2019 Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Estate

2019 Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Estate

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

PARADIGM   

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
OAKVILLE ESTATE 2019

2019 Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Estate
In 1976, winegrowers Ren and Marilyn Harris decided to purchase a vineyard, and without hesitation, their first choice was in what is now the Oakville AVA of Napa Valley. The Harris’s hired a promising young winemaker named Heidi Barrett for their inaugural vintage under the Paradigm label in 1991, and she’s been with them ever since, sharing her passion, knowledge, and sage-like wisdom for creating phenomenal wines from vineyards responsibly farmed with love and dedication.
 
Located directly south of Beckstoffer’s To-Kalon Vineyard and with neighbors like Opus One and Martha’s Vineyard, Paradigm Estate sits on premium terroir in the heart of Oakville. The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon displays classic Oakville aromatics from perfectly ripe, lush fruit aged 20 months in French oak and 20 months in bottle before release, with the potential to age much longer. However, it is already a brilliant wine in its youth!
 
PARADIGM   
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
OAKVILLE ESTATE 2019
 
 
 
“Our 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is dark ruby in color with aromas of deep ripe fruit, black cherries, blackberry, currants, plums, savory spice, vanilla, and toasty French Oak. Aromas and flavors show nice concentration in 2019. The wine has a dense texture and mouthcoating mouthfeel. Classic Oakville Cabernet flavors similar to the aromas. Optimum ripeness leads to a lush, rich, and well-balanced wine that bodes well for age ability. Layered and interesting with a long persistent finish. A delicious offering from Paradigm. Enjoy!”
Heidi Barrett
2017 Heitz Cellar Cabenret Sauvignon Lot C-91 Napa Valley

2017 Heitz Cellar Cabenret Sauvignon Lot C-91 Napa Valley

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

HEITZ CELLAR

NAPA VALLEY LOT C-91
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2017

2017 Heitz Cellar Cabenret Sauvignon Lot C-91 Napa Valley
Joe Heitz introduced Napa Valley’s first vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon from Martha’s Vineyard in the late 1950s, founded Heitz Cellar in 1961, and eight years later, he discovered he could create a wine with the qualities he desired most through site selection and assemblage. Since the inaugural vintage in 1969, Heitz Cellar has sourced fruit for Lot C-91 from premium parcels in St. Helena, Oakville, Rutherford, and Howell Mountain to create a complex, age-worthy wine with focus, depth, and length.
 
This historical cuvée has been released as an homage to Joe Heitz since his passing in 2000 and continues to incorporate his ideation of a complete, wholesome Napa Valley Cabernet. The 2017 Lot C-91 exudes elegance and power from superior site selection and expert blending, purposefully designed to guide the wine into a style that’s both stunning upon release and will stand the test of time.  
 
HEITZ CELLAR
NAPA VALLEY LOT C-91
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2017
 
 
 
“Wow. Such a racy and exciting nose! This is quite agile and nimble, full of red and blue berries in the forefront, then complemented by spiced orange, earl grey, red plums, potpourri, savory plums and chocolate. Tense and elegant on the palate, which is all about succulent red berries, nuance and texture. Nothing redundant here. A great Napa cabernet sauvignon that has real definition. A beauty by all accounts!”
96 Points
2019 Booker Fracture Syrah Paso Robles

2019 Booker Fracture Syrah Paso Robles

with No Comment $90-$100Central CoastKevin VogtPaso RoblesSyrahUSA

BOOKER

FRACTURE SYRAH
PASO ROBLES 2019

2019 Booker Fracture Syrah Paso Robles
In 2001, Eric and Lisa Jensen purchased 100 acres in Paso Robles and founded the Booker Vineyard with a keen focus on farming high-quality grapes for nearby wineries. Eric started making wine on the side with his friend Justin Smith of Saxum and his neighbor Stephan Asseo of L’Aventure for a few years before he and Lisa decided it was time to release their own expression of the Booker Vineyard.
 
The certified organic vineyard has a high concentration of limestone that causes fractures in the soils, leading to the name of their flagship wine. The Fracture is 100% Syrah and a selection of the softest wines aged in small French barriques, and the 2019 vintage shows gorgeous aromatics and deep flavors with a delightfully long finish.
 
BOOKER
FRACTURE SYRAH
PASO ROBLES 2019
 
 
 
“The 100% Syrah 2019 Fracture comes all from the Booker Estate Vineyard and is another pure, balanced, incredibly classy wine from this estate. Loads of darker fruits, ground black pepper, crushed stone, and scorched earth give way to a medium to full-bodied, powerful, concentrated Syrah that will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and cruise for 10-15 years.”
97 Points
2018 Mastery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Mastery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

MASTERY

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
NAPA VALLEY 2018

2018 Mastery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Mastery’s 2018 release offers a deep, powerful reflection of Napa Valley’s highest-rated vintage in more than twenty years; a vintage revered for producing “wines that are rich and dark, but detailed, restrained in style and very terroir-driven,” as written by the Wine Spectator. Winemaker Rudy Zuidema’s cumulative knowledge over the past 30 years is commanding in this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon which beautifully articulates the terroir of Rapp Ranch and Shadybrook Estate Vineyards in Coombsville. 
 
