NV Sherwin Cellar Scraps #19 Napa Valley Red

NV Sherwin Cellar Scraps #19 Napa Valley Red

with No Comment $70-$80Kevin VogtNapaProprietary RedSpring MountainUSA

Sherwin

‘Cellar Scraps’ #19
Napa Valley Red

NV Sherwin Cellar Scraps #19 Napa Valley Red

Cellar Scraps #19 is one of those wines that catches your eye even before you open it. The packaging pulls you in, but what’s inside holds your attention. From one of Spring Mountain’s most respected producers, this is Sherwin giving the reins a gentle loosen. It is a multi-vintage blend drawn from serious Napa sites, offering a level of creativity and playfulness you rarely encounter at this quality.

The concept is straightforward, yet the execution is anything but simple. Sherwin selects fruit from top vineyard sources across Napa and builds the blend barrel by barrel. Cabernet Sauvignon forms the backbone, while the supporting varieties are woven in with real precision, adding texture and dimension. The multi-vintage approach gives the team the freedom to fine-tune every detail, and it shows in the final wine.

It opens with immediate charm, but there is real depth beneath the surface. Dark fruit and spice lead the way, followed by a smooth, layered texture that unfolds across the palate. Structure keeps everything neatly in place, maintaining focus and composure through a finish that lingers longer than you expect. Polished, expressive, and genuinely complex, this is the kind of Napa blend that confidently overdelivers.

Sherwin
‘Cellar Scraps’ #19
Napa Valley Red
Retails: $85

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“The Cellar Scraps #19 Napa Valley Red Wine has an exciting array of complexity on the nose with juicy red and black cherries, boysenberries, hints of cedar and black tea leaves, balsamic glaze, and savory spices. On the palate, the wine has a smooth texture with a bit of a bite from tannic structure. The flavors match the aromas on the palate with a mélange of red and black fruits, spices, and a finish of hot cocoa. This wine is very well balanced and very easy to drink, with potential for aging as well.”

94 Points

2021 Castello di Ama Haiku Siena, Tuscany

2021 Castello di Ama Haiku Siena, Tuscany

with No Comment $70-$80ItalyKevin VogtSangioveseTuscany

Castello di Ama

Haiku 2021
Siena, Tuscany

2021 Castello di Ama Haiku Siena, Tuscany

Castello di Ama’s 2021 Haiku draws you in, line by line, with precise elegance. Rooted in tradition, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot move in measured harmony, each voice distinct yet seamlessly intertwined. The wine unfolds with a natural cadence, where structure and emotion meet, and every detail arrives with intent.

From hillside vineyards rising between 420 and 500 meters, the wine gains a lift that defines its character. Clay-limestone soils drive a firm mineral spine, while elevation sharpens freshness and aromatic detail within the fruit. Under the direction of Marco Pallanti, each decision serves the wine’s voice, guiding the vineyard to speak fully and shaping a wine that feels both grounded and expressive.

In the cellar, that same discipline carries through. Fermentation follows a measured path, capturing structure, while élevage frames the wine with balance, allowing oak to support finite details in balance. Texture builds with intention, fine tannins threading through layers of depth, carrying the wine forward in a steady rhythm to a long, composed finish that lingers with precision.

Castello di Ama
Haiku 2021
Siena, Tuscany

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“Blackberries, black cherries and graphite on the nose. It’s full-bodied with very polished and lightly chewy tannins and a tangy finish. Minerally and citrusy at the end. Solid wine that needs two or three years of bottle age to soften.”

95 Points

2024 Raen Pinot Noir Royal St. Robert Cuvee

2024 Raen Pinot Noir Royal St. Robert Cuvee

with No Comment $70-$80Kevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaSonoma Coast

Raen

Pinot Noir 
Royal St Robert Cuvée
Sonoma Coast 2024

2024 Raen Pinot Noir Royal St. Robert Cuvee

Raen’s Royal St. Robert Cuvée Pinot Noir captures the Sonoma Coast with striking definition, where tension, lift, and depth converge in exact proportion. From the first impression, it feels deliberate, shaped by an uncompromising focus on site and carried with a balance that is immediately apparent.

Drawn from the far Sonoma Coast, the vineyards exist in constant dialogue with the Pacific. Wind, fog, and shifting light shape each day of the growing season, slowing ripening and preserving the wine’s natural tension. The freshness and purity are inherent. Every detail, from aromatics to texture, traces back to a landscape that defines the wine at every level.

