2018 Shafer Relentless Syrah Napa Valley

2018 Shafer Relentless Syrah Napa Valley

with No Comment $90-$100Kevin VogtNapaSyrahUSA

SHAFER 

RELENTLESS SYRAH
NAPA VALLEY 2018

2018 Shafer Relentless Syrah Napa Valley
Shafer’s Relentless Syrah made its debut in 1999 before capturing three spots on the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list, including the #1 ranking in 2012. Now in its 20th vintage, this spectacular Syrah/Petite Sirah blend continues to steal the show with its intensely captivating, indulgent style and consistently stratospheric scores from numerous critics.
 
Named for Shafer’s longtime winemaker Elias Fernandez’s relentless dedication to high-quality winemaking, this wine is an individual selection of only the top-quality fruit, just like the Hillside Select. The blend changes each year, and the 2018 vintage is 76% Syrah with 24% Petite Sirah, but what remains the same is the wine’s bold, polished style that’s been consistent for over two decades.
 
SHAFER 
RELENTLESS SYRAH
NAPA VALLEY 2018
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“A young wine with superb depth and polish that shows great depth and brightness. Full and focused with blue fruit and long, fine tannins that are compact and energetic. Slate. Graphite. Sophisticated and curated. So beautiful to try now, but be patient and open after 2026.”
97 Points
 
“…the 2018 Relentless looks to be just about sensational, offering a dense purple color as well as rich, loaded notes of blackberries, currants, smoked meats, peppery spice, and violets. Reminding me of a great Cornas on steroids with its gamy, exotic character paired with beautiful richness, it has fabulous purity, ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish. This will undoubtedly be a great vintage for this cuvée, and my money is on it being one of the best yet.”
96-98 Points
2020 Grand Napa Pinot Noir Los Carneros

2020 Grand Napa Pinot Noir Los Carneros

with No Comment $30-$40CarnerosKevin VogtNapaPinot NoirUSA

GRAND NAPA

PINOT NOIR
LOS CARNEROS 2020

2020 Grand Napa Pinot Noir Los Carneros
Grand Napa Vineyards in Rutherford is known for sourcing grapes from sustainably farmed vineyards throughout the Napa Valley that produce wines with depth, character, and balance with plush tannins and intense concentration. Winemaker Dwight Bonewell is involved in the vineyards and the winery, ensuring that only the best fruit is harvested and sorted by hand before coaxing each vineyard’s unique character into its purest expression.
 
The Los Carneros AVA receives cooling breezes from the San Pablo Bay that benefit cooler-climate grapes such as Pinot Noir, helping retain the variety’s crisp, bright acidity. The 2020 Los Carneros Pinot Noir was aged for six months in 20% new French oak, emphasizing the fruit characteristics and site-specific terroir of the AVA, resulting in a superbly balanced and deeply satisfying Pinot Noir at a price too low to pass up.
 
GRAND NAPA
PINOT NOIR
LOS CARNEROS 2020
Retails at: $90
 
 
 
“The 2020 Grand Napa Los Carneros Pinot Noir has a bright nose of pie cherries, cola, dried mushrooms, white flowers, and brown sugar. The seamless palate has flavors of red cherries, mixed berries, vanilla hints, and liquid minerals. It’s a lush, easy-drinking wine, balanced by the fresh acidity. The wine team bottled it in May of 2022 and, although drinking nicely now, will certainly benefit from more time in the bottle. Drink now through 2028.”
92 Points
2019 Smith Wooton Cabernet Franc Napa Valley

2019 Smith Wooton Cabernet Franc Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet FrancKevin VogtNapaUSA

SMITH WOOTON

CABERNET FRANC
NAPA VALLEY 2019

2019 Smith Wooton Cabernet Franc Napa Valley
Smith Wooton is Croze Napa Valley Winery’s boutique label, designed to showcase small lots and highlight local growers that share the same passion for the land and the vines as the estate. Daniel Benton is the mastermind behind the wines and spends valuable time in the vineyards to understand the nuances each small parcel contributes to the whole.
 
Daniel creates Smith Wooton’s 2019 Cabernet Franc from a single-acre Cabernet Franc Vineyard in the heart of Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll District, where the grapes are cooled nightly by breezes from the San Pablo Bay, producing ideal levels of fresh acidity. The grapes were fermented at cool temperatures, promoting the fruit’s natural purity and creating intricate layers of complexity, revealing the classic characteristics of Cabernet Franc in an eloquent fashion.
 
SMITH WOOTON
CABERNET FRANC
NAPA VALLEY 2019
Retails at: $55
 
 
 
“The 2019 Smith Wooton Cabernet Franc brings notes of peony, rose petal, red currant, cloves, earthy spice, and leather. The wine has an elegant mouthfeel with flavors of bramble, black cherry, and cocoa with bright, fresh acidity and soft tannins that glide each flavor into a pleasant finish. This wine is drinking enjoyably right now and has a sold backbone making it suitable to age for another decade or so.”
94 Points
2018 Saddleback Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

2018 Saddleback Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

SADDLEBACK

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
OAKVILLE 2018

2018 Saddleback Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville
Nils Venge was the first American winemaker to earn a 100-point score in 1985 with the Groth Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, establishing a pedestal of quality winemaking that few others have achieved. He established Saddleback Cellars in the late 1970s from vineyards situated on 14 acres behind Opus One, where the soils and climate combine to produce grapes of regal qualities.
 
