2017 Luke Goldschmidt Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley

2017 Luke Goldschmidt Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley

with No Comment $30 and underAlexander ValleyCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtSonomaUSA

LUKE GOLDSCHMIDT

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2017 ALEXANDER VALLEY

2017 Luke Goldschmidt Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
Goldschmidt wines highlight a region’s most distinct characteristics and present them in an intense, well-balanced style. Some of their best examples come from Alexander Valley, where Nick Goldschmidt has extensive experience. Nick’s son Luke also has experience making wine worldwide, from Chile, France, Spain, and Argentina to New Zealand. Together, they crafted this wine which at $22 perfectly reflects Alexander Valley’s rich terroir.
 
The 2017 vintage is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from low-vigor vines, yielding just 3.5 tons per acre of highly concentrated berries. The wine is deep and rich on the palate, layered with red and black fruits, cocoa, cherry pipe tobacco, and dried herbs. 
 
Nick and Luke fermented this release in a combination of French, American, and Hungarian oak barrels, which added compelling spice notes and vexations of toasty oak. Just like in previous Goldschmidt Cabernets, this beauty out-performs others at double its price.
 
LUKE GOLDSCHMIDT
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2017 ALEXANDER VALLEY
Retails at: $25
 
Your Price: $22
 
 
“Nicely focused red cherry and red raspberry aromas. Loaded with red berry fruit flavors with a touch of caramel, dark chocolate, and toasty oak. Full and well-structured from the long hang time. The texture is smooth and the mouth medium bodied. White pepper and spice in the finish with long and supple tannins.”
2017 Balletto Zinfandel Russian River Valley

2017 Balletto Zinfandel Russian River Valley

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtRussian River ValleySonomaUSAZinfandel

BALLETTO 

2017 ZINFANDEL 
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY 

2017 Balletto Zinfandel Russian River Valley
Balletto Vineyards has intimate knowledge of their land, which stems from hand-tending each vine throughout the year. Their team has complete control of the vineyard and in the cellar, and they’re meticulous in every aspect. The fact that they own 700 acres of vines in Sonoma County and only keep the top 10% of their grapes for their Estate wines is palpable in your glass. At less than $30, their Russian River Zinfandel is bright, balanced, elegant in style. It drinks beautifully and is a serious value.
 
The 2017 Zinfandel was forged exclusively from the winery’s own BCD Vineyard located in the rolling hills leading up the Coastal mountain range. The vineyard’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean allows the fruit to develop slowly, resulting in full, complex flavors that perfectly reflect their origin. 
 
The winemaking team looks for the perfect balance of bright, forward fruit, along with deep, rich flavors of bigger-styled Zins. To achieve their signature style, they harvest at the pinnacle of ripeness and age the Zin for ten months in French and American oak barrels, which lend spice and structure to the wine, matching the inherent characteristics of the varietal.
 
BALLETTO 
2017 ZINFANDEL 
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
 
Your Price: $28
 
 
“Each year, Balletto produces a distinctly bright and aromatic Zinfandel. It’s part floral, part mixed black berry and part earth and savory spices that fill the background. It’s distinct and delicious and makes a solid statement about Zinfandel that’s grown in a cooler climate and made with the fine touch associated with Pinot Noir producers. The wine is rich with an integrated mid-palate weight that’s balanced with crisp acidity on the front and fine, cocoa-like tannins on the finish. The resulting wine is complete and balanced with the vibrant aromatic profile melding nicely with the flavors and texture of the wine.”
2018 Vista Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve

2018 Vista Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSA

VISTA

RUTHERFORD RESERVE
2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 

2018 Vista Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve
Vista commands attention as the only Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford at $25. The 2018 release powerfully reflects the region’s dynamic complexity, superior elegance, and dusty tannins. The 2018 vintage magnifies these traits because it’s one of the best in the last decade. Now, with more time in the bottle, if you haven’t tasted one lately, I recommend you do. This extra time produced a richer, more opulent, complex Cabernet Sauvignon that will make anyone rethink what’s possible at this price level.
 