In the cellar, that same focus guides each step forward. Gentle extraction captures detail without forcing it, while élevage frames the wine without pulling it away from its origin. The texture moves seamlessly, with depth and energy carried together with precision. It finishes the way it begins, composed, focused, and lingering, leaving a lasting impression that feels both complete and unmistakably tied to place.

Raen
Pinot Noir 
Royal St Robert Cuvée
Sonoma Coast 2024

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“Spellbinding aromas of rose petals, strawberries, citrus and bark, with hints of lemongrass. Medium-bodied, tight and structured, this offers a captivating combination of linear intensity and calmness, so classy and sophisticated. A continued benchmark for American pinot noir. Drink or hold.”

99 Points

2021 Renato Ratti Marcenasco Barolo Piedmont Italy

2021 Renato Ratti Marcenasco Barolo Piedmont Italy

with No Comment $70-$80BaroloBaroloItalyKevin VogtPiedmont

Renato Ratti

Marcenasco Barolo
Piedmont, Italy 2021

2021 Renato Ratti Marcenasco Barolo Piedmont Italy

In the hills of La Morra, where Nebbiolo finds its most articulate voice, Renato Ratti Marcenasco stands as both history and living expression. Long before “cru” entered Barolo’s common vocabulary, Ratti was mapping the Langhe with conviction, arguing that each hillside possessed a distinct identity. Marcenasco became the clearest proof of that belief.

 

The vineyard itself carries documented depth, its name appearing in records that trace Nebbiolo cultivation here back centuries. From these rolling slopes, Marcenasco expresses La Morra’s defining signature: aromatic precision, measured authority, and a tensile structure that lingers well beyond the first impression. It is elegance anchored by underlying strength.

 

In the cellar, tradition sharpens rather than softens that identity. The 2021 matures for about two years in oak barrels before an additional year of bottle refinement, building structure while preserving aromatic detail. The aging shapes the wine without imprinting upon it. What remains is unmistakably Marcenasco, a Barolo rooted in place, lineage, and disciplined craft.

Renato Ratti
Marcenasco Barolo
Piedmont, Italy 2021

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“Assertive aromas of graphite, violets, mint and chalky minerality. A stunning, precise wine focused on elegance, with citrus flavors, a full body and lavish, velvety tannins supported by freshness. Long, youthful and savory aftertaste. Try from 2026, but best after 2030.”

97 Points

2023 Sentium By Continuum Sauvignon Blanc Mendocino

2023 Sentium By Continuum Sauvignon Blanc Mendocino

with No Comment $70-$80Kevin VogtMendocinoMendocino RidgeSauvignon BlancUSA

Sentium

By Continuum
Sauvignon Blanc
Mendocino, 2023

2023 Sentium By Continuum Sauvignon Blanc Mendocino

Sentium stands apart for one clear reason: it treats Sauvignon Blanc as a wine of structure and longevity, not just freshness. Drawn from old-vine fruit in Mendocino, it delivers a rare combination of mineral precision, layered texture, and power. As the white wine expression of Continuum Estate, it carries that same uncompromising pursuit of precision into an entirely different register.

Its character takes shape in Redwood Valley, where cooling Pacific influence meets ample sun, creating a natural balance between ripeness and moderation. This steady pace slows ripening, preserving tension while allowing the fruit to reach full phenolic maturity. In 2023, that equilibrium comes through cleanly, where freshness and concentration move in seamless alignment.

The cellar work reinforces that balance through a deliberate, multi-vessel élevage. Concrete, stainless steel, and neutral oak each add dimension, while extended lees aging builds texture and density through the mid-palate. The result is a Sauvignon Blanc of uncommon shape and persistence, expansive yet precise, leaving a lasting impression that extends well beyond the variety’s expected limits.

Sentium
By Continuum
Sauvignon Blanc
Mendocino, 2023

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“The 2023 release totals approximately 188 cases. This vintage delivers beautifully luscious fruit, marked by lemon-leaf pithiness and notes of crushed Marcona almonds. There’s excellent tension and grip here, with the wine showing its hallmark medium-bodied richness and silky, satiny fruit character. Laced with vibrant acid tension, it finishes long with flinty minerality, a kiss of tarragon, and a lingering saline edge. Chiara Mondavi set out to find older, organically farmed vines cared for by family growers. Her search led her to Mendocino’s Redwood Valley, where vineyards planted between the 1940s and 1970s provided the perfect fit for her vision of crafting textured, ageworthy Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.”