Forged from vines grown in Coombsville’s volcanic soils, this powerful, focused, penetrating Cabernet celebrates its origin in memorable detail. Three barrels made up the entire production in the 2018 vintage, each chosen for varietal focus, concentrated flavors, and a masterful combination of strength and elegance. You’ll find these qualities in many of the world’s most outstanding wines. At $95, Cabernet Sauvignon doesn’t get any better!
 
MASTERY
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
NAPA VALLEY 2018
 
 
 
“Mastery 2018 is a sumptuous wine with aromas of violet, blueberry, cassis, balsamic glaze, English toffee, cigar box, and petrichor. On the palate, the wine is rich and powerful, with flavors of blackberry pie, dark chocolate, and gingerbread. The 2018 vintage is elegantly layered with an intense structure that will slowly unravel to reveal its intricacies for those who lay this beauty down in the cellar.” 
96-97 Points
2018 Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

PURLIEU

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
NAPA VALLEY 2018

2018 Purlieu Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Purlieu Wine Company, whom you may know from their second label Le Pich, specializes in single-vineyard wines from some of Napa Valley’s most prized locations, including Beckstoffer To-Kalon, Georges III, Missouri Hopper, and Sugarloaf. Their Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a cuvée of several majestic sites and a tribute to the valley with its multiple soil types and microclimates contributing to its remarkable complexity.
 
Originally from France, Julien Fayard’s two decades of winemaking expertise are well respected. He began honing his skills at Chateau Lafite Rothschild in Bordeaux, then gained more valuable experience as Director of Winemaking for Philippe Melka at elite producers such as Lail, Gemstone, Hundred Acre, Vineyard 29, and Mastery. The 2018 release is living up to its expectations from a fabulous vintage known for elegance, intricate flavors, and sophistication with substantial longevity.
 
PURLIEU
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
NAPA VALLEY 2018
Retails at: $115
 
 
 
“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is fabulous. Silky tannins and plush fruit wrap around the palate in a super-expressive Cabernet Sauvignon that has so much to give. Bright acids perk up the blackberry jam, mocha, licorice, spice and gravel flavors. The 2018 is fresh, vibrant and loaded with personality. I loved it.”
94 Points
2020 Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The Haze Napa Valley

2020 Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The Haze Napa Valley

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

CARTER CELLARS

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
THE HAZE 2020
NAPA VALLEY

2020 Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The Haze Napa Valley
Carter Cellars is the concomitant of Mark Carter’s historic Carter House hotel and his Grand Award-winning wine list. Mark’s relentless pursuit of producing world-class Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa’s top vineyards has led to around a dozen 100-point scores and a reputation for producing thrilling and memorable wines of the highest quality.
 
The 2020 vintage is the second release of The Haze Cabernet Sauvignon, primarily sourced from younger vines in the Fortuna Vineyard, which flanks icons Plumpjack and Groth on Oakville’s volcanic Eastern side. It also contains grapes from a plot south of Napa township exposed to cool ocean breezes from San Pablo Bay. This wine portrays the winery’s signature style with ripe fruit, seasoned tannins, and incredible depth that lingers into a layered, complex finish.
 
CARTER CELLARS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
THE HAZE 2020
NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $95
 
 
“This is our second release of The Haze which is sourced from vineyards in Oakville and the southern Napa AVA, a site heavily influenced by the clean Bay air. The Haze has a deep dark purple ruby hue, matched with dark red and black fruits, fresh leather, graphite and currents all wrapped in powerful integrated oak. On the palate, it is has a full-bodied lifted finish with a balanced mouthful matched with firm, yet supple tannins.”
2015 Buselli Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

2015 Buselli Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

BUSELLI

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
OAKVILLE 2015

2015 Buselli Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville
Italo and Rosalia Buselli planted their family vineyard in 1990 on the Eastern slopes of the Vaca Mountains in Oakville, neighboring Tierra Roja Vineyard, and across Silverado Trail from Screaming Eagle. The vineyard site receives fog-infused mornings and warm sunny afternoons as the vines dig deep into the rocky, volcanic soils bringing concentration and complexity to the fruit.
 
This 100% estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon was carefully crafted by winemaking team Stacy Vogel and Tim Milos, focusing on a pure and unpretentious approach without fining or filtering, allowing for full expression of the terroir. The 2015 vintage saw 24 months in 90% new French oak and has nearly six years of bottle age showing brilliantly now and with plenty of longevity ahead for those who wish to cellar this beauty.
 
