2019 Raen Pinot Noir Royal St. Robert Cuvee Sonoma Coast

2019 Raen Pinot Noir Royal St. Robert Cuvee Sonoma Coast

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

RAEN

2019 PINOT NOIR 
ROYAL ST. ROBERT CUVEE
SONOMA COAST

2019 Raen Pinot Noir Royal St. Robert Cuvee Sonoma Coast
Carlo and Dante Mondavi grew up at their grandfather’s OPUS ONE Winery and further sharpened their winemaking skills at their father Tim’s cult brand Continuum, so it’s no surprise that the cult and culture of wine runs deep in their veins. The Mondavi family has a keen talent for selecting vineyards capable of producing premium wines and has been one of American wine’s most influential families.
 
RAEN Royal St. Robert Cuvée Pinot Noir is a tribute to their grandfather, who taught them the art of winemaking and commitment to excellence. The 2019 bottling is a selection of their finest barrels from Freestone, Occidental, Bodega, and Fort Ross Seaview Sea Field Vineyards, showcasing the cool-climate Pinot Noir coming from the rugged coastal hills and now scoring a whopping 97 points from James Suckling.
 
RAEN
2019 PINOT NOIR 
ROYAL ST. ROBERT CUVEE
SONOMA COAST
 
Your Price: $65
 
 
“The aromas of strawberry and raspberry with conifer and hints of bark are impressive. Full-bodied, but so reserved and linear with super long, tightened tannins that melt into the wine. 100% whole cluster. Drinkable now, but much better to wait a year or three.”
97 Points
2019 Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2019 Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonCalistogaHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaUSAYountville

DUCKHORN

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 NAPA VALLEY

2019 Duckhorn Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Duckhorn made their first Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in 1978 and has only missed one vintage in over 40 years. Their Cabernet consistently delivers a lush, rich, eclectic taste of Napa because it’s a blend of many of their estate properties, including Rector Creek in Yountville, Monitor Ledge in Calistoga, Stout on Howell Mountain, and even their historic Three Palms Vineyard.
 
The 2019 vintage saw an ideal summer without any significant heatwaves, ensuring an even ripening of the grapes and more complex flavor development. The blend consists of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot aged 16 months in 100% French oak (50% new and 50% neutral), creating a soulful balance between the fruit and the oak.
 
DUCKHORN
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 NAPA VALLEY 
Retails at: $78
 
Your Price: $59.99
 
 
“The Duckhorn Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 is a rich, powerful wine with deep concentration and firm structure. The nose and palate are in sync with wild mountain blackberries, ripe Bing cherries, cedar, pie spices, dried herbs, and vanilla hints. Although compact and firm now, the intensity of sweet fruit on the palate blooms from under the youthful, slightly gripping fruit tannins, after a little time in the glass. The intensity of fruit combined with the foundational structure tells me this one has a couple of decades of good living ahead of it.”
94 Points
2019 Sans Liege The Offering Proprietary Red

2019 Sans Liege The Offering Proprietary Red

with No Comment $30 and underCentral CoastKevin VogtPaso RoblesProprietary RedUSA

SANS LIEGE

2019 THE OFFERING
PROPRIETARY RED

2019 Sans Liege The Offering Proprietary Red
Inspired by the kaleidoscope of complex aromas and flavors found in the Southern Rhône wines, winemaker Curt Schalchlin seeks vineyards with finesse, distinct terroir, and unrestrained character. He relies on his intuition, carefully monitoring each microclimate from Paso Robles to Solvang, creating some of the Central Coast’s best examples of Southern Rhone-inspired wines with New World fruit and flair. 
 
The winery describes The Offering as a quest for independence, giving an homage to the Southern Rhone but made with the freedoms of New World winemaking. The 2019 vintage includes 30% whole cluster Grenache fermentation, then destemmed Syrah with 25% of stems returned, along with 100% destemmed Mourvèdre, giving a firm structure with a juicy body and a vast range of complexity.
 
