2021 Kanzler Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

2021 Kanzler Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

with No Comment $50-$60$60-$70Kevin VogtPinot NoirRussian River ValleySonomaSonoma CoastUSA

KANZLER

PINOT NOIR 2021
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

2021 Kanzler Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

In 1996, the Kanzler family was the first to plant vineyards in the chilly Sebastopol Hills in western Sonoma County, just eight miles from the Pacific Ocean. Steve Kanzler immersed himself in viticulture, taking classes at UC Davis, and sought advice from neighbors, winemakers, vineyard managers, and soil experts all around the county to perfect his knowledge and understanding of grape growing. 

Kanzler’s Vineyard has a legacy highlighted by Pinot Noir icons Lynmar, Rivers-Marie, and Kosta Browne, who’ve all produced a single-vineyard Pinot from Kanzler for around 20 consecutive vintages, ranking among their best wines produced. 

Striving to create intensely exquisite Pinot, winemaker Alex Kanzler crafted this Russian River Valley Pinot Noir around a core of Estate fruit, layering in Mes Filles, Marshall, Walker Station, and Wild Horse Vineyards for increased nuance. Their winemaking is gentle, precise, and skilled, and the results are simply stunning.

KANZLER
PINOT NOIR 2021
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

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“Ripe, with deliciously succulent waves of plum, boysenberry and mulberry fruit rolling through, laced with iris and hibiscus notes and ending with light anise and apple wood hints on the finish. Packs a nice finishing kick of fruit at the end, too, while keeping a racy edge. Best from 2024 through 2032.”

94 Points

2019 Diego Conterno Barolo Monforte D'Alba

2019 Diego Conterno Barolo Monforte D’Alba

with No Comment $50-$60BaroloBaroloItalyKevin VogtPiedmont

DIEGO CONTERNO

BAROLO 2019
MONFORTE D’ALBA

2019 Diego Conterno Barolo Monforte D'Alba

Under the mentorship of Piedmontese luminary winemaker Beppe Colla, Diego Conterno honed his winemaking skills at the Prunotto Winery. In 1982, he and his cousins started their winery, where Diego worked for nearly two decades, further developing his winemaking signature. 

In 2000, Diego began a winemaking journey all on his own with a five-acre plot in Ginestra, one of Barolo’s named cru growing sites. Today, Diego and his son Stefano run the winery, holding an esteemed reputation for producing Nebbiolo wines. 

The 2019 Barolo comes from a selection of fruit from estate vineyards in Bricco San Pietro, San Giovanni, and Ginestra, each vinified separately and aged to perfection in a combination of traditional botti and cement tank for 30 months. 

DIEGO CONTERNO
BAROLO 2019
MONFORTE D’ALBA

Your Price: $59.99

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“Lifted with blood orange citrus, the 2019 Barolo Del Comune Di Monforte D’Alba is spiced with clove, menthol, and cherry. It is medium to full bodied, with fine tannins, a fresh spine of acidity, and raspberry, dusty earth, and fresh peach. I love the balance of its structure and its refined texture. This is an outstanding effort to drink 2024-2044.”

95 Points

2021 Lingua Franca Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

2021 Lingua Franca Estate Pinot Noir Eola-Amity-Hills Willamette Valley

with No Comment $50-$60Kevin VogtOregonPinot NoirUSAWillamette Valley

LINGUA FRANCA

ESTATE PINOT NOIR
EOLA-AMITY-HILLS 2021
WILLAMETTE VALLEY

2021 Lingua Franca Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

A rising star in Oregon’s prized Eola-Amity Hills region, Lingua Franca winery is the brainchild of Master Sommelier Larry Stone. Collaborating with legendary Burgundy icon Dominique Lafon, Lingua Franca’s organic and biodynamically farmed vineyard neighbors iconic sites, Argyle’s Lone Star, Domaine Serene’s Jerusalem Hill, and Evening Land’s Seven Springs vineyards.

The winemaking team produces world-class wines that balance New World intensity with Burgundian finesse, and for the 2021 Estate Pinot Noir, winemaker Thomas Savre consulted with Lafon and fermented 20% whole clusters for added complexity. 

