2014 Sullivan Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Estate

2014 Sullivan Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Estate

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SULLIVAN

2014 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
RUTHERFORD ESTATE 

2014 Sullivan Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Estate
Sullivan’s Estate is centered in the Rutherford AVA, an area long celebrated for producing wines with distinctive character, superior elegance, and signature dusty tannins. When Jim Sullivan founded the property, he consulted with legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff who helped design the original vineyards. Their 2014 Estate Cabernet is, as Jeb Dunnuck writes, “classy stuff” with “terrific balance,” and at half price, it’s an absolute steal… 
 
The vineyard is located on Galleron Road, just North of BV and behind Franciscan Estate. It was planted over an ancient riverbed with soil types ranging from clay loam to sandy gravel, and both have excellent drainage, which assists in producing intensely flavored berries. 
 
Winemaker Jeff Cole is well-rounded in his skillset, previously making wines at Laetitia Winery and Windward before joining Schramsberg. He constantly scrutinizes each detail surrounding his winemaking for insights that can take the wine to the next level. If you’re looking for a classic Rutherford Cabernet, that’s awesome now and will cellar for another decade, this is it. 
 
SULLIVAN
2014 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
RUTHERFORD ESTATE
Retails at: $120
 
 
“This is a tannic and structured cabernet sauvignon that is tight and focused with lots of dark berry and currant character as well as chocolate and spice undertones. Full and chewy yet so polished and pretty. Give it two or three years to resolve the tannins. Better in 2020.”
93 Points
 
“The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate checks in as 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Petit Verdot that spent 20 months in 100% new French oak. This deep purple colored 2014 is classy stuff that offers notes of blackcurrants, black raspberries, toasted spice, and graphite. With medium to full-bodied richness, a lush, supple style, and sweet tannin, it has terrific balance and a great finish. I suspect it’s capable of lasting for 10-15 years.”
92 Points
 
“…the 2014 boasts dark cherry with hints of tobacco and cola. This wine has mineral and earthy undertones that compliment the savory dark chocolate notes which add depth and complexity.”
2015 La Sirena Pirate Treasured Proprietary Red

2015 La Sirena Pirate Treasured Proprietary Red

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LA SIRENA

PIRATE TREASURED
2015 PROPRIETARY RED

2015 La Sirena Pirate Treasured Proprietary Red
It pays to follow the wine brands owned by top winemakers, and La Sirena is Heidi Barrett’s Winery. Heidi is a world-class winemaker whose past and present clients include Amuse Bouche, Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Grace Family, Revana, Barbour, and many others. She crafts this brilliant seven varietal blend in a style that’s enchanting, deep, multilayered, fresh, and full of life. I know that once anybody tastes the 2015 and sees how great it’s showing, all remaining bottles will go into the drink.  
 
Wine doesn’t need an elegant label to be great. Pirate TreasuRed is a serious wine, made even better with Heidi’s connections for high-quality grapes, and her meticulous blending skills that make this wine very special. 
 
With seven varietals to work with, each plays an essential roll in the wine’s aromatics, structure, presence on the palate, and fruit components. The Cabernet Sauvignon provides structure, while Grenache contributes seductive fruits, and the Cabernet Franc adds power and definition, and the list goes on. 
 
LA SIRENA
PIRATE TREASURED
2015 PROPRIETARY RED
Retails at: $65
 
 
 
“The powerful 2015 vintage delivers a deep garnet colored wine with incredibly concentrated ripe aromatics of black fruits, leather and spice. Layers of fruit and oak are enticing on the palate and lead into a big, mouth-coating & dense wine that still maintains excellent balance among all elements. A blockbuster of a blend with well-rounded and complex flavors, richness and a long lingering finish. Flavors persist as does the texture of the wine. Extracted but not heavy, with moderate silky structural tannins. Really delicious – an impressive installment in our Pirate saga!”  Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Grenache, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, & Petite Sirah.
2016 Pavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2016 Pavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

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PAVI

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 NAPA VALLEY 

2016 Pavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Pavi means lightning, and their new 2016 Napa Cabernet precisely reflects that. The 2016 vintage has a regal presence on the palate that’s defined by lush fruit and superior richness. Renown winemaker Rob Lawson owns the winery, and throughout his career, Rob helped craft some of the top brands produced at Napa Wine Company while he was GM. He’s also responsible for helping shape the 2007 Kapcscandy Grand Vin, which scored a perfect 100 point score from Robert Parker.   
 
