2019 Morgan Twelve Clones Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir

2019 Morgan Twelve Clones Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir

with No Comment $30 and underCentral CoastKevin VogtMontereyPinot NoirSanta Lucia HighlandsUSA

MORGAN

TWELVE CLONES
SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS
2019 PINOT NOIR 

2019 Morgan Twelve Clones Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir
Dan and Donna Lee founded Morgan winery in the early 1980s, focusing on sustainable farming and minimalist winemaking, becoming a leader in high-quality, value wines from California’s Central Coast. Dan produces wines that are true to the variety and vineyard location, displaying precision and balance between freshness and elegance that’s enjoyable immediately upon release.
 
The Twelve Clones Pinot Noir is the winery’s flagship wine named for the numerous clones that give this wine its wide range of complex flavors and aromas that send your senses on a wild and pleasure-filled ride. The fruit comes from some of Santa Lucia Highland’s best vineyards, including Morgan’s organically farmed Double L vineyard, which provides 67% of the grapes in this 94pt 2019 vintage.
 
MORGAN
TWELVE CLONES
SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS
2019 PINOT NOIR 
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“Bright aromas of pomegranate, orange peel, pepper and sea salt show on the nose of this clonal combination. Zesty, energetic flavors of lemon and orange zest meet with a tart and snappy red-currant flavor on the palate, with oregano and cardamom adding complexity toward the finish.”
94 Points
 
“… Very nicely perfumed with scents of black cherry, strawberry, spice, and savory herbs. Light to mid-weight in style with a delicious core of giving strawberry, raspberry, and cherry flavors. Silky in the mouth, with appealing fitness, minimal tannins, and a compliment of barrel magic. Elegant and giving and ideal as a daily drinker.”
92 Points
2019 Castello Romitorio Super Tuscan Tuscany, Italy

2019 Castello Romitorio Super Tuscan Tuscany, Italy

with No Comment $30 and underChiantiItalyKevin VogtSyrahTuscany

CASTELLO ROMITORIO

2019 ROMITORO
SUPER TUSCAN
TUSCANY, ITALY

2019 Castello Romitorio Super Tuscan Tuscany, Italy
Castello di Romitorio’s history is extensive, beginning as a temple in Roman times with many transformations before its most recent renovation in the 1980s into a winery and art workshop by the owner and Italian artist Sandro Chia. Sandro believes the best expressions of art and wine thrive with a minimalistic approach and that natural progression should never be altered but rather enhanced.
 
The Romitoro IGT encompasses indigenous French varietals, proving that these varieties grow incredibly well in Tuscany, producing high-quality wines. The 2019 Castello di Romitorio “Romitoro” comingles Syrah and Petit Verdot, in a classic and refreshing style that scored 93 points from Robert Parker and James Suckling, offering incomparable value at $25.
 
CASTELLO ROMITORIO
2019 ROMITORO
SUPER TUSCAN
TUSCANY, ITALY
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“The Castello Romitorio 2019 RomiTòro is a generous Tuscan blend of Petit Verdot and Syrah… This is a terrific value from a vintage that delivers excellent balance, intensity and richness. That beautiful concentration is what drives this wine, imparting dark fruit flavors, plum, spice and sweet tobacco along the way. This was a terrific vintage in both Maremma and Montalcino, the two areas where Filippo Chia makes wine.”
93 Points
 
“Plums and blackberries with black-mushroom and dark bark undertones. Full-bodied with round tannins and a delicious, juicy finish. This needs time to come together, but already so pretty. Drink or hold.”
93 Points
2017 Sola Provus Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

2017 Sola Provus Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

SOLA PROVUS

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 OAKVILLE
2017 Sola Provus Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville
First planted with wine grapes in the 1860s, the Oakville AVA is home to many family-owned vineyards managed by detail-oriented growers and visionary vintners working together to articulate the region’s notorious complexity, continuing the AVA’s precedence. Within the Napa Valley, Oakville has the largest concentration of some of Napa’s greatest producers, including Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, and Opus One, to name a few.
 
Sola Provus’ proprietors knew they had discovered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when they discovered land for sale in Oakville, so the husband and wife sold everything they owned, quit their jobs, and moved to Napa to begin their wine adventure. Our tasting panel tasted the 2017 Sola Provus with many other wines from the same vintage, and the Sola Provus truly stood out as a winner with tangible value. 
 