Aged in primarily neutral French oak barriques to preserve the fruit’s natural essence and reflect the region’s terroir, this stunning example of Pinot Noir beautifully showcases a harmonious blend of concentration, balance, and a strong sense of place reminiscent of Burgundy but grown in Oregon.

LINGUA FRANCA
ESTATE PINOT NOIR
EOLA-AMITY-HILLS 2021
WILLAMETTE VALLEY
Retails at: $60

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“A compelling, multilayered red, with lilting raspberry and cherry flavors that expand to reveal fresh violet and earthy mineral accents, which build tension toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2032.”

95 Points

2021 Ernest Estate Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2021 Ernest Estate Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $50-$60Kevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

ERNEST

ESTATE PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST 2021

2021 Ernest Estate Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

Making a splash in Sonoma County’s Pinot Noir scene, Ernest Vineyards sources grapes from seven cool-climate sites in Sonoma County, artfully blending the diversity of this wondrous AVA from the Pacific coastline to the rolling coastal ranges. 

Ernest Estate nestles within the Freestone Valley, a region profoundly influenced by the Pacific Ocean, with cold temperatures and fog consistently enveloping the vineyards, reaping ideal fruit with robust structure and elegant restraint.

Winemaker Joseph Ryan prefers neutral oak barrels to highlight the essence and finesse of Pinot Noir with vibrant acidity and a nearly endless finish. The 2021 vintage yielded a limited 325 cases and was aged in French oak, enabling the exquisite transparency and pristine purity of the terroir to shine through.

ERNEST
ESTATE PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST 2021

Your Price: $58

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“The 2021 Pinot Noir Estate is a blend from the Cleary and Michael Vallentine ranches, both in Freestone. Bright and effusive, with striking depth, the 2021 is deep and beautifully layered right out of the gate. A rush of dark red/purplish fruit, rose petal, lavender, mint and blood orange build into the rich, heady finish. The 33% stems are not especially evident. This is the best wine I have tasted from Ernest so far. It would be great to see more wines here in this direction.”

95 Points

“The 2021 Pinot Noir Estate pours a rich ruby and offers pure, ripe aromas of fresh pine, black cherry, and toasted sage. This continues to the palate, with gorgeous ripe fruit that fills the palate with plush wild raspberry, smoky earth, and baking spice. Medium-bodied and long on the palate, with supple fruit up front and an excellent underlying structure, it’s drinking beautifully now but will benefit from another 6-12 months in bottle. It offers both immediacy and longevity. Drink 2023-2035.”

95 Points

2022 Far Niente Chardonnay Napa Valley

2022 Far Niente Chardonnay Napa Valley

with No Comment $50-$60ChardonnayCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

FAR NIENTE

CHARDONNAY 2022
NAPA VALLEY

2022 Far Niente Chardonnay Napa Valley

In 1885, John Benson established Far Niente, a historic winery in Napa Valley that thrived until 1919, when prohibition halted its operations. Six decades later, Gil Nickel acquired and meticulously restored the property, driven by a vision to craft an exemplary Napa Valley Chardonnay with sophistication, balance, and stature. The inaugural bottling of Far Niente estate Chardonnay was released in 1979 and has been a winery namesake for over 40 years.

The 2022 vintage is a superlative blend of Napa Valley vineyards in Coombsville, an area boasting a climate akin to Carneros but with less wind and well-drained gravelly loam and volcanic ash soils. 

To uphold the winery’s celebrated house style, malolactic fermentation is avoided to preserve crisp acidity, and this vintage was matured in French oak to emphasize the premium fruit quality.

FAR NIENTE
CHARDONNAY 2022
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $76

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“The 2022 Far Niente Chardonnay is richly aromatic with bright notes of citrus, melon, and pear. These same enchanting notes continue onto the palate with a silky entry that slowly builds to a long finish with lingering citrus. Crisp minerality and juicy acidity lift and support the generous fruit and provide the framework for graceful aging.”