BUSELLI
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
OAKVILLE 2015
Retails at: $150
 
 
 
“The gorgeous Buselli Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 begins with an opulent nose of ripe black cherries, ripe figs, sweet pipe tobacco, and violets. It is powerful on the palate, which builds on the aromatics with dark chocolate, bright red fruits, concentrated sweet black fruits, and vanilla spice. This beauty is luxuriously rich, decadently supple, and pristinely balanced, with polished fine-grained tannins. The abundant, complex red and black fruits that build to a very long, focused finish is everything I look for in the finest quality Oakville Cabernet Sauvignons.”
96 Points
2019 Larkmead Firebelle Napa Valley

2019 Larkmead Firebelle Napa Valley

with No Comment $90-$100Kevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

LARKMEAD

FIREBELLE
NAPA VALLEY 2019

2019 Larkmead Firebelle Napa Valley
The historic Larkmead estate was founded in 1895, making it one of the oldest family-owned properties in Napa Valley. The winery’s secret sauce lies in its vineyard, which borders the Napa River and Selby Creek at the conjunction point of two colluvial fans, where an accumulation of ancient riverbed gravel, clay, and loam, gives the wines a hillside-grown structure.
 
Firebelle gets its name from Lillie “Firebelle Lil” Hitchcock because of its extraordinary balance of elegance, softness, power, and expression. The 2019 growing season was perfect for Merlot which comprises 43% of the Firebelle blend, adding plush tannins and gorgeous aromatics with a backbone of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon giving concentration and balance.
 
LARKMEAD
FIREBELLE
NAPA VALLEY 2019
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“Combining 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 43% Merlot from the property, this is a showcase of savory earthiness and supple tannin. Inky dark, it offers a wealth of balanced red fruit, notes of tobacco, gun smoke and dried herb, with an understated elegance that shines.”
95 Points “Cellar Selection”
2019 Mt. Brave Merlot Mt. Veeder

2019 Mt. Brave Merlot Mt. Veeder

with No Comment $90-$100Kevin VogtMerlotMt VeederNapaUSA

MT. BRAVE

MERLOT 2019
MT. VEEDER

2019 Mt. Brave Merlot Mt. Veeder
Mount Veeder is Napa Valley’s largest AVA, yet it produces less than two percent of Napa’s total wine production, with the lowest average yields in the region. The mountain is an ancient seabed with thin, rocky soils and 30-degree slopes at varying angles creating several different microclimates that enjoy temperatures ten to fifteen degrees cooler than the Valley floor.
 
Chris Carpenter has a well-respected reputation for vinifying mountain-grown fruit and created classic vintages at Lokoya and Cardinale before taking on the Mt. Brave project, which began in 2007. The eastern-facing slopes of the vineyard produce fruit with tiny, concentrated berries full of lush flavors and rich structural components. The 2019 Merlot is near perfection and a clear standout with complex aromatics, depth of flavors, seductive mouthfeel, and long-lasting finish. 
 
This wine is the epitome of Napa Valley Mountain-grown Merlot and gets Merlot-of-the-vintage for my palate.
 
MT. BRAVE
MERLOT 2019
MT. VEEDER
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“Aromas of violets and blackberries with some black olives follow through to a full-bodied palate with finesse, polish and great length. Velvety tannins. Incredible finish. Great class here. Drinkable now, but better to hold for about five or six years.”
98 Points
2019 Armelle Et Bernard Rion Chambolle-Musigny Les Echezeaux

2019 Armelle Et Bernard Rion Chambolle-Musigny Les Echezeaux

with No Comment $90-$100BurgandyFranceKevin VogtPinot Noir

ARMELLE ET BERNARD RION

CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY
LES ECHEZEAUX 2019

2019 Armelle Et Bernard Rion Chambolle-Musigny Les Echezeaux
Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion was founded in 1896 by Pierre Rion after he acquired vines from Chateau de la Berchere during his years as a dedicated sharecropper. More than a century later, the fifth generation of the Rion family runs the winery. They have vineyard holdings strategically positioned in some of the most recognized Burgundian wine-producing villages, including Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle-Musigny, Nuits-Saint-Georges, and Vougeot.
 
‘Les Echezeaux’ is planted with vines of an average age of 50 years in the southern part of the village of Chambolle-Musigny, receiving ample sunlight and achieving perfect ripeness. The 2019 vintage saw frost, hail, and drought, which lowered yields but produced small but brilliant crops with deep concentration and may be one of the best vintages in the last decade.
 
ARMELLE ET BERNARD RION
CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY
LES ECHEZEAUX 2019
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“The Armelle et Bernard Rion Chambolle-Musigny Les Echezeaux 2019 opens with a bright nose of tart red cherry, cardamom, pomegranate, fresh green herbs, saddle leather, cinnamon spice, shoe polish, and freshly harvested French lavender. On the palate, the wine has flavors of Ranier cherries, white raspberries, and clove hints, along with a liquid metal/saline quality that bolsters the fresh acids and medium-grained tannins, leading to a long, elegant finish. It’s enjoyable now due to its pristinely balanced fruit/tannin structure, but it will evolve beautifully over the next decade.”
95 Points