This 2018 offering originates from Rutherford’s Western side, where the soils and microclimate produce pristine, complex fruit. The Cabernet Sauvignon is clone 337, a clone often used in cult wines, and it’s balanced with 15% Oakville Cabernet Franc and 6% Rutherford Merlot.
 
In the 2018 vintage, Mother Nature gifted the valley with a long, trouble-free growing season that allowed the grapes more time on the vines to develop deep, complex flavors. Vista’s 2018 Rutherford Reserve Cabernet perfectly reflects the vintage with a purity of fruit and a unique complexity that expands into mineral-laced black fruits, blue violets, iron, and Rutherford dust hints.
 
VISTA
RUTHERFORD RESERVE
2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“The Vista Reserve Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 has a gorgeous, powerful nose of blackberry pie filling, French lavender, sweet vanilla and brioche. On the palate, this opulent beauty is rich and concentrated, with a core of focused fruits and flavors including mountain blackberries, red plums, ripe blueberries, menthol, vanilla spice, and dark chocolate, all supported by fine grained fruit tannins. It is amazingly ready-to-drink now, but has the structure to cellar for a decade.” 
95 Points, Kevin M. Vogt, Master Sommelier
2016 Livio Sassetti Montecucco Rosso DOC La Querciolina

2016 Livio Sassetti Montecucco Rosso DOC La Querciolina

with No Comment $30 and underChiantiItalyKevin VogtRossoSangioveseTuscany

LIVIO SASSETTI

MONTECUCCO ROSSO DOC
LA QUERCIOLINA 2016 

2016 Livio Sassetti Montecucco Rosso DOC La Querciolina
The Sassetti family is one of the top producers of Sangiovese-based wines in Tuscany. It’s their dedication to their land and ability to identify new plots capable of producing world-class fruit that has been a key to their success. Their Montecucco Rosso comes from an organically farmed 12-hectare vineyard in Southern Tuscany, and in all honesty, it drinks better than a lot of good $50 Brunellos. Vinous describes the 2016 release as “gorgeous and an amazing value,” and at $28, I bet you’ll wish you had ordered more once you taste it.
 
Montecucco neighbors Montalcino, and most of its seven villages are on the slopes of Monte Amiata, Italy’s second-highest volcano. The soils there are of volcanic origin and produce powerful Sangiovese Grosso fruit that’s concentrated, vibrant, and unique to Montecucco. 
 
Livio Sassetti’s Montecucco Rosso is 100% Sangiovese Grosso, the same grape used for Brunello. The winemaking team aged the 2016 vintage for just six months in barrel, preserving the fruit’s vibrancy, and now with sufficient time in the bottle, this vintage is stunning.
 
LIVIO SASSETTI
MONTECUCCO ROSSO DOC
LA QUERCIOLINA 2016
 
Your Price: $28
 
 
“The bouquet is dark and earthy in the best possible way, as savory herbs give way to crushed black cherry, encased in an air of smoky minerals, sous-bois, and hints of animal musk. The 2016 La Querciolina Montecucco Rosso then floods the palate with silky textures, offset by cool-toned red fruits and minerals, riding a core of brisk acids. It finishes with medium length yet brimming with energy, as a mix of savory spice and minerality slowly tapers off, leaving just a hint of dried cranberry. This is gorgeous and an amazing value. Drink 2020-2026”
93 points
 
“A firm and silky red with berries and a hint of chocolate. Some coffee, too. Medium body, firm yet polished tannins and a fresh finish. Drink now.”
91 Points
2018 Bacio Divino Pazzo Napa Valley Proprietary Red

2018 Bacio Divino Pazzo Napa Valley Proprietary Red

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtNapaOakvilleProprietary RedUSA

BACIO DIVINO

2018 PAZZO 
NAPA VALLEY
PROPRIETARY RED

2018 Bacio Divino Pazzo Napa Valley Proprietary Red
Bacio Divino is one of the top producers of Sangiovese-based blends in Napa Valley, and their reputation of excellence spans each of the wines they produce. They created Pazzo in 1999 as a sister-label to Bacio Divino that would appeal to a broader audience. The 2018 vintage is incredibly rich, with penetrating fruit and intriguing floral elements. Pazzo means crazy in Italian, and at around $30, the 2018 release is a crazy-good value.
 
