2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains

2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonCentral CoastKevin VogtSanta Cruz MountainsUSA

MARTIN RAY

2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS
2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains AVA produces powerful Cabernet Sauvignons with appealing savory elements, firm tannins, and intriguing red and black fruits. Martin Ray sources their Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet from three high-elevation sites that produce intensely concentrated fruits. Our panel loved their 2018 vintage, but we weren’t the only ones. With a 95 point score, I’d jump on this sub $35 Cabernet before it’s too late.
 
Martin Ray’s Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet comes from high-elevation vineyards, Fellom Ranch, Cooper-Garrod, and Beauregard, each sharing large diurnal temperature fluctuation shifts, which result in powerfully concentrated fruit. 
 
The 2018 release is a blend of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and fermented on its skins for a month, which extracted the deep purple color. They stored the wine for 18 months in French and American oak barrels, which added compelling vanilla and spice elements.
 
MARTIN RAY
2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $33
 
“Loads of forest floor, mushrooms, leaves and dark fruit on the nose. It’s full-bodied with juicy fruit and chewy tannins. Hints of toasted oak and cedar, too. This is a structured red that needs two or three years to soften, then you can give it a go. Best Santa Cruz Mountain cab for a long time from here. Try after 2023.”
95 Points
 
“Notes of dense cassis with touches of nutmeg and cherry. Blackberry brush and mountain sage with bright acidity and a touch of graphite. Firm, chalky tannins and well-integrated oak.”
2016 Rudius Kaley Elizabeth Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

2016 Rudius Kaley Elizabeth Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

with No Comment $80-$90Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

RUDIUS

KALEY ELIZABETH 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2016 OAKVILLE 

2016 Rudius Kaley Elizabeth Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville
Rudius clinched the #2 spot on my top 5 list this year by perfectly balancing power and grace, which are qualities shared by many of the world’s best wines. The wine tells a powerful tale from a remarkable Oakville vineyard, hewn from a superb Napa Valley vintage. It was written by Jeff Ames, who mentored under Thomas Brown at Schrader, Maybach, Outpost, and TOR before becoming winemaker at TOR in 05′. Since then, he’s made wines scoring in the high-90’s look easy, and words absolutely cannot express how great this wine is at $135/btl, let alone $89.
 
Kaley Elizabeth reigns from an incredible vineyard in Eastern Oakville, known for its red soils that give wines from this area intense, prolific flavors. With neighbors like Screaming Eagle, Rudd, Dalla Valle’s Maya, and Joseph Phelps’ Bacchus Vineyards, no doubt it’s an excellent place to source fruit.
 
The 2016 vintage has a dynamic presence on the palate backed by fine tannins and mouth-quenching acidity. After around two years in barrel and two more in the bottle, this release is deep, rich, and enchanting, and as Jeb Dunnuck writes, “it’s another magical wine from winemaker Jeff Ames!”
 
RUDIUS
KALEY ELIZABETH 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2016 OAKVILLE
Retails at: $135
 
 
“Coming from the Tierra Roja vineyard in Oakville and also spending 27 months in oak, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Kaley Elizabeth (there’s 4% Cabernet Franc) offers a meaty, exotic bouquet of bloody blueberry fruits, gamey meats, iodine, blood orange, and violets. With full-bodied richness and depth, it’s flawlessly balanced, has fine tannins, and a seamless, sexy texture that keeps you coming back to the glass. In short, it’s another magical wine from winemaker Jeff Ames! Drink bottles over the coming 20-25 years or more.”
97 Points
 
“The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Kaley Elizabeth, from Tierra Roja, Oakville, is a sumptuous, exotic wine. A dollop (7%) of Cabernet Franc adds a striking perfume that gives this wine notable aromatic depth to match its exotic, alluring personality. Chocolate, espresso, licorice, dried herbs, menthol all flesh out in this flamboyant, sumptuous Cabernet Sauvignon from Rudius. Silky tannins and plush fruit give the 2016 tons of immediacy and appeal, even at this early stage. This is such a gorgeous wine.”
96 Points
 
“The 2016 vintage offered perfect field conditions and incredible quality in the final yield. The ‘Kaley Elizabeth’ will draw you in with an opulent profile that is classically Oakville — rich black cherries, cassis and elderberry. Pronounced accents of warm, Middle Eastern spices and crushed slate are bound by lengthy hillside tannins that filled your palate, carrying the wine to a long, compelling finish. The Kaley Elizabeth is undoubtedly the most age- worthy wine in our portfolio. This year’s Kaley shows the best of both the eastern Oakville hillside and the beauty of the interplay between Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.”

