2016 Department 66 Grenache Cotes Catalanes

2016 Department 66 Grenache Cotes Catalanes

with No Comment $30-$40GrenacheKevin VogtUSA

DEPARTMENT 66

2016 GRENACHE 
COTES CATALANES

2016 Department 66 Grenache Cotes Catalanes
Inspired by the raw beauty of ancient Grenache vines grown on steep hillsides of Cotes Catalanes, France, Department 66 was created by Dave Phinney, founder of Prisoner and Orin Swift brands, a talented winemaker and visionary. He purchased 300 acres of gnarley vines and constructed a winery when he saw the potential of these 60-year-old vines. Today, the wine team produces gorgeous wines, including this brilliant 95 Point Grenache blend, which Jeb Dunnuck glows is a “bonafide blockbuster.” 
 
The wine team harvested the 2016 vintage from the old vines grown in black schist, with small granite and limestone deposits scattered in red, rocky soils known as angile. The region is deep in France’s southwest corner, adjacent to the Pyrénées-Orientales mountain range, where old vine Grenache thrives. 
 
Combining a core of old vine Grenache with Syrah, Carignan, and Mourvedre, aged 18 months in oak, the 2016 release is intensely captivating, exuberantly textured, and laced with intriguing spices, perfectly ripe berries, and savory undertones. 
 
DEPARTMENT 66
2016 GRENACHE 
COTES CATALANES
Retails at: $38
 
Your Price: $34.99
 
 
“The 2016 Côtes Catalanes D66 is a bonafide blockbuster from winemaker Richard Case that does everything right. Loaded with notions of ripe blackberry and currant fruits, chocolate, ground pepper, licorice, and leafy herbs, this puppy hits the palate with full-bodied richness and depth yet stays nicely balanced and light on its feet. Rich, opulent, and decadent are the buzzwords here, and it should keep for 7-8 years. The blend is 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah aged 12 months in barrel.”
95 Points
2018 Galius Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux

2018 Galius Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux

with No Comment $30-$40BordeauxBordeauxFranceKevin Vogt

GALIUS

SAINT-EMILION GRAND CRU 
2018 BORDEAUX 

2018 Galius Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux
Named for a Roman soldier that settled in Bordeaux after receiving land for military service, Galius lives up to its namesake delivering powerful favors with enchanting old-world complexity, depth, and minerality, balanced with military precision. The 2018 Galius commands an impenetrable presence on the palate and has “gorgeous fruit,” as noted by Decanter. At $32, the quality dominates. 
 
Farmed sustainably, with terroir on the front lines, Galius’s eleven hectares of half-century-year-old vines grown in clay-limestone soils produce fruit with intense minerality and penetrating focus. 
 
Fermented in stainless-steel tanks for freshness and polished with 15 months in oak, the blend is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. Merlot offers rich, supple approachability and the Cab Franc, contributes floral lift and heightened refinement.
 
GALIUS
SAINT-EMILION GRAND CRU 
2018 BORDEAUX
 
Your Price: $32
 
 
“Enchanting nose of sweet leather, ripe blue fruit and even honeyed flowers. Refined, plunging, gorgeous fruit on the palate…”
93 Points
2018 Edict Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Edict Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

EDICT

2018 RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY

2018 Edict Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Edict’s philosophy of hand-crafting wines that are loved and remain true to their varietal and region is evident when you taste them. Their 2018 Reserve Cabernet exemplifies their motive, making a powerful statement of Napa Valley’s diversity of soils and micro-climates, enhanced by the fantastic vintage and expert blending. Making no excuses at its $88 retail price, this boutique Reserve Cab merits attention. Of course, at less than $40, it’s in a whole new league. 
 
Edict collaborates with some of Napa Valley’s top growers, calling on their vineyard manager’s 30 years of experience, ensuring expert fruit selection and encouraging natural varietal character, balance, and expression.
 
Created with 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 22 months in oak, Edict’s Reserve Cabernet is made in a bold and concentrated style, dressed with Napa’s notorious complexity and guided with the vintage’s most classic hallmarks.
 
