2019 The Crane Assembly Disciples Red Blend Napa Valley

2019 The Crane Assembly Disciples Red Blend Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

THE CRANE ASSEMBLY

DISCIPLES RED BLEND
NAPA VALLEY 2019

2019 The Crane Assembly Disciples Red Blend Napa Valley
George Beldon Crane planted the historic eight-acre GB Crane Vineyard South of St. Helena in 1885, making it one of the first vineyards planted in Napa Valley. Fast forward nearly 140 years, and the site still produces remarkable fruit. Crane initially planted the vineyard as a traditional field blend with Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignan, Alicante Bouschet, Mourvèdre, and Valdiguie, which was common during that era. 
 
With a few new plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot added to the mix, the Disciples Red Blend represents a uniquely-American style of red wine. The blend for the 2019 vintage consists of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Charbono, Merlot, Syrah, Grenache, and Cabernet Sauvignon, presented in a bold, rich, and memorable style. 
 
THE CRANE ASSEMBLY
DISCIPLES RED BLEND
NAPA VALLEY 2019
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“Pouring a vivid cardinal into the glass, the 2019 Disciples is replete with aromas of cranberry compote, Rainier cherry, Staedtler graphite pencil and Mendocino forest floor – the combination of redwoods, sorels, sun and ocean spray. Upon entry, the wine exudes a bright and lively character with notes of ripe raspberry, red fruits and subtle toasted aok. The wine closes at length with soft fine tannins and an inviting hint of vanilla.
2019 Silverado Merlot Mt Geroge Vineyard Coombsville Napa Valley

2019 Silverado Merlot Mt Geroge Vineyard Coombsville Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50CoombsvilleKevin VogtMerlotNapaUSA

SILVERADO 

MERLOT 2019
MT GEROGE VINEYARD
COOMBSVILLE NAPA VALLEY

2019 Silverado Merlot Mt Geroge Vineyard Coombsville Napa Valley
Silverado Vineyards was founded in 1981 by Ron and Diane Miller and her mother, Lillian Disney, who was married to Walt Disney before his death. Silverado lies in the heart of Stags Leap District and today sustainably farms more than 300 acres to produce and bottle single-vineyard Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Chardonnay, and several other varieties. The winery came under new ownership in 2022 by Bill and Carol Foley, who own around thirty successful wine brands, including Merus, Lancaster, Kuleto, and Foley Estate, and aim to keep the founders’ vision of Silverado Vineyards alive.
 
The Mt George Vineyard is the site of one of the first Napa Valley vineyard plantings in 1868, and the current Merlot plantings from 1989 and 1990 thrive on the well-drained, gravelly slopes of the ancient volcano. The characteristics of a cooler climate are apparent in this wine, which offers intense fruit flavors, spice, and deep color typical of the vineyard. The 2019 vintage yielded superior fruit quality with a friendly approachability and the structure necessary for cellaring. Our panel was thrilled by the wine’s impressive quality and agreed with James Suckling that it’s a hard wine to put down.
 
SILVERADO 
MERLOT 2019
MT GEROGE VINEYARD
COOMBSVILLE NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $45
 
 
“Aromas of pine, plum and redcurrant. Medium-bodied with fresh, mineral character and silky tannins. Bright and cool on the palate. Balanced and juicy. So approachable and delicious that it’s hard to put down. Drink now.”
93 Points
2021 AXR Proprietary Red Napa Valley

2021 AXR Proprietary Red Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

AXR

PROPRIETARY RED
NAPA VALLEY 2021

2021 AXR Proprietary Red Napa Valley
AXR’s estate is a historic property founded over 130 years ago that has been a brewery, restaurant, inn, winery, and saloon, and it today once again a winery that celebrates its decorated past. Sitting at the base of the Mayacamas range, the sedimentary soils in the vineyards are the result of thousands of years of runoff that provides wines with incredible depth and character.
 
Winemaker Jean Hoefliger draws on his experience working in the cellars at Chateau Carbonnieux and Chateau Lynch-Bages in Bordeaux, bringing a Grand Cru Classé style to his Napa Valley wines. The 2021 Proprietary Red Blend is a classic Left Bank style with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot that is rich, juicy, and approachable and will improve with time in the bottle.
 
