, and freshness.
 
This closed system allowed him to rack and bottle the wine without loss of effervescence, eliminating the need for dosage used in the traditional method. Arising from the stellar 2021 vintage and created from 100% Sangiovese fruit from the Mohr-Fry Ranch Vineyard in Lodi, PureCru Brut Rosé releases a sensational bouquet of aromas and flavors unique to the spicy, seductive Sangiovese variety brought forward by the single-stream fermentation. This wine is guaranteed to be one of the first bottles emptied and most talked-about wines anytime it’s served.
 
PURECRU
BRUT ROSÉ
CUVEE XXI CALIFORNIA
 
Your Price: $36
 
 
“The PureCru Brut Rosé XXI opens with an abundance of bright aromas beginning with jasmine, lime zest, wild strawberries, raspberries, lychee, passion fruit, pomegranate, and lemongrass. The aromas carry over onto the palate bursting with intensity and zesty fruit flavors accented by fresh acidity and a creamy effervescence. The finish is long and delightful as it slowly fades away, causing you to crave sip after sip.”
96 Points