SANS LIEGE
2019 THE OFFERING
PROPRIETARY RED
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“Coming from throughout the Central Coast and a blend of 42% Grenache, 38% Syrah, and 20% Mourvèdre, the 2019 Offering delivers a delicious, Côtes du Rhône-like vibe in its peppery red and black fruits as well as leafy herbs, earth, and subtle meaty, spicy aromas and flavors. It’s nicely textured, medium-bodied, and has the depth to keep for 4-5 years.” 
90 Points
2020 Limerick Lane Zinfandel Russian River Valley

2020 Limerick Lane Zinfandel Russian River Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtRussian River ValleySonomaUSAZinfandel

LIMERICK LANE

2020 ZINFANDEL
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

2020 Limerick Lane Zinfandel Russian River Valley
Jake Bilbro of Limerick Lane Winery is the third steward of the historic property since the Del Fava family planted the estate vineyard in 1910. The Del Favas saw the potential of the land early on, even before modern science that is commonly used today in the New World to determine the best soils, plots, and which rootstock and clones will thrive to the fullest.
 
Limerick Lane’s Russian River Zinfandel is a field blend including ancient Zinfandel vines co-planted with Peloursin, Negrette, and Syrah. The winery is proud of its “hands-off, eyes on” approach that continues to lead to uniquely rich and powerful wines with brightness and elegance that earned the 2018 and 2019 vintages scores in the mid-90s. The newly released 2020 vintage is just as glorious, offering substantial value at forty bucks.
 
LIMERICK LANE
2020 ZINFANDEL
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
Retails at: $42
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“The 2020 Limerick Lane Zinfandel begins with fresh aromas of cranberry, raspberry, boysenberry jam, and spicy notes of cinnamon, cloves, pepperwood, cedar, mushrooms. The sweet baking spices linger into a long and pleasant finish that enhances the fresh acidity and bright fruit character. This wine is charming on its own but is a lovely complement to a variety of dishes.”
93 Points
2017 Sparrow's Quarrel Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2017 Sparrow’s Quarrel Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

SPARROW’S QUARREL

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 NAPA VALLEY

2017 Sparrow's Quarrel Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Sparrow’s Quarrel makes wine to express quintessential Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from small plots carefully tended by hand, steadily focused throughout the process on looking after the vines, elevage, and bottling. Each parcel was kept separate in individual stainless steel tanks throughout fermentation, with punch-downs performed during the process, allowing for maximum skin contact resulting in a deeper extraction of color and tannin, giving the wine a solid backbone.
 
After fermentation, the individual tanks are transferred into medium-toast French oak barrels and blended to perfection after a complete analysis of each barrel. This level of precision and care is bound to make excellent wine, and at this price, you’ll be drinking like a king.
 
SPARROW’S QUARREL
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $92
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“The 2017 Sparrow’s Quarrel Napa Cabernet Sauvignon begins with fresh notes of lilac, black plums, blueberry compote, vanilla extract, anise, cola, and coffee. The palate offers deep flavors of blackberries and black cherries, finishing with chocolate fudge and a hint of smoke. The tannins are firm, and the flavors are concentrated, giving this wine a great aging potential of about 12-15 years.”
94 Points
2018 Rudius Savory Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

2018 Rudius Savory Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

with No Comment $80-$90Cabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaUSA

RUDIUS

SAVORY ESTATE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 HOWELL MOUNTAIN 

2018 Rudius Savory Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
In 1998, David Abreu and Rick Forman planted a tiny 1.3-acre plot at the top of Howell Mountain at an elevation of 1780 feet. Each vintage, the Savory Estate vineyard shows off its vast potential with powerfully concentrated fruit, rock-solid structure, and supreme ageability, that’s vividly depicted in Rudius’s 2018 vintage.
 
Jeff Ames began his winemaking career interning with Lynn Penner-Ash in Oregon and later worked as Thomas Rivers Brown’s assistant winemaker for Outpost, Schrader, and TOR before becoming the head winemaker for TOR in 2005. The Savory Estate vineyard provides Jeff with the pieces to the puzzle that make up his hedonistic signature style, with past vintages scoring well into the upper 90s. Here’s an opportunity to own this incredibly limited Howell Mountain Cabernet, priced to savor.
 