Pavi’s 2016 release combines high-quality grapes from Rutherford, Oakville, and Spring Mountain AVAs. The Rutherford vineyard is on the Southeastern end of the AVA, just South of Caymus, and the Oakville fruit comes from the center of Oakville.
 
The final blend is 97% Cabernet Sauvignon along with 3% Petite Verdot, which contributes to the lush, dark fruit. The only downside is there were only 150 cases of this beauty produced, and at this price, you might want to strike quickly…
 
PAVI
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $85
 
 
 
“This is a lush, full-bodied wine, rich and bright with dark-fruit flavors and floral aromas. The intense flavors of black cherry, peppery spice, and cocoa come together in a balanced wine that is a perfect complement to savory grilled and braised meats, mushroom pizza and the perfect hamburger”
2016 Pavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2016 Pavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

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PAVI

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 NAPA VALLEY 

2016 Pavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa ValleyPavi means lightning, and their new 2016 Napa Cabernet precisely reflects that. The 2016 vintage has a regal presence on the palate that’s defined by lush fruit and superior richness. Renown winemaker Rob Lawson owns the winery, and throughout his career, Rob helped craft some of the top brands produced at Napa Wine Company while he was GM. He’s also responsible for helping shape the 2007 Kapcscandy Grand Vin, which scored a perfect 100 point score from Robert Parker.   

Pavi’s 2016 release combines high-quality grapes from Rutherford, Oakville, and Spring Mountain AVAs. The Rutherford vineyard is on the Southeastern end of the AVA, just South of Caymus, and the Oakville fruit comes from the center of Oakville.
 
The final blend is 97% Cabernet Sauvignon along with 3% Petite Verdot, which contributes to the lush, dark fruit. The only downside is there were only 150 cases of this beauty produced, and at this price, you might want to strike quickly…
 
PAVI
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $85
 
 
“This is a lush, full-bodied wine, rich and bright with dark-fruit flavors and floral aromas. The intense flavors of black cherry, peppery spice, and cocoa come together in a balanced wine that is a perfect complement to savory grilled and braised meats, mushroom pizza and the perfect hamburger”
2018 Raen Pinot Noir Royal St. Robert Cuvee Sonoma Coast

2018 Raen Pinot Noir Royal St. Robert Cuvee Sonoma Coast

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RAEN

2018 PINOT NOIR 
ROYAL ST. ROBERT CUVEE
SONOMA COAST

2018 Raen Pinot Noir Royal St. Robert Cuvee Sonoma Coast

After tasting Carlo & Dante Mondavi’s new Pinot, it became abundantly clear that their family’s intense passion for the wine industry and talent for identifying vineyards capable of producing world-class wine passed to them. After all, they grew up at their grandfather’s OPUS ONE Winery, and honed their skills further at their father’s cult brand Continuum, before going out on their own. The 96 Point 2018 Raen Pinot Noir is the result of the culmination of their upbringing, cultivated by their father and grandfather. 
 
Raen’s 2018 Royal St Robert Cuvee combines fruit from Freestone, Occidental, Bodega, and Fort Ross Seaview Sea Field Vineyards. It is a barrel selection that they handpicked from their finest barrels, to create a textbook cool-climate Pinot with brilliant definition, balance and fruit. 
 
At the winery, they utilized 100% whole cluster fermentation for added structure and depth, and on the palate, the wine is detailed, focused, and loaded with intense red fruits, minerals, and floral-infused herbs. At $60, you should try it.
 
RAEN
2018 PINOT NOIR 
ROYAL ST. ROBERT CUVEE
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $59.99
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“Intense aromas of dried strawberry with stone and mineral undertones. Medium to full body with tight, firm tannins and beautiful length and depth. This needs three or four years to come together”  96 Points
2015 Il Borro Toscana Tuscany, Italy

2015 Il Borro Toscana Tuscany, Italy

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IL BORRO

2015 TOSCANA
TUSCANY, ITALY 

2015 Il Borro Toscana Tuscany, Italy

The Ferragamo’s are icons in the fashion industry with a heritage of creativity and utmost quality. They’ve carried those same hallmarks that brought them success in their luxury goods company over to wine, and the results speak for themselves. Their 2015 Il Borro is one of the highest-scoring Tuscan blends under $100, having earned high 90s scores from both James Suckling and Robert Parker. This wine is one of the least expensive ways to enjoy a piece of the Ferragamo lifestyle.
 
