2018 Acumen Peak Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak

2018 Acumen Peak Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak

with No Comment $90-$100Atlas PeakCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

ACUMEN

PEAK CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 ATLAS PEAK

2018 Acumen Peak Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak
Acumen Estate consists of 116 organically certified acres of vines on Atlas Peak, spread across two vineyards from which a small portfolio of estate-grown wines is born. The winery bases their sought-after style of Cabernet Sauvignon on the great Cabernets of the 1960s and 70s, which helped secure Napa on the international wine map.
 
Acumen sells a large portion of their mountain-grown fruit to other fine wineries in Napa Valley, allowing Chappellet’s 30-year veteran winemaker Philip Titus to focus on his favorite small vineyard blocks. The 2018 vintage is graceful with an exquisite yet powerful structure due to a cooler than average summer with zero heat spikes, allowing the grapes to slowly develop full physiological maturity, depth of aromas and flavors, and an incredible overall balance between fruit, earth, and minerality.
 
ACUMEN
PEAK CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 ATLAS PEAK
Retails at: $115
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Peak showed nicely, with beautiful blue fruits, scorched earth, licorice, and violet aromas and flavors. With medium to full-bodied richness, it stays tight and compact on the palate, with a fresh, Bordeaux-like style in its tannins and acidity. It needs 4-5 years of bottle age but should age nicely on its purity and elegance.”
95 Points
 
“Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Peak charges out of the gate with energetic scents of red and black currants, fresh blackberries and boysenberries with suggestions of camphor, cardamom, tar and new leather plus a waft of pencil shavings. Full-bodied, concentrated and decadent in the mouth, the palate has a solid foundation of firm, grainy tannins and lively freshness to support, finishing long with a pleasantly surprising floral perfume coming through at the end.”
94+ Points
2018 Bruliam Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard Santa Lucia Highland

220126 2018 Bruliam Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard Santa Lucia Highland

with No Comment $30-$40Central CoastKevin VogtMontereyPinot NoirSanta Lucia HighlandsUSA

BRULIAM

2018 PINOT NOIR
SOBERANES VINEYARD
SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS

2018 Bruliam Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard Santa Lucia Highland
Medical doctor-turned-winemaker Kerith Overstreet is the genius behind Bruliam, and it’s her intricate attention to detail that brings her wines energy and life. Bruliam Wines is a boutique winery producing around 1000 cases annually of single-vineyard Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay from some of California’s most celebrated vineyards.
 
Kerith’s relationships with many renowned growers secure her allocations of some of the highest quality fruit in California, hence her single-vineyard Pinot Noir from Soberanes Vineyard, the latest site developed by the Pisoni & Franscioni families. The character of Soberanes shines brilliantly in this wine with its captivating, majestic balance of complex aromas and flavors; the wine is a real over-achiever at this price.
 
BRULIAM
2018 PINOT NOIR
SOBERANES VINEYARD
SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS
Retails at: $55
 
 
 
“Dark, bright-rimmed red. Spice-tinged red fruits, incense and floral qualities on the perfumed nose, along with a building mineral topnote. Juicy and energetic on the palate, offering vibrant raspberry and cherry, rose pastille and exotic spice flavors that show fine delineation and appealing sweetness. Deeply flavored but graceful as well, finishing on a gently tannic note, with strong, red-fruit- and spice-driven tenacity.”
93 Points
2018 Recoltant Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Recoltant Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

RECOLTANT

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Recoltant Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Récoltant is a French term for a farmer who grows and harvests their fruit, intent on selling it to top winemakers who will represent the fruit in its purest form. Inspired by this, Recoltant Napa Valley Cabernet is sourced from some of the most revered landscapes in the region, rooting itself in a time and place that’s true of its terroir.
 
Authored by Julien Fayard, Récoltant celebrates Napa Valley’s farmers, crafted with the same standards of excellence Julien practiced while he was Director of Winemaking for Philippe Melka at elite Napa Valley producers like Lail, Gemstone, Hundred Acre, and Mastery. The 2018 vintage delivers intense complexity of aromas and flavors, offering unmatched quality and pedigree at $40.
 
RECOLTANT
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $60
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“The Recoltant Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 mimics sibling wines Purlieu and Le Pich in many ways. It is inky black in color, with a nose of mixed black berries, black currants, glove leather, and rose petal. On the palate, the wine is deep and rich with flavors of blackberry cobbler, kitchen spice, and grandma’s pie crust combined with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. Winemaker Julian Fayard’s genius shines through because even with all of these powerful characteristics, this wine is not the least bit cloying or overly heavy.”
94 Points
 
“Medium ruby-purple, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley opens with classic aromas of cassis, cedar, cigar box and bright touches of mint chocolate and red cherries. The palate is medium-bodied with pure, restrained fruits, a finely grainy texture, integrated freshness and a long, mineral-driven finish. I love this classy, mineral-laced Cabernet Sauvignon from winemaker Julien Fayard.”
92 Points
2018 Vermillion Red Blend California

2018 Vermillion Red Blend California

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtProprietary RedUSA

VERMILLION

2018 RED BLEND
CALIFORNIA

2018 Vermillion Red Blend California
Helen Keplinger is among winemaking royalty in Napa Valley, with many of her devoted followers more than willing to pay into the triple digits for one of her prized bottles. After Helen graduated from UC Davis’ MS program in Enology, she worked with many fine winemakers, including Heidi Barrett, Kathy Joseph, Michel Rolland, and David Abreu, fine-tuning her skills before creating a 100 Point wine under the Carte Blanche label.
 