RUDIUS
SAVORY ESTATE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 HOWELL MOUNTAIN 
Retails at: $135
 
 
 
“The Rudius 2018 Savory Estate Cabernet is a visually compelling wine with an inky black center core and a deep ruby hue at the edges. The nose and palate dance beautifully together as they balance a vast array of compelling characteristics, including muddled blackberries, black currants, gunflint, dried green herbs, fresh cut violets, and Italian glove leather, along with hints of vanilla, baker’s chocolate, and white pepper. The palate is exceptionally concentrated and powerful yet finds the perfect symmetry between structure, intensity, and elegance. I struggled to find the perfect analogy to describe it, but it is like a bodybuilder who is also a world-class ballet dancer. It’s not what you’d expect at first glance but is thrilling to behold. I think this stunning effort is precisely what everybody looks for in an incredible mountain Cabernet. It is still a baby, and as great as it is now, you can enjoy it any time over the next several decades. Simply gorgeous!”
98 Points
2019 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond District

2019 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond District

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonDiamond MountainKevin VogtNapaUSA

MARTIN RAY

2019 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
DIAMOND MOUNTAIN

2019 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond District
There is an intrigue behind estate-grown and bottled wines, but the most critical piece of the puzzle is the site where the grapes are grown. Martin Ray has continuously operated under the “wines of place” philosophy, and quite frankly, they’re nailing it, producing wines that showcase the best each region has to offer.
 
Their Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is grown in the Andrew Geoffrey Vineyard located on the lower foothills of the mountain with a powdery mix of volcanic ash and porous tufa rock with some sprinkles of obsidian. The majority of the small lots are fermented in upright French oak puncheons, with a small portion in open-top stainless-steel vessels, followed by about 30 days on the skins after fermentation, giving a silky mouthfeel and a seamless integration between the fruit and the oak. 
 
MARTIN RAY
2019 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
DIAMOND MOUNTAIN
Retails at: $85
 
Your Price: $59.99
 
 
“Complex aromas of dark plums, blackcurrants, dried herbs, cedar and spice box. Some tar. Pine needles. Full-bodied with creamy tannins. Firm and polished with a velvety texture. Flavorful and long…”
95 Points
2019 Steps Reserve Barrel Select Proprietary Red

2019 Steps Reserve Barrel Select Proprietary Red

with No Comment $40-$50Diamond MountainKevin VogtNapaOakvilleProprietary RedRutherfordUSA

STEPS

RESERVE BARREL SELECT
2019 PROPRIETARY RED

2019 Steps Reserve Barrel Select Proprietary Red
Each year STEPS is re-birthed as it’s formed from declassified grapes from some of Napa Valley’s most coveted vineyards and meticulously blended by winemaker Grant Long, Jr, whom you might know from Aonair, Witchery, and James Joseph. Grant makes the blend with an unwavering goal of producing a showy, opulent red, guided by the vintage and the varietals that performed best. The 2019 release reflects the vintage’s knockout power and blanketing intensity, and at $50, the value is nearly inconceivable.
 
Steps 2019 Barrel Select draws on Diamond Mountain’s concentrated fruit and expressive flavors, then brings Rutherford elegance and Oakville complexity into play with absolute grandiosity. The final blend is more than 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, elevated with Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot, crafted in a richly layered, lavish, hedonistic style. The wine is a steal at $50, and at $45, a single case won’t be enough.
 
STEPS
RESERVE BARREL SELECT
2019 PROPRIETARY RED
Retails at: $50
 
 
 
“The 2019 Steps Reserve Barrel Select is beautifully aromatic with violets, ripe black plums and black raspberries, dark chocolate, and wet stones. On the palate, flavors of blueberry pie, cocoa power, and a savory mushroom component add additional layers of complexity. The tannins are fine-grained, giving the wine a velvety texture felt throughout the long and opulent finish that slowly fades away on the palate, revealing its complexity one layer at a time.”
95 Points
2018 Barnett Vineyards Rattlesnake Cabernet Sauvignon