EDICT
2018 RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $88
 
Your Price: $38
 
 
“The Edict Reserve Cab 2018 begins with an elegant nose that includes red raspberries, tart cherries, wet earth, sweet vanilla, and tropic forest florals. This nose leads to a complimentary palate that is medium-full bodied with red and black fruits that include red currants, black cherries, and cigar box, framed by chalky tannins and bright acidity. The structure tells me this one will keep improving over time, and one more bit of evidence is that the last sip out of the bottle was the best. It just kept getting better and better as it opened up. I can’t wait to see where this one goes.”
92 Points
 
“This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon reveals beautiful aromas of cedar, raspberries, black currants, and a touch of toasty oak. The wine exudes complexity, medium to full body, stunningly sweet fruit and tannins, and a sense of airiness with even though there is a richness. Its velvety texture and complexity are seductive. We recommend you enjoy this lovely Cabernet over the next 5-8 years.”
2015 Spence Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

2015 Spence Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

with No Comment $80-$90Cabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaUSA

SPENCE

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2015 HOWELL MOUNTAIN 

2015 Spence Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
The producers of Spence Howell Mountain Cabernet set out to create a wine that’s theirs alone, reflective of the specific characteristics of their exceptionally unique plot near Howell Mountain’s summit. Keenly focused on extracting what transpires in the vineyard, voiced in your glass with eloquence, purity, and individuality, their team is hands-off in the cellar. Their 2015 Howell Mountain Cabernet is sensationally intense, rivetingly defined, powerfully expressive, and an incredible value. 
 
Uniquely positioned above a canyon, Spence’s Vineyard benefits from consistent breezes, thickening the grape skins, contributing color and intensity. The site’s thick surface layer of red volcanic soil laced with rock allows rapid drainage, forcing the roots deep into the earth, extracting site-specific nuance.
 
Spence’s winemaker Ted Osborne began his career at Cakebread before gaining global experience in Australia, South Africa, and Bordeaux and returning to Napa Valley to make wine at Piña and Storybook Mountain. His focus is on vineyard-defined wines that unveil the site’s character in a balanced, elegant, and unique fashion through minimal-intervention winemaking.
 
SPENCE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2015 HOWELL MOUNTAIN
Retails at: $110
 
 
 
“Coming from the Spence’s vineyard at 1,900’ elevation on top of Howell Mountain, this blockbuster Cabernet reminds me of watching a Cheetah run in slow motion. It’s firm and bursting with power, yet sleek, graceful, and elegant at the same time. It begins with a gorgeous nose of explosive black plums, fragrant violets, dusty cocoa powder, wet slate, dried mushrooms, and vanilla hints. This mind-blowing concoction is perfectly ripe on the palate, with concentrated crushed blackberries, exotic wild currants, stewed plums, baker’s chocolate, and scorched earth. It is wonderfully firm and amazingly complex and long on the palate, with mouth-quenching crushed-velvet tannins that, time after time, left me yearning for another sip. It is a decadent, amazingly sultry stunner now that will continue to drop jaws for well over another decade.” 
97 Points, Kevin M. Vogt, Master Sommelier
2019 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Las Alturas

2019 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Las Alturas

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtMontereyPinot NoirSanta Lucia HighlandsUSA

BELLE GLOS

2019 PINOT NOIR
LAS ALTURAS

2019 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Las Alturas
Belle Glos Pinot Noirs have an extravagantly rich style that transcends varietal/category to the degree that even some Cabernet-drinkers enjoy them. Winemaker Joe Wagner discovered Las Alturas Vineyard, one of Santa Lucia Highlands’s highest-plantable sites, and chose it for its strong maritime influence and Gloria sandy loam soils. The 2019 offers “a whirlwind of exuberance,” as stated by Wine Enthusiast, and with a monumental 96 Point score, I wouldn’t hesitate to secure yours. 
 
Perched at 1,200 feet elevation, the 15-acre Las Alturas Vineyard is planted to various clones of Pinot Noir, separated by the land’s natural slopes and soil attributes. Joe’s team deliberately farms the site to encourage low yields, preserving fruit intensity, depth, and sense of place.
 
Joe created Belle Glos to showcase Pinot Noirs produced from noteworthy coastal wine-growing regions, personified in this Las Alturas bottling, which just shattered records with its 96 point score. 
 
BELLE GLOS
2019 PINOT NOIR
LAS ALTURAS
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“Firm lines of graphite and loamy earth streak through the opulent aromas of black plum and dried violet on the nose of this brooding Pinot Noir. The palate is a whirlwind of exuberance, as leathery tannins wrap around more graphite minerality, dried violet and lavender, stewed plum and a touch of bittersweet cocoa on the finish.”
96 Points
2018 Grand Napa Master Red Napa Valley

2018 Grand Napa Master Red Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40CoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaProprietary RedSaint HelenaUSA

GRAND NAPA 

MASTER RED
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Grand Napa Master Red Napa Valley
Grand Napa Vineyards in Rutherford produces wine in an approachable style that’s keenly balanced, richly textured, with seamless structure. They seek vineyards that produce concentrated fruit, naturally balanced by elegant tannins. Their Master Red combines grapes from warmer and cooler parts of the Valley and harmoniously balances fruit, acid, and structure, tying it all in with soft, velvety tannins. Notably, this wine earned double 92 point scores based on the winery’s $90 retail price, so at our price, it’s an amazingly delicious value. 
 
