2013 Villa Le Prata Brunello Di Montalcino, Italy

2013 Villa Le Prata Brunello Di Montalcino, Italy

with No Comment $40-$50BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin VogtPiedmont

VILLA LE PRATA

2013 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY 

2013 Villa Le Prata Brunello Di Montalcino, Italy
Villa Le Prata Brunello has a distinct personality, shaped by the vintage, elevation, and Galestro clay soils. An alliance of power and elegance marks this wine embellished by their female team, led by internationally renowned winemaker Doctor Graziana Grassini. Time in the bottle has erected a magnificent bouquet, awakened harmonious energy, and enhanced the fruit’s divine purity. Ready to drink now, it’s, as Vinous writes, a “Lovely Brunello.” 
 
Montalcino’s 2013 vintage produced “balanced Brunellos with vibrant structures,” as noted by the Wine Spectator. Villa Le Prata’s 2013 marries three single-hectare sites, ranging in elevation, exposure, climate, and soils, resulting in a well-rounded, balanced wine.
 
The winemaking team is meticulous in their fruit selection, and they ferment in stainless steel for 20 days, preserving the most natural essence of the fruit. This wine poised and ready to drink after gaining its elegance from 42 months in French oak, followed by 24 months in Slovenian oak, and two more years in the bottle. 
 
VILLA LE PRATA
2013 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“The raspberry and cherry aromas are very intense and pretty. Full body, silky and fine tannins. Juicy fruit. I love the finish. Delicious now but better in 2019.”
93 Points
 
“Bright red. Perfumed aromas of red currant, sweet spices and blood orange, taking on an increasing floral personality with aeration. Supple and sweet, but displaying very good lift and noteworthy finesse to the fruit-driven flavors of spicy red currant and raspberry. Offers lovely purity and intense aromatics, not to mention a light touch, on the long, juicy finish. Lovely Brunello.”
92 Points
2017 Aldenalli Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2017 Aldenalli Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

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

ALDENALLI

2017 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST

2017 Aldenalli Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Enkindled by two families’ shared passion for Pinot Noir, Aldenalli is the cumulative result that exemplifies Sonoma Coast viticulture, producing Pinot Noir with an engaging personality, place, and balance. Alden and Emeril Lagasse developed the brand together with Alli and Dan Kosta. Dan is an award-winning winemaker and Kosta Browne co-founder. Their 2017 Sonoma Coast Pinot thoughtfully intertwines three distinct cool-climate vineyards into one not-to-be-missed remarkably food-friendly Pinot. 
 
A masterpiece of complexity, the 2017 Sonoma Coast Pinot is cut from Gap’s Crown, Sunchase, and Campbell Ranch Vineyards, skillfully marrying five Pinot Noir clones. Campbell provides elegance and bright acidity, complemented by the structure and spice characteristics of Gap’s Crown and Sunchase Vineyards in the Petaluma Wind Gap.
 
Capturing the pure essence of this fruit, winemakers Shane Finley and Dan Kosta aged this wine for only ten months in barrel. The resulting wine is remarkably fresh with penetrating fruit and thought-provoking complexity that’s hard to find.
 
ALDENALLI
2017 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $56
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“A savory style, framed by firm acidity that backs the dried cherry and berry flavors. Cedar and balsam wood notes fill the finish. Drink now through 2023.”
90 Points
 
“A bright, red-cherry and sappy style of pinot on the nose with fresh, fragrant appeal. The palate has crisp, juicy red-cherry flavor and fresh, fine-grained tannin. Drink now.”
90 Points
2019 Sailor's Grave Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2019 Sailor’s Grave Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonCalistogaKevin VogtNapaStags LeapUSA

SAILOR’S GRAVE

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 NAPA VALLEY 

2019 Sailor's Grave Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Sailor’s Grave Cabernet highlights Michael Pozzan’s connections with many of Napa Valley’s premier growers and his ability to hand-select exceptional fruit each year. The 2019 vintage exemplifies his drive to produce an affordable Napa Cabernet packed with character, depth, and rich flavors far exceeding its value price. If you’ve been on a quest to find a full-bodied Napa Cab that doesn’t break the bank, this one inks it. 
 
The 2019 vintage was sourced from Stag’s Leap District and included fruit from Chiles Valley and Michael Pozzan’s home vineyard in Calistoga. This wine showcases the diversity in all three terroirs with precise definition, balance, and length.
 
