2018 Prisoner Wine Co. Cuttings Cabernet Sauvignon

2018 Prisoner Wine Co. Cuttings Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaSonomaSonoma MountainUSA

PRISONER WINE CO.

2018 CUTTINGS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 

2018 Prisoner Wine Co. Cuttings Cabernet Sauvignon
The inspiration for Cuttings Cabernet Sauvignon is grapevine cuttings cultivated on high-elevation vineyards transversing through some of California’s most sought-after regions. Revered for crafting unique blends unrestricted by tradition, Cuttings ownership, along with winemaker Chrissy Wittmann, built Cuttings around 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, enhanced with Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Zinfandel. The richly layered 2018 release has supple dark fruits, intriguing complexity, and at less than $50, is a substantial value.
 
Prisoner winemaker Chrissy Wittmann called on a diverse variety of clones and terroirs, primarily from hillside vineyards in Napa Valley, Sonoma, and Red Hills Appellation to create this masterpiece. She combined the deep, intense flavor of Cabernet Sauvignon with Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Zin’s structure and richness. 
 
This wine is the bigger, more masculine brother to the popular Prisoner Red blend, and Chrissy made it in an irresistibly plump, velvety style. The 2018 vintage spent 18 months in 40% new French oak barrels, and it’s stunning now… Right out of the bottle.
 
PRISONER WINE CO.
2018 CUTTINGS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $45
 
 
“Deliciously smooth with flavors of blueberry, dark cherry, and cocoa. Aromas of fresh roasted coffee, black currant, vanilla bean, brown spice, and wild berries.”
2019 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley One Liter Bottles

2019 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley One Liter Bottles

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

CAYMUS

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2019 NAPA VALLEY
ONE LITER BOTTLES

2019 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley One Liter Bottles
Caymus Vineyards pioneered the art of crafting beautifully ripe Cabernet Sauvignon with velvety tannins that are almost impossible to detect. They achieve this through extended hang-time, a technique where the fruit is kept on the vine unusually long, allowing the berries to develop an attractive suppleness and perfectly mature flavors. At around $100, their Napa Cabernet in special 1-liter bottles delivers immense satisfaction.
 
The 2019 vintage was born from a compilation of strategically selected sites throughout Napa Valley. This wine remains a consistent model for the Caymus signature style because of the winery’s relationships and collaboration with their growers. 
 
The winery excelled in 2019, and this new release asserts enormous extract, followed by a compelling crescendo of sweet blue fruits, dark chocolate, and cassis. The best news is the 1 Liter Bottles contain 33% more wine than 750ML, which are a necessity in a vintage as great as this one.
 
CAYMUS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2019 NAPA VALLEY
ONE LITER BOTTLES
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“Caymus has a signature style that is dark in color, with rich fruit and ripe, velvety tannins – as approachable in youth as in maturity. We farm Cabernet grapes in eight of Napa’s 16 sub-appellations, with diversification enabling us to make the best possible wine in a given year. This Cabernet offers layered, lush aromas and flavors, including cocoa, cassis and ripe dark berries.”
2018 Vista Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve

2018 Vista Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSA

VISTA

RUTHERFORD RESERVE
2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 

2018 Vista Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve
Vista commands attention as the only Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford at $25. The 2018 release powerfully reflects the region’s dynamic complexity, superior elegance, and dusty tannins. The 2018 vintage magnifies these traits because it’s one of the best in the last decade. Now, with more time in the bottle, if you haven’t tasted one lately, I recommend you do. This extra time produced a richer, more opulent, complex Cabernet Sauvignon that will make anyone rethink what’s possible at this price level.
 
This 2018 offering originates from Rutherford’s Western side, where the soils and microclimate produce pristine, complex fruit. The Cabernet Sauvignon is clone 337, a clone often used in cult wines, and it’s balanced with 15% Oakville Cabernet Franc and 6% Rutherford Merlot.
 
In the 2018 vintage, Mother Nature gifted the valley with a long, trouble-free growing season that allowed the grapes more time on the vines to develop deep, complex flavors. Vista’s 2018 Rutherford Reserve Cabernet perfectly reflects the vintage with a purity of fruit and a unique complexity that expands into mineral-laced black fruits, blue violets, iron, and Rutherford dust hints.
 