2020 Andre Brunel Chateauneuf-Du-Pape Les Cailloux

2020 Andre Brunel Chateauneuf-Du-Pape Les Cailloux

with No Comment $50-$60Chateauneuf-Du-PapeFranceKevin VogtRhone Valley

ANDRÉ BRUNEL

CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE
LES CAILLOUX 2020

2020 Andre Brunel Chateauneuf-Du-Pape Les Cailloux
This historic estate was established in the 17th century when André Brunel’s family purchased a vineyard plot from the Bishop of Avignon. André took over the reins of this estate in 1971, and his son Fabrice joined the winemaking team in 2012, keeping the family legacy alive by pursuing quality with the highest regard and respect for the environment.
 
Châteauneuf-du-Pape is notorious for its large, round pebbles that absorb the sun’s energy, radiating warmth throughout the night, allowing the grapes to achieve ideal ripeness and incredible complexity. “Les Cailloux” gets its name from the pebbles.
 
The 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape red wine blends 70% Grenache with Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Cinsault from sixty-year-old vines. The 2020 vintage is drinking beautifully now and will continue to delight for the next decade.
 
ANDRÉ BRUNEL
CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE
LES CAILLOUX 2020
Retails at: $65
 
 
 
“This traditional style Chateauneuf has a complex nose of leather, dry earth, candied orange peel and licorice. More red-berry fruit on the expansive yet delicate palate, where there’s a wonderful interplay of super-fine tannins and restrained richness through the very long, silky finish. Drink or hold.”
94 Points
2017 Justin Justification Red Paso Robles

2017 Justin Justification Red Paso Robles

with No Comment $50-$60Central CoastKevin VogtPaso RoblesProprietary RedUSA

JUSTIN

JUSTIFICATION RED
PASO ROBLES 2017

2017 Justin Justification Red Paso Robles
Justin Winery’s founders planted their first vineyards in 1981 on fossilized limestone soils with a similar composition as those in Bordeaux, stressing the vines and giving wines a wide range of character and depth of flavor. The winemaking philosophy combines Old World practices with New World technology to create world-class wines from Paso Robles’ unique microclimate, which includes the most significant difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures of any wine-growing region in California.
 
Justification highlights a Right Bank Bordeaux-style blend featuring Cabernet Franc and Merlot aged in 100% French oak barrels. The 2017 vintage is a full-bodied red with a beautiful combination of power and freshness, comprising 65% Cabernet Franc with 35% Merlot, making an excellent accompaniment with a wide range of foods and any occasion from a friendly barbecue to a candlelit dinner.
 
JUSTIN
JUSTIFICATION RED
PASO ROBLES 2017
Retails at: $62
 
 
 
“The 2017 Justification is a Right Bank-styled blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot. Medium to deep ruby-purple in color, it offers bright red and black cherry fruits with notions of garrigue, dried herbs, vanilla and cardamom. In the mouth, it’s medium to full-bodied, with slowly opening fruits and a firm, grainy frame. It has great lift and freshness and finishes long. An approachable, friendly style.”
92 Points
2019 Justin Isosceles Red Blend Paso Robles

2019 Justin Isosceles Red Blend Paso Robles

with No Comment $50-$60Central CoastKevin VogtPaso RoblesProprietary RedUSA

JUSTIN

ISOSCELES RED BLEND
PASO ROBLES 2019 

2019 Justin Isosceles Red Blend Paso Robles
Justin Winery’s founders planted their first vineyard in 1981, releasing the first commercial vintage in 1987, a richly layered, intense Bordeaux-styled blend predicated on the fossilized limestone soils in Paso Robles. These unique soils are also found in Bordeaux and are a part of the terroir of many of the world’s most distinct and memorable wines. 
 
For over 30 years, Isosceles has been the flagship wine of Justin and shows exactly why this little part of the world has massive potential for viticulture. The 2019 Isosceles comprises nearly 80% Cabernet Sauvignon married with Cabernet Franc and Merlot, aged in new French oak for 21 months, resulting in a full-bodied red wine with a seductively long finish. 
 