2014 Korbin Kameron Cabernet Sauvignon Moon Mountain District

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtMoon MountainMt VeederNapaUSA

KORBIN KAMERON 

2014 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MOON MOUNTAIN DISTRICT

When scrutinizing the final contenders for our top 5 list this year, we re-tasted Korbin Kameron’s 2014 Estate Cabernet side-by-side a $135 bottle of Napa Cab was clear that Korbin deserved a top spot on our list. They produce their Estate Cabernet in a powerfully compelling style that’s resonated deeply with fans of concentrated, inky Mountain wines. The wines are made by Tim Milos, who crafted stellar vintages of Opus One, Stag’s Leap, and Cliff Lede. At just $40, this is one of the best wine bottles in the shop, period. 
 
The Cabernet includes the iconic clones 337 and 7, which thrive in the well-drained gravelly loam soils. The area’s ample daytime sunshine and cooling maritime influence at night are perfect for ripening Bordeaux varietals to the peak of perfection.
 
Korbin Kameron’s vineyard is perched on a ridge near the top of Mt Veeder and straddles the Mayacamas Mountain Range at 2,300 feet elevation. Phil Coturri farms the vineyard organically, biodynamically, and sustainably, resulting in a pure and natural expression of fruit. 
 
KORBIN KAMERON 
2014 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MOON MOUNTAIN DISTRICT
Retails at: $60
 
 
“The Korbin Kameron Moon Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 begins with a deep, concentrated nose composed of tart red fruits, combined with blue and black fruits, violets and hints of spice. The color is a dark purple that perfectly frames the focused, concentrated palate, showcasing pomegranate, crushed blackberries, dried cherries, and red currants. This is a flashy wine with supple tannins that lead to a very long, intense finish. KorbinKameron 2014 is a wine that’s beautiful now, but will age for 12 years or more.”
95 Points
2018 Heir Apparent Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

2018 Heir Apparent Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

HEIR APPARENT

2018 OAKVILLE 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 

2018 Heir Apparent Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon
We’ve offered some outrageous deals on phenomenal wines this year, but this one trumps all of them at 70% off for an outstanding Oakville AVA Cabernet. It comes from a secret vineyard in Oakville’s center on Money Road, with notable neighbors Plumpjack, Groth, and Silver Oak. The 2018 release conveys Oakville’s notorious complexity, and it does so with the robust confidence that you’d expect from an Oakville wine.
 
Oakville’s collaboration of soil, topography, and climate create a viticultural treasure containing the greatest concentration of Napa Valley’s preeminent Cabernet producers. The area’s hallowed ground resulted from collisions first between the North American plate and the Farallon plate, and later the Pacific plate. In Oakville’s center, along the Valley floor, where Heir Apparent sources their grapes, the soils are fluvial, with finely grained loam washed down from floodwaters.
 
The 2018 vintage was a faultless growing season, virtually uninterrupted by significant heat spikes, providing a prolonged hang-time and allowing the fruit to accumulate intense flavor and complexity. Heir Apparent’s 2018 is more profound, with darker fruits than in years past, along with fine tannins with great length. 
 
