2017 Patz & Hall Chardonnay Duttin Ranch Vineyard

2017 Patz & Hall Chardonnay Duttin Ranch Vineyard

with No Comment $30-$40ChardonnayKevin VogtSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

PATZ & HALL

2017 CHARDONNAY
DUTTON RANCH VINEYARD

2017 Patz & Hall Chardonnay Duttin Ranch Vineyard
James Hall and Donald Patz were colleagues at Flora Springs Winery before realizing they had shared passion for wines with a sense of place and character, and so they built a friendship around their love for small lot wine production. In 1988 Patz & Hall was founded by Donald and Heather Patz, James Hall, and Anne Moses, and has since maintained a solid reputation of excellence, consistently producing brilliant wines from some of Sonoma’s most well-renowned vineyards and growers.
 
The Dutton Ranch vineyard is home to some of the oldest Chardonnay vines in western Sonoma County, with partial dry farming producing intensely concentrated berries. The 2017 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay is a blend of five clones- Hyde-Wente, Robert Young, Rued, UC Davis Clone 4, and Spring Mountain, aged in 35% new Burgundian French oak giving the wine some spice while allowing the fruit shine.
 
PATZ & HALL
2017 CHARDONNAY
DUTTON RANCH VINEYARD
Retails at: $48
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
 
“From the Russian River, the 2017 Chardonnay Dutton Ranch is a step up and has more intensity and depth, with a rocking bouquet of honey stone fruits, brioche, toasted hazelnuts, and crushed stone. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and beautifully balanced, with bright acidity, it has a kiss of background oak but is a seriously good, layered effort that will cruise for 5-7 years, probably longer.”
96 Points
2018 Tinto Arzuaga Crianza Ribera Del Duero

2018 Tinto Arzuaga Crianza Ribera Del Duero

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtSpainTempranillo

TINTO ARZUAGA

2018 CRIANZA
RIBERA DEL DUERO

2018 Tinto Arzuaga Crianza Ribera Del Duero
Located next door to Vega Sicilia, one of Spain’s foremost producers, Arzuaga Winery sits in the heart of the Ribera del Duero DO. The geography is a warm, inland region along the Duero River, more recently gaining recognition for its bold Tempranillo-based wines. The family intimately connects with the land and maintains the vineyard’s biodiversity by farming sustainably and peacefully coexisting amongst flora and fauna. 
 
The care taken in the vineyard is the first and most crucial step before many others for quality wine production because it’s impossible to make outstanding wine without healthy, high-quality grapes. The 2018 Crianza is 95% Tempranillo with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and scored 97 points from the Decanter World Wine Awards, and for less than $40, this wine is an absolute treasure to behold.
 
TINTO ARZUAGA
2018 CRIANZA
RIBERA DEL DUERO
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“The bouquet is full of fragrant black fruits, cinnamon, cumin and Frankincense, the palate beautifully fleshy and textured, carrying cigar box, vanilla, blueberry and silky tannins through to a lingering, richly-fruited, finish. Such refined elegance! Outstanding.”
97 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
2019 Harvey & Harriet Proprietary Red San Luis Obispo

2019 Harvey & Harriet Proprietary Red San Luis Obispo

with No Comment $30-$40Central CoastKevin VogtPaso RoblesProprietary RedUSA

HARVEY & HARRIET

PROPRIETARY RED 
2019 SAN LUIS OBISPO

2019 Harvey & Harriet Proprietary Red San Luis Obispo
Luxuriously designed to emulate high-end Cabernet Blends’ most hedonistic qualities, Harvey & Harriett creator Eric Jensen’s inspiration for this wine came from his hardworking parents, Harvey and Harriet, who couldn’t afford the expensive, top-level Cabernet blends produced today. Eric struck gold, finding an ideal balance of opulence, intensity, and richness, making it a clear choice as our number four pick this year. 
 
Dedicated to growing fruit for some of the best wineries in Paso Robles, Eric Jensen of Booker Vineyard gained winemaking experience along the way from neighbors Stephan Asseo of L’Aventure, and friend Justin Smith of Saxum. The fruit for Harvey & Harriet is sourced from premier sites, blended to showcase the depth, power, and character expected from cult-style wines. 
 
HARVEY & HARRIET
PROPRIETARY RED 
2019 SAN LUIS OBISPO
 
Your Price: $32
 
 
“The 2019 Harvey & Harriet Blend is an extraordinary value in wine that begins with a beautiful nose of red, black, and blue fruits, along with graphite, vanilla spice, and sweet florals. It continues on the palate with crushed blackberries, red currants, pie spices, and liquid minerals. It has enough power without being over-the-top and is lush and rich, with supple, satiny tannins. Although it will drink beautifully for another 8 – 10 years, there is no reason to wait because it is delightful now.”
93 Points, #4 WCC Top 5 Wines of 2021
 
