2018 Hendry Zinfandel Blocks 7 and 22 Napa Valley

2018 Hendry Zinfandel Blocks 7 and 22 Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtMt VeederNapaUSAZinfandel

HENDRY

BLOCKS 7 & 22 ZINFANDEL
NAPA VALLEY 2018

2018 Hendry Zinfandel Blocks 7 and 22 Napa Valley
The Hendry family have farmed grapes at the base of Mount Veeder since 1939, obtaining a vast amount of knowledge while perfecting their practices with over 80 years of harvests. Their ranch has a substantial marine influence from the nearby San Pablo Bay that maintains acidity and keeps the fruit fresh and bright, resulting in some of Napa Valley’s most distinctive Zinfandels.
 
Block 7 was planted in 1975 and Block 22 in 1995 on benchlands with thin, stony soils exposed to dense morning fogs and strong afternoon breezes that result in complex, concentrated flavors. The cool weather of the 2018 growing season gave wines with focus, elegance, and ageability, and this Zinfandel will intrigue palates for years to come. 
 
HENDRY
BLOCKS 7 & 22 ZINFANDEL
NAPA VALLEY 2018
 
Your Price: $38
 
 
“George Hendry planted Block 7 in 1975. At the time, he was selling grapes from his family’s ranch at the base of Mt. Veeder, just west of the city of Napa. He planted Block 22 in 1995, a few years after he began to make his own wine. His nephew Mike manages the vines today, blending Blocks 7 & 22, both clone 2 zinfandel, and aging it in French oak barrels (one third of them new). If you love Napa Valley zinfandel as I do, you owe it to yourself to get this wine if just for the smell alone. It starts with tight floral clarity, then expands toward zinfandel’s classic generosity, touching every sense receptor with its purity of fruit. Immediately fresh and refreshing, this begins to sit in its oak as it develops over several days, suggesting that you drink it either now or in ten years when it will have completely digested that oak and show the vineyard through a mature lens.” 
94 Points
2020 Steps Proprietary Red Reserve Barrel Select Napa Valley

2020 Steps Proprietary Red Reserve Barrel Select Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Atlas PeakDiamond MountainKevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

STEPS

RESERVE BARREL SELECT
PROPRIETARY RED
NAPA VALLEY 2020

2020 Steps Proprietary Red Reserve Barrel Select Napa Valley
STEPS Barrel Select Reserve is designed each year from a powerfully expressive and quality-driven selection of fruit from some of Napa Valley’s most prized AVAs. Grant Long Jr. is well known for his winemaking at Aonair, Reverie II, James Joseph, and Witchery, and he creates STEPS Reserve in the same supple, concentrated, and hedonistic style that’s developed a devoted following.
 
The 2020 STEPS combines structured mountain fruit from Diamond Mountain and Atlas Peak with characteristically earthy, dusty Rutherford fruit to create a harmonious balance of Napa terroir. The blend consists of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon enhanced with Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, and Merlot, presented in a richly layered style that perfectly balances power and elegance and a long, smooth finish. 
 
STEPS
RESERVE BARREL SELECT
PROPRIETARY RED
NAPA VALLEY 2020
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“The 2020 Steps Reserve Barrel Select opens with an intense nose and aromas of violet, lilac, black tea, red plum, black raspberry, and volcanic rock. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and mouth-filling with flavors of ripe plums, cocoa powder, berry bramble, and savory spice. The tannins are velvety soft but with a strong backbone that will allow the wine to age and develop further.”
94 Points
2018 Maroon Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve Coombsville

2018 Maroon Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve Coombsville

with No Comment $60-$70Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

MAROON

SPECIAL RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
COOMBSVILLE 2018

2018 Maroon Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve Coombsville
Paul Maroon obtained 37 acres in Coombsville over two decades ago, with 17 of those acres planted with Cabernet Sauvignon that he tended and sold to several of Napa Valley’s top wineries until 2009 when he decided to produce the first vintage of Maroon. Coombsville became an AVA in 2011 and quickly established a reputation for delivering sophisticated wines with elegant structure due to the cooler climate in the southern end of the Valley.
 
Chris Corley has been the winemaker since Maroon’s inaugural vintage and has worked with Paul for over 20 years, creating a symbiotic relationship built around their passion for the vineyards, the beautiful wines, and a solid commitment to quality. The wine team hand-picked the 2018 Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from the Maroon estate in Coombsville, fermented the grapes, and aged the resulting wine for 30 months in 75% new French oak for a complex flavor development that will continue to evolve and express this fantastic vintage.
 