Moving another step closer to their goal of producing the best Bordeaux like blend outside of Bordeaux, and with a monster 97 Point score, Salvatore Ferragamo’s Il Borro comes from their family estate in Tuscany, and like their clothing line, it’s powerfully bold, yet gorgeously elegant and remarkably detailed. 
 
The 2015 laces together 50% Merlot, dressed with 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, then precisely threaded with other varietals. After meticulously hand sorting each grape, the wine is sent gravity flow into the tank where the wine team removes 10-20% of the juice to increase concentration.
 
IL BORRO
2015 TOSCANA
TUSCANY, ITALY
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $59.99
Click to Order
 
 
 
“This is the best Il Borro to date with fantastic blackberry, blueberry and sandalwood aromas that follow through to a full body with masses of fruit. Yet, it remains bright and linear down the center palate. A rich and toned wine. 50 per cent merlot, 35 per cent cabernet and 15 per cent syrah…”  97 Points
 
 
“This robust Tuscan blend of 50% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Syrah is Il Borro’s flagship wine. The 2015 Il Borro is an important and thickly enriched expression that shows ample power and muscle but remains elegantly modulated and contoured at the same time. The bouquet opens to dark fruit, blackberry, prune, spice, leather and tar. In the mouth, this wine is richly textured, velvety and concentrated, and it delivers balanced tannins and acidity. Il Borro has beautifully captured the warmth and exuberance of the terrific 2015 vintage.” 96 Points
2015 Heitz Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2015 Heitz Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

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HEITZ

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2015 NAPA VALLEY

2015 Heitz Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet SauvignonHeitz is one of Napa Valley’s most historic wineries, and it’s their undeviating style of producing profoundly hedonistic and age-worthy Cabernets that have become a hallmark of their brand. The winery has reliably produced their unmistakably intense, savory, well-built Cabernets since the 1960s. Their 2015 Napa Cabernet perfectly expresses their timeless approach, and with a 95 Point Score and Editors’ Choice, I recommend going all-in… 

Joe Heitz had a keen eye for discovering vineyards capable of producing age-worthy wines. The winery has vineyards in Oakville, Rutherford, St Helena, Howell Mountain, Oak Knoll, and Calistoga, and their Napa Valley Cabernet captures this diversity and is a pure representation of Napa Valley terroir. 
 
Each decision made at the winery, from when to pick, through the entire fermentation and aging process are purposefully made to guide the wine into a style that’s both stunning upon release and will stand the test of time, rather than be flashy and forward when consumed young.
 
HEITZ
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2015 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $63
 
Your Price: $59.99

Click to Order

 
“Woody, herbal and elegantly structured, this wine is high-toned and freshly layered in bold red fruit. Given time in the barrel and the bottle, it shows its graceful edges and nuanced elegance with ease, finishing in dusty crushed rock. It vastly overdelivers on its price point.” 95 Points, Editors’ Choice
 
 
 “The 2015 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon immediately entices with notes of black cherry, sweet plum, fresh raspberries, currants, anise, and clove. These notes are complimented by savory elements, reminiscent of sweet tobacco and new leather. The mouthfeel on this wine has gentle power. It is light and bright with fresh acidity yet there is weight and length that extends long after the first sip of wine. The structure is balanced with soft and developed tannins, only achieved by allowing this wine to age for two full years in barrel and full year in bottle before release.”
CASTELLO ROMITORIO 2015 BRUNELLO MONTALCINO, ITALY

2015 Castello Romitorio Brunello Montalcino Italy

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CASTELLO ROMITORIO

2015 BRUNELLO 
MONTALCINO, ITALY

CASTELLO ROMITORIO 2015 BRUNELLO MONTALCINO, ITALY

There are great wines that are made through decisions by the winemaker, and then there are great wines that are a result of the vintage, which is what Montalcino experienced in 2015. If you’ve read any of the vintage reports from winemakers and critics, the energy is contagious. Stefano Cinelli Colombini said, “the vintage saw textbook timing,” and James Suckling alerted his readers that it’s a vintage “nobody should miss”.  We agree, and here’s one of the best, and with triple 95 point scores.
 
Castello Romitorio has Italian history embedded in its DNA. The Estate dates back to the Middle Ages, and through time, transitioned from a temple to a fortress, a monastery, a castle, a Manor House, and now, lucky for us, a winery. 
 
