2019 My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon San Luis Obispo

2019 My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon San Luis Obispo

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonCentral CoastKevin VogtPaso RoblesUSA

MY FAVORITE NEIGHBOR

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
SAN LUIS OBISPO 2019

2019 My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon San Luis Obispo
Turning heads with yet another massive score, Eric Jensen of My Favorite Neighbor created an ideal combination of perfectly ripe fruit, flavor intensity, and lavish textures, giving some of the best $50 Cabernets anywhere a real challenge. As a homage, he created this Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend from exceptional vineyards around Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, and Edna Valley, crafted to deliver unreal quality and shake up domestic the Cabernet Sauvignon market in this price range.
 
Eric is dedicated to growing fruit for some of the best wineries in Paso Robles, gaining experience from neighboring farmers and vintners, particularly from his original favorite neighbor, Stephan Asseo of L’Aventure Winery. Farming is life for him, and the farmers he works with all share the common goal of growing the best fruit possible using organic or biodynamic practices, coaxing the vines to perform at their ultimate best. The results are simply stunning, and with the new 96 point score, don’t hesitate to secure yours.
 
MY FAVORITE NEIGHBOR
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
SAN LUIS OBISPO 2019
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“Blended with a bit of Syrah and Petit Verdot, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep ruby-purple color and an alluring fragrance of cassis, violet, aniseed, bitter chocolate and coffee beans. It’s notable this vintage for Goldilocks ripeness and seamless lift, offering a chocolate-like texture and very long finish.”
96 Points
 
“…more elegant and focused, with medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of cassis, redcurrants, green tobacco, and cedary spice. I love its texture, it has ripe, polished tannins, plenty of sweet fruit, and a great, great finish, all while staying in a relatively compact, and again, elegant package. As I’ve written in the past, it would cost three to four times the price from Napa. It’s worth noting the change in appellation from Paso Robles to San Luis Obispo County, which probably allows for a wider range of fruit.”
95 Points
 
“2019 My Favorite Neighbor is deeply aromatic with incense, ripe black plums, blackcurrants, and chocolate-covered cherries. The wine has a rich, decadent mouthfeel with voluminous flavors of blueberry crumble, mocha, and butterscotch. The wine has an edgy minerality, like wet stones after a rainstorm, enhanced by the soft, chalky tannins, finishing with a succulent, velvety texture. Drink now until 2031.”
94 points
2019 Lewis Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2019 Lewis Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

LEWIS CELLARS

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2019

2019 Lewis Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Randy Lewis was a professional racecar driver for over two decades and raced in the Formula Three in Europe, where he serendipitously fell in love with wine. Driven to create wines that would compete with the best in the world, Randy’s competitive drive led him to open a Napa Valley winery. He built a talented winery team and grower relationships that would lead him to clinch the #1 spot on the Wine Spectator Top 100 list in 2016.
 
Lewis Cellars is a very hands-on operation from the vineyard to distribution, ensuring the highest quality standards in their goal of producing truly exceptional wines. Winemaker James McCeney monitors the vineyard’s progress year-round, with each developmental stage meticulously observed so that the grapes are picked at full maturity, guaranteeing the hedonistic flavor profile that’s become their house-style.
 
LEWIS CELLARS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2019
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“Layered with ripe berry, red currant and ambrosial “on the vine” character, our 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet is deliciously complex. Inflected with dusty ripe fruit and chocolaty floral aromas, the wine is concentrated yet classic with remarkable silky texture spanning the palate and augmenting the finish.
 
“Ripe black fruit, dried coconut, walnut and bark on the nose. Full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins. Ripe and dense with a spirited finish. Slightly old school but attractive and intense. Try after 2023.”
92 Points
2019 Fortune 1621 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2019 Fortune 1621 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOak KnollUSA

FORTUNE 1621

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2019

2019 Fortune 1621 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Fortune 1621 is a value Cabernet Sauvignon founded by the Bump family, proud owners of Darms Lane Winery, located just South of Yountville in the Oak Knoll District. Their vineyards lay in the shadows of the Mayacamas Mountain Range, in an area cooler than many other parts of Napa Valley, where Bordeaux varieties flourish. 
 