The estate hasn’t changed much since Nils first began growing grapes, and that’s just the way nature intended it to be. Napa’s 2018 vintage delivered pristine conditions for producing superior wines that make a powerful statement and earning an overall vintage rating of 99 Points from The Wine Spectator, matched only by Napa Valley’s 1997 vintage.
 
SADDLEBACK
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
OAKVILLE 2018
Retails at: $78
 
 
 
“The 2018 Saddleback Cellars Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon opens with sultry notes of violets, cassis, black cherry, black plum, cardamom, and petrichor. On the palate, the wine’s rich, penetrating core expresses flavors of blackberry tart and chocolate gelato with a delightfully balancing acidity and long finish. This wine is incredible right now and has a solid structure for aging, rendering years of pleasure-filled drinking experiences.”
94 Points
2020 Sailors Grave Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2020 Sailors Grave Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

SAILOR’S GRAVE

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2020

2020 Sailors Grave Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Sailor’s Grave pays homage to Michael Pozzan’s father, Byron, who spent years at sea marking each port with a new tattoo representing the long, arduous journeys many sailors embarked on, some never returning home. Michael is the founder of Michael Pozzan Winery and is known for his ability to hand-select exceptional fruit in each vintage, producing affordable Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with intense character, richness, and depth.
 
The 2020 vintage comprises 97% Cabernet Sauvignon with 3% Zinfandel, offering a well-rounded interpretation of the valley with two classic varietals. Sailor’s Grave’s 2020 vintage inks a remarkable story with richly concentrated flavors and impressive fruit purity balanced by bright acidity, creating a delightful wine to drink any day of the week.
 
SAILOR’S GRAVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2020
Retails at: $45
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“The Sailor’s Grave Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is opulent from the start, with aromas of black currants, black plums, tobacco, fresh violets, and dried vanilla bean. The palate continues with rich blackberries and black raspberries with hints of sage and clove. The refined structure and rich, lengthy finish might make you forget that this is a value Napa Cabernet. Indeed, it is a very good Napa Cabernet regardless of price.”
92 Points
2019 Duckhorn Merlot Three Palms Napa Valley

2019 Duckhorn Merlot Three Palms Napa Valley

with No Comment $100 and overKevin VogtMerlotNapaUSA

DUCKHORN 

THREE PALMS MERLOT
NAPA VALLEY 2019

2019 Duckhorn Merlot Three Palms Napa Valley
Duckhorn has been setting the New World standard for Merlot since their initial bottling of the Three Palms Vineyard in 1978. In 2017, Wine Spectator awarded the 2014 Three Palms Vineyard Merlot as the “Wine of the Year,” solidifying its reputation as a benchmark for the variety.
 
The vineyard’s location up-valley consists of poor, thin volcanic soils that force the vine’s roots deep into the earth in search of nutrients, reducing yields and boosting the concentration of flavors. 2019 was yet another fantastic vintage for Napa, which means this wine is already exceeding expectations and will continue to do so for years to come.
 
DUCKHORN 
THREE PALMS MERLOT
NAPA VALLEY 2019
Retails at: $115
 
Your Price: $110
 
 
“The exceptional 2019 growing season produced a fascinating and elegantly full-bodied expression of Merlot at the famed Three Palms Vineyard. Luxurious aromas of black plum, boysenberry and dark chocolate leap from the glass, followed by hints of sweet molasses and vanilla bean. On the palate, firm tannins and undercurrents of energetic acidity add brightness and poise to lush dark berry flavors, while promising a long life ahead.”
2018 MaCo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 MaCo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

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

MaCo

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2018

2018 MaCo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Expert viticulturist Roberto Corona and wine aficionado Jesus Maciel created a dynamic equilibrium when they founded MaCo Vineyards in 2009. They’ve since developed a standard of excellence for Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll District. The vineyards are located on the western side of Silverado Trail near Soda Canyon Road, facing east, receiving copious amounts of California sunshine before being cooled nightly by the region’s breezes from the San Pablo Bay, helping maintain a bright acidity.
 
The second generation of MaCo Vineyards, Alvaro Camacho, pulled up to our tasting in his farm truck to present his family’s wines to our tasting panel, making it evident that he was serious about the MaCo Vineyards legacy. 2018 in Napa was a vintage for the record books, and MaCo’s Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon impressed us as soon as the bottle was opened, signaling a promising future for years to come.
 
