2023 Steps Barrel Select Reserve Proprietary Red Blend Napa Valley

2023 Steps Barrel Select Reserve Proprietary Red Blend Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

Steps

Barrel Select Reserve
Proprietary Red Blend
Napa Valley 2023

2023 Steps Barrel Select Reserve Proprietary Red Blend Napa Valley

Born from a vintage that winemakers dream of, the Steps 2023 Barrel Select captures the essence of Napa Valley at its purest. Selected from just three barrels, this wine reflects the singular vision of Grant Long, Jr., whose name has become synonymous with craftsmanship through his acclaimed work at Aonair, Reverie II, and James Joseph.

Grant’s vision for Steps Reserve has always centered on a balance between the valley’s plush generosity and its rugged, high-elevation edge. The 2023 vintage embodies that duality with striking clarity. Cabernet Sauvignon lends structure and power, while Merlot and Malbec add notes of supple fruit and lifted aromatics.

Aged for nineteen months in Sylvain and Darnajou barrels, the Steps Reserve Barrel Select emerges polished yet vibrant, its depth framed by the quiet luxury of fine French oak. Beneath its refinement lies a pulse of energy, a sign of its youth and promise. With time, this wine will evolve into something extraordinary: an elegant and enduring reflection of both the vintage and the vision.

Steps
Barrel Select Reserve
Proprietary Red Blend
Napa Valley 2023

Your Price: $49.99

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“The STEPS Reserve Barrel Select 2023 Napa Valley Proprietary Red Blend begins with deep aromas of cassis, black cherries, ripe plums, dark chocolate, roasted coffee beans, clove, dried herbs, and cedar. On the palate, the wine is refined and silky, with a seamless mouthfeel and bright acidity, which enhances the complexity of flavors ranging from plush black fruits and spices, keeping the profile fresh and poised. Fine-grained tannins lend structure, and the elegant finish lingers for a harmonious and polished expression of Napa Valley.”

96 Points

2023 Three Sticks Pinot Noir Price Family Estates Sonoma Coast

2023 Three Sticks Pinot Noir Price Family Estates Sonoma Coast

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

Three Sticks

Pinot Noir 2023
Price Family Estates
Sonoma Coast

2023 Three Sticks Pinot Noir Price Family Estates Sonoma Coast

Among the countless Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs, few capture the imagination like the 2023 Three Sticks Price Family Estates. The wine seamlessly weaves some of Sonoma Coast’s most distinguished voices, drawing from estate jewels such as Durell, Gap’s Crown, and Walala. Each vineyard contributes its character, culminating in a Pinot Noir that speaks eloquently.

Three Sticks has long been admired for crafting Pinot Noir of purity and grace, and the 2023 Price Family Estates bottling marks a thrilling new chapter. Guided by the foundation laid by Bob Cabral and carried forward by Ryan Prichard, it reflects not just winemaking skill but the seamless passing of a torch, ensuring continuity while unlocking new dimensions of expression.

 

The hallmark of the 2023 vintage is its ability to deliver depth without heaviness. Every detail of this wine reflects an estate committed to elevating Pinot Noir to its highest expression. Bright, aromatic, and texturally seamless, it delivers a complete expression of Sonoma’s coastal beauty, standing as a reminder that Pinot Noir, in the right hands, can be both delicate and profound. 

Three Sticks
Pinot Noir 2023
Price Family Estates
Sonoma Coast
Retails at: $55

Your Price: Insider Club Members Only

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“From one of the latest harvests in the Sonoma Coast history, development of flavor had an advantage and this wine is proof. This wine is a blend of the estate’s six vineyards including the Heritage Vineyards of the Durell, Gap’s Crown, and Walala. The wine is delicate and feathery, with clear cut acid structure that illuminates cherries, pomegranate, and orange peel. Its dimension is notable, a down pillow of creamy blueberry, hibiscus, and mint chocolate chip with a dash of black pepper on the finish.”

97 Points

2020 Bibbiano Gran Selezione Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy

2020 Bibbiano Gran Selezione Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy

with No Comment $40-$50ChiantiChiantiItalyKevin VogtTuscany

Bibbiano

Gran Selezione
Chianti Classico
Vigna del Capannino
Tuscany, Italy 2020

2020 Bibbiano Gran Selezione Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy

From a mere seven hectares of the storied 19th-century estate of Bibbiano rises the 2020 Vigna del Capannino: an extraordinary expression of Tuscany’s soul. Perched atop a compact, clay-rich plateau, this vineyard captures the drama of one of Italy’s most revered terroirs. The naturally dense soils lend the wine profound structure and a chiseled mineral backbone, while the west-facing exposure coaxes the depth and intensity that define this vintage.