HEIR APPARENT
2018 OAKVILLE 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Retails at: $165
 
 
“This gorgeous wine begins with a nose of puréed blueberry, black raspberries, red plums, vanilla bean, and rose petals. On the palate, it is concentrated and balanced with ripe black cherries, wild red currants, black raspberry jam, glove leather, and tobacco hints, all wrapped in a concentrated, supple mouthfeel. It has a beautiful tension between the fruit and acidity, leaving a long and elegant finish.”
95 Points
 
“Bright and deep ruby red color. The nose is lush and mixing fresh strawberry jam with intense blueberry and cassis scents. The palate is fresh but full body with a return of ripe black fruit, vanilla spice and vibrant white pepper characters. It is fleshy and polished and a Napa typically long and aromatic finish. This wine will provide instant reward.”
2015 Maroon Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve Coombsville

2015 Maroon Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

MAROON

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2015 BLACK LABEL

2015 Maroon Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve Coombsville
Maroon winemaker Chris Corley crafts beautifully balanced wines under the guiding principle of introducing as little manipulation as possible. His style pairs well with Maroon’s Vineyard in Coombsville, where the rocky, volcanic, gravely loam soils produce exquisitely balanced fruit. The combination results in powerful yet elegant wines that are less common in Napa Valley. At $70, their Black Label Cab is a solid offering, but at our price, it’s one of the best values in the shop.
 
The 2015 Black Label Cabernet is from both the winery’s Estate Vineyard and a neighboring site with similar fruit characteristics. The Estate Vineyard is in a unique bowl-shaped depression beneath Mt George, which is an extinct volcano. Joseph Phelps recognized the quality of their grapes, and fruit from Maroon Vineyard went into the high-scoring Insignia Blend for years. 
 
This stunning wine emerges from one of Napa Valley’s top vintages, which the Wine Spectator describes as producing “significantly lower yields…Quality is high.” The 2015 vintage is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and offers supple dark fruits, red currants with perfectly balanced acidity.
 
MAROON
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2015 BLACK LABEL
Retails at: $70
 
 
“This wine begins with a beautiful, deep, supple nose of dark berries, purple florals, and light spice. The lively palate has a great presence with a balance of both red and black fruits, including black cherries, red currants, and ripe plums, and sweet vanilla, along with slightly earthy minerals. The finish is focused, long, and very satisfying.”
94 Points
 
“100% Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon, which is a blend of our estate and our neighbors’ finest grapes. It is a wonderful, well balanced wine with an aromatic nose and beautiful dark and red fruit. Aged in French Oak, it has a rich midpalate and a lingering finish. Alcohol: 13.8%. 300 cases”
2013 Sebright Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2013 Sebright Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $60-$70Cabernet SauvignonCalistogaKevin VogtNapaUSA

SEBRIGHT

2013 RESERVE 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
NAPA VALLEY 

2013 Sebright Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Sebright wowed us earlier this year with their Greenwood Block Cabernet. Their resolute style of crafting beautifully refined wines deep-seated in elegance made a memorable impact on everybody lucky enough to try it. We wondered if it could get any better, and their 48 case production of Reserve Cabernet from their Estate Vineyard loudly answered that question with a resilient YES. The wine is more profound, more opulent, and with more intensity than their Greenwood Block bottling. Like the Greenwood block, Andy Jones, who worked under Thomas Rivers Brown at Outpost and several other well-known projects, made it. At $125, it’s an incredible wine, but at our customer appreciation week price of $65, it’s unbeatable.
 
Sebright’s Reserve Cabernet comes from their single-acre Garnett Creek Estate Vineyard, double planted to clone 7, a clone also used by Screaming Eagle. They farm the vineyard sustainably and by hand, and the volcanic ash soils produce tiny yields of intense fruit. 
 
Andy’s wine team created this reserve release from a vintage recognized for its unrivaled quality, and one that Robert Parker stated “…may turn out to be the finest vintage I have experienced in tasting North Coast varietals over the last 37 years.” It spent 23 months in new French oak barrels, and with just 2 barrels (48 cases) produced, only a few will be lucky enough to own it. 
 