“…the 2019 Harvey and Harriet can be thought of as the more approachable, lush red in the lineup, and it always seems more black fruit-driven than the straight Cabernet Sauvignon. Blackberries, sweet tobacco, cedar, and some floral violet nuances define the nose, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a beautiful texture and silky tannins. It’s a smoking value, and while it has plenty of up-front charm, it certainly has a decade or more of overall longevity.”
94 Points
2017 Frisson Cabernet Sauvignon Alluvium Coombsville

2017 Frisson Cabernet Sauvignon Alluvium Coombsville

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

FRISSON

2017 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
ALLUVIUM COOMBSVILLE

2017 Frisson Cabernet Sauvignon Alluvium Coombsville
Frisson is a French word defined by a sudden feeling of excitement or thrill; Taking inspiration from this, Frisson Cabernet is mindfully crafted in a magnetic style, awakening your senses with intensely compelling characteristics, drawing you in with soul-stirring energy. The winery’s Alluvium Coombsville Cabernet whispers the region’s spirit with persuasive power and polished confidence, leaving a positive impression at its $115 retail price and a frisson at $36.
 
Focusing on revealing Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley’s leading sub-appellations most dynamic features, Frisson proprietors drew on Coombsville’s gravelly loam soils and cooler climate that naturally encourages balanced fruit in creating this masterpiece. This wine embodies the proprietor’s mission of creating boutique wines from grapes grown in superior terroir, transforming them into balanced wine with a sense of place. Frisson offers exceptional value at our Customer Appreciation Week Price.
 
FRISSON
2017 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
ALLUVIUM COOMBSVILLE
Retails at: $115
 
 
 
“Frisson’s 2017 Alluvium Coombsville Cabernet is striking in the glass with a deep, brooding, inky-purple color. This full-throttle wine begins with a powerful nose that includes very ripe dried plums, dried cherries, black currants, dried herbs, Asian spices, light florals, and bramble. The intense palate has concentrated black fruits with black plums, black cherries, vanilla hints, and exotic spice. This is certainly no cocktail wine, and it begs to be enjoyed with food. I had it with orange-barbecue glazed pork, and it was delightful.”
91 points
2018 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Aux Lieux-Dits

2018 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Aux Lieux-Dits

with No Comment $30-$40Cotes du RhoneFranceKevin VogtRhone ValleyRhone Valley

DOMAINE SANTA DUC

2018 GIGONDAS
AUX LIEUX-DITS

2018 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Aux Lieux-Dits
Domaine Santa Duc embodies the cumulative knowledge, heart, and experiences of six generations, each contributing to the wine’s signature, becoming a permanent part of their evolving story. Aux Lieux-Dits is a blend of eight unique parcels of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Cinsault, farmed biodynamically, bringing out the purest essence of Gigondas terroir.
 
Meticulous in every aspect of production, Domaine Santa Duc’s team handpicks and hand-sorts the grapes, feeding them into stainless-steel thermoregulated vats by gravity, ensuring the quality of each berry remains intact. Aging takes place in 3600-liter Stockinger oak foudres and 800-liter terra-cotta amphorae, emphasizing the wine’s fruit and spice characteristics, creating an ethereal mouthfeel and tantalizing finish that’s profoundly memorable, vastly overdelivering at this value price.
 
DOMAINE SANTA DUC
2018 GIGONDAS
AUX LIEUX-DITS
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“….Black-cherry and mulberry flavors are ripe but briskly balanced by a dazzling mineral freshness and salty, chalky finish. Fruity yet shaded by subtle kisses of charcuterie and dried earth, it’s a complex, hedonistic wine that’s at peak now through 2030. Made from organic and biodynamic grapes.”
94 Points
 
“Discreetly floral with blueberry and liquorice – rounded and juicy. A discrete style of wine, but it’s well balanced and has a sense of drinkability. There’s a nice sense of tannic finesse and it has good sense of direction and focus. Firm and well balanced, without excesses. Eight different plots around Gigondas, biodynamically farmed, partly destemmed. Drinking Window 2021 – 2027.”
94 Points
 
“Ripe but understated style, with a mix of Damson plum, black cherry and blackberry fruit flavors mixed with wood spice and black tea notes. Stylish, pure finish. Drink now through 2033…”
93 Points
2019 Silver Ghost Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2019 Silver Ghost Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonCalistogaKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSAYountville

SILVER GHOST 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2019 NAPA VALLEY

2019 Silver Ghost Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Named after Weston Eidson’s great-grandfather’s love for the legendary automobile of the same name- the 1909 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Silver Ghost Napa Valley Cabernet embodies the same precision, power, and class. Weston’s winemaking parallels in quality, gaining much of his experience from mentors Jason Moore and Russell Bevan.
 
Crafted from a selection of high-quality grapes from Rutherford, Calistoga, and Yountville, Silver Ghost is bold and expressive with 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and 5% Petite Verdot aged 22 months in 50% new French oak barriques. This value-driven wine compares to other Napa Valley Cabernets that are double and triple the price and thoroughly impressed our tasting panel when it stood out in a lineup of a few dozen respected producers within Napa Valley.
 