The Bump family hired winemaker Brian Mox in 2003, elevating the quality of their wines to new heights. Mox gained his Enology degree from UC Davis and honed his skills at notable wineries Etude, Lewis Cellars, and Laird Family Estates. He creates this beautifully balanced Napa Valley Cabernet by combing estate fruit with small grower vineyards in Oak Knoll, St. Helena, and Rutherford, crafted to represent Napa Valley as a whole while offering uncompromising quality.
 
FORTUNE 1621
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2019
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“Fortune 1621’s 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon hosts a variety of enticing aromas beginning with lavender potpourri, black currants, ripe blueberries, chai spice, and a melted Hershey’s milk chocolate bar. On the palate, the wine’s powerful flavors of red plums, gingerbread, and sweet balsamic reduction coat the mouth with plush, velvety tannins that help carry the sublime finish. To me, this wine says, “the door’s always open,” with its amiable approachability that will gain some savory complexity with aging but is ready whenever you are.”
92 Points
2018 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder

2018 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtMt VeederNapaUSA

MT. BRAVE

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MT. VEEDER 2018

2018 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder
Mount Veeder is Napa Valley’s largest sub-AVA, spanning over 15,000 acres; however, only 1,000 acres of it are grapevines making up just two percent of the valley’s total production. Viticulture on the mountain is challenging due to its rocky terrain of ancient seabed soils that are extremely thin, holding little water, making the capture of winter rains vitally important.
 
Celebrated winemaker Chris Carpenter is a mastermind with mountain fruit, producing classic vintages at Lokoya and Cardinale before the Mt. Brave endeavor began in 2007. The Mt. Brave vineyard produces fruit with tiny, concentrated berries full of flavor and structural components that will gracefully guide the wine down a beautiful aging path but vinified to allow the wine to be amiable and approachable right now.
 
MT. BRAVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MT. VEEDER 2018
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“Lots of cassis and black raspberry fruits as well as classic Mount Veeder notes of lavender, violets, bouquet garni, and rocky, mineral-like notes emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon. A deep, full-bodied mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, it has a plush, layered texture, beautiful tannins, a deep, concentrated mid-palate, and a great finish. Another head-turning wine from this label, it’s a candidate for the best Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon out there at the price point.”
97 Points
 
“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from Mt. Brave is fabulous. Inky, rich and explosive, the 2018 possesses tremendous depth and tons of personality. Graphite, blue/purplish fruit, blackberry jam, bittersweet chocolate, sage, lavender, menthol give the 2018 tons of character to match its explosive feel. The brooding, backward wine is going to need quite a bit of time to unwind, but boy is it gorgeous.”
97 Points
 
“…Deep garnet-purple colored, it springs from the glass with vibrant crème de cassis, baked plums and Morello cherries scents, followed by nuances of sautéed herbs, clove oil, mocha and scorched earth. The full-bodied palate is densely laden with layers of black and blue fruits, sporting a rock-solid backbone of grainy tannins and great tension, finishing long and minerally.”
95+ Points
2017 Maroon Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Coombsville Napa Valley

2017 Maroon Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Coombsville Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

MAROON

2017 RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON    
COOMBSVILLE, NAPA VALLEY

2017 Maroon Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Coombsville Napa Valley
Pursuing his passion for agriculture, Paul Maroon acquired 37 acres in Coombsville 20 years ago, selling fruit to some of Napa Valley’s top wineries before realizing the full potential of his Estate in 2009 and producing his first vintage under his moniker. Today, Maroon’s team focuses on raising 100% single-varietal wines crafted to balance power and finesse, allowing their exceptional vineyard prominence. Their simplistic approach is ideal for their Estate’s gravelly loam soils and cool climate, naturally encouraging balanced flavors. 
 
Coombsville is cooler than much of Napa, which was a significant advantage in 2017 with a slight heatwave at the end of the growing season; however, Maroon’s vineyards were nearly unaffected and continued to ripen slowly and evenly. The wine was aged 30 months in 1/3 new French oak barrels and 2/3 neutral barrels, emphasizing the gorgeous fruit character with incredible depth and layers of flavor. At our price, Maroon Cabernet has developed an immense following that’s ever-increasing, unpretentiously delivering exceptional quality, seldom available at this price.
 