MAROON
SPECIAL RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
COOMBSVILLE 2018
Retails at: $174
 
 
 
“The 2018 Maroon Special Reserve Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon opens with lavender, sage, red plum, blackberry pie, mocha, and crushed rocks. The wine has flavors of dark berries, baking spices, cassis, and dark chocolate with a tension that will soften with time. This beautifully balanced 100% Cabernet Sauvignon captures the essence of the Coombsville AVA with refreshing acidity, structured tannins, and long aging potential that will reveal more profound layers of complexity.”
94-95 Points
2015 Buselli Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

2015 Buselli Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

BUSELLI

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
OAKVILLE 2015

2015 Buselli Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville
Italo and Rosalia Buselli planted their family vineyard in 1990 on the Eastern slopes of the Vaca Mountains in Oakville, neighboring Tierra Roja Vineyard, and across Silverado Trail from Screaming Eagle. The vineyard site receives fog-infused mornings and warm sunny afternoons as the vines dig deep into the rocky, volcanic soils bringing concentration and complexity to the fruit.
 
This 100% estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon was carefully crafted by winemaking team Stacy Vogel and Tim Milos, focusing on a pure and unpretentious approach without fining or filtering, allowing for full expression of the terroir. The 2015 vintage saw 24 months in 90% new French oak and has nearly six years of bottle age showing brilliantly now and with plenty of longevity ahead for those who wish to cellar this beauty.
 
BUSELLI
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
OAKVILLE 2015
Retails at: $150
 
 
 
“The gorgeous Buselli Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 begins with an opulent nose of ripe black cherries, ripe figs, sweet pipe tobacco, and violets. It is powerful on the palate, which builds on the aromatics with dark chocolate, bright red fruits, concentrated sweet black fruits, and vanilla spice. This beauty is luxuriously rich, decadently supple, and pristinely balanced, with polished fine-grained tannins. The abundant, complex red and black fruits that build to a very long, focused finish is everything I look for in the finest quality Oakville Cabernet Sauvignons.”
96 Points
2019 Scarlett Cabernet Sauvignon Mcgah Family Vineyard

2019 Scarlett Cabernet Sauvignon Mcgah Family Vineyard Rutherford Estate

with No Comment $60-$70Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

SCARLETT

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
MCGAH FAMILY VINEYARD
RUTHERFORD ESTATE 2019

2019 Scarlett Cabernet Sauvignon Mcgah Family Vineyard
Scarlett Wines comprises four generations of wine growers working their family vineyards in Rutherford. The McGah family owns and operates the winery, formerly known as McGah Family Cellars, which rebranded in 2015 to celebrate its flagship wine named after the founder’s daughter— Scarlett. The winemaking philosophy encourages “equal parts heart and soul, art and science,” resulting in supremely balanced, classically styled, and delightfully approachable wines that are unique and compelling.
 
Award-winning winemaker Mike Smith began learning his craft by working for free for three harvests with Thomas Rivers Brown before being offered a full-time position as a winemaking assistant and later working with a collection of brands, including Maybach Family, Tamber Bey, Carter, and Rivers Marie. The beautiful 2019 vintage is another fantastic growing season for Napa, and this indulgent estate Cabernet Sauvignon proudly represents its Rutherford heritage.
 
SCARLETT
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
MCGAH FAMILY VINEYARD
RUTHERFORD ESTATE 2019
Retails at: $74
 
Your Price: $65
 
 
“Beautiful, sweet cassis and blue fruits as well as lots of violet and floral notions emerge from the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, a full-bodied, rich, concentrated barrel sample with wonderful purity of fruit, a good sense of freshness, and serious length on the finish. This promising, elegant yet powerful wine is going to shine with short-term bottle age and keep for two decades.”
93-95 Points
2019 Larkmead Firebelle Napa Valley

2019 Larkmead Firebelle Napa Valley

with No Comment $90-$100Kevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

LARKMEAD

FIREBELLE
NAPA VALLEY 2019

2019 Larkmead Firebelle Napa Valley
The historic Larkmead estate was founded in 1895, making it one of the oldest family-owned properties in Napa Valley. The winery’s secret sauce lies in its vineyard, which borders the Napa River and Selby Creek at the conjunction point of two colluvial fans, where an accumulation of ancient riverbed gravel, clay, and loam, gives the wines a hillside-grown structure.
 
Firebelle gets its name from Lillie “Firebelle Lil” Hitchcock because of its extraordinary balance of elegance, softness, power, and expression. The 2019 growing season was perfect for Merlot which comprises 43% of the Firebelle blend, adding plush tannins and gorgeous aromatics with a backbone of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon giving concentration and balance.
 