Checking in at 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, this vintage offers a well-rounded interpretation of Napa Valley terroir and the vintage as a whole. The wine hails from a year that produced richly concentrated flavors, fruit purity, and balanced acidity that’s delightful to drink.
 
SAILOR’S GRAVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $40
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“The 2019 Sailors Grave Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is thoroughly a Napa Valley classic Cabernet. The nose is dark and inviting with aromas of blackberry, espresso, and the sweet char of French oak. The mouth is characterized by a core of pure Cabernet – cassis, boysenberry, and a hint of graphite, with soft, polished tannins and deftly integrated oak. The persistent finish sustains with delicate nutmeg.”
2017 Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Estate

2017 Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Estate

with No Comment $70-$80Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

PARADIGM   

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 OAKVILLE ESTATE 

2017 Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Estate
The Paradigm wine team masterfully articulates their vineyard because of their non-invasive winemaking, without house style. Positioned directly South of Andy Beckstoffer’s Iconic To-Kalon Vineyard, Paradigm is in the epicenter of Grand Cru quality Cabernet. The 2017 release offers a vivid interpretation of Oakville’s notorious complexity, superior concentration, piercing focus, and with neighbors like Opus One, and Martha’s Vineyard, Paradigm tips the scales with nonpareil value. 
 
Heidi Barrett is Paradigm’s current and original winemaker; She has intimate knowledge of the Estate, allowing the fruit to express its quality and unique terroir with minimal intervention.
 
The 2017 Paradigm Cabernet is richly concentrated, keenly focused, and beautifully defined. The wine spends 20 months in oak and 20 months in the bottle before release and offers a parade of perfectly ripe red and black fruits, rocky minerals, and subtle oak. 
 
PARADIGM   
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 OAKVILLE ESTATE
Retails at: $84
 
Your Price: $79.99
 
 
“This wine is deeply pigmented with ruby/garnet color. First sniff is Oakville Cabernet all the way. Nice layers of ripe berry and cherry-like fruit with a matching complement of toasty French Oak from an assortment of Coopers and different barrel ages. Gorgeous across the palate with a silky yet dense mouthcoating impression. Ripeness is key and the result is a wine with perfect balance and flow – just plain delicious. It’s a big, beautiful wine now but has tremendous aging potential.”
2016 Bibbiano Gran Selezione Chianti Classico Vigna Del Capannino

2016 Bibbiano Gran Selezione Chianti Classico Vigna Del Capannino

with No Comment $30-$40ChiantiChiantiKevin VogtTuscanyUSA

BIBBIANO

GRAN SELEZIONE
2016 CHIANTI CLASSICO
VIGNA DEL CAPANNINO 

2016 Bibbiano Gran Selezione Chianti Classico Vigna Del Capannino
Bibbiano cemented its spot on my top 5 wines-of-the-year list in 2020 with its explosive richness, deep-seated power, and captivating elegance. A month later, it earned a monstrous 95 point score in the Wine Spectator, which referenced the wine’s escalating power. Each time I taste it, the wine not only stands up to Italian, French and American producers, but it dominates just about everything in its path. If you want to taste an exceptionally high-quality Chianti at a great price, this is it. 
 
Making a dramatic entrance from one of Tuscany’s best vintages in nearly two decades, this stunning wine was created from 100% Sangiovese Grosso and aged for 30 months before bottling. On the palate, the wine is intensely captivating and with a satin texture and long resonant finish. 
 
Production requirements for Gran Selezione wines insist on sourcing the grapes from 100% Estate grown fruit or selecting the Estate’s best parcels. It also has higher extract restrictions and extended oak aging requirements. Gran Selezione, which means Great Selection, is the pinnacle of quality for Chianti Classico.
 
BIBBIANO
GRAN SELEZIONE
2016 CHIANTI CLASSICO
VIGNA DEL CAPANNINO
Retails at: $42
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“This red starts out smooth, displaying ripe black cherry and plum flavors, along with earth, iron and woodsy elements. Gains power as this builds on the palate, ending in an extended aftertaste of loam, iron and wild herb accents… 250 cases imported.”
95 Points
 
“Restrained, fresh pomegranate fruit with slightly nutty character, earthy-strawberry depth and minerality. Bright acidity and savoury character, firm and chalky, with natural and integrated freshness. Andrew Jefford: A gorgeously teased, poised aromatic ripeness here: subtle incense spice just hidden behind the refined, perfumed plums; a hint of orange peel. Shapely, fresh, vivid and vigorous: super purity, admirable finesse.” 
95 Points
 
“…shows classic lines and balanced intensity with a nice spot of acidity and plenty of dark berry fruit to soften it out. The 2016 vintage is a classic one in Tuscany, and that’s why you get so much cooling cherry, forest berry and cassis on this versatile Gran Selezione wine. Drink 2021-2032”
94 Points
2018 Arietta Quartet Proprietary Red

2018 Arietta Quartet Proprietary Red

with No Comment $60-$70CarnerosCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUncategorizedUSA

ARIETTA 

2018 QUARTET 
PROPRIETARY RED
 
2018 Arietta Quartet Proprietary Red
Arietta’s specialty is harmoniously balanced Bordeaux-style blends created from top vineyards in Napa Valley. They gain inspiration for their wine from music and believe that great wines should sing with balance, vibrancy, and depth. They’re able to achieve this with the proper instruments (super-premium grapes) and the help of gifted composer/winemaker Andy Erickson. Andy made Screaming Eagle from 2005 through 2010, and he also makes Mayacamas, which in the last two consecutive vintages ranked #2 and #4 on Wine Spectator Top 100. At 95 points and under $100, don’t miss Arietta’s 2018 Quartet.   
 
Cabernet Sauvignon takes center stage in the 2018 Quartet, followed by Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petite Verdot. They finely tuned this wine for 20 months in oak, and it makes a grand entrance from one of Napa Valley’s most exceptional vintages. 
 
The winery sources fruit from Meteor and Two Belles Farms in Coombsville, and in Carneros, they call on Lee Hudson’s renowned vineyard. If you’re looking for a stunningly complex and deeply hedonistic blend to add to your cellar, this one is singing.
 
ARIETTA 
2018 QUARTET 
PROPRIETARY RED
Retails at: $75
 
Your Price: $69.99
 
 
“This blends 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot into a cohesive whole of complex structure and grace. Cedar, pencil shavings, iron and crushed rock provide a savory foundation complemented by lush richness in the form of dense blueberry, dark chocolate and nutmeg…”
95 Points
2018 Jon Nathaniel Bodacious Proprietary Red

2018 Jon Nathaniel Bodacious Proprietary Red

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

JON NATHANIEL

2018 BODACIOUS
PROPRIETARY RED

2018 Jon Nathaniel Bodacious Proprietary Red
Veteran winemakers John and Nat Komes established Jon Nathaniel winery to recapture their creative freedom. They hand-craft each wine with the highest standards of excellence and meticulously select fruit from small parcels that they’ve farmed for decades. John founded Flora Springs winery in the late 70s and helped pioneer barrel fermentation, lees stirring, the use of French and American oak barrels, and proprietary blends in Napa Valley. Nat previously oversaw operations at Flora Springs for nearly 20 years, and together they craft this incredible, high-scoring blend. 
 
This wine gets its name from the iconic rodeo bull, Bodacious, known as The World’s Most Dangerous Bull. The wine Bodacious presents in a larger-than-life, expressive style that captures the winemaker’s creativity and vision for crafting a wine that tells a powerful tale of the vintage and the care that went into it. 
 
They cellared the 2018 release for around 20 months in barrel, and now, right out of the bottle, it’s supple, rich, and inviting. Winemakers Nat and Jon created the 2018 Bodacious by artfully blending Malbec and Petite Verdot, and the sheer quality of this wine is no bull.
 
JON NATHANIEL
2018 BODACIOUS
PROPRIETARY RED
Retails at: $60
 
Your Price: $36
 
 
“the 2018 Red Blend Bodacious checks in as equal parts Malbec and Petit Verdot, all from the Napa Valley. A big, inky, ruby/purple color is followed by rich notes of ripe blackcurrants, blueberries, dark chocolate, scorched earth, and graphite. With sweet tannins, a dense, concentrated, medium to full-bodied style, and nicely integrated oak, this ripe, sexy 2018 can be drunk today or cellared for 10-15 years.”
93 Points
2016 Simon Di Brazzan Cabernet Franc Friuli, Italy

2016 Simon Di Brazzan Cabernet Franc Friuli, Italy

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet FrancItalyKevin Vogt

SIMON DI BRAZZAN

2016 CABERNET FRANC
FRIULI, ITALY

2016 Simon Di Brazzan Cabernet Franc Friuli, Italy
Winemaker Daniele Drius of Simon de Brazzan crafts his Cabernet Franc in a captivating style that beckons thoughts of neighborhood bistros, porch swings, and conversation. The wine captures classic varietal traits, like herb-laced red fruits, subtle peppery characteristics, delivering them in a refreshingly easy-to-drink manner that’s reminiscent of Pinot Noir. 
 