MAROON
2017 RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON    
COOMBSVILLE, NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $100
 
 
 
The Maroon Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 starts with a penetrating nose of bing cherries, black currants, tobacco leaves, vanilla hints, and crushed slate. The gorgeous fruit is compact and penetrating on the palate with concentrated red currants, blackberries, and black plums, combined with rocky minerals and wood spice. It has bright, fresh flavors with intense fruit and a long, powerful finish, wrapped in velvety tannins.”
94 Points
2018 Vista Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve

2018 Vista Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSA

VISTA

RUTHERFORD RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018

2018 Vista Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve
Vista commands the wine world’s attention as the only Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford at $25, powerfully reflecting the region’s signature complexity, elegance, and dusty tannins, a combination unmatched anywhere in the world. Qualities magnified further by the 2018 vintage and amplified by time in the bottle, unleashing a richer, more opulent, complex Cabernet that will make anyone rethink what’s possible at this price level.
 
This 2018 offering originates from Rutherford’s Western side, where the soils and microclimate produce pristine, complex fruit. The Cabernet Sauvignon is clone 337, often used in cult wines, and it’s balanced with 15% Oakville Cabernet Franc and 6% Rutherford Merlot. The resulting wine reflects the vintage with a purity of fruit and complexity that expands into mineral-laced black fruits, blue violets, iron, and Rutherford dust hints. If you’re looking for a wine that tastes like it should be at least double the price, this is it.
 
VISTA
RUTHERFORD RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“The Vista Reserve Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 has a gorgeous, powerful nose of blackberry pie filling, French lavender, sweet vanilla and brioche. On the palate, this opulent beauty is rich and concentrated, with a core of focused fruits and flavors including mountain blackberries, red plums, ripe blueberries, menthol, vanilla spice, and dark chocolate, all supported by fine grained fruit tannins. It is amazingly ready-to-drink now, but has the structure to cellar for a decade.” 
95 Points, Kevin M. Vogt, Master Sommelier
2018 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges De Latour Private Reserve

2018 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges De Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $100 and overCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSA

BEAULIEU VINEYARDS

GEORGES DE LATOUR
PRIVATE RESERVE 2018
CABERNET SAUVIGNON

2018 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges De Latour Private Reserve
Few wines in the Napa Valley have the same historical prestige as Beaulieu Vineyard’s Georges de Latour Private Reserve, setting the benchmark for Napa Cabernet Sauvignon for over 80 years. André Tchelistcheff didn’t know it at the time, but his talented winemaking helped create one of the most collected American wines and one of the first true “cult” Cabernets in the New World.
 
André coined the term “Rutherford dust” because of the unique aroma that gives wines a provenance that can’t be matched anywhere else in the world. The 2018 release is an elegantly structured wine with layers of complexity and finely integrated tannins that create a solid backbone for aging, making it a fine addition to any collector’s cellar. As a side note, former BV winemaker for 27 years, Joel Aiken, is part of our weekly tasting panel, and his insight is invaluable.
 
BEAULIEU VINEYARDS
GEORGES DE LATOUR
PRIVATE RESERVE 2018
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Retails at: $145
 
Your Price: $139.99
 
 
“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve is fabulous. Inky, rich and explosive, the 2018 is a fine addition to the lineage of one of Napa Valley’s most historic wines. Inky red fruit, chocolate, leather and licorice all open in the glass. Aeration brings out floral top notes, raspberry and a hint of blood orange. There is plenty of depth, but the tannins are finer than they were a few years ago. Shorter time on the skins and a reduction in barrel fermentations really allow the pedigree of these Rutherford sites to come through. The 2018 is sensational.”
98 Points
 
“Blackberry, blackcurrant and mint with some sage and crushed-stone undertones. Full-bodied with chewy tannins that are in-check and nicely polished. Smoke, toasted oak and bark at the end, complementing the fresh yet ripe fruit. Drink after 2024.”
98 Points
 
“The famous wine lives up to its historic promise in this wonderfully complex and structured vintage, the wine showing an abundance of tension and youthful grip. Earthy in dried herb, cedar and sage, it shares notes of black currant, cassis and forest within a textured and brightly layered foundation of elegant ageablity. Enjoy best from 2028–2038.”
97 Points, Cellar Selection
2017 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2017

2017 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2017

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

GROTH 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
OAKVILLE 2017

2017 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville 2017
When Groth received the first 100 Point score for an American-made wine in 1985, they proved Oakville fruit’s vast potential and elevated Napa Valley wine to even higher heights. Groth believes that every great winery must be committed to consistency and continuity, beliefs that led to their wines being published on the Wine Spectator’s prestigious Top 100 Wines list nearly a dozen times.
 
