2013 Together Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2013 Together Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

TOGETHER

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2013 NAPA VALLEY

2013 Together Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Together’s 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is flawless, deepened with six years of bottle development, accentuating the mountain fruit’s power, and Grant Long Jr’s gentle winemaking techniques. The once muscular profile is now silken, with soft tannins, balanced acidity, opulent fruit, and balanced, integrated oak. At our price, words cannot do this wine justice with how it’s drinking right now. 
 
Grant wove together Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the surrounding mountains of Napa Valley and a vintage unanimously recognized for its unrivaled quality. Robert Parker alerted readers that the 2013 vintage “…may turn out to be the finest vintage I have experienced in tasting North Coast varietals over the last 37 years.” 
 
This remarkable wine is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, enhanced with Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, which were vital in balancing the distinct Mountain terroirs. The wine was cave-aged for around 20 months in premium oak barrels, and after six years in the bottle, it’s stunningly brilliant.
 
TOGETHER
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2013 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $80
 
 
 
“The Precursor to the lovely 2015 and 2014 vintages that I’ve written about is the Together Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, which is an absolute delight to drink. It begins with a concentrated nose of wild berries, bramble, cocoa powder, Spring florals, and wood spice. The concentrated palate is supple and opulent, with the wine’s characteristic black cherry/berry blend balancing the brighter, fresher red fruit notes and finishing with a chocolaty characteristic. Like the two previous vintages, it is rich, densely concentrated, and powerful, and the finish is smooth, satiny, balanced, and ready to drink right now.” 
93 Points, Kevin M. Vogt, Master Sommelier
2018 Domaine Dominique Guyon Hautes Cotes De Nuits Les Dames De Vergy

2018 Domaine Dominique Guyon Hautes Cotes De Nuits Les Dames De Vergy

with No Comment $30-$40BurgandyFranceKevin VogtPinot Noir

DOMAINE DOMINIQUE GUYON 

2018 HAUTES COTES DE NUITS
LES DAMES DE VERGY

2018 Domaine Dominique Guyon Hautes Cotes De Nuits Les Dames De Vergy
Domaine Dominique Guyon (Domaine Antonin Guyon) is a family-owned producer in Burgundy with significant holdings in the Côte d’Or. Brothers Dominique and Michel Guyon lead the operation, and they’re meticulously hands-on, which is not replicable with larger producers and is palpable in the glass. Their 2018 Les Dames de Vergy Cotes de Nuits Red Burgundy has penetrating fruit, restrained with a high level of balance and place. At less than $40, this a joy to behold and a remarkable value.  
 
Dominique accumulated nearly 80 separate parcels in the hills above Nuits-Saint-Georges, in an area known for quality. He combined them into a single 22-hectare vineyard with South facing slopes and limestone, rock, and clay soils that produce a remarkable expression of Pinot Noir. 
 
The Guyon’s are just as meticulous in their winemaking as they are with farming. They sort the grapes by hand in the vineyard, aiming to get the fruit to the vat within just 30 minutes from picking. They age the wine in oak for just 12 months to preserve the natural essence of the fruit, and the results are brilliant. 
 
DOMAINE DOMINIQUE GUYON 
2018 HAUTES COTES DE NUITS
LES DAMES DE VERGY
 
Your Price: $36
 
 
“This rich, densely textured wine is impressively ripe. Its tannins are still young and will sustain further development. With plenty of red cherry fruitiness to balance the structure, it will age further. Drink from 2022.”
92 Points “Cellar Selection”
2018 Panther Creek Pinot Noir De Ponte Vineyard Dundee Hills

2018 Panther Creek Pinot Noir De Ponte Vineyard Dundee Hills

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtOregonPinot NoirUSA

PANTHER CREEK

2018 PINOT NOIR
DE PONTE VINEYARD
DUNDEE HILLS 

2018 Panther Creek Pinot Noir De Ponte Vineyard Dundee Hills
Panther Creek crafts their Pinot Noir from the soil up, with the earth as the defining factor, drawing the blueprint for each of the wines they produce. Their Dundee Hills Pinot Noir arose from red clay-loam and volcanic soils that run from the ground straight through your glass, articulating its origin by balancing tart black cherry with lush raspberry, wild spices, and dried flowers. Once you see who’s making the wine and our price, the only question will be whether a single case will be enough. 
 