2018 Barnett Vineyards Rattlesnake Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain

with No Comment $100 and overCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaSpring MountainUSA

BARNETT VINEYARDS

2018 RATTLESNAKE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
SPRING MOUNTAIN DISTRICT

2018 Barnett Vineyards Rattlesnake Cabernet Sauvignon
Barnett’s 2018 Rattlesnake Cabernet Sauvignon walks a tightrope of perfection, led by superior concentration, fruit intensity, and overall balance, staying on your mind for weeks after tasting it. The wine emerges from a small rocky knoll on the estate at 2,050′ elevation, blended with the most exceptional barrels of their Estate fruit, meticulously scrutinized by winemaker David Tate throughout elevage.
 
Rattlesnake Hill Cabernet made its debut in 1991, prompting a handwritten congratulatory letter from Robert Parker stating, “I’ve only been compelled to do this twice in my career before, but enclosed you will find a personal check for 2 cases for my cellar.” Their team’s unwavering use of traditional techniques and micro-managing production has solidified them as a paragon on Spring Mountain for more than 30 years, and this wine represents the pinnacle of their achievements. 
 
BARNETT VINEYARDS
2018 RATTLESNAKE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
SPRING MOUNTAIN DISTRICT
 
Your Price: $195
 
 
Our tasting panel tastes thousands and thousands of wines every year, many of them super high-scoring. Even so, there are very few that are so mind-bogglingly great from the first sip that they virtually require you to continue discovering their secrets. The 2018 Barnett Rattlesnake Cabernet Sauvignon from Spring Mountain is undoubtedly one of those super-compelling wines that dials everything into perfection. It begins with a very intriguing nose, including black currants, graphite, light menthol, cocoa powder, and the aromas of walking through a cedar grove after rainfall. It continues with a very compact, concentrated palate of muddled blackberries, black raspberries, baker’s chocolate, and saline minerals, along with hints of green peppercorn. Then, just saying the finish is long and complex is an understatement. The waves of balanced fruits and flavors not only dance across your palate for over a minute, but they also penetrate your very being. This stunner is a spectacular bottle of wine, and I can’t wait until the next time I get to taste it again.”
98 Points, #1 WCC Top 5 Wines of 2021
2018 Castalia Pinot Noir Rochioli Vineyard

2018 Castalia Pinot Noir Rochioli Vineyard

with No Comment $60-$70Kevin VogtPinot NoirRussian River ValleySonomaUSA

CASTALIA

2018 PINOT NOIR
ROCHIOLI VINEYARD

2018 Castalia Pinot Noir Rochioli Vineyard
Castalia’s 2018 Rochioli Vineyard Pinot Noir earned the #2 spot on my top 5 list this year, not for just one, but all reasons; the wine masterfully combines focused, fresh, powerful fruit with intricate detail, length, and balance. This supreme example of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir accentuates the region’s vibrant cherry essence in a rich, sultry style, delineating Rochioli Vineyard’s most remarkable qualities.
 
Rochioli Vineyard produces unforgettably distinct, powerful fruit that’s both riveting and enchanting. Few people know the vineyard as intimately as Terry Bering, Cellar Master of J. Rochioli Vineyards, since 1990. Terry started Castalia Wines in 1992, producing a tiny bit of Pinot Noir from grapes he purchased from a hillside block of Rochioli Vineyard, known for small yields of intensely concentrated fruit. 
 
CASTALIA
2018 PINOT NOIR
ROCHIOLI VINEYARD
 
Your Price: $59.99
 
 
“The Castalia Rochioli Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 explodes from the glass with a powerful nose of sweet red cherries, deep black plums, strawberry preserves, exotic cola bean, herbs de Provence, white pepper, and dried rose petals. It’s one of those wines that grabs you from the first whiff and won’t let you go. A gorgeous palate follows with concentrated wild berries, bright red currants, rich cherries, kitchen spices, black tea, and hints of Kalamata olives. It is a very complex, dynamic wine that is exceptionally concentrated, delightfully long, and a thrill to enjoy.” 
96 Points, #2 WCC Top 5 Wines of 2021