Helen has been on the cover of Wine Spectator and been honored as one of Food & Wine magazine’s winemakers of the year, and her 2018 Vermillion Red Wine is an absolute gem that lives up to its expectations. The wine is a blend of 50% Grenache, 19% Syrah, 12% Mourvèdre, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petite Sirah, 4% Petit Verdot offering a wide range of complexity and supreme drinkability for an unreal price of $32 a bottle.
 
VERMILLION
2018 RED BLEND
CALIFORNIA
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $32
 
 
“The 2018 Vermillion is a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon (with a few other varieties in there as well) and comes mostly from Sonoma (69%) yet with 31% from the Sierra Foothills. Made by Helen Keplinger, it has a beautiful perfume of raspberry and strawberry fruits as well as notes of white pepper and flowers. It’s ripe, seamless, and plush on the palate, with lots of Grenache sexiness, yet it stays nicely balanced and has fine tannins, all making for a beautiful wine well worth seeking out.”
92 Points
2019 Duckhorn Merlot Napa Valley

2019 Duckhorn Merlot Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50CarnerosKevin VogtMerlotNapaUSA

DUCKHORN 

2019 MERLOT
NAPA VALLEY

2019 Duckhorn Merlot Napa Valley
The Duckhorn name is synonymous with Merlot due to Dan Duckhorn’s passion for the classic Bordeaux varietal, which he initially planted in the Napa Valley in 1978. His love for Merlot started after a trip to Bordeaux, France, and he vowed to grow it just as beautifully in Napa Valley, improving its reputation in the New World.
 
Duckhorn’s Napa Valley Merlot is a blend of some of the winery’s most iconic vineyards, including the Napa side of Carneros fruit chosen for its proximity to the cooling effects of the Pacific Ocean, which play a vital role in contributing brightness to this wine. The 2019 vintage began with abundant rainfall, followed by a long, warm summer with foggy mornings and the absence of significant heat spikes helping to preserve freshness, vibrance, depth of color, and overall structure. This vintage ranks among their best yet for their beloved Napa Valley Merlot. Our tasting panel members were all commenting on how it was the best Duckhorn Napa Merlot in recent memory, and possibly ever.
 
DUCKHORN 
2019 MERLOT
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $56
 
Your Price: $45
 
 
“From its tantalizing aromas of ripe cherry and black plum to its fine-grained tannins and lively complexity, this is a lovely expression of Napa Valley Merlot. On the palate, the flavors are rich and fleshy, with luxurious layers of black currant, red licorice, fig compote, blueberry and crushed rose petal flowing to a long, elegant finish.”
2016 Chateau Labadie Medoc Bordeaux France

2016 Chateau Labadie Medoc Bordeaux France

with No Comment $30 and underBordeauxBordeauxFranceKevin Vogt

CHÂTEAU LABADIE

2016 MEDOC
BORDEAUX, FRANCE

2016 Chateau Labadie Medoc Bordeaux France
Bordeaux’s original classification by Napoleon III in 1855 has remained nearly unchanged, representing just 61 chateaux and leaving many quality producers without deserved prestige and recognition. The Cru Bourgeois classification that Chateau Labadie attained was introduced to the Chamber of Commerce of Bordeaux and the regional Chamber of Agriculture in 1932, giving proper accolades to the quality coming from Chateaux left out of the original classification but fully deserving growers and vintners in their own right.
 
Bordeaux’s 2016 vintage was excellent, reminding critics of some of the region’s most famous vintages from the 1980s but with greater clarity and precision due to advances in the vineyards and wineries. Not only is this one of Bordeaux’s most note-worthy vintages in the last 40 years, but this wine comes from a producer whose primary concern isn’t about image but consistency of quality, which you’ll taste in this remarkable expression from the Medoc.
 
CHÂTEAU LABADIE
2016 MEDOC
BORDEAUX, FRANCE
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“This rich wine has powerful tannins as well as attractive black-currant fruits. It is both generous and well structured, coming from 20-year-old vines. Drink this dense wine that’s full of potential from 2023.”
91 Points, Editors’ Choice
 
“This has a bright, ripe and juicy edge of ripe red berries that deliver attractive, sweet fruit on the palate. Good depth and detail here. A blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. Drink in the next six to eight years.”
90 Points
2019 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2019 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $40-$50Fort Ross SeaviewKevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

FLOWERS

2019 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST 

2019 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Flowers Vineyards and Winery founders were among the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA early pioneers recognizing the potential of growing cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the rugged, isolated Sonoma Coast. Their organic and biodynamic approach to farming is part of their continued commitment to respect the environment and cultivate healthier vines for higher quality wines.
 