VISTA
RUTHERFORD RESERVE
2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“The Vista Reserve Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 has a gorgeous, powerful nose of blackberry pie filling, French lavender, sweet vanilla and brioche. On the palate, this opulent beauty is rich and concentrated, with a core of focused fruits and flavors including mountain blackberries, red plums, ripe blueberries, menthol, vanilla spice, and dark chocolate, all supported by fine grained fruit tannins. It is amazingly ready-to-drink now, but has the structure to cellar for a decade.” 
95 Points, Kevin M. Vogt, Master Sommelier
2018 Titus Cabernet Franc Napa Valley

2018 Titus Cabernet Franc Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet FrancKevin VogtNapaSaint HelenaUSA

TITUS

CABERNET FRANC
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Titus Cabernet Franc Napa Valley
When a winemaker designs a winery solely for crafting his namesake wines, he sets himself up for complete control over every aspect of the process, and that’s when great things happen. Brothers Eric and Philip Titus believe the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. They meticulously blend their wines, creating complete wines with superior expressions of the variety, vintage, and region. The proof is in a glass of their Cabernet Franc, which also happens to be a remarkable value.
 
The 2018 Titus Cabernet Franc arose from two sites; Titus Estate in Saint Helena and Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard in South Napa. The cooler-climate South Napa site contributes brighter acid and structure, while the Saint Helena Vineyard adds power and intensity. 
 
Philip Titus is a seasoned winemaker revered for authoring Chappellet’s Pritchard Hill wines for nearly three decades and leaving countless World Class wines in his wake. He and his brother continually evolve their farming to further understand their unique land. Their passion for creating outstanding wines of great value and a sense of place is highly evident in this Cab Franc.
 
TITUS
CABERNET FRANC
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $58
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“The 2018 Titus Cabernet Franc is a wine filled with the elegance and grace that is indicative of the variety. Aromas of allspice, caraway, cranberry, strawberry jam, and violets lift out of the glass. The smooth entry is filled with notes of dark cherry, pomegranate, cinnamon, and baking spices as the wine glides across the palate. Mouth filling and smooth though the finish the tannins are finely developed with a light touch that leaves the wine lingering with toasty spices and anise. Enjoy through 2030.”
2016 Cornerstone Michael's Cuvee Napa Valley

2016 Cornerstone Michael’s Cuvee Napa Valley

with No Comment $50-$60Kevin VogtNapaOakvilleProprietary RedUSA

CORNERSTONE

MICHAEL’S CUVEE
2016 NAPA VALLEY

2016 Cornerstone Michael's Cuvee Napa Valley
A vineyard’s location is paramount for wine grapes and their winemaker’s ability to produce a great wine. To-Kalon Vineyard in Oakville consistently yields fruit with the potential to become a world-class wine. Notably, Oakville Station Vineyard consists of two plots, both walled by To-Kalon grapes. The site is farmed and owned by the University of California at Davis and plays a vital role in advancing the quality of grape growing. Few wineries have access to their grapes, but lucky for us, Cornerstone does, and they make just 200 cases.
 
Cornerstone’s 2016 Michael’s Cuvee balances the power of Cabernet Sauvignon, the plushness of Merlot, the intensity of Cabernet Franc and ties them in with Oakville’s notorious complexity. The wine has a deep, compelling style with rich fruits intermixed with spices, rocky minerals, and floral notes. 
 
Kari Auringer made this stunning wine, and Kari worked under Celia Welch at Cornerstone and contributed to the fame of some of the Napa Valley’s most luminous names, including Scarecrow, Keever, Kelly Fleming, and Corra, to name just a few.
 
CORNERSTONE
MICHAEL’S CUVEE
2016 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $95
 
 
 
“The 2016 Cornerstone Michael’s Cuvée 2016 begins with a penetrating nose of wild mixed berries, crushed stone, pipe tobacco, earthy mushrooms, sweet florals, and wood spice. The palate is focused, concentrated, and linear styled, with juicy red and black berries, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking spices, and freshly turned earth. The palate has crushed velvet tannins, outstanding length, and a fantastic balance of flavors on the finish. It drinks beautifully now and will improve over the next decade.”
94 Points
2018 Bacio Divino Pazzo Napa Valley Proprietary Red

2018 Bacio Divino Pazzo Napa Valley Proprietary Red

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtNapaOakvilleProprietary RedUSA

BACIO DIVINO

2018 PAZZO 
NAPA VALLEY
PROPRIETARY RED

2018 Bacio Divino Pazzo Napa Valley Proprietary Red
Bacio Divino is one of the top producers of Sangiovese-based blends in Napa Valley, and their reputation of excellence spans each of the wines they produce. They created Pazzo in 1999 as a sister-label to Bacio Divino that would appeal to a broader audience. The 2018 vintage is incredibly rich, with penetrating fruit and intriguing floