2019 Alma De Cattleya Pinot Noir Sonoma County

2019 Alma De Cattleya Pinot Noir Sonoma County

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtPinot NoirRussian River ValleySonomaSonoma CoastUSA

ALMA DE CATTLEYA

2019 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COUNTY

2019 Alma De Cattleya Pinot Noir Sonoma County
At 14, how many of us knew what we wanted to do for a career? Despite growing up in Columbia with very little exposure to wine, Bibiana González Rave knew she wanted to become a winemaker. Graduating with honors from the University of Bordeaux, Bibiana gained invaluable experience at Château Haut-Brion in France, Soronsberg in South Africa, Lynmar Estate, and Peay in California before climbing the ranks at Pahlmeyer. Proving fantastic wine can be had at an accessible price, Bibiana crafts Alma de Cattleya to represent the purity of their varietals. 
 
Founded equally from Russian River and Sonoma Coast Vineyards, favoring maritime influenced sites, Bibiana’s 2019 Pinot Noir is vibrantly detailed, superabundantly fragrant, and expertly balanced. 
 
Fermenting in stainless steel open-top tanks to allow for hand-punch-downs and preserve freshness, Bibiana’s commitment to the highest quality is evident in every aspect of production. This Pinot embodies the soul of Sonoma County, and at $30, everybody should try it.
 
ALMA DE CATTLEYA
2019 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COUNTY
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“Exploding with aromas of raspberries, cherries, wild strawberries and a hint of vanilla, the mouthfeel is rich, with great texture and a supple finish.”
2016 Zuidema Grenache McGah Vineyard Rutherfor

2016 Zuidema Grenache McGah Vineyard Rutherford

with No Comment $30-$40GrenacheKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSA

ZUIDEMA

2016 GRENACHE
MCGAH VINEYARD
RUTHERFORD

2016 Zuidema Grenache McGah Vineyard Rutherfor
Freed from a one-acre block of gnarly head-trained Grenache vines that were nearly re-planted to Cabernet, Zuidema Grenache was 30 years in the making and is a passion project by one of Napa’s most respected winemakers. Rudy Zuidema is the winemaker for Mastery and has held winemaking positions at Robert Craig, Honig, and Ehlers Estate, to name a few. His pensive winemaking style results in balanced, complex wines, deep with individuality and varietal truth. At $38, the value is unmistakable. 
 
Sourced from the McGah Vineyard in Eastern Rutherford, Zuidema Grenache powerfully reflects the area’s nutrient-rich, rocky soils and ideal microclimate. The Gobelet trained vines yield various ripeness levels, and that lack of perfect consistency is what Rudy looks for to create the naturally rustic complexity in his wine.
 
Analytically hand-harvesting, de-stemming, native yeast fermenting, and three times daily punch overs for 10-12 days, Rudy’s cumulative knowledge over the past 30 years is commanding in this wine. If you’re looking for something a little different from one of Napa Valley’s greatest terroirs, this is it. 
 
ZUIDEMA
2016 GRENACHE
MCGAH VINEYARD
RUTHERFORD
Retails at: $42
 
Your Price: $38
 
 
“The 2016 expresses incredible fruit purity and opens with aromas of cherry blossom, ripe plum, cinnamon spice, fresh strawberries, and vanilla bean. Flavors of cherry pie, wild berry jam, licorice, and orange zest, layer with subtle herbal nuances. The well-knit tannins are juicy and rustic, integrating with a clean, crisp acid profile. The wine finishes with rolling waves of black raspberry, new leather, dark spice, and graham cracker piecrust.
131 cases produced. 100% Grenache”
2013 Together Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2013 Together Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

TOGETHER

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2013 NAPA VALLEY

2013 Together Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Together’s 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is flawless, deepened with six years of bottle development, accentuating the mountain fruit’s power, and Grant Long Jr’s gentle winemaking techniques. The once muscular profile is now silken, with soft tannins, balanced acidity, opulent fruit, and balanced, integrated oak. At our price, words cannot do this wine justice with how it’s drinking right now. 
 
Grant wove together Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the surrounding mountains of Napa Valley and a vintage unanimously recognized for its unrivaled quality. Robert Parker alerted readers that the 2013 vintage “…may turn out to be the finest vintage I have experienced in tasting North Coast varietals over the last 37 years.” 
 
This remarkable wine is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, enhanced with Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, which were vital in balancing the distinct Mountain terroirs. The wine was cave-aged for around 20 months in premium oak barrels, and after six years in the bottle, it’s stunningly brilliant.
 
TOGETHER
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2013 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $80
 
 
 
“The Precursor to the lovely 2015 and 2014 vintages that I’ve written about is the Together Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, which is an absolute delight to drink. It begins with a concentrated nose of wild berries, bramble, cocoa powder, Spring florals, and wood spice. The concentrated palate is supple and opulent, with the wine’s characteristic black cherry/berry blend balancing the brighter, fresher red fruit notes and finishing with a chocolaty characteristic. Like the two previous vintages, it is rich, densely concentrated, and powerful, and the finish is smooth, satiny, balanced, and ready to drink right now.” 
93 Points, Kevin M. Vogt, Master Sommelier
2018 Domaine Dominique Guyon Hautes Cotes De Nuits Les Dames De Vergy

2018 Domaine Dominique Guyon Hautes Cotes De Nuits Les Dames De Vergy

with No Comment $30-$40BurgandyFranceKevin VogtPinot Noir

DOMAINE DOMINIQUE GUYON 

2018 HAUTES COTES DE NUITS
LES DAMES DE VERGY

2018 Domaine Dominique Guyon Hautes Cotes De Nuits Les Dames De Vergy
Domaine Dominique Guyon (Domaine Antonin Guyon) is a family-owned producer in Burgundy with significant holdings in the Côte d’Or. Brothers Dominique and Michel Guyon lead the operation, and they’re meticulously hands-on, which is not replicable with larger producers and is palpable in the glass. Their 2018 Les Dames de Vergy Cotes de Nuits Red Burgundy has penetrating fruit, restrained with a high level of balance and place. At less than $40, this a joy to behold and a remarkable value.  
 
Dominique accumulated nearly 80 separate parcels in the hills above Nuits-Saint-Georges, in an area known for quality. He combined them into a single 22-hectare vineyard with South facing slopes and limestone, rock, and clay soils that produce a remarkable expression of Pinot Noir. 
 
The Guyon’s are just as meticulous in their winemaking as they are with farming. They sort the grapes by hand in the vineyard, aiming to get the fruit to the vat within just 30 minutes from picking. They age the wine in oak for just 12 months to preserve the natural essence of the fruit, and the results are brilliant. 
 
DOMAINE DOMINIQUE GUYON 
2018 HAUTES COTES DE NUITS
LES DAMES DE VERGY
 
Your Price: $36
 
 
“This rich, densely textured wine is impressively ripe. Its tannins are still young and will sustain further development. With plenty of red cherry fruitiness to balance the structure, it will age further. Drink from 2022.”
92 Points “Cellar Selection”
2017 Ventisquero Grey [Glacier] Garnacha-Carinena-Mataro Colchagua Valley

2017 Ventisquero Grey [Glacier] Garnacha-Carinena-Mataro Colchagua Valley Chile

with No Comment $30 and underChileGrenacheKevin Vogt

VENTISQUERO

GREY [GLACIER] 2017 GARNACHA-CARINENA-MATARO 
COLCHAGUA VALLEY CHILE

2017 Ventisquero Grey [Glacier] Garnacha-Carinena-Mataro Colchagua Valley
Ventisquero winery is where Chile’s most renowned growing regions merge with creativity, drive, and honoring tradition. Global winemaker Felipe Tosso guides them to craft accessibly priced wines representative of their origins. Their Grey [Glacier] Single-Block Garnacha-Cariena-Mataro seizes the essence of the La Roblería Vineyard in Colchagua Valley and transports it to your glass with expert balance, rich flavors, and site-specific nuance. Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate notes, “concentration and power,” and at $23, the value is apparent. 
 
Carved from a single hillside Block within the La Roblería Vineyard and selected for its colluvial, rocky, nutrient-deficient soils and western exposure, which is very important for Cariñena and Mataro to reach their optimum maturity. 
 
Stretching value to the limits, Ventisquero’s avant-garde approach to winemaking emphasizes blending unique varieties. Creating an alliance of Spanish grapes Garnacha, Cariñena, and Mataro, this traditional Mediterranean blend matches New World fruit with Old World balance and complexity.
 
VENTISQUERO
GREY [GLACIER]
2017 GARNACHA-CARINENA-MATARO 
COLCHAGUA VALLEY CHILE
 
Your Price: $23
 
 
“I found ripe red fruit in the 2017 Grey GCM, a Mediterranean blend of 62% Garnacha and 19% each Cariñena and Mataró (Monastrell) with more concentration and power, still fresh for a warm year and a warm place like Apalta. It has fine-grained tannins and a soft texture, nice balance…”
92 Points
 
“A clean and fruity wine with juicy fruit, lemon rind and apple skin aromas and flavors. Medium body, light tannins and a flavorful finish. A blend of garnacha, carinena and mataro… ”
91 Points
2018 Panther Creek Pinot Noir De Ponte Vineyard Dundee Hills

2018 Panther Creek Pinot Noir De Ponte Vineyard Dundee Hills

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtOregonPinot NoirUSA

PANTHER CREEK

2018 PINOT NOIR
DE PONTE VINEYARD
DUNDEE HILLS 

2018 Panther Creek Pinot Noir De Ponte Vineyard Dundee Hills
Panther Creek crafts their Pinot Noir from the soil up, with the earth as the defining factor, drawing the blueprint for each of the wines they produce. Their Dundee Hills Pinot Noir arose from red clay-loam and volcanic soils that run from the ground straight through your glass, articulating its origin by balancing tart black cherry with lush raspberry, wild spices, and dried flowers. Once you see who’s making the wine and our price, the only question will be whether a single case will be enough. 
 
Tony Rynders, the winemaker at Panther Creek, has been immersed in Oregon Pinot Noir for two decades. He began his career under the tutelage of Ken Wright and later spent a decade at Domaine Serene, crafting their highly acclaimed Pinots. 
 
De Ponte Vineyard consists of South facing vines grown at 625 feet elevation centered in the Dundee Hills Appellation. Widely praised for their dense red fruits, intense floral aromas, and a hint of minerality, Pinot Noir from De Ponte is unmistakable. Panther’s Creek version expressively embodies the vineyard’s potential, and at $36, I couldn’t be any more enthusiastic about it.
 
PANTHER CREEK
2018 PINOT NOIR
DE PONTE VINEYARD
DUNDEE HILLS
Retails at: $45
 
Your Price: $36
 
 
“This supple, penetrating beauty begins with a nose with black cherries, white pepper, baking spices, and hints of vanilla. It is rich and concentrated with supple Mountain blackberries, pomegranate, cherry cola, and strawberries on the finish and is a silky, hedonistic pleasure to enjoy.”
93 Points
2018 Lobo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Lobo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOak KnollUSA

LOBO

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Lobo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Founded on farming first and foremost, Lobo’s Oak Knoll Vineyard’s high-density planting, aggressive pruning, and idyllic terroir caught the eye of great winemakers like Randy Lewis from the get-go. Calling on Mario Bazan’s 30 years of experience managing vineyards like OPUS ONE, To-Kalon, and Stags Leap, Lobo positioned themselves for a seamless transition from selling grapes to becoming a boutique winery making ridiculously high-quality wines. 
 
Lobo winemaker Victoria Coleman is well-rounded in her skillset, working alongside Erick Tourbier at Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Jade Valley Winery in China. Her exposure to Old-World winemaking technique resonated and manifested in the elegantly balanced, terroir expressive wines she produces. 
 
Raised under the shadows of the Mayacamas Mountains, Lobo Vineyard’s well-drained gravelly loam and micro-climate cooler than the neighboring Yountville produces Cabernet Sauvignon fruit of dynamic complexity. Their 2018 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon crafted in a style that melds balance and enchantment, power and grace, and at less than $100, this wine is stunningly impressive. 
 
LOBO
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $75
 
 
 
“A savoury and spice-driven nose of tobacco leaves, underbrush and earl grey tea. Tender red fruits and zesty acidity provide a delicious lift to the finish, where the tannins and edgy but pleasing. A delicious Cabernet at a relative value…”
92 Points
 
“… More beauty than beast with nose of meadow flowers and red berry fruit, it offers lush, pretty flavors of red currant, cherry, pomegranate, black raspberry and allspice. An elegant and sensual wine that promises wonderful aging potential and is ready to enjoy when you are.”
2018 Chateau Haut Breton Larigaudiere Margaux

2018 Chateau Haut Breton Larigaudiere Margaux

with No Comment $50-$60BordeauxBordeauxFranceKevin Vogt

CHATEAU HAUT BRETON

LARIGAUDIÈRE
2018 MARGAUX

2018 Chateau Haut Breton Larigaudiere Margaux
One of the top 5 wines from the 2020 Decanter World Wine Awards Top 20 Best of Bordeaux list, Haut Breton Larigaudiere exudes the confidence and balance that you’d expect from a 97 point Margaux. Meticulously farmed, the Estate consists of 20 micro-plots ranging from deep gravel, sand to clay and limestone subsoils. Their Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend embodies the area’s hallmark elegance and captivating palate presence, and at $55, the value is significant. 
 