SEBRIGHT
2013 RESERVE 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $125
 
 
“This is a profound wine with an intense nose that spans the spectrum including wild blackberries, ripe black plums, exotic fresh mushrooms, sweet violets, vanilla/cocoa spice. The captivating palate has a powerful, complex approach with black raspberries flinty minerals, mixed berry cobbler, and subtle aged tobacco leaf. The finish is sweet, rich, supple, very long, and exceptionally satisfying.”
96 Points
 
“This stately and elegant Cabernet Sauvignon derives great depth from a low yielding, tightly planted vineyard site in Calistoga. This historic site located on Garnett Creek Farm reflects high pedigree and creates intense, dark color attributes. The aromas center around blackberry, cassis and spice yet accented with a delicate mineral essence from our volcanic ash soil. The wine offers a juicy palate that folds together layers of complex black fruits and brambly tannins that integrate into a long, well-balanced, refined oak finish. The wine is 97% Cabernet Sauvignon with small amounts of Petit Verdot and Malbec which add color and structure. Designed to age yet approachable upon release. 13.9% alcohol.”
2017 Ty Caton Estate Knoll Cabernet Sauvignon Moon Mountain District

2017 Ty Caton Estate Knoll Cabernet Sauvignon Moon Mountain District

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtMoon MountainMt VeederSonomaUSA

TY CATON

2017 ESTATE KNOLL
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
MOON MOUNTAIN DISTRICT

2017 Ty Caton Estate Knoll Cabernet Sauvignon Moon Mountain District
Ty Caton created his Cabernet Collection to highlight the very best blocks within his Estate Vineyard on Moon Mountain. Ty’s Estate Knoll Cabernet is from a tiny half-acre block, which took over 80 jackhammer bits to plant the 559 vines. The resulting wine has penetrating dark fruits, remarkable depth, and character, and at 40% below retail, I recommend you grab some while you can.
 
Ty’s Vineyard is on the Sonoma side of Mount Veeder, where the well-drained red volcanic soils are also home to icons like the Monte Rosso, which was made famous by Louis Martini, and Frederick’s Vineyard used by Turley. 
 
Moon Mountain AVA Cabernets can combine the robust, hedonistic qualities found on Mount Veeder with the elegance and savory characteristics common on Spring Mountain. Ty’s 70 case production Estate Knoll Cabernet is a stunning example of just how great they can be, and at just $36/btl, you’ll savor every drop.
 
TY CATON
2017 ESTATE KNOLL
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
MOON MOUNTAIN DISTRICT
Retails at: $60
 
 
“The Caton Estate “Knoll” Moon Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 seduces you with a nose including red currants, cherry cola, spearmint, light florals, and Christmas spices. The concentrated palate is captivating with beautiful red and black cherries, sweet & tart black plums, dried mushrooms, and vanilla hints. The finish is balanced, with integrated flavors and slightly dusty tannins. It drinks beautifully now and will improve for another decade or so.”
94 Points
2016 Cornerstone Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak

2016 Cornerstone Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak

with No Comment $40-$50Atlas PeakCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapa

CORNERSTONE

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2016 ATLAS PEAK

2016 Cornerstone Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak
Cornerstone Cellars is a foundational producer, and when wedged into the under-fifty category for Napa Cabernet, they are tough to beat. Their brand’s fundamental attribute is cemented in top-level winemaking and access to some of the most expressive vineyards in Napa Valley. Their 2016 Atlas Peak Cabernet arose from Dr. Jan Krupp’s iconic Stagecoach Vineyard, revered for well-drained soils producing powerful berries laced with volcanic subtleties. At less than half the price of the winery retail, don’t hesitate to secure a case.
 
This stunning wine was composed by Kari Auringer, who worked under Celia Welch at Cornerstone and contributed to the fame of some of the Napa Valley’s most luminous names, including Scarecrow, Keever, Kelly Fleming, and Corra, to name a few. 
 
This wine makes its splash from one of Napa Valley’s most outstanding vintages, and one that the Wine Spectator ranks as the highest-rated vintage since 1997. The 2016 release brings superior concentration, scrumptious dark fruits, and absolutely killer focus. 
 