SOLA PROVUS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 OAKVILLE
Retails at: $110
 
 
 
“The 2017 Sola Provus Cabernet Sauvignon is a sultry wine that opens with notes of crushed blackberries, black cherries, cassis, mushrooms, baked earth, and Christmas spices.  The wine’s complexity expands onto the palate with fudge brownies, savory spices, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The finish is long and layered, slowly drifting from one flavor to the next until you’re ready for another sip.”
94 Points
2020 Foxen Chenin Blanc Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard Santa Maria

2020 Foxen Chenin Blanc Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard Santa Maria

with No Comment $30 and underCentral CoastChenin BlancKevin VogtSanta Maria ValleyUSA

FOXEN

2020 CHENIN BLANC
ERNESTO WICKENDEN VINEYARD
SANTA MARIA VALLEY
2020 Foxen Chenin Blanc Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard Santa Maria
Foxen’s Chenin Blanc comes from one of the oldest plots of Chenin Blanc in the United States, the Ernesto Wickenden vineyard, planted in 1966. Located inside the Santa Maria Valley AVA, the vineyard benefits from the cool air that funnels in from the Pacific Ocean to the sun-drenched hillsides, giving a much-needed cooling effect. This climate allows for optimum ripeness with crisp acidity that’s palpable in this exceptional wine.
 
Ernesto Wickenden’s old vines produce low yields of highly concentrated grapes adding greater complexity and a rich texture, commingled with honey, tropical fruits, and floral aromas. The 2020 vintage is a stunning wine that stood out in a crowd of dozens of other wines when tasted by our tasting panel, doing so for an unbelievably low price. 
 
FOXEN
2020 CHENIN BLANC
ERNESTO WICKENDEN VINEYARD
SANTA MARIA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $27
 
 
“The 2020 Foxen Chenin Blanc begins with decadent floral notes of honeysuckle and acacia, followed by ripe golden apples, peaches, honey, straw, and vanilla ice cream. On the palate, the wine is rich with Meyer lemon, a hint of dried pineapple, and a flinty minerality. The bright acidity perfectly balances the ripe fruit and body, leading to an elegant finish.”
93 Points
2016 The Paring Proprietary Red California

2016 The Paring Proprietary Red California

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtProprietary RedUSA

THE PARING

PROPRIETARY RED
2016 CALIFORNIA

2016 The Paring Proprietary Red California

Created in 2006 out of a desire for more creativity and imagination in the vineyard, The Paring catapulted into popularity, earning placements on many great restaurant wine lists due to its undeniable charm. The grapes for The Paring come from younger vines within the vineyard blocks at highly regarded big sister wineries The Hilt and JONATA.
 
Winemaker Matt Dees is a natural when it comes to winemaking, curious and experimental, with notable vintages under his belt from Staglin in Napa Valley and Craggy Range in New Zealand. The 2016 vintage is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Petit Verdot that scored 93 points from Jen Dunnuck and is a beautiful homage to Bordeaux style blends for under $30. 
 
THE PARING
PROPRIETARY RED
2016 CALIFORNIA
 
Your Price: $28
 
 
“The 2016 Red Wine checks in as a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot, and 10% Petit Verdot. Brilliant notes of cassis, tobacco leaf, damp earth, cedary herbs, and graphite all emerge from this concentrated, remarkably pure, elegant Bordeaux blend hat has building tannins and a great, great finish. It tastes like it costs three times the price.”
93 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
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 Quartz Light Red Blend Casablanca Valley Chile

2018 Quartz Light Red Blend Casablanca Valley Chile

with No Comment $30 and underChileKevin VogtPinot Noir

QUARTZ

LIGHT RED (PINOT NOIR) BLEND
2018 CASABLANCA VALLEY CHILE

2018 Quartz Light Red Blend Casablanca Valley Chile
In the early days of Chile’s winemaking history, many vineyards were composed of field blends, interplanted with red and white varietals that were later blended for the farmers to enjoy as their everyday drinking wine. The Quartz Light Red Blend is a trip down nostalgia lane and pays tribute to the classic field blends of the area’s pioneers.
 
The vines are grown in soils rich in quartz crystals, which are sacred to many cultures for their physical, emotional, and mental healing powers. The balance found in the resulting wine is so clean and clear that you can skip the crystals because all that’s needed to realign your chakras is another glass of this unique and delicious blend of primarily Pinot Noir, enhanced with Tempranillo and Chardonnay. Our panel thoroughly enjoyed this wine down to the last drop, and we were surprised to find a wine of this quality at this value-level price.
 