The vineyard’s geological characteristics, including low-lying topography and well-drained soils, aid in their Cabernet vines reaching full physiological ripeness at low sugar levels, resulting in lower alcohol and brilliantly balanced wines.  
 
The wine is fermented plot-by-plot, in varying vat sizes, on the skins for 15-30 days, which extracts color and richness. After 15-20 months in barrel, the resulting wine is powerfully complex and irresistible right out of the bottle. 
 
CHATEAU HAUT BRETON
LARIGAUDIÈRE
2018 MARGAUX
 
Your Price: $55
 
 
“A gorgeous wine, with deliciously ripe fruits including black cherry, blue plums and spice. There’s a huge amount here, in what is a brooding, deep, broad and earthy wine. A Margaux for the hedonists and sensualists.” 
97 Points, Platinum
2018 A. Viloria Pinot Noir Black Knight Vineyard Sonoma Coast

2018 A. Viloria Pinot Noir Black Knight Vineyard Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaSonoma CoastSonoma MountainUSA

A. VILORIA

2018 PINOT NOIR
BLACK KNIGHT VINEYARD
SONOMA COAST

2018 A. Viloria Pinot Noir Black Knight Vineyard Sonoma Coast
As the wine buyer at Willi’s Wine Bar, self-taught winemaker Anthony Viloria’s connections with local growers planted the seed for conceiving his brand. This inside scoop of hidden vineyards was advantageous in laying the groundwork for his brand’s success, furthered by a deep commitment to limited production and hands-off winemaking. Pinot Noir’s most significant values can often come from the small, undiscovered producers, and A Viloria is a perfect example. 
 
Anthony sourced his Pinot Noir from Black Knight Vineyard, located in the foothills between Taylor and Sonoma Mountains. He chose the site for its proximity to the gap between the two Mountains and the tunnel of cooling air and maritime winds that are ideal for slowly ripening Pinot Noir and maintaining balanced acidity.
 
Combining four unique clonal selections, A Viloria Pinot Noir elaborates its complexity delicately, subtly escalating in intensity while remaining perfectly balanced from start to finish. The wine is delectable at its $45 retail price but irresistible at $24.
 
A. VILORIA
2018 PINOT NOIR
BLACK KNIGHT VINEYARD
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $45
 
Your Price: $24
 
 
“The A Viloria Black Knight Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 begins with a fresh nose of mixed red berries, delicate florals, and hints of spice. On the palate, it is elegant with ripe raspberries, black tea, and bright red fruits. The mouth-quenching finish leaves you wanting more.”
91 Points
 
“Dark juicy raspberries, black cherries & minty blueberry. Medium bodied, fresh and lively on the palate with soft tannins and a long fruit driven finish. 70 Cases Produced”
2018 Portalupi Petite Sirah L Venturi Vineyard

2018 Portalupi Petite Sirah L Venturi Vineyard

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtMendocinoMendocino RidgePetite SirahUSA

PORTALUPI 

2018 PETITE SIRAH
L VENTURI VINEYARD

2018 Portalupi Petite Sirah L Venturi Vineyard
Portalupi Winery specializes in site-specific wines made from exotic varieties. Winemaker Tim Portalupi has 40 years of experience, and he uses his skillset to give unorthodox varietals a voice that transcends the status quo. He made his 94 Point Petite Sirah from the L Venturi Vineyard in a deeply enchanting style that’s rich in supple fruits, intriguing complexity, with soft, velvety tannins. At this price, it’s an otherworldly value that’ll further the following of this remarkable grape and bring attention to this incredible vineyard. 
 
Tim sourced his Petite Sirah from the organically farmed L Venturi Vineyard in Mendocino, which he chose for its unique climate that creates a balance between acidity and tannins. The half-century-old vines are dry-farmed in well-drained Pinole gravelly loam soils and produce fruit with an intense sense of place. 
 
Tim ages his Petite Sirah in American oak barrels, which he believes better settles the inherent acidity of the Petite Sirah grape. The 2018 vintage underwent a complete 100% Malolactic fermentation which results in rich, supple fruit and layers of complexity.
 
PORTALUPI 
2018 PETITE SIRAH
L VENTURI VINEYARD
Retails at: $42
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“This full-bodied wine is serious, powerful and age-worthy. The warm layer of fine-grained tannins that cloaks the enticing woodsmoke, game and blackberry flavors now will melt with time and bring out even more complexity. Best from 2025.”
94 Points