Located in the northwest of the town of Montalcino, the vineyard has soils composed of clay and Albarese, from which fossils and shells emerge, evidence of an ancient coastal seabed. The 2015 vintage offers remarkable power, dynamic complexity, and a purity of fruit that’s spectacular.  
 
CASTELLO ROMITORIO
2015 BRUNELLO 
MONTALCINO, ITALY
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $59.99

Click to Order

 
“… a suave and supple expression that shows a slightly more opulent texture compared to many of its peers… You taste the natural richness and exuberance of the fruit, with variety-specific elements of wild cherry, blue flowers and soft earth…” 
95 Points
 
“… laced with spicy, dark red fruits, wild, sweet and spicy floral tones that give way to savory herbs, hints of animal musk and black earth. On the palate, it’s soft, enveloping, almost creamy in texture and offset by a mix of savory spice, fine tannin and saturating mineral tones as black cherry and sage seem to hover on the senses. The finish is spicy and long, structured, but also with vibrant primary fruits holding on strong, as a twang of savory herbs lingers long…” 95 Points
 
“A dense and rich Brunello with lots of ripe fruit, spices and hints of new wood. Full-bodied, chewy and rich. A muscular wine that needs time to come together. Better after 2022.” 95 Points
 
 
2016 Oddero Rombone Barbaresco

2016 Oddero Rombone Barbaresco

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ODDERO

2016 BARBARESCO
ROMBONE 2016 Oddero Rombone Barbaresco

Barbaresco is Italy’s other Iconic wine that’s produced from the Nebbiolo grape, and if Barolo is the King, then Barbaresco is the Queen, having a slightly more elegant structure. Oddero’s 95 Point Barbaresco from the Cru Vineyard Rombone is a stunning value and offers a brilliant play between tension and elegance that’s coupled with profound power and freshness.

The Oddero family has been active in Barolo and Barbaresco since the 1800’s, and in 2006 their wines were brought to an entirely new level when they hired Dante Scaglioni, who spent 25 years as the winemaker for legendary producer Bruno Giacosa.  

The Rombone vineyard is laden with limestone and veins of clay, and it’s known for producing wines that exhibit freshness, remarkably penetrating fruit, and stunning complexity. The climate in Barbaresco is slightly milder than neighboring Barolo and the wines are noticeably less tannic and exude elegance.

ODDERO
2016 BARBARESCO
ROMBONE 
 
Your Price: $55

 

“Black-skinned berry, iris, leather, hazelnut and menthol aromas whiff of forest floor. The smooth, full-bodied palate shows tension and finesse, offering fleshy black cherry, espresso and licorice alongside fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Drink 2021-2030”  95 Points

 

“Sweet berry aromas with hints of flowers and spices. Very perfumed. Full-bodied, firm and chewy with a velvety texture and a flavorful finish. Shows lovely intensity and flavor. Drink from 2022.” 93 Points

2018 TOR Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay

2018 TOR Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay

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TOR

2018 CHARDONNAY
CARNEROS, NAPA VALLEY

2018 TOR Carneros Napa Valley ChardonnayIf you enjoy some of California’s top Chardonnays, and you want to find one at an obtainable price, TOR’s 2018 Carneros Chardonnay is for you. When you read below about the origins of the grapes, and then consider that they’re paired with the immeasurable talents of winemaker Jeff Ames, you might just decide to skip right down to the order button…

Tor’s 2018 Chardonnay is a barrel selection from Steve Beresini’s heritage vines, Larry Hyde’s world-renowned Carneros fruit, and the iconic Durell Vineyard in Sonoma, and any one of these three sites could be considered one of California’s Grand Cru Vineyards.

All three sites were hand-harvested separately, and at their individual optimum ripeness before being pressed directly into small French oak barrels, where winemaker Jeff Ames was then able to identify and capture the best qualities from each vineyard, and harmonize them into something absolutely remarkable.

TOR
2018 CHARDONNAY
CARNEROS, NAPA VALLEY

Your Price: $55/btl

Click to Order

Winery Notes: “This wine is from three historic Chardonnay vineyards, the sum of this winemaker’s selection is greater than its parts. Steve Beresini’s thirty-year-old, dry-farmed heritage vines gives depth and texture, Hyde Vineyard’s wind-cooled topography gives minerality and precision, Durell vineyard contributes richness and opulence. 470 cases made.” 94 Points ~ International Wine Report