AXR
PROPRIETARY RED
NAPA VALLEY 2021
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $48
 
 
“The AXR 2021 Napa Valley Proprietary Red is powerful, with concentrated aromas of black cherry, plum, cassis, allspice, and cedar. On the palate, the wine has rich flavors of blackberry, blueberry yogurt, and black tea leaves with chewy tannins and fresh acidity. This wine is youthful and vibrant, and with a few more years in the bottle, it will begin to unfold its inner layers of complexity.”
95 Points

2018 Grand Napa Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaRutherfordSaint HelenaUSA

GRAND NAPA 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
RESERVE NAPA VALLEY 2018

Grand Napa Vineyards in Rutherford produces rich, full-bodied wines with depth and character from premium vineyards in Napa Valley, hand-selected by winemaker Dwight Bonewell. Dwight’s involvement in the vineyards ensures harvesting only the highest quality fruit before he works his magic in the winery, carefully nurturing each vineyard’s unique character into its purest expression.
 
Grand Napa’s 2018 Reserve Cabernet arose from prime sites in Rutherford, St. Helena, and Coombsville, compellingly representing the vintage and distinct origins. The 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon spent 22 months in 50% new French oak and 50% two-year-old oak giving a graceful balance between fruit and spice components from the oak, plush tannins, and impressive depth and structure.
 
GRAND NAPA 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
RESERVE NAPA VALLEY 2018
Retails at: $110
 
 
 
“Another terrific wine, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve offers lots of blackcurrants, spice box, tobacco leaf, and chocolatey nuances to go with a full-bodied style on the palate. It has the 2018 vintage’s fresher, more elegant style yet brings ample fruit and has an expansive, layered mouthfeel as well as a great finish. It’s another wine to enjoy any time over the coming 15-20 years.”
94 Points
2018 Ramey Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

2018 Ramey Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtPinot NoirRussian River ValleySonomaUSA

RAMEY 

PINOT NOIR 2018
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

2018 Ramey Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
David Ramey earned a graduate degree from UC Davis in 1979, just before he began working for the Moueix family at their renowned property, Château Pétrus. There he absorbed every detail of their old-world winemaking philosophy, which he brought back to California, firmly establishing Matanzas Creek and Chalk Hill as winemaker, then project manager for Dominus Estate.
 
Ramey Wine Cellars was founded in 1996 by David and his wife Carla, and they have been producing award-winning wines of critical acclaim ever since. The 2018 Russian River Pinot Noir arose from top vineyard sites, including De La Montanya, Bucher, Dutton Goff, and Kilcullen. David fermented them with native yeast using 25% whole clusters, and aged them on the lees for 13 months in French oak, resulting in a beautifully elegant, delineated Pinot Noir.
 
RAMEY 
PINOT NOIR 2018
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“The 2018 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley is spicy and lifted with cinnamon and dried roses, fresh with wild raspberry fruit and blood orange. The palate is medium-bodied and softly textured, characterized by elegance and finesse. Drink over the next 10 or so years.”
94 Points
2019 Acumen Cabernet Sauvignon Mountainside Napa Valley

2019 Acumen Cabernet Sauvignon Mountainside Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Atlas PeakCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

ACUMEN

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MOUNTAINSIDE 2019
NAPA VALLEY

2019 Acumen Cabernet Sauvignon Mountainside Napa Valley
Acumen Estate sits high above the fog line on top of Atlas Peak, where sunshine slowly ripens the fruit, and volcanic soils give distinctive minerality. One hundred sixteen acres of sustainably farmed vines make up two vineyards from which a small portfolio of estate-grown wines are born under renowned winemaker Phillip Titus.
 
Acumen sells a large portion of their estate-grown mountain fruit to other top wineries in Napa Valley, allowing Philip to focus on his favorite small blocks within the vineyards. The 2019 growing season was similar to the fantastic 2018 vintage, with cooler-than-average summer temperatures that ensured a slower development, giving Cabernet Sauvignon deeper, more complex flavors and fine-grained tannins for structure and ageability.
 
ACUMEN
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MOUNTAINSIDE 2019
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $75
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“A blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Mountainside has a deep garnet-purple color, bursting with bold scents of black cherries, mulberries and warm cassis, plus hints of fragrant earth and cedar. Full-bodied, intense and possessing bags of fresh, lively black fruits, it has a firm structure of grainy tannins, finishing long with a spicy kick.”
91+ Points

2021 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

FLOWERS

PINOT NOIR 2021
SONOMA COAST 

Over three decades ago, Joan and Walt Flowers took a risk and planted their first vineyard along the “far” Sonoma Coast, known for its rough and rugged windswept shoreline. They were among the first to grow in the area, seeing the vast potential to create wines that express their origin and promote the region’s unique flavors from the remote coastal ridges.
 
This Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir features a selection of fruit from Lavio Ranch, Hallberg Ranch Vineyard, Bohan Ranch, and the Flowers’ Sea View Ridge Estate, reflecting the ultimate expression of cool-climate, coastal fruit. The 2021 vintage gave small yields of grapes with an impressive depth of flavors elaborately layered into a backbone of fine tannins, giving a polished texture and a refined, lush finish.
 