JUSTIN
ISOSCELES RED BLEND
PASO ROBLES 2019 
Retails at: $85
 
 
 
“Deep ruby/purple core with black secondary color, lighter toward the rim with moderate plus viscosity and slow forming, moderately stained tears. Very aromatic and complex with ripe black cherry and cassis fruit, vanilla, cinnamon and licorice spice with sweet tobacco, cedar, leather and camphor notes.  Full-bodied with ripe black cherry and blackcurrant fruit complemented with baking spice and oak notes on entry. Sustained fruit and spice are joined by savory autumn leaf, cedar and leather on the mid-palate with mouth filling, fine tannins that lead into a long, complex and balanced finish with attractive fruit, spice, cedar and subtle camphor notes.”
2021 Far Niente Chardonnay Napa Valley

2021 Far Niente Chardonnay Napa Valley

with No Comment $50-$60ChardonnayCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

FAR NIENTE

CHARDONNAY 2021
NAPA VALLEY

2021 Far Niente Chardonnay Napa Valley
John Benson founded Far Niente in 1885, and the winery was a notable stronghold in Napa Valley until Prohibition closed the gates in 1919. Sixty years later, Gil Nickel purchased and restored the property with a vision to create a quintessential Napa Valley Chardonnay of sophistication, balance, and stature. He released the first vintage of Far Niente in the modern era, an estate-bottled 1979 Napa Valley Chardonnay that has been a namesake of the winery for over four decades.
 
The fruit for the Estate Chardonnay is grown in Coombsville, which has a similar climate to Carneros, but with less wind and well-drained gravelly loam and volcanic soils that give the wine its signature stone and tropical fruit flavors with a distinct minerality. Malolactic fermentation is avoided in the winemaking process to preserve the malic acid for a fresher sensation on the palate, increased longevity in the bottle, and a celebrated style long associated with the winery.
 
FAR NIENTE
CHARDONNAY 2021
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $73
 
 
 
“The Far Niente Napa Valley Chardonnay 2021 opens with concentrated notes of green apple, ripe pear, exotic tropical fruits, and spring florals. The palate follows suit, bringing vibrant acidity, levity, and intense, ripe flavors. This wine blends the perfect balance of power and elegance in a way that brings you back for sip after sip. It’s an outstanding Chardonnay, thrilling to drink now and over the next decade.”
95 Points
2018 La Sirena Pirate Treasured Red Napa Valley

2018 La Sirena Pirate Treasured Red Napa Valley

with No Comment $50-$60Kevin VogtProprietary RedUSA

LA SIRENA

PIRATE TREASURED
NAPA VALLEY 2018

2018 La Sirena Pirate Treasured Red Napa Valley
Renowned winemaker Heidi Barrett’s Pirate TreasuRed is a fun, multi-varietal blend reimagined each vintage through her connections to some of California’s best vineyards. Heidi was immersed in wine from a young age working alongside her father, Dick Peterson. She is one of California’s most celebrated and talented winemakers, creating some of Napa’s most sought-after wines. 
 
La Sirena is Heidi’s brand, established in 1994, with the Pirate TreasuRed celebrating its 12th vintage with a six-varietal blend consisting of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Grenache, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Franc. 2018 was a glorious vintage in Napa Valley, and the fruit showcases the ideal conditions with bright acidity, freshness, and complex aromas meticulously vinified by one of the finest winemakers in the world.
 
LA SIRENA
PIRATE TREASURED
NAPA VALLEY 2018
Retails at: $65
 
 
 
“The 2018 Pirate is a deep ruby red color with open aromas of ripe fruit – plums and cherries – with complex notes of savory spices, vanilla, toasted French oak, cardamom, and olive tapenade. Delicious, round, and silky smooth across the palate with seamless, layered flavors and barely-there structural tannins. Flavors last several minutes with a nice balance and finish. Easy to drink and easy to love – perfect for pairing with a variety of full-flavored food or bringing a swashbuckling spirit to any party or gathering.”