Tony Rynders, the winemaker at Panther Creek, has been immersed in Oregon Pinot Noir for two decades. He began his career under the tutelage of Ken Wright and later spent a decade at Domaine Serene, crafting their highly acclaimed Pinots. 
 
De Ponte Vineyard consists of South facing vines grown at 625 feet elevation centered in the Dundee Hills Appellation. Widely praised for their dense red fruits, intense floral aromas, and a hint of minerality, Pinot Noir from De Ponte is unmistakable. Panther’s Creek version expressively embodies the vineyard’s potential, and at $36, I couldn’t be any more enthusiastic about it.
 
PANTHER CREEK
2018 PINOT NOIR
DE PONTE VINEYARD
DUNDEE HILLS
Retails at: $45
 
Your Price: $36
 
 
“This supple, penetrating beauty begins with a nose with black cherries, white pepper, baking spices, and hints of vanilla. It is rich and concentrated with supple Mountain blackberries, pomegranate, cherry cola, and strawberries on the finish and is a silky, hedonistic pleasure to enjoy.”
93 Points
2016 Bibbiano Gran Selezione Chianti Classico Vigna Del Capannino

2016 Bibbiano Gran Selezione Chianti Classico Vigna Del Capannino

with No Comment $30-$40ChiantiChiantiKevin VogtTuscanyUSA

BIBBIANO

GRAN SELEZIONE
2016 CHIANTI CLASSICO
VIGNA DEL CAPANNINO 

2016 Bibbiano Gran Selezione Chianti Classico Vigna Del Capannino
Bibbiano cemented its spot on my top 5 wines-of-the-year list in 2020 with its explosive richness, deep-seated power, and captivating elegance. A month later, it earned a monstrous 95 point score in the Wine Spectator, which referenced the wine’s escalating power. Each time I taste it, the wine not only stands up to Italian, French and American producers, but it dominates just about everything in its path. If you want to taste an exceptionally high-quality Chianti at a great price, this is it. 
 
Making a dramatic entrance from one of Tuscany’s best vintages in nearly two decades, this stunning wine was created from 100% Sangiovese Grosso and aged for 30 months before bottling. On the palate, the wine is intensely captivating and with a satin texture and long resonant finish. 
 
Production requirements for Gran Selezione wines insist on sourcing the grapes from 100% Estate grown fruit or selecting the Estate’s best parcels. It also has higher extract restrictions and extended oak aging requirements. Gran Selezione, which means Great Selection, is the pinnacle of quality for Chianti Classico.
 
BIBBIANO
GRAN SELEZIONE
2016 CHIANTI CLASSICO
VIGNA DEL CAPANNINO
Retails at: $42
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“This red starts out smooth, displaying ripe black cherry and plum flavors, along with earth, iron and woodsy elements. Gains power as this builds on the palate, ending in an extended aftertaste of loam, iron and wild herb accents… 250 cases imported.”
95 Points
 
“Restrained, fresh pomegranate fruit with slightly nutty character, earthy-strawberry depth and minerality. Bright acidity and savoury character, firm and chalky, with natural and integrated freshness. Andrew Jefford: A gorgeously teased, poised aromatic ripeness here: subtle incense spice just hidden behind the refined, perfumed plums; a hint of orange peel. Shapely, fresh, vivid and vigorous: super purity, admirable finesse.” 
95 Points
 
“…shows classic lines and balanced intensity with a nice spot of acidity and plenty of dark berry fruit to soften it out. The 2016 vintage is a classic one in Tuscany, and that’s why you get so much cooling cherry, forest berry and cassis on this versatile Gran Selezione wine. Drink 2021-2032”
94 Points
2018 Jon Nathaniel Bodacious Proprietary Red