Bacio Divino has a history of producing high-scoring wines. Because of that, they have access to some of the greatest vineyards in Napa Valley, including Beckstoffer Heritage sites in Oakville and Rutherford and Sangiovese on Atlas Peak. Pazzo comes from a collection of unnamed sites and include grapes from their Estate vineyard.
 
Winemaker Kirk Venge built the 2018 Pazzo with 38% Sangiovese and 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, and he tied them together with Syrah and Petite Sirah. The 2018 vintage produced powerful fruit with incredible intensity. This vintage is like a bistro-wine on steroids, and you’ll thank me later, once you taste it.
 
BACIO DIVINO
2018 PAZZO 
NAPA VALLEY
PROPRIETARY RED
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“This is full-bodied with round, ripe tannins that give form to the ripe palate of plum and berry with some fig undertones. Round and savory. Drink now or hold.”
91 Points
 
“Pazzo (which means ‘crazy’ in Italian) is a ‘funky’, unpretentious blend – an ingratiating wine that is wonderful to drink in its youth. In addition to its good looks, it displays a nose of red berry aromas and follows through with spirited, sweet, lingering, fruit flavors. We have enjoyed incredible success and growth with this unique blend.”
2019 Alma De Cattleya Chardonnay Sonoma County

2019 Alma De Cattleya Chardonnay Sonoma County

with No Comment $30 and underChardonnayKevin VogtSonomaSonoma ValleyUSA

ALMA de CATTLEYA

2019 CHARDONNAY 
SONOMA COUNTY 

2019 Alma De Cattleya Chardonnay Sonoma County
Bibiana González Rave’s unwavering commitment to superior quality, accessible prices, varietal purity, and origin in her wines is highly transparent. She makes wines in a bright and cheerful style tied to the year’s hallmarks and location of the grapes. I’ve stopped asking how she can create wines with such surreal quality, sense of place, and value, and I’m just simply going to enjoy them and share them with you.
 
Bibiana created this brilliant 2019 Chardonnay from methodically selected vineyards, each with a strong coastal influence that lends to the perfect balance of acidity, texture, softness, and length. She then crafted this wine using the same exacting standards as the Cattleya single-vineyard Chardonnays, which retail for around $70 per bottle. 
 
Bibiana has extensive experience making wine in Bordeaux and the Rhone Valley in France and South Africa. When she came to California, industry leaders immediately recognized her talents as she helped shape brilliant wines at Peay, Lynmar, and Pahlmeyer, to name a few. At just $26, you have to try this.
 
ALMA de CATTLEYA
2019 CHARDONNAY 
SONOMA COUNTY
 
Your Price: $26
 
 
“Lush notes of red apple and juicy pear balance beautifully with notes of lemon curd, honeysuckle and hints of toasted vanilla. Bright acidity and a rich mouthfeel add complexity and a textured, complex finish.”
2018 Morgan Twelve Clones Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands

2018 Morgan Twelve Clones Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtMontereyPinot NoirSanta Lucia HighlandsUSA

MORGAN

TWELVE CLONES
SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS
2018 PINOT NOIR 

2018 Morgan Twelve Clones Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands

Dan Lee’s focus on sustainable farming and minimalist winemaking over the past 40 years has made Morgan winery a category leader in high-quality, value wines from the Santa Lucia Highlands. The winery consistently produces balanced wines of distinction, and at less than $30, their Twelve Clones Pinot Noir regularly makes my short-list of California’s best value Pinots.
 
Morgan draws on several of the Santa Lucia Highlands’ top Vineyards, including the Double L Estate, Rosella’s, and Tondre, to create their flagship Twelve Clones Pinot. 
 
The team named Twelve Clones for the diverse Pinot Noir clones inside the Double L Vineyard. The vast selection of clones contributes to the multi-dimensional flavors and aromas that make this wine so revered.
 