Dwight Bonewell, the winemaker at Grand Napa, keeps a black book of secret vineyard sources, and he created his 2018 Master Red from top sites in Coombsville and Saint Helena. His 2018 combines 55% Cabernet Sauvignon with nearly equal parts Malbec and Merlot. 
 
The 2018 vintage was an ideal growing season in Napa, virtually uninterrupted by significant heat spikes, providing a prolonged hang-time and allowing the fruit to accumulate intense flavor and complexity. Grand Napa’s 2018 Master Red envelopes your palate in a blanket of juicy red and black fruits, crushed flowers, hints of espresso beans, and a rich, supple mouthfeel.
 
GRAND NAPA 
MASTER RED
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $90
 
 
 
“Loads of black cherries, currants, tobacco leaf, chocolate, and spring flower notes emerge from the 2018 Master Red. A medium to full-bodied, lightly textured blend with integrated tannins and a clean, classy finish, I’d be thrilled to drink bottles any time over the coming 10-15 years.”
92 Points
 
“Savory aromas of dried mushroom and oyster shell on the nose, layered with dried blackcurrant and tobacco. It’s medium- to full-bodied with sleek, integrated tannins. Flavorful with a juicy, savory finish. Try from 2021.”
92 Points
2016 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

2016 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

GROTH 

2016 OAKVILLE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 

2016 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville
Defined by their commitment to consistency and continuity, Groth’s entire team’s intimate knowledge and trust in the vineyard’s capability, as well as their unwavering commitment to quality, kept them on the forefront as one of Oakville’s most classic producers for generations. Their Oakville Cabernet is a timeless classic, embodying legacy, superior fruit, land stewardship, and top-level winemaking, and at $60, the value is undeniable. 
 
Initially planted by Silver Oak co-founder Justin Meyer in the early 70s, the Estate flanks paragons Plumpjack, O’Shaughnessy, and Bonny’s Vineyard and is just a short distance from BOND’s St Eden. Their team meticulously farms the vineyard, performing cluster thinning three times each vintage.
 
Pressed in their state-of-the-art gravity-flow winery and kept for nearly two years in barrel, Groth’s Oakville Cabernet is evolving beautifully since the team bottled it four years ago. The wine vividly expresses the vineyard’s hallmarks with supple fruit, depth, and escalating energy. It was not surprisingly one of THE best wines in our weekly tasting.
 
GROTH 
2016 OAKVILLE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $59.99
 
 
“…They produced a young and luscious Oakville cabernet, the wine integrating oak and fruit tannins in a way that supercharges its flavors. Rather than weighing the wine down, the structure empowers it, presenting plummy blue fruit, scents of cassis and fruity-umami notes of mushrooms that last, gracious, gentle and refined.”
94 Points
 
“Blended with 9% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, this Cabernet opens with earthy aromas of tar, sage and cedar. It expands on the palate to show an elegant structure of finessed, supple tannins alongside layers of clove and cinnamon atop ripe red and black berries.”
93 Points “Editors’ Choice”
 
“A hint of singed savory leads off, turning quickly to a core of raspberry and mulberry fruit, lined with alluring tea, sanguine and iron notes. Offers fine-grained grip and should unwind nicely in the cellar. Drink now through 2030. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.”
92 Points
2019 Gamba MCM Estate Zinfandel Russian River Valley

2019 Gamba MCM Estate Zinfandel Russian River Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtRussian River ValleySonomaUSAZinfandel

GAMBA

MCM ESTATE ZINFANDEL 
2019 RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

2019 Gamba MCM Estate Zinfandel Russian River Valley
Embodying the same passion for agriculture and tradition that’s been in their family for six generations, beginning in Northern Italy, Gamba Family expresses it all through the lens of their ancient 100-year-old vines. Gus acts as the human conduit for the vines to tell their story in every vintage, and the 2019s are what he strives for; They’re vibrantly detailed, engrossingly complex, and invigoratingly fresh. This vintage will undoubtedly earn monster scores, and given the small production, don’t wait to secure yours. 
 
Gus Gamba considers himself a steward of the land and utilizes organic farming practices in his family’s Vineyard planted in 1900. The Vineyard’s topography, soils, and microclimate are perfect for ripening Zinfandel to the peak of perfection. 
 