2018 Jon Nathaniel Bodacious Proprietary Red

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

JON NATHANIEL

2018 BODACIOUS
PROPRIETARY RED

2018 Jon Nathaniel Bodacious Proprietary Red
Veteran winemakers John and Nat Komes established Jon Nathaniel winery to recapture their creative freedom. They hand-craft each wine with the highest standards of excellence and meticulously select fruit from small parcels that they’ve farmed for decades. John founded Flora Springs winery in the late 70s and helped pioneer barrel fermentation, lees stirring, the use of French and American oak barrels, and proprietary blends in Napa Valley. Nat previously oversaw operations at Flora Springs for nearly 20 years, and together they craft this incredible, high-scoring blend. 
 
This wine gets its name from the iconic rodeo bull, Bodacious, known as The World’s Most Dangerous Bull. The wine Bodacious presents in a larger-than-life, expressive style that captures the winemaker’s creativity and vision for crafting a wine that tells a powerful tale of the vintage and the care that went into it. 
 
They cellared the 2018 release for around 20 months in barrel, and now, right out of the bottle, it’s supple, rich, and inviting. Winemakers Nat and Jon created the 2018 Bodacious by artfully blending Malbec and Petite Verdot, and the sheer quality of this wine is no bull.
 
JON NATHANIEL
2018 BODACIOUS
PROPRIETARY RED
Retails at: $60
 
Your Price: $36
 
 
“the 2018 Red Blend Bodacious checks in as equal parts Malbec and Petit Verdot, all from the Napa Valley. A big, inky, ruby/purple color is followed by rich notes of ripe blackcurrants, blueberries, dark chocolate, scorched earth, and graphite. With sweet tannins, a dense, concentrated, medium to full-bodied style, and nicely integrated oak, this ripe, sexy 2018 can be drunk today or cellared for 10-15 years.”
93 Points
2018 Leviathan Proprietary Red California

2018 Leviathan Proprietary Red California

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtProprietary RedUSA

LEVIATHAN

PROPRIETARY RED
2018 CALIFORNIA 

2018 Leviathan Proprietary Red California
Leviathan is Californian through and through. Created unbound by tradition to showcase the vintage’s most potent characteristics, Leviathan captures the essence of a New World winemaker’s freedom to create a wine outside the bounds of single appellations or classic varietal blends. Recently ranked #18 on Jeb Dunnuck’s list of Napa’s Top Cabernets under $100, and notably, the 2018 Leviathan at $39.99 was also the best value on the list and the only wine priced below $60. 
 
Masterfully blended by Andy Erickson, winemaker at Screaming Eagle from 2005-2010, the 2018 Leviathan was created around a core of Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, all from carefully chosen sites throughout California.
 
Leviathan’s 2018 release exemplifies the vintage’s best characteristics with impressive structure, fully developed flavors, and balanced acidity. At $40, it’s easy to see why it continually gets monster scores.
 
LEVIATHAN
PROPRIETARY RED
2018 CALIFORNIA
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“Always a great value… The wine reveals a ruby/purple hue as well as complex notes of red and black fruits, green tobacco, cedary spice, and spring flowers. These all flow to a medium to full-bodied, elegant wine that offers good overall concentration, seamless tannins, and a great finish. Very much in the style of the 2018 vintage with its more streamlined, elegant style, it’s going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age (although it’s far from unapproachable today) and keep for a solid 10-12 years or more. This is one of the more age-worthy examples of this cuvée that I recall.”
94 Points
 
“A Blackberry and asphalt aromas with some violets and rose petals. Medium to full body. Some carbon to the dark fruit. Tasty and delicious. Chewy now, but we like it already. Drinkable now, but will improve with age.”
93 points
2017 Belle Glos Eulenloch Vineyard Pinor Noir Napa Valley

2017 Belle Glos Eulenloch Vineyard Pinor Noir Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40CarnerosKevin VogtNapaPinot NoirUSA