MaCo
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2018
Retails at: $100
 
 
 
“The 2018 MaCo Cabernet Sauvignon opens with notes of lavender, blueberry, blackberry jam, black currants, wet stones, cloves, and earth. On the palate, flavors of black raspberry, marionberry pie, and cocoa are concentrated and balanced by fresh acidity. This wine’s fine-grained tannic structure and intensity promise longevity and the ability to evolve in the cellar if you have the patience to do so.
94-95 Points
2006 Pella Cabernet Sauvignon Star Vineyard Rutherford Napa Valley

2006 Pella Cabernet Sauvignon Star Vineyard Rutherford Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSA

PELLA 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
STAR VINEYARD RUTHERFORD
NAPA VALLEY 2006

2006 Pella Cabernet Sauvignon Star Vineyard Rutherford Napa Valley
Kristof Nils Anderson is the founding winemaker of Gargiulo Vineyards in Oakville and Scribe in Sonoma and is famous for the way he makes tannins “dance” on the palate in his terroir distinctive wines. His wines are known to have extended aging potential and the ability to evolve into magic in the glass, and Pella, a personal label named after his daughter, is the epitome of this signature style.
 
The fruit for this bold 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from the exemplary Star Vineyard in Rutherford, farmed by none other than renowned viticulturist David Abreu. The wine was aged for two years in fine-grained Tonnellerie Demptos Barrique Reserve French oak barrels before its long journey in the bottle leading to this magic.
 
On a side note, we are lucky to have Joel Aiken, an expert in Rutherford terroir, on our tasting panel. Joel spent 27 years as BV’s winemaker, and he agrees this wine is precisely what a supremely well-made Rutherford Cabernet should be.
 
PELLA 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
STAR VINEYARD RUTHERFORD
NAPA VALLEY 2006
Retails at: $100
 
 
 
“I don’t get overly excited about many wines, particularly if they have any extended age. Age, for the sake of age, is not my thing. Extended cellaring that transforms a bottle of wine into something otherworldly, now you have my attention. The 2006 Pella Star Vineyard Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, yes 2006, no typo here, is drinking otherworldly now. Still inky in the glass, it begins with a powerful nose of briary black currants, freshly ground espresso beans, milk chocolate, and sweet vanilla spice. The palate is rich and decadent with deep black fruits, concentrated Creme de Cassis, delicate florals, and an unbelievably supple mouthfeel. The finish is very long, linear, expansive, and as compelling as you might hope to experience. Perfection is difficult to achieve and even harder for me to acknowledge, but this wine is about as close as I have seen. Simply brilliant!” I tasted two bottles over several days, and my notes are consistent. Wow!
98 Points
2021 Sanna Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valle

2021 Sanna Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40CoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaSauvignon BlancUSA

SANNA

SAUVIGNON BLANC
NAPA VALLEY 2021

2021 Sanna Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valle
Kristof Nils Anderson has been making wine in the Napa Valley since the early 1990s and is the founding winemaker of Gargiulo Vineyards in Oakville and Scribe in Sonoma. He gained invaluable experience on the scientific side of winemaking while working at ETS Wine Labs in St. Helena and is now known for his terroir-distinctive style that presents with precision balance, finesse, and length. 
 
Sourced from a single vineyard in Coombsville, this 100% Musque Clone Sauvignon Blanc was fermented in stainless steel, preserving its purity, fresh fruit character, and zesty vibes. Kristof created this wine as a homage to his daughter, and with just 75 cases produced in 2021, don’t hesitate to secure yours to enjoy and enliven your summer.
 
SANNA
SAUVIGNON BLANC
NAPA VALLEY 2021
Retails at: $42
 
 
 
“The Sanna 2021 Sauvignon Blanc opens with fresh aromas of elderflower, pink grapefruit, lime zest, fresh-cut grass, and passion fruit. On the palate, the wine’s lively acidity perfectly complements the bright fruit flavors like honeydew melon and lychee. This wine is an excellent pairing for warm summer days but still has the sophistication to accompany a fine dining experience.”
94 Points
2018 AXR Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 AXR Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $70-$80Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaSaint HelenaUSA

AXR

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2018

2018 AXR Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
AXR’s historic estate in St. Helena sits at the base of the Mayacamas range, where sedimentary soils accumulated from thousands of years of runoff, resulting in a geography that produces wines of enviable character. The mastermind behind their wines is Jean Hoefliger, who’s drawn experience working in the cellars at Chateau Carbonnieux and Chateau Lynch-Bages in Bordeaux, bringing a Grand Cru Classé element to his new-world wines.
 
The 2018 AXR Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon exemplifies the estate’s benchmark style with powerful, lush tannins and rich flavors, arising from a vintage the Wine Spectator describes as “spectacular.” If you’re looking for a pedigreed, super high-scoring Napa Valley Cabernet under $100, this one’s pretty darn incredible.
 
AXR
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2018
Retails at: $88
 
Your Price: $79.99
 
 
“Wonderful aromas of currants, plums, lavender, slate and violets follow through to a full body with tight, chewy tannins that are polished and beautiful. Lovely texture and firmness to the opulent, vivid fruit. Opulence with form. Give this at least four or five years to come together. A blend of key single vineyards. Try after 2024.”
97 Points
 
“Refined in rich red fruit, savory spice and bolts of black pepper, this lovely appellation wine shows a roundedness and length—the tannins sweet and well integrated. Dark-plum, cherry and mocha flavors layer atop the smooth texture, providing tremendous quality and complexity for the price.”
95 Points, Editors’ Choice