SILVER GHOST 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2019 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at $40
 
Your Price: $35
 
 
“I’m always impressed by the quality to value this producer offers in his wines, and this new release is another absolute winner. The 2019 Silver Ghost Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon begins with a nose including black cherries, pink peppercorns, dried sage, bay leaf, and violets. The palate showcases red currants, wild red berries, fresh tobacco leaf, cardamom, delicate mint, and oak spice. While this bottle will certainly benefit from a few extra years of aging, it is drinking beautifully now and will continue to for another decade.”
92 Points
2019 Flowers Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

2019 Flowers Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $30-$40ChardonnayKevin VogtSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

FLOWERS

2019 CHARDONNAY
SONOMA COAST

2019 Flowers Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
The heart of the winemaking philosophy at Flowers is for the wine to express its origin and promote the unique flavors of the rough, rugged, and remote coastal ridges of the Sonoma Coast. Three distinct qualities define the vineyards used to source their Chardonnay: extreme elevation, coastal influence, and sustainable farming practices that together create a haven for growing cool-climate varieties.
 
Winemaker Chantal Forthun believes in low intervention and uses a natural yeast strain from the skin of the grapes for fermentation, giving Flowers wines their particular characteristics. The 2019 vintage saw a cold, wet winter, followed by a mild spring and summer, resulting in moderate to slow ripening for delicate but complex layers of flavor with bright acidity and a pleasantly lingering finish. Our panel was thrilled with the quality of their 2019 Chardonnay, marking one of their best vintages yet, offering a stratospherically high level of quality for its value price.
 
FLOWERS
2019 CHARDONNAY
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $50
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“I love the Chardonnay from this estate, and their appellation 2019 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast is well worth seeking out, revealing a lighter gold hue as well as a crisp, nicely defined bouquet of poached pear, citrus, spice, and hazelnuts. Beautiful on the palate as well, it’s medium-bodied and has nicely integrated acidity, notable balance, and a great finish.”
94 Points
 
“Rich and finely textured, with concentrated white fruit flavors that show buttery hints. The spicy finish lingers with minerally snap and creamy accents. Drink now through 2025.”
92 Points
2017 Peter Mathis Grenache Sonoma Valley

2017 Peter Mathis Grenache Sonoma Valley

with No Comment $30-$40GrenacheKevin VogtSonomaSonoma ValleyUSA

PETER MATHIS

2017 GRENACHE
SONOMA VALLEY

2017 Peter Mathis Grenache Sonoma Valley
Peter Mathis made wine for over 20 years at Ravenswood while simultaneously working on a side project clearing land in the hills above Sonoma Valley, below the famed Monte Rosso Vineyard. He planted the vineyard himself, carved into Southern-facing slopes, using cuttings from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, achieving his long-held dream of growing premium Grenache in California. 
 
Grown in low vigor volcanic soils, Mathis Vineyard is planted to Grenache vines primarily, but includes a small amount of Petite Sirah, Carigñan, and Alicanté Bouschet, which make up a small percentage of the blend each year. Peter’s clonal selection yields tiny berries with great color and a tannic backbone with extra spice representing European roots with American flair. Our panel was thrilled with the wine’s penetrating fruit, site expression, and stunning balance, and it is a remarkable value at $32.
 
PETER MATHIS
2017 GRENACHE
SONOMA VALLEY 
 
Your Price: $32
 
 
“Among the most dark-fruited examples from the Mathis Vineyard, the 2017 Grenache rivals the 2007 and 2015 for lush blackberry and plum fruit, pepper spice, fresh acidity, firm grip and power—all balanced with the typical sweet, red fruit of all Grenache wines. These past vintages have been some of my favorites: they pair spectacularly with food, age well, and have a “seriousness” about them that I adore. I expect the 2017 to be an absolute top year for Mathis Grenache—highly recommended.”
2018 Laird Chardonnay Red Hen Ranch

2018 Laird Chardonnay Red Hen Ranch

with No Comment $30-$40ChardonnayKevin VogtNapaOak KnollUSA

LAIRD

2018 CHARDONNAY
RED HEN RANCH

2018 Laird Chardonnay Red Hen Ranch
With over 50 years of vineyard expertise farming some of Napa Valley’s most prime locations, the Laird family’s intimate knowledge of their vineyards is the foundation of their wines. Considered their “home vineyard,” Red Hen Ranch, located in the Oak Knoll District, is on the same property as the winery, allowing their team the ability to monitor it year-round closely. 
 
A stand-out in the Laird Family’s portfolio of vineyards, Red Hen Ranch vineyard is influenced by cool sea breezes from the San Pablo Bay, consistently producing a Chardonnay with pronounced fruit flavors and a refreshing balance of acidity. The winery’s philosophy centers on creating wines with unmasked identity, and winemaker Brian Mox beautifully translated the 2018 vintage into its distinctive vineyard voice with delectable opulence. 
 
LAIRD
2018 CHARDONNAY
RED HEN RANCH
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $32
 
 
“A full-bodied white with aromas and flavors of buttered toast, praline, grilled peach and dried mango. Ripe and flavorful with salted-butter notes on the finish. Drink now.”
93 Points