Gus and his winemaking team double hand-sort the berries, with only the best making their way into fermentors. Next, the 2019 release spent an impressive 18 months aging primarily in American oak barrels, contributing to the spice characteristics.
 
GAMBA
MCM ESTATE ZINFANDEL 
2019 RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
Retails at: $54
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“The exciting 2019 MCM Gamba Estate Old Vine Zinfandel is a brilliant wine, with bright garnet hues shining in the glass. The aroma offers lush raspberry, rhubarb pie and savory dried herbs. Medium to full in body, the wine explodes with fresh berries, stone fruit and red cherry that are accented with delicious brown spices and an essence of toasty oak. The texture is slightly leathery, yet polished and refined. The wine is focused, compelling, and exquisitely layered, with mouth-watering tannins; a serious and seamless flavor experience from beginning to end. Lifting acidity and mild toasted oak round out the coda of its pleasant, lingering finish. A great wine to enjoy in its youth, or candidate to lay down in the cellar if you have the will power!”
2018 Acumen Mountainside Proprietary Red Napa Valley

2018 Acumen Mountainside Proprietary Red Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Atlas PeakKevin VogtNapaProprietary Red

ACUMEN

2018 MOUNTAINSIDE
PROPRIETARY RED
NAPA VALLEY

2018 Acumen Mountainside Proprietary Red Napa Valley
Acumen wines have a definitive style similar to Napa Valley’s great Cabernets from the 1960s and 1970s. They craft classically structured, balanced wines marked by complexity and ageability under renowned winemaker Phillip Titus, winemaker at Chappellet for nearly 30 years. At $40, Acumen’s Mountainside Red embodies the soul of their Estate vineyard, their team’s talent, and their proprietor’s drive, offering immeasurable value. 
 
At around 1500 feet elevation on Atlas Peak, Acumen’s Mountainside Blend was wrought from the rocky, volcanic soils and relatively cool climate, perfectly depicting the deep, concentrated flavors that make this region famous.
 
Acumen sells most of their fruit, allowing Phillip Titus to focus on his favorite blocks for Acumen’s estate wines. Phillip created this wine around a core of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with Merlot and Petit Verdot for soft, supple characteristics, balancing the power of Mountain Cabernet.
 
ACUMEN
2018 MOUNTAINSIDE
PROPRIETARY RED
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $45
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“This full-bodied wine starts with fragrant aromas of ripe blackberries, potpourri, freshly turned earth, and Chambord. On the palate, we find mouth-coating flavors of blueberries, Santa Rosa plums, and baking spices with a pleasant grip of ripe tannins coupled with notes of toffee, rhubarb compote, fresh sage and cigar box on the long and pleasant finish.”
2018 Aston Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2018 Aston Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

ASTON

2018 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST

2018 Aston Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Co-founded two decades earlier by industry leaders Fred Schrader, Chuck Sweeney, and Thomas Rivers Brown, Aston arose from 14 acres of prime coastal vineyards near Annapolis. The winery is now under the sole ownership of Brown, and with the vines coming into age, the quality of the wine produced is at an even higher level, and the brand is ready to claim its throne as one of the Sonoma Coast’s top players. Brown describes Annapolis Pinots as having a savage quality, yielding a more significant, structured style of this Burgundian variety. 
 
Aston Vineyard is located along the Northern reaches of the Sonoma Coast and planted to Dijon clones 115, 667, and 777, which together produce a complete wine with outstanding depth and floral lift. As the vines have aged over the last two decades, Brown has noticed the fruit characteristics have become more interesting, and the 2018 release shows off the site’s capabilities. 
 
This wine enters from a vintage the Wine Spectator describes as “Nearly perfect conditions; full-flavored wines backed by crisp acidity, especially from coastal vineyards,” then was aged in 100% new French oak barrels. Fans of BIG, rustic, full-bodied, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs should scoop this up by the case.
 
ASTON
2018 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $75
 
Your Price: $45
 
 
“2018 was a winegrower’s dream come true. We had every available advantage leading into harvest and ample hang time for the fruit to fully mature. While still made up of all Estate fruit, this bottling comes from its own block in the vineyard. The result in the glass is a balanced, expressive Pinot Noir that resonates with all the hallmark notes of the Estate vineyard. The wine displays a red-purple hue in the glass. Aromas suggest blackberry jam, cranberry, plum, orange pith, and nutmeg. The sleek, structured palate resonates with notes of raspberry, pomegranate pulp, river rock, and lavender. This wine possesses vivacious energy and shows extremely well today.”