Sustainability is at the forefront of the vineyard and winemaking practices at Groth, producing wines with Napa Green and Fish Friendly Farming certified practices since 2014. Their Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon emerges from the winery’s Estate vineyard and a few select properties from the heart of the Oakville AVA, crafted to remind us of the region’s most classic traits, detailing why the area is considered by many to be Napa’s grand cru.
 
GROTH 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
OAKVILLE 2017
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $59.99
 
 
“The 2017 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon (Oakville) is a gorgeous wine. Pliant and racy in the glass with striking depth, it offers terrific richness and intensity. The 2017 benefits from some lots that might have otherwise gone into the Reserve. Super-ripe dark red cherry, pomegranate, mint, cinnamon and rose petal all add nuance, but it is the wine’s balance and overall sense of harmony that stand out the most. This flamboyant Cabernet is a real overachiever.”
91 Points
 
“Open and plush in feel, with a pretty, savory frame surrounding gently mulled plum and blackberry notes. Light tobacco and warm stone details chime on the finish. Drink now through 2027.”
91 Points
 
“This has a mineral nose with aromas of blackcurrants, dried herbs, graphite and iodine. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins. A little short, but nicely done. Give it time to open. Drink or hold.”
91 Points
2017 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2017 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $100 and overCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

SILVER OAK

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
NAPA VALLEY 2017

2017 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Silver Oak is one of the most consistent, high-quality producers of Cabernet Sauvignon domestically, continuously delivering in their distinctive style of age-worthy Cabernets with extravagant levels of sweet black fruits, vanilla, and savory elements. The winery was born out of a dairy barn in 1972, and to this day, Silver Oak’s driving philosophy behind the wines is that their best bottle of wine is yet to be made, which is hard to imagine if you’ve ever enjoyed their wines over the years.
 
The overall blend of the wine changes with each season’s conditions, and the 2017 vintage combines just over 80% Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. Silver Oak’s distinctive style comes by aging their Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for an impressive 24 months in American oak barrels and two more years in the bottle before release. The extended barrel aging and time in the bottle results in a wine with beautifully integrated flavors that’s ready to drink now and will stand the test of time.
 
SILVER OAK
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
NAPA VALLEY 2017
 
Your Price: $139.99
 
 
“Our 2017 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is ruby in color with notes of blackberry, blueberry, roasted coffee beans, coriander and a hint of nutmeg. Smooth upon entry, this wine is broad and plush on the mid-palate. It has an elegant density throughout and a long, generous finish. Given proper cellaring conditions, this wine will show beautifully through 2041.”
2018 Beau Vigne Juliet Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Beau Vigne Juliet Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

BEAU VIGNE

JULIET CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Beau Vigne Juliet Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
With over two decades of experience, Julien Fayard began making wine at his family’s winery in Provence, then spent valuable time in Bordeaux at Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, and ultimately relocated to Napa Valley. Julien worked as the Director of Winemaking for Philippe Melka and now oversees small projects of his own, including Beau Vigne, whose signature style centers on Atlas Peak’s bold, multidimensional mountain fruit and Julien’s French finesse. 
 
Just like Juliet Capulet from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, my first impression of this wine is soft-spoken and shy, setting the stage for escalating depth of character and intensity that develops into a powerful, independent core. Beau Vigne proudly produces only a few thousand cases per year, and the 2018 vintage is quickly becoming prized for its delicate complexity that will continue to develop for years to come.
 
BEAU VIGNE
JULIET CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $120
 
 
 
“…Juliet is a savory beauty romanced by a sonnet of cigar leaf, black pepper, and sandalwood. Plummy flavors cling to dry, chalky tannins, delivering a complex mouthfeel as notes of soy sauce and dark cherry paint the palate.”
97 Points