LARKMEAD
FIREBELLE
NAPA VALLEY 2019
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“Combining 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 43% Merlot from the property, this is a showcase of savory earthiness and supple tannin. Inky dark, it offers a wealth of balanced red fruit, notes of tobacco, gun smoke and dried herb, with an understated elegance that shines.”
95 Points “Cellar Selection”
2018 Laird Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Laird Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

LAIRD

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2018

2018 Laird Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Ken Laird is the third generation of his family in the farming business, swapping tobacco growing for cultivating wine grapes after moving to Napa Valley and purchasing his first parcel in 1970. Following Robert Mondavi’s advice, he and his wife Gail transformed an old prune orchard into a vineyard with Bob’s guarantee that the Laird’s Cabernet Sauvignon would be “the highest harvest price paid in the Valley.”
 
The Lairds have continually expanded their land holdings over the last 50 years, becoming the largest family-owned vineyard owners in Napa Valley with a deep understanding of the minute factors influencing each microclimate. Their 2018 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon arose from three of their favorite vineyards, Flat Rock, Mast Ranch, and Linda Vista Ranch, aged in 40% new French oak for 21 months giving a robust style of wine with firm, elegant tannins and a delightful balance.
 
LAIRD
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2018
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $55
 
 
“Fruity nose of baked blueberries, ripe blackberries, cherry pie, sweet spices, licorice, tobacco leaves and chocolate. Full-bodied with firm, polished tannins. Beautifully rich, succulent core of blue and black fruit. Better from 2023.”
93 Points
2017 Sequum Syrah Kidd Ranch Napa Valley

2017 Sequum Syrah Kidd Ranch Napa Valley

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtNapaSyrahUSA

SEQUUM

KIDD RANCH SYRAH
NAPA VALLEY 2017

2017 Sequum Syrah Kidd Ranch Napa Valley
After decades of consulting super-premium grape growing, Paul Skinner launched his Sequum label in 2003, which is now blended and bottled at Pride Mountain Vineyards. “Sequum” is a scientific term describing layers of soil, and it turned out to be the perfect name for Paul’s wines as he combined his Ph.D. background in viticulture and soil science with years of experience in the vineyard and his passion for wine.
 
Paul takes a hands-on approach to his Kidd Ranch vineyard, noting subtle changes in soil composition and planting vines onto corresponding rootstocks for optimum health and vitality. His 2017 Syrah is a prime example of his expertise, delivered in a pure, focused, and complex wine that speaks of its place of origin with varietal typicity.
 
SEQUUM
KIDD RANCH SYRAH
NAPA VALLEY 2017
Retails at: $54
 
Your Price: Insider Club Members Only 

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“Herbal, earthy and complex, this is a well-structured wine, rich and layered in blueberry and strawberry flavors. From a two-acre estate, it has length and breadth and is intensely flavorful, finishing in bolts of white and black pepper.”
92 Points
2018 Leto Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Mt Veeder

2018 Leto Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Mt Veeder

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtMt VeederNapaUSA

LETO CELLARS

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MT VEEDER 2018

2018 Leto Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Mt Veeder
Brad and Lisa Warner share more than 80 years of wine industry experience and have taken everything they’ve learned along the way and poured it into their boutique brand, Leto Cellars. Leto is Greek for “the hidden one” and expresses Brad and Lisa’s goals as they source fruit from small, family-owned vineyards from premier locations throughout the Valley.
 
Brad chose this Mount Veeder site because of its volcanic soil composition and cooling effects from San Pablo Bay, allowing the fruit a longer hang time to develop extraordinary complexity. Barrel-aged for 18 months, this 100% mountain Cabernet Sauvignon walks a tightrope of rich power and focused restraint, highlighting the vineyard and vintage with perfect balance.
 
LETO CELLARS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MT VEEDER 2018
Retails at: $85
 
 
 
“The 2018 Leto Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon begins with aromas of violet, lavender, malt powder, blackberry tart, and nutmeg. On the palate, the wine has a rich concentration with flavors of cocoa nibs, vanilla, blueberry, and wet stones. This wine has an immaculate structure that will unfold in layers of complexity with age yet also shines with vitality today.”
94 Points
2019 Dolum Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2019 Dolum Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleStags LeapUSA

DOLUM

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2019

2019 Dolum Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Dolum Estate produces limited quantities of premium Cabernet Sauvignon and has done so for over three decades. The team makes meticulous decisions for fruit selection in each vintage and sources high-quality grapes from small sub-districts, including Oakville and Stags Leap, crafting wines that balance power and elegance.
 
Winemaker Chad Alexander’s background in soil science and making wine at Hess Collection and Robert Craig wineries has influenced his winemaking style as he captures the essence of each unique plot showcased in his wines. Dolum Estate’s 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic example of the region’s best attributes: a profound depth of flavor, soft, refined tannins, and a sultry finish that elegantly lingers.
 
DOLUM
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2019
Retails at: $100
 
 
 
“Aromas of crushed blackberry, plum, blackcurrant and menthol. Full-bodied with powdery tannins. Succulent and fruity on the palate with a core of black fruit and berries. Ground spice, too. Focused. Best after 2026.”
94 Points