The 2019 vintage started quite cool with some snow on the estate that helped oxygenate the soils, bringing vital nutrients to the vines. The cool coastal temperatures throughout the summer allowed for slow ripening and intricate flavor development that is unforgettably irresistible, resulting in this remarkable expression of coastal Pinot Noir.
 
FLOWERS
2019 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST 
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $45
 
 
“Aromas of ripe strawberries, red cherries and colored flowers. Medium-to full-bodied with fine, well-integrated tannins. Fresh acidity and bright, juicy fruit on the palate. Well balanced. Drink now.”
93 Points
 
“…The 2019 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is deeper ruby-hued and has pure, classic, textbook notes of ripe cherries, raspberries, spring flowers, and underbrush. The balance is spot on, it has ripe, present tannins, good freshness, and a great finish.”
92 Points
2019 Prisoner Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2019 Prisoner Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

PRISONER

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 NAPA VALLEY

2019 Prisoner Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
The Prisoner Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 is a wine made in a similar fashion and style as The Prisoner Red Blend but with Cabernet Sauvignon as the main blending component. Director of Winemaking Chrissy Wittman works with a team of growers in Napa Valley to select fruit that best fits the profile of her spellbinding wines unhindered by tradition.
 
She blended in small percentages of Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Petite Sirah, and Charbono for that extra rich mouthfeel well known by Prisoner drinkers worldwide. It served time in French and American oak, giving the wine a signature spice rack of flavors and silky smooth finish for under $50. Our panel was impressed by this wine’s stunning concentration, superior richness, and riveting flavor profile, guaranteed to delight fans of rich, inky-style Napa Cabs.
 
PRISONER
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“The Prisoner Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 begins with a deep, rich nose of black and blue fruits, toasted coconut, sweet vanilla, and wood spice. The palate is lush and rich, with deep, ripe blackberry and sweet black currants combined with espresso, baker’s chocolate, and tobacco notes.”
90 Points
2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaOak KnollRutherfordStags LeapUSA

MARTIN RAY

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Martin Ray Vineyards and Winery embraces the “wines of place” philosophy, perenially producing wines that showcase the best of the region’s site-specific terroir. The Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon blends four different sought-after appellations: Howell Mountain, Oak Knoll, Rutherford, and Stags Leap District, giving this wine diversity from the select vineyards.
 
This release is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that underwent hand punch-downs for two weeks in open-top fermenters and then aged in 40% new French oak for 16 months. Any wine drinker familiar with Martin Ray knows the consistency of high quality from vintage to vintage the wines have to offer, and the 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon hits a home run for the superior level of sophistication in the bottle at this price.
 
MARTIN RAY
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $30
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“Deep and manicured with blueberry and blackberry aromas and flavors. Full-bodied and tight with super polished tannins and a tight, racy finish. Beautifully crafted tannins make this exciting. Better after 2022, but already beautiful. Screw cap.”
93 Points
2017 Juslyn Perry's Blend Spring Mountain

2017 Juslyn Perry’s Blend Spring Mountain

with No Comment $40-$50NapaProprietary RedSpring MountainUSA

JUSLYN

2017 PERRY’S BLEND
SPRING MOUNTAIN 

2017 Juslyn Perry's Blend Spring Mountain
Juslyn Vineyards’ proprietors, Perry and Carolyn Butler, came to Napa in 1997 from the tech industry, bringing their high level of quality expectations and detail-oriented nature. Winemaker Angelina Mondavi exceeded those expectations beginning her career at age 10 in the lab at her family’s winery Charles Krug and now has 28 harvests under her belt, an undergraduate degree from Villanova University with a major in Chemistry, and a Master’s degree in Oenology from the University of Adelaide’s Waite Campus.
 
Since her return to Napa in 2007, she’s had the opportunity to work with many acclaimed winemakers, including Stacy Clark at Pine Ridge Vineyards and Jayson Woodbridge of Hundred Acre. Angelina carefully crafts Perry’s Blend as a Left Bank Bordeaux-style blend that changes each vintage but is based around a core of Cabernet Sauvignon enhanced primarily with Cabernet Franc that proudly conveys the prestige and desire of Spring Mountain fruit.
 
JUSLYN
2017 PERRY’S BLEND
SPRING MOUNTAIN 
Retails at: $110
 
 
 
“The 2017 Juslyn Vineyards Perry’s Blend is an exceptional example from Spring Mountain opening with an incredible depth of aromas, with wild black currants, black tea, balsamic, cloves, fresh roses, and volcanic rock. The palate mimics the nose with its deeply concentrated flavors adding blackberries, black olives, dark chocolate, and a hint of aniseed. A linear structure of flavors reveals a very concentrated and focused wine with a solid tannic structure and bright acidity that will keep this wine fresh, alive, and age-worthy for at least another 12 to 15 years.”
94 Points