96 Points

2023 Napanook by Dominus Napa Valley Red

2023 Napanook by Dominus Napa Valley Red

with No Comment $70-$80Kevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSAYountville

Napanook

by Dominus
Napa Valley Red 2023

2023 Napanook by Dominus Napa Valley Red

A beautiful entry into the wines of Dominus Estate, the 2023 Napanook captures the essence of a vineyard that has shaped Napa Valley for nearly two centuries. Drawn entirely from the historic Napanook Vineyard in Yountville, first planted in 1836 by George C. Yount, the wine reflects the authority of a site whose gravelly valley-floor soils have long proven ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine takes inspiration from the classic structure of Left Bank Bordeaux while remaining unmistakably Napa in character. The vineyard is farmed with an unwavering focus on balance and site expression. Dry-farmed vines send their roots deep into gravelly clay-loam soils threaded with volcanic material, while meticulous cane pruning and careful cluster thinning ensure each vine yields fruit of concentration and purity.

In the cellar, the philosophy is one of moderation and transparency. The 2023 Napanook matures for twenty months in French oak barrels, about twenty percent of them new, a measured approach that frames the wine without overshadowing it. The emphasis remains firmly on allowing the voice of the Napanook Vineyard to come through with precision.

Napanook
by Dominus
Napa Valley Red 2023

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“Aromas of blueberries, ash and stones with hints of blackberries, orange peel and chocolate. It’s medium-bodied with medium-round tannins that are polished and velvety but always in check. Cedar and baking spices like nutmeg on the palate. Lovely soft and silky texture with a long finish. Enchanting and delicious. 92% cabernet sauvginon, 4% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot. From organically grown grapes. Drink now or hold.”

97 Points

2023 Idda Etna Rosso Sicily Italy

2023 Idda Etna Rosso Sicily Italy

with No Comment $70-$80ItalyKevin VogtRosso

Idda

Etna Rosso
Sicily, Italy 2023

2023 Idda Etna Rosso Sicily Italy

Great wines are often born from a singular vision. Rarely are they shaped by two that move in complete accord. IDDA unites Italian icon Angelo Gaja with the Graci family, whose work has helped define Etna’s modern ascent. The 2023 Etna Rosso proves this is more than collaboration. It is convergence, capturing the volcano’s raw mineral force and refining it through discipline.

Etna is anything but passive. Its soils, layered with ancient lava and ash, are mineral-rich and naturally free-draining, compelling vines to root deep into volcanic stone. In Biancavilla, on the southwest slope, IDDA farms at an elevation where light is intense and ripening deliberate. The 2023 reflects that terrain with precision, offering red-toned fruit, savory nuance, and a structural spine that feels inseparable from the black earth beneath it.

The architecture points toward longevity. Acidity remains vivid, tannins composed, fruit tightly knit within a persistent mineral core. Time will bring further dimension, yet even now the wine carries authority. It presents Etna as one of Italy’s most serious and distinctive terroirs, rendered with intent.

Idda
Etna Rosso
Sicily, Italy 2023

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The aromas of cranberries, pears, honeysuckle and other white flowers are enticing. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins and a fresh, bright finish. A little closed now but already very enjoyable. Drink or hold.”

94 Points

2018 Chateau Cantenac Brown Margaux Gran Cru Bordeaux

2018 Chateau Cantenac Brown Margaux Gran Cru Bordeaux

with No Comment $70-$80BordeauxBordeauxFranceKevin Vogt

Château Cantenac Brown

Margaux 2018
Grand Cru Classé 1855
Bordeaux, France

2018 Chateau Cantenac Brown Margaux Gran Cru Bordeaux

In Margaux, pedigree is never accidental. The 2018 Cantenac Brown stands securely within its 1855 Third Growth lineage, yet speaks with striking modern precision. Built on 69% Cabernet Sauvignon and shaped through deliberate élevage, it marries classical Left Bank structure with precision and control. History is present, but never heavy. The result is a wine where tradition and exacting craftsmanship meet in seamless proportion.

Beneath the estate’s vineyards, deep gravel soils define the wine long before it reaches the cellar. In 2018, that geology found eloquent expression. The Cabernet-led blend carries the unmistakable signature of the Médoc: firm architecture first, perfume rising gradually behind it, longevity always implied.