The power of Vigna del Capannino begins with its singular focus: 100% Sangiovese Grosso. This clone, selected and refined over decades, produces fruit that embodies both the energy of the vintage and the elegance of its lineage. In 2020, the grapes achieved perfect balance, allowing the wine to capture a full spectrum of flavor.

After harvest, the wine underwent a patient élevage of 24 months, divided between neutral cement and fine French and Slavonian oak, followed by a half-year of bottle rest. This unhurried maturation refined the wine’s natural intensity into harmony. The result is a Chianti Classico of rare depth, with tannins that are taut yet silken, framing a finish that lingers with quiet authority.

Bibbiano
Gran Selezione
Chianti Classico
Vigna del Capannino
Tuscany, Italy 2020

Your Price: $42

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“Ripe strawberries, raspberries, red licorice, moist bark and wet stones on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied, tense and juicy with crunchy tannins and chalky texture. Vivid acidity keeps the wine nervy. Racy finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.”

94 Points

2018 Laird Malbec Flat Rock Vineyard Napa Valley

2018 Laird Malbec Flat Rock Vineyard Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtMalbecNapaUSAYountville

Laird

Malbec 2018
Flat Rock Vineyard
Napa Valley

2018 Laird Malbec Flat Rock Vineyard Napa Valley

A showstopper at our recent tasting, Laird’s 2018 Flat Rock Vineyard Malbec captures the rare moment when power and precision meet in perfect harmony. Drawn from the volcanic soils of Yountville’s eastern edge, this wine channels its pristine origins. It’s a wine that reflects not only the essence of place but also the discipline of a family that’s been perfecting the art of balance for generations.

From vineyard to cellar, every step of this wine’s creation reflects intent. The fruit was harvested at optimal ripeness, then aged for 21 months in French oak. What emerges is Malbec reimagined through a Napa lens: concentrated and full-bodied, yet balanced by refinement and lift. It’s the kind of craftsmanship that transforms a varietal curiosity into something enduring.

Now fully realized after five years in bottle, the 2018 Flat Rock Vineyard Malbec shows the seamless integration of time and terroir. The structure is commanding, yet the fruit remains luminous and pure, framed by fine French oak and a finish that lingers with mineral precision. Every element is in perfect balance, as if the wine has settled into its natural rhythm after years of quiet evolution.

Laird
Malbec 2018
Flat Rock Vineyard
Napa Valley
Retails at: $65

Your Price: Insider Club Members Only

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“The 2018 Laird Flat Rock Ranch Malbec from Napa Valley is a beautiful domestic Malbec, showing excellent concentration and balance. The nose reveals aromas of wild berry cobbler, English rose petals, Chambord liqueur, and dried herbs. On the palate, it delivers juicy, sweet black raspberries and cassis, supported by satiny tannins and black tea on the back-end. The finish is long and mouth-quenching, with bright acidity. The intense fruit and balanced structure will allow this wine to evolve well over the next decade, though it’s approachable now.”

94 points

2022 Aston Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2022 Aston Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtNapaPinot NoirSonoma CoastUSA

Aston

Pinot Noir 
Sonoma Coast 2022

2022 Aston Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

Perched on the remote ridgelines of Annapolis, where redwoods meet ocean fog, Aston Estate has long stood as one of the Sonoma Coast’s wild frontiers. Two decades after its founding, Aston Estate feels reborn. Once a collaboration between three of Napa’s most revered figures, it now thrives under the singular vision of Thomas Rivers Brown. His 2022 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir channels the wisdom of maturity and the freshness of rediscovery. 

Drawn entirely from the estate’s 12-acre vineyard in the far western reaches of Sonoma, the 2022 vintage captures the essence of Annapolis itself: cool air, fractured soils, and relentless wind. Here, vines root deep into ancient marine sediment, yielding fruit of uncommon purity and tension. 

What emerges in 2022 is not merely a reflection of the site but of stewardship. Brown’s approach favors patience over intervention, allowing the wine to unfold in graceful precision. Each element from fruit, spice, and structure moves in balance, revealing a Pinot Noir that feels as timeless as the land it comes from. 

Aston
Pinot Noir 
Sonoma Coast 2022

Your Price: $45

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“A nearly opaque red color, the 2022 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is flush with aromas of black cherries, a bit of plum, eucalyptus, sweet tobacco, and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, it has more structure but is light on its feet for the vintage, with a ripe, sunny feel and a long finish. Drink 2026-2046.”

96 Points

2023 James Joseph Kathryn's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2023 James Joseph Kathryn’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

James Joseph

Kathryn’s Reserve
Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley 2023

2023 James Joseph Kathryn's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

In a valley steeped in prestige, few producers have carved a legacy as quietly compelling as James Joseph. For more than twenty years, these Cabernet Sauvignons have spoken not in thunderous declarations but in eloquent whispers of terroir and time, each vintage an exploration of Napa’s most prized vineyard sites. The 2023 Kathryn’s Reserve continues that lineage with striking brilliance, embodying the belief that true greatness lies in balance.

With Kathryn’s Reserve, winemaker Grant Long Jr. channels decades of experience and a deep understanding of Napa’s patchwork terroirs into a wine that feels both timeless and immediate. The 2023 vintage speaks with uncommon clarity, revealing the kind of precision and purity that only emerge when everything aligns: ideal weather, mature vines, and a winemaker attuned to the rhythms of the season.

James Joseph reveals a Cabernet Sauvignon that captures the grandeur of Napa without the imposing price tag that often accompanies it. It’s a wine that overdelivers in every dimension: sourcing, craftsmanship, aging potential, and sheer drinking pleasure. In doing so, it redefines what value can mean, and it’s the bottle most will wish they had bought more of when they had the chance.

James Joseph
Kathryn’s Reserve
Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley 2023

Your Price: $49.99

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“The James Joseph 2023″ Kathryn’s Reserve” Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon opens with a structured aromatic profile of blackcurrants, blackberries, and plum, complemented with notes of violets, graphite, and cedar. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and supple, with flavors of dark fruits, hints of mocha, cassis, and sweet tobacco. The wine has fine-grained tannins and balanced acidity with a long, refined, impressive persistence and finish. The wine has a youthful approachability, but will definitely age well in the cellar due to the near-perfect conditions for the 2023 vintage in Napa Valley.”

95 Points

2023 Vaughn Duffy Pinot Noir Petaluma Gap

2023 Vaughn Duffy Pinot Noir Petaluma Gap

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtNapaPetaluma GapPinot NoirUSA

Vaughn Duffy

Pinot Noir
Petaluma Gap 2023

2023 Vaughn Duffy Pinot Noir Petaluma Gap

Vaughn Duffy’s 2023 Pinot Noir captures the elemental drama of the Petaluma Gap, bringing its origins to life with clarity and focus. Produced from just six barrels, it’s an intimate, terroir-driven expression of one of California’s most distinctive coastal appellations, revealed through Matt Duffy’s singular focus on crafting Pinot Noir that speaks eloquently of its place. 

Here the Petaluma Gap’s daily wind and fog take center stage, slowing ripening and etching natural acidity into the fruit. The 2023 season ran cool and late, which allowed full flavor development at modest sugars. The result is a Pinot Noir that feels vivid and finely tuned, with energy that carries from first aroma to final sip. 

This wine’s brilliance lies in its balance: intensity without weight, elegance without fragility. After 10 months in French oak, the wine emerges with depth and polish, its supple tannins framing a core of crystalline fruit and savory complexity. It’s a testament to the power of place and the precision of thoughtful winemaking, bottled in its purest form.

Vaughn Duffy
Pinot Noir
Petaluma Gap 2023
Retails at: $55

Your Price: Insider Club Members Only

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“Focused aromas of dusty cherry, cinnamon and sage waft from the glass on the nose of this Pinot. The palate delivers a bright pop of orange peel acidity, with flavors of crushed raspberry, black tea and cinnamon, with extremely supple tannin along the finish.”

94 Points

2021 Patz & Hall Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2021 Patz & Hall Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

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

Patz & Hall

Pinot Noir
Sonoma Coast 2021

2021 Patz & Hall Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

Named one of Wine Spectator’s Top 100, the 2021 Patz & Hall Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is a benchmark for what California Pinot can achieve when precision, heritage, and terroir converge. For more than three decades, Patz & Hall has earned a place at the table of collectors and sommeliers, crafting wines defined by their vibrant acidity, graceful structure, and seamless balance.

The secret to its depth lies in the mosaic of vineyards woven into the final blend. From the cool, wind-swept ridges near the Pacific to the fog-kissed valleys further inland, each of the sixteen individual sites contributes a distinct layer of character: vibrant red fruit from sandy soils, savory spice from clay-rich slopes, and a saline edge from marine-influenced pockets. 

Winemaker James Hall brings this raw potential to life with uncompromising attention to detail. Partial whole-cluster fermentations add aromatic complexity, while full malolactic fermentation in barrel lends texture and depth. The result is a Pinot Noir that shimmers with energy, and with a 96-point score from Decanter, this is a wine to be remembered, celebrated, and cellared.

Patz & Hall
Pinot Noir
Sonoma Coast 2021
Retails at: $45

Your Price: $42

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“Delightful, extra juicy red and black fruits give graciously and generously with a mouth-filling texture and soft, silky tannins. The coolness of the Sonoma Coast takes the salty sea air and places it squarely on the grapes to give this wine a lovely saline finish. The great structural envelope will protect this wine for the future. It will last and last.”

96 Points

2022 Cult The Beau Vigne Collection Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2022 Cult The Beau Vigne Collection Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

Cult

The Beau Vigne Collection
Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley 2022

2022 Cult The Beau Vigne Collection Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Beau Vigne’s Cult Cabernet Sauvignon stands as the estate’s most compelling expression, crafted to amplify the qualities that render Napa Valley wines both timeless and distinguished. Comprising 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this wine commands attention, weaving dark berries, graphite, and spice into a tapestry of structural depth that balances power with refinement.

Julien Fayard shapes Napa’s terroir with the precision of a sculptor, preserving every essential element while unveiling its inherent truth. The suppleness of benchland fruit melds seamlessly with the tension of higher elevations, yielding a wine that feels organic rather than engineered—a chiseled, enduring silhouette of Napa Cabernet.

Fayard’s expertise, honed at Château Lafite Rothschild, refined at Quintessa, and enriched alongside Philippe Melka, shines through in every facet of this wine. It captivates immediately with plush fruit and polished tannins, yet its architecture promises graceful evolution over the next decade and beyond.

Cult
The Beau Vigne Collection
Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley 2022
Retails at: $150

Your Price: Insider Club Members Only

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“Cult is the flagship wine in Beau Vigne’s elevated series, distinguished by its unique black label with gold lettering. Crafted by Julien Fayard, it is a super polished, full-bodied wine with round, smooth tannins and a host of crunchy fruit. It is redolent of mountain-grown blueberries and peak-season ripe plums scented with mulling spices. The finish is beautifully accented by sweet cedar and crushed violets.”

95 Points

2023 Salty Goats Pinot Noir Coastline Project Sonoma Coast

2023 Salty Goats Pinot Noir Coastline Project Sonoma Coast

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

Salty Goats

Pinot Noir 2023
Coastline Project
Sonoma Coast

2023 Salty Goats Pinot Noir Coastline Project Sonoma Coast

Few wines wear their landscape as vividly as the 2023 Salty Goats “Coastline Project” Pinot Noir. Sourced from vineyards clinging to the far western ridges of Sonoma, where fog, ocean winds, and fractured Goldridge soils collide, this Pinot channels the raw drama of the Pacific into a wine of striking precision and sea-borne energy.

At the helm are Joe Harden and Phil Holbrook, two winemakers whose experience at benchmark estates like Nickel & Nickel sharpened their ability to coax nuance from challenging terroirs. With Salty Goats, they channel their collective vision into a wine that feels both daring and deliberate, capturing Pinot Noir’s elegance while embracing the rugged unpredictability of the coast.

 

Built with the same patience and precision as the landscapes that shaped it, the 2023 vintage is seductive in its youth and carries the bones of a wine that will evolve gracefully over time. Its balance of fruit, minerality, and structure ensures that those with the patience to cellar it will be rewarded with layers of complexity that only coastal Pinots can achieve.

Salty Goats
Pinot Noir 2023
Coastline Project
Sonoma Coast
Retails at: $60

Your Price: $49.99

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“The 2023 Salty Goats ‘Coastline Project’ Pinot Noir blends grapes from Fort Ross-Seaview (Red Car Estate), Lucky Well (Occidental), and Flochinni (Petaluma Gap). Native yeast fermented in a mix of open and closed-top bins, the wine spent 14 days on skins, underwent malolactic fermentation in a barrel, and includes 25% whole cluster. It was aged for 12 months in 20% new French oak, with no rackings, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Fantastically fresh and inviting, this Pinot Noir showcases salty, vibrant character with espresso bean nuances, loamy earth, and crunchy red cherry and spiced plum fruit. Excellent, velvety tannins support a medium-bodied palate with cola spices, kirsch, and blood orange acidity, accented by clove and allspice. Gorgeous rose petal floral notes emerge on the finish. One to seek out, this wine is the brainchild of partner winemakers Joe Harden and Phil Holbrook, who have been making wine together at Nickel & Nickel for nearly a decade. While passionate about Napa Cabernet, their after-hours preference for lighter wines like Pinot Noir inspired them to launch Salty Goats in 2020 as an outlet for experimenting with their favorite varieties.”

94 Points