Daniele protects the authenticity of his vines through organic farming practices. His thirteen hectares of vines project the sea influence, benefits of the Alps, and alluvial soils. The composition of the land and soils determine the division of each unique parcel. 
 
Tradition does not hinder innovation at Simon di Brazzan. Daniele harvests the fruit by hand and meticulously de-stems the berries before fermenting on the skins and lees for enriched depth and color. The resulting wine is a delicious drinker with a sense of place, balance, and suppleness that’s highly enjoyable.
 
SIMON DI BRAZZAN
2016 CABERNET FRANC
FRIULI, ITALY
 
Your Price: $26
 
 
“Intense ruby red color with purple shades; Distinctive herbaceous scent, elegant and spicy; Velvety flavor, soft, slightly bitter, young but full.”
2017 Meyer Family Cellars Spitfire Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

2017 Meyer Family Cellars Spitfire Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

MEYER FAMILY CELLARS

2017 SPITFIRE OAKVILLE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON

2017 Meyer Family Cellars Spitfire Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon
Meyer Family Cellars is rooted in Napa Valley tradition, established by Justin Meyer, visionary and co-founder of Silver Oak Cellars. Justin’s son Matt and his wife Karen have worldwide winemaking experience, and together they craft this remarkable Oakville Cabernet, sourced from a coveted Oakville neighborhood. They make it in a powerfully rich, enchanting style that offers incredible value for the region. 
 
Spitfire arose from an undisclosed site near Eastern Oakville, where the Vaca Mountains converge with the Valley floor. The iron-rich, volcanic soils are nutrient deficient and force the roots deep into the earth, extracting the site’s unique terroir. 
 
Matt ages this wine for 22 months in A&K barrels, a Missouri-based cooperage owned by Silver Oak. The American oak adds intriguing spice elements which blend well with Oakville’s notoriously complex fruit.
 
MEYER FAMILY CELLARS
2017 SPITFIRE OAKVILLE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Retails at: $54
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“After nearly three years of aging, this ’17 Oakville Cabernet has begun to demonstrate many of the fruit and aromatic characteristics we’ve come to expect. Cassis, blackberry, and red-black currant all work in ripe combination across the juicy palate, with secondary notes of cooking spice, eucalyptus, and a hint of licorice. Two years in American oak have added a complex spice box of flavors, showing cardamom and cinnamon layered in a framework of integrated oak tannins. This vineyard site continually produces wines of great polish and drinkability, making them a joy to open while still young. As always, Spitfire is made for your next steak!” 
Gold Medal, Sunset International Wine Competition
2018 Bevan Ontogeny Proprietary Red

2018 Bevan Ontogeny Proprietary Red

with No Comment $90-$100Kevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

BEVAN

2018 ONTOGENY
PROPRIETARY RED

2018 Bevan Ontogeny Proprietary Red
Number one on Jeb Dunnuck’s list of the Top Napa Cabernets Under $100, Russell Bevan’s 2018 Ontogeny is a barrel selection created from Tench, Sugarloaf, Harbison, Wildfoote, Saunders, and Sage Ridge vineyards. Russell produces single-vineyard Cabernets that retail for around $200 from each of those coveted sites; however, Ontogeny isn’t just the introduction to Bevans wines’ cardinal quality, but as the least expensive of his big reds, it doesn’t compromise at all in quality. 
 
2018 was a faultless growing season, virtually uninterrupted by significant heat spikes, providing a prolonged hang-time, allowing the fruit to accumulate intense flavor and complexity. The resulting wine is breathtakingly complex and irresistibly engaging. 
 
Ontogeny combines six highly expressive vineyards raised in a variety of top-level oak barrels and with a near-perfect 99 Point score and priced under $100; you can’t have too much of this in your cellar.
 
BEVAN
2018 ONTOGENY
PROPRIETARY RED
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“While this cuvée is one of the least expensive in the lineup, it’s often one of my favorites. The 2018 Ontogeny is no exception and should be snatched up by readers. A classic 2018 nose of ripe, pure blue fruits, cassis, violets, and smoked earth gives way to a full-bodied, dense, concentrated Cabernet with beautiful tannins and length. It’s going to evolve for 20 years or more.”
99 Points, #1 Top Napa Cabernets Under $100