MORGAN
TWELVE CLONES
SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS
2018 PINOT NOIR
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“Layers of baked berry, pie crust and star anise show on the nose of this clonal combination. It’s clean and direct on the palate, offering tart red-currant and cranberry fla­vors, touched up by thyme, lavender and potpourri elements.”
92 Points
 
“… the light ruby-hued 2018 Pinot Noir Twelve Clones gives up a pretty nose of framboise and strawberries as well as lots of floral, rose petal, sappy herb, and minty aromas and flavors. It’s another lightly textured, medium-bodied, elegant wine from this estate to enjoy over the coming 4-6 years.”
92 Points
 
“Pale ruby color, fresh cherry nose, crisp and bright with cherry, strawberry and rhubarb notes; silky and fresh, charming and long.” – Anthony Dias Blue, October 2020”
92 Points
 
“The 2018 Twelve Clones demonstrates the finesse of Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands. It displays aromas of blackberry, cola, and cured meat. Flavors of red and black fruit are complemented by notes of black plum and toasty oak. Perfectly poised, this medium bodied wine is light on its feet and a great reflection of 2018’s elegance…”
 
2019 Quinta de Soalheiro Alvarinho (Albarino) Moncao e Melgaco Portugal

2019 Quinta de Soalheiro Alvarinho (Albarino) Moncao e Melgaco Portugal

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtPortugal

QUINTA de SOALHEIRO 

2019 ALVARINHO (ALBARINO)
MONCAO e MELGACO, PORTUGAL

2019 Quinta de Soalheiro Alvarinho (Albarino) Moncao e Melgaco Portugal
Soalheiro is a benchmark producer of high-quality Albariño wines from the Monçao region of Northern Portugal. Their journey started nearly 50 years ago when Joгo Antуnio Cerdeira and his father planted the area’s first Albariño vines. The region is uniquely protected by surrounding mountains, creating atmospheric conditions ideal for ripening the coveted Spanish variety. They produce their Albariño in a super-clean, minerally, bright, and refreshing style, and with the 95 point score and modest price, everybody should try it.
 
Albarino grows best in areas with a strong maritime influence, which helps the grapes maintain a lively acidity. Soalheiro’s Vineyards are positively affected by the Minho River, which carries marine winds inland from the Atlantic. 
 
Joгo decants the freshly pressed juice for 48 hours at low temperatures before fermentation to concentrate the grapes’ qualities and allow room for evolution in the bottle. His wines are stunning upon release and can age for more than a decade.
 
QUINTA de SOALHEIRO 
2019 ALVARINHO (ALBARINO)
MONCAO e MELGACO, PORTUGAL
 
Your Price: $24.99
 
“A delicate but beguiling, lifted nose, with lychee and fennel notes that follow through on a cool elegant palate, alongside white peach, nectarine, pear, pear skin and a touch of passionfruit. Steely, grapefruit acidity makes for a well-focused, long, mineral finish. Lovely purity, balance and restraint. Drinking Window 2020 – 2034”
95 Points
 
“…a blend from their own parcels in Melgaco as well as neighboring vines they help farm…. Their flagship bottling is a blend of estate and purchased fruit, and this 2019 is the best version we’ve tasted in recent years. It captures their placement between the mountains and sea, where the Minho River carries winds inland from the Atlantic. Bright and fresh when first poured, the wine’s flavors of lemon pith and crunchy apple extend with air, gaining depth and length while holding the cool, airy feel of a summer rain.”
93 Points
 
“… The expression of fruit here is pure Alvarinho… It’s pretty tasty in its youth too. Like the Granit, though, this might be better next year—although this is more approachable. They both will age well, as the winery’s track record in general has frequently demonstrated over the years… This looks terrific this year, and it’s a typically super value. Drink 2020 – 2031”
92 Points
NV Marquis de la Mysteriale Cuvee Grand Esprit Champagne