What ultimately sets the 2018 apart is its texture. The tannins are finely structured yet composed. Aged in 60% new French oak, the élevage brings polish and depth, reinforcing the wine’s frame rather than embellishing it. The finish is long and mineral, steady and assured, leaving a lasting impression of Margaux rendered with both conviction and balance.

Château Cantenac Brown
Margaux 2018
Grand Cru Classé 1855
Bordeaux, France

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“The 2018 Cantenac Brown is fabulous. Dark rich and expansive, the 2018 wraps around the palate with stunning depth. Dark red/black fruit, iron, cedar, chocolate, dried herbs and a whole range of earthy notes are pushed forward as this ample Margaux shows off its considerable allure. The 2018 is a big, rich wine. Give it at least a few years to fully come together.”

95 Points

2021 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Rrussian River Valley

2021 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Russian River Valley

with No Comment $70-$80ChardonnayKevin VogtRussian River ValleySonomaUSA

Shibumi Knoll

Chardonnay 2021
Corazon del Río Vineyard
Russian River Valley

2021 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Rrussian River Valley

Shibumi Knoll occupies a rare place in California Chardonnay, guided by intention rather than scale and shaped by the skilled hand of Thomas Rivers Brown. The result is a wine that speaks in a higher register, focused, precise, and alive with detail, offering a clear counterpoint to the estate’s more mature expressions.

Within the renowned Buena Tierra Vineyard, one small block behaves differently. Its younger vines yield fruit with sharper edges, brighter energy, and a natural tension that demands restraint. The 2021 Corazon del Rio Chardonnay is drawn from this block and shaped to emphasize clarity and lift. What emerges is a wine with nerve and definition, alive rather than polished into submission.

Nothing here feels accidental. Time in barrel brings texture and dimension without dulling the wine’s natural edge, keeping tension at the core of the experience. The palate is persistent and finely tuned, delivering intensity through precision rather than force. It is a Chardonnay that rewards attention, unfolding gradually and revealing its depth with patience, not haste.

Shibumi Knoll
Chardonnay 2021
Corazon del Río Vineyard
Russian River Valley

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“The 2021 Chardonnay Corazon Del Rio Vineyard is another brilliant Chardonnay (these are all made by Thomas Rivers Brown) from the Russian River Valley. Bright citrus, honeyed flowers, and subtle toasty oak notes define the aromatics, and its medium-bodied, has a fresh, focused mouthfeel, terrific balance, and a great finish. I’d be thrilled with bottles in the cellar.”

95 Points

2023 Domaine Drouhin Laurene Pinot Noir Dundee Hills

2023 Domaine Drouhin Laurene Pinot Noir Dundee Hills

with No Comment $70-$80Kevin VogtOregonPinot NoirUSA

Domaine Drouhin

Laurène Pinot Noir 
Dundee Hills 2023

2023 Domaine Drouhin Laurene Pinot Noir Dundee Hills

The 2023 Laurène Pinot Noir arrives with the unmistakable grace of a wine shaped by generations of heritage. Every detail reflects a lineage of precision, from the volcanic soils of the Dundee Hills to the Burgundian hand that guides it, creating a Pinot Noir that feels both deeply rooted and endlessly expressive.

This harmony begins with Véronique Boss-Drouhin, who has spent decades refining the Drouhin family’s signature of elegance on both sides of the Atlantic. In Oregon, she channels that philosophy into Laurène with breathtaking focus, crafting a wine that carries Burgundy’s soul while speaking fluently in the language of the Dundee Hills.

Through meticulous sorting, gentle fermentations, and a discriminating approach to élevage, Laurène becomes a benchmark of purity and finesse. The 2023 vintage, already earning national acclaim, unfolds with depth, tension, and restrained power, promising decades of graceful evolution and reaffirming its place among the most compelling Pinot Noirs made in America.

Domaine Drouhin
Laurène Pinot Noir 
Dundee Hills 2023
Retails at: $80

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“Rich, powerful and gorgeous, drenched in fruity, savory, mushroomy flavors on a full body and super-smooth tannins. It is deep in black cherry, blackcurrant, cedar and pine character that expands on the palate and lingers in the finish. Drink or hold.”

97 Points, #11 Top 100 US Wines 2025