FLOWERS
PINOT NOIR 2021
SONOMA COAST 
Retails at: $60
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“This has nice tension and tannic framing. Full-bodied, firm and lightly chewy with freshness, and spicy character to the ripe strawberry and cherry on the finish.”
93 Points

2020 Foley Johnson Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSA

FOLEY JOHNSON 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
RUTHERFORD 2020

Bill Foley is a titan in the wine industry, with around thirty successful brands, including Merus, Lancaster, Kuleto, and many others. Foley Johnson is paramount because it bears his name and is in the heart of Rutherford, one of the most significant regions in America for growing premium Cabernet Sauvignon with a distinct “Rutherford dust” characteristic.
 
The Foleys believe that sustainable farming in their vineyards preserves the local ecosystem and produces fruit that more accurately depicts the unique terroir in this small pocket of Napa Valley. The 2020 release upholds the standards of previous vintages with powerfully layered flavors accented by the signature “Rutherford dust,” a dynamic structure with ripe tannins. At less than $50, Foley Johnson is one of the best values in the region.
 
FOLEY JOHNSON 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
RUTHERFORD 2020
Retails at: $75
 
Your Price: $45
 
 
“The Foley Johnson Estate Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 begins with a savory nose dominated by deep black cherry, ripe blackberry, fresh red currants, dried salame, and ground espresso, followed by tobacco leaf, vanilla hints, and white flowers. The structured palate has slightly dusty tannins, which frame a wine that reflects similarities in the nose with bright, fresh red fruits balanced by deeper black fruits and baker’s chocolate. These elements combine to create an elegantly complex wine that drinks great at release but will continue to age gracefully for the next eight years or so.”
93 Points
2020 My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon San Luis Obispo

2020 My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon San Luis Obispo

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonCentral CoastKevin VogtPaso RoblesUSA

MY FAVORITE NEIGHBOR

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
SAN LUIS OBISPO 2020

2020 My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon San Luis Obispo
What began as an homage to Stephan Asseo of L’Aventure Winery propelled into an obsession driven by like-minded grape-growers who’ve become winemaker Eric Jensen’s favorite neighbors. Farming is life or Eric, and each grower he works with shares the common goal of sustainable viticulture and raising the highest quality fruit possible to create wines of distinction and trend-setting quality.
 
Founded with extreme dedication and zero compromises, My Favorite Neighbor hits a sweet spot of perfectly ripe fruit, flavor intensity, and lavish textures, giving some of the best $100 Cabernets a real challenge. Eric has made wines from consecutive vintages earning mid-90-point scores, and his 2020 vintage is a tremendous follow-up, moving his wine one step closer to becoming a household name in high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon.
 
MY FAVORITE NEIGHBOR
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
SAN LUIS OBISPO 2020
Retails at: $50
 
Your Price: $45

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“Red chili pepper, olives, tobacco and cocoa powder to the fresh cassis and blackberries. Restrainedly opulent and well-structured on the palate, showing impressive length and polished tannins. Great poise here! Delicious now, but will hold.” 
94 Points
 
2021 Martin Ray Pinot Noir Hallberg Ranch Russian River Valley

2021 Martin Ray Pinot Noir Hallberg Ranch Russian River Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtPinot NoirRussian River ValleySonomaUSA

MARTIN RAY

PINOT NOIR 2021
HALLBERG RANCH
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

2021 Martin Ray Pinot Noir Hallberg Ranch Russian River Valley
Martin Ray dedicated his life to creating single-varietal wines from unique AVAs that genuinely represented the site where the grapes were grown. Courtney Benham purchased the brand in 1990 and continues where Martin left off, producing the same stylistically pure, terroir-driven wines and utilizing his natural talent for selecting distinctive vineyards.
 
The Hallberg Vineyard was a former apple orchard on the edge of Green Valley, where the vines are 100% dry-farmed, which lends to the grapes reaching complete physiological ripeness at lower sugar levels. The site’s distinctive, marine-influenced fruit attracts some of Sonoma’s top producers to make wine from it, including Gary Farrell, Joseph Jewell, and Emeritus. Martin Ray’s version is supple and rich in red fruits, capturing the vineyard’s distinct identity wrapped into a lush, easy-drinking, delightful wine.
 
MARTIN RAY
PINOT NOIR 2021
HALLBERG RANCH
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
Retails at: $60
 
Your Price: $42

Click to Order

 

 

“This is very fine with sliced strawberries and a hibiscus character throughout. Medium body. Very focused with fine tannins and a fresh and vivid finish. Lots of energy. Fantastic. Drink or hold.”
95 Points