NV Marquis de la Mysteriale Cuvee Grand Esprit Champagne

with No Comment $30 and underChampagneChampagne/SparklingFranceKevin Vogt

MARQUIS de la MYSTERIALE

CUVÉE GRAND ESPRIT
CHAMPAGNE NV

NV Marquis de la Mysteriale Cuvee Grand Esprit Champagne
How much would you expect to pay for a bottle of Champagne? Champagne commands a higher price tag than other sparkling wines due to strict requirements on aging and the fact that the region is roughly 8% of the size of Sonoma County. Champagne wines must spend at least 15 months in the bottle before release, which is longer than any other Sparkling, and they usually start above $40-$60/btl. There’s a reason why Marquis de La Mysteriale Champagne is just $29.99. The company that produces it has decided to discontinue this particular wine, which creates a grand opportunity for you.
 
Maison de Grand Esprit crafts their Champagne in a toasty and rich style, which they achieve through aging on the lees for a full 15 months. Their winemaking team sourced the grapes from small family growers, and they completed the blend with 59% Chardonnay and 41% Pinot Noir. 
 
Winemaker Florent Gauthier has an inherent passion for wine he’s developed in France, Switzerland, Australia, Chile, Argentina, and California, even working for a brief time at Stags’ Leap Winery. He believes in minimal intervention winemaking and allowing for each wine’s finesse and elegance to express itself.
 
MARQUIS de la MYSTERIALE
CUVÉE GRAND ESPRIT
CHAMPAGNE NV
Retails at: $60
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“This wine is soft and well balanced. An attractive predominance of Chardonnay in the blend with Pinot Noir gives an edge of minerality as well as fresh apple flavors. The wine is ready to drink.”
90 Points
 
“Rich and complex yet fresh, our Champagne possesses a beautiful, intricate aroma of toasted bread, almond and nougat combined with a fine, persistent mousse.”
2016 Coursey Graves West Slope Syrah Bennett Valley

2016 Coursey Graves West Slope Syrah Bennett Valley

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtSonomaSonoma MountainSyrahUSA

COURSEY GRAVES

2016 WEST SLOPE SYRAH
BENNETT VALLEY

2016 Coursey Graves West Slope Syrah Bennett Valley
Winemaker Cabell Coursey works tirelessly to uncover and illuminate some of Napa and Sonoma’s lesser-known vineyards that are quietly yielding world-class grapes. He seeks out steep hillside plots that experience cool atmospheric conditions and have rocky soils that share similarities to the austere conditions of Bordeaux. These vineyards are capable of producing concentrated fruit with majestic characteristics that are unique to their origin. When I first tasted his 2016 West Slope Syrah last year, my immediate thought was, I’m getting a case of this for my cellar.
 
Coursey Graves Estate Vineyard is located a thousand feet above sea level on Bennett Mountain, where the ancient volcanic soils and unique micro-climate is ideally suited for Syrah. The wine is powerfully compelling, richly layered, and effortlessly elegant. 
 
Burgundy inspired winemaker Cabell Coursey, and he learned winemaking from the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France. Then he honed his skills in New Zealand and the Willamette Valley before working at iconic producers DuMOL and Kosta Browne. The 2016 release has several stellar reviews, but DougAndrea on CellarTracker may have said it best with his quote, “OMG. Buy more…” 
 
COURSEY GRAVES
2016 WEST SLOPE SYRAH
BENNETT VALLEY
Retails at: $65
 
 
 
“Very savory and smoky, this Sonoma syrah is anything but a fruit bomb. The slightly sappy tannins and smoked-bacon flavor nicely balances the underplayed ripeness. The finish is fresh with plenty of spicy complexity. Drink or hold.”
93 Points
 
“Deep ruby-purple, the 2016 Syrah Estate West Slope has a very pretty nose with scents of violet, stone and graphite with touches of tar and olive over a concentrated core of blackcurrant, warm black cherries and spice box. Full-bodied, it gives up intense, spiced blue and black fruits framed by firm, ripe tannins and good freshness, finishing very long…”
92 Points
 
“This is a thick, rich and unctuously varietal wine, smoky in oak and beautifully wrapped layers of grilled meat and game. A thicket of lavender and licorice gives it complexity and more to ponder.”
90 Points