BELLE GLOS

EULENLOCH VINEYARD
2017 PINOT NOIR
NAPA VALLEY

2017 Belle Glos Eulenloch Vineyard Pinor Noir Napa Valley
Belle Glos Pinot Noirs have an extravagantly rich style that transcends varietal/category to the degree that even some Cabernet-drinkers enjoy them. Winemaker Joe Wagner crafts them with unprecedented lavish fruit and sweet oak levels, and he works to distill the essence of each vineyard and deliver it generously. His Eulenloch Pinot Noir from Napa Valley’s Carneros region is opulent, complex, and nuanced. At around $40, it’s a lot of Pinot for the price. 
 
Joe was involved in the Wagner Family wine business at an early age, taking invaluable lessons from his father, Chuck Wagner, who founded Caymus Vineyards with his father, Charlie. Joe created Belle Glos to showcase Pinot Noirs produced from noteworthy coastal wine-growing regions, and lucky for us, he recently added Eulenloch Vineyard in Napa Valley. 
 
Eulenloch Vineyard benefits from cooling influences from the Pacific Ocean via San Pablo Bay, which helps the grapes maintain acidity and structure. Joe utilizes frequent punch downs to extract color and tannins at the winery, and he controls temperature to maximize flavor.
 
BELLE GLOS
EULENLOCH VINEYARD
2017 PINOT NOIR
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“Deep ruby red with aromas of ripe cherry, blueberry, and juicy blackberry layered with hints of cocoa and forest floor. A rich and opulent wine offering flavors of baker’s chocolate, blackberry, and sweet pipe tobacco. This wine is well rounded with supple, refined tannins and a mouthwatering, long finish.”
2018 Details Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County

2018 Details Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County

with No Comment $30-$40Alexander ValleyCabernet SauvignonChalk HillDry Creek ValleyKevin VogtKnight's ValleySonomaUSA

DETAILS

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 SONOMA COUNTY

2018 Details Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County
Details Cabernet fuses superior talent, assiduous fruit selection, and rigorous science in creating their value-focused Cabernet. Their commitment to excellence and obsessive attention to detail paid off, resulting in an enchanting wine that tastes like it should be much more expensive. We were among the first to feature it last August, before any scores. Recently, Vinous reviewed it, alerting readers to this “ridiculous value.” At $33, it’s a wine everybody should try. 
 
Sourced from a hillside vineyard located on the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas Mountains, behind Oakville, this wine also incorporates fruit from Knights Valley, Alexander Valley, Dry Creek, and Chalk Hill for increased definition. Their team handpicks the fruit to precise analytics, equating to optimized flavors and aromas. 
 
Details is a new project by the owners of Sinegal, and Ryan Knoth makes the wines. Ryan gained valuable experience working under the tutelage of icons David Abreu, Michel Rolland, and Fredrik Johansson at Staglin Vineyards. He also worked with Jim Barbour and Philippe Melka at Gandona Estate.
 
DETAILS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 SONOMA COUNTY
Retails at: $40
 
Your Price: $33
 
 
“The 2018 Details Cabernet Sauvignon is a new project from David Sinegal and winemaker Ryan Knoth made from a collection of top sites in Sonoma County, with a strong focus on Moon Mountain. Silky, yet powerful, with striking depth, the 2018 is simply magnificent. Readers will find a mid-weight, savory Cabernet Sauvignon. Best of all, the 2018 is a ridiculous value in today’s world.”
93 Points
 
“A value-priced release from this terrific estate, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon DETAILS checks in as 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% each of Merlot and Petite Sirah, 4% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, all aged 16 months in 55% new oak. Lots of ripe black cherry and blueberry fruits, notes of vanilla bean, cedar, and tobacco, medium to full-bodied richness, and notable purity all make for a delicious Napa Valley Cabernet that won’t break the bank. Enjoy bottles over the coming 7-8 years.”
91 Points
2015 Poggio Nardone Brunello Di Montalcino Italy

2015 Poggio Nardone Brunello Di Montalcino Italy

with No Comment $30-$40BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin Vogt

POGGIO NARDONE

2015 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY 

2015 Poggio Nardone Brunello Di Montalcino Italy
There are great wines made through the winemaker’s decisions, and then there are those that result from the vintage, which was a fantastic one in Montalcino for their 2015’s. The year produced wines with remarkable power, dynamic complexity, and a purity of fruit that’s spectacular. Finding a high-quality Brunello from 2015 is easy, but finding one at $40 is nearly impossible. Of the 118 2015 vintage Brunellos rated by the Wine Spectator, only 1 had a release price of $40. Here’s the needle in the haystack. 
 