CORNERSTONE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2016 ATLAS PEAK
Retails at: $95
 
 
“The Cornerstone Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 begins with a beautifully elegant nose including lavender & violets, wild sage, mountain blackberries, black raspberry, pencil lead, bright red currants, and Autumn Spices. It is clean and vibrant on the palate, with a beautiful combination of black cherries, red plums, and assorted black berries, along with a pristine freshness, seamless complexity, and linear focus. It concludes with a long, powerful finish, including lively fruit tannins, fresh tobacco leaf, earthy minerals, and vanilla spice. Drink now through 2032.”
95 Points
 
“The first swirl of this provocative hillside Cabernet releases classic mountain grown fruit characteristics of intense ripe berries and black licorice. Bold and expressive, the core is bursting with primarily black ripe fruit with a bit of red berry notes. The complex mid-palate is satisfying and seductive, offering spice and sweet vanilla flavors with integrated tannins that linger on the finish. The layers of flavors continue to unfold as this tasty gem opens up. Always evolving, this wine immediately begs another taste.”
2016 Faust The Pact Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville Napa Valley

2016 Faust The Pact Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville Napa Valley

with No Comment $70-$80Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

FAUST

2016 THE PACT
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
COOMBSVILLE, NAPA VALLEY

2016 Faust The Pact Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville Napa Valley
Faust’s 96 point The Pact Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 was created from their most expressive blocks from the Estate Vineyard in Coombsville and was crafted to epitomize the purest expression of the Estate. Formerly a dairy farm, the property was developed by the Huneeus family, who also own Quintessa. They chose it for its diversity of soil, elevation, exposition, and climate that’s cooler than most areas of Napa Valley. This remarkable 2016 resulted from the culmination of their vision, work developing the land, and perfecting their winemaking.
 
Faust winemakers Jen Beloz and David Jelinek produced this masterpiece. Jen gained her experience while working under Joel Peterson at Ravenswood Winery before joining Huneeus and becoming winemaker at Prisoner in 2011.  
 
The 2016 release is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, born in Quintessa’s state-of-the-art winery in Rutherford. After 19 months in barrel and a couple of years of development in the bottle, the 2016 offering is a stunning beauty.
 
FAUST
2016 THE PACT
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
COOMBSVILLE, NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $130
 
Your Price: $79.99
 
“This is very layered and beautiful with tannins that unfold horizontally and melt into the wine. So much subtle and complex currant and green-olive character with a hint of fresh tobacco. Drink or hold.”
96 Points
 
“… Deep garnet-purple colored, it reveals bold red and black currants scents with touches of crushed rocks, new leather, fried herbs, rose hip tea and wood smoke plus a hint of incense. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers and rock-solid structure of firm, ripe, grainy tannins framing the muscular fruit, finishing very long and mineral laced.”
95 Points
 
“Black cherry and black currant generously welcome the nose and reward the palate with a plush texture and fresh acidity. Dark fruit and graphite, along with tobacco, star anise and dark cocoa flavors await you with a seductive finish that lasts for an eternity.”
– David Jelinek, Winemaker
2013 Miner Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard

2013 Miner Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

MINER

2013 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
STAGECOACH VINEYARD

2013 Miner Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard
Miner has consistently produced powerfully elegant wines since the late 90s, under the guidance of Gary Brookman, who had honed his skills at Joseph Phelps and Grace Family. In excellent years like 2013, their Cabernets can perform at an exceptionally high level after around five years in the bottle, where they become even more enchanting and powerfully hedonistic. Their 95 Point 2013 Stagecoach Cabernet is a prime example of this, and now it drinks like it should be double the price.
 
Stagecoach Vineyard was developed in 1995 by Dr. Jan Krupp, and it took more than seven years to clear over one billion pounds of volcanic rock. The vineyard stretches from Pritchard Hill to an area overlooking Miner Winery in Oakville, and the well-drained soils produce powerful berries laced with volcanic subtleties. 
 
This wine emerges from a vintage unanimously recognized for its unrivaled quality, and one that Robert Parker alerted readers that it “…may turn out to be the finest vintage I have experienced in tasting North Coast varietals over the last 37 years.” After 21 months in premium French oak barrels and more than five years of development inside the bottle, this wine is stunningly brilliant right now.  
 
MINER
2013 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
STAGECOACH VINEYARD
Retails at: $110
 
 
“Aromas of blackberry, walnut and light, wet earth follow through to a full to medium body, light chocolate and a long finish. Refined and polished. Classic style. Better in 2019”
95 Points
 
“An impressively elegant wine from this rugged mountain top vineyard on the eastern slopes of Napa Valley. With black cherry and licorice flavors, flanked by firm yet lush tannins. A wine as special as this undeniably unique vineyard.”