QUARTZ
LIGHT RED (PINOT NOIR) BLEND
2018 CASABLANCA VALLEY CHILE
 
Your Price: $15.99
 
 
“The 2018 Quartz Light Red Blend has bright aromas of bing cherries, sliced strawberries, raspberries, pomegranate, ginger, and cinnamon. The refreshing acidity and juicy fruit flavors are perfectly balanced, rounded out with soft tannins and a crisp finish. This wine is meant to be enjoyed in its youth and is an excellent pairing with holiday gatherings, so buy a case and drink up!”
91 Points
2018 Tinazzi Collezione Di Famiglia Verona, Italy

2018 Tinazzi Collezione Di Famiglia Verona, Italy

with No Comment $30 and underItalyKevin Vogt

TINAZZI

COLLEZIONE DI FAMIGLIA
2018 VERONA CORVINA
VERONA, ITALY

2018 Tinazzi Collezione Di Famiglia Verona, Italy
Tasting Tinazzi’s 2018 Corvina last April, we were entranced by the outrageous quality, unfitting at its value price. However, when recently re-tasting each potential selection for our top five list this year, the fact that our panel preferred drinking this over $150 – $250 Napa Cabs on the table solidified our choice. 
 
Corvina is an Italian grape variety with an integral role, mandated by law in all Valpolicella wines, including Amarone, which must include a minimum of 45% in their blends. This late-ripening variety is low in tannin and high in acidy. Tinazzi’s version is varietally classic, manifested with bright cherry, transitioning to juicy dark cherry, spice, and classic hints of almond, a signature of the variety. Fans of juicy Rhone blends, Zinfandel, and of course Valpolicella wines (and well, anybody with a pulse) would love this, and especially at $25.
 
TINAZZI
COLLEZIONE DI FAMIGLIA
2018 VERONA CORVINA
VERONA, ITALY
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“The 2018 Tinazzi Verona Corvina is concentrated with juicy fruit aromas such as cranberries, red cherries, and black raspberries with spicy hints of cardamom, nutmeg, white pepper, and dried oregano. This medium to full-bodied wine is fresh and delightful with soft tannins and a succulent finish. The depth and complexity of flavor this wine displays puts it on a well-deserved pedestal and can be enjoyed tonight and over the next few years.”
94 Points, #5 WCC Top 5 Wines of 2021
 
“Deep bright red; Ample and harmonious, ranging from red fruits to spices; Velvety, persistent and full, with great harmony.”
96 Points, Luca Maroni
2020 Domaine Chasselay Gamay Rouge Je T'Aime Mais J'ai Soif

2020 Domaine Chasselay Gamay Rouge Je T’Aime Mais J’ai Soif

with No Comment $30 and underBurgandyFranceKevin Vogt

DOMAINE CHASSELAY

2020 GAMAY ROUGE
JE T’AIME MAIS J’AI SOIF 

2020 Domaine Chasselay Gamay Rouge Je T'Aime Mais J'ai Soif
The Chasselay family has been growing grapes and making wine since 1464 in the small village of Châtillon d’Azergues, located in southern Beaujolais, where granite and limestone soils produce exquisite fruit. Today, Jean-Gilles Chasselay and his two children Fabien and Claire, work the vineyards and vinify the wines with an invested interest in sustainable viticulture and have been certified organic since 2006.
 
Whole-cluster fermentation is very common in the region; however, while Fabien was training under Bruno Clavelier in Vosne Romanée, he learned that destemming Gamay grapes produced a Burgundian style wine with silky tannins and a touch of salinity. The grapes are hand-harvested and fermented in concrete with natural yeasts, emphasizing the fresh fruit character and minerality from the soils for a wine that drinks deliciously on its own but is also magnificent with food. Trust me on this one; if you enjoy French Pinot Noir or top-quality Beaujolais wines, you’ll love this.
 
DOMAINE CHASSELAY
2020 GAMAY ROUGE
JE T’AIME MAIS J’AI SOIF 
 
Your Price: $27
 
 
“Je t’aime mais j’ai soif” means, “I love you, but I’m thirsty,” and this wine couldn’t be more accurately named. The intense and complex aromatics hook you immediately with cranberries, wild strawberries, black plums, warm apple cider, dried oregano, savory spice, and underbrush. The palate is bright and alluring with acidity that tingles on the palate, a deep concentration of flavors, and an electric finish. This wine pairs beautifully with charcuterie but also drinks superbly on its own.”
93 Points