Poggio Nardone’s 2015 Brunello is a classic blend of 100% Sangiovese Grosso aged four years in barrel. The vines were grown at an altitude of 350-450 meters in soils rich in marl and limestone and produced fruit with precision detail. 
 
The estate is less than 10 hectares, but it’s also the exact location where ideal soils and high altitude vineyards intersect and produce powerful, dense, and long-lived Brunellos that make a lasting impression.
 
POGGIO NARDONE
2015 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“A ripe but composed Brunello di Montalcino with tar, leather, dried brambleberries, dried tea leaves and ash. Chewy and foursquare on the full-bodied palate; the rustic tannins give this a silty, grainy quality. Decadent and powerful…”
94 Points
 
“This is a lovely expression of Sangiovese with a full and generous disposition… offers bright cherry, cassis, raspberry and other red berry fruits. Those fruity high notes are followed by savory tones of forest floor, candied orange peel, autumnal leaf and baking spice. The wine offers a smooth and silky mouthfeel with well-integrated tannins and a long, polished finish. This is a clean and compact interpretation of Brunello with the amped up and generous characteristics of this sunny vintage… Drink 2021-2035”
93 Points
2018 Sparkman Holler Cabernet Sauvignon

2018 Sparkman Holler Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonColumbia ValleyKevin VogtUSAWashington State

SPARKMAN

2018 HOLLER
CABERNET SAUVIGNON

2018 Sparkman Holler Cabernet Sauvignon
Sparkman handcrafts powerfully concentrated and elegantly balanced wines from Washington State and people are noticing. We discovered them in 2016 and gushed about their 2013 Holler, which went on to rank #21 on the Wine Spectator Top 100, out-scoring icons like Screaming Eagle at more than 25 times its price. The winery hasn’t skipped a beat since, and their 2018 vintage powerfully reflects Columbia Valley’s distinct terroir and the winery’s hallmark style of crafting concentrated wines deep-seated in elegance. 
 
Winemaker Linn Scott called on fruit from eleven different unique sites in Columbia Valley when creating the 2018 Holler. The resulting wine offers a well-rounded interpretation of Columbia Valley terroir, presented with supreme balance. 
 
The Wine Spectator describes the 2018 vintage in Washington State as producing “full-bodied yet well-balanced wines.” Sparkman Holler is a grand example, and after 18 months in oak and rest in the bottle, this wine is drinking beautifully.
 
SPARKMAN
2018 HOLLER
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
 
Your Price: $32
 
 
“This is a pan-Washington Cabernet, with fruit from White Bluffs, Horse Heaven, Red Mountain and Yakima Valley. The aromas offer notes of vanilla, sautéed dried herb, ground aniseed, coffee and cherry. Plump chocolate and cherry flavors follow, with a smooth feel upping the appeal.”
91 Points, Editors’ Choice
 
“We’re not sure how to fully and accurately describe this wine. Really. Stunning is a word that might work. It’s degree of texture and personality are something we have not seen before in this label. Silky. Deep. Polished. Round. Its sexy accessibility is counterintuitive for a wine this young. It possesses a dense purple saturation as well as a stunning nose of black and blue fruits, orange peel, sweet oak and crushed mineral. On the palate it leads with supple rich fruit balanced atop a fine tannic framework. Flavors erupting on the palate include blackberry, cherry, citrus, caramel, mocha, cedar and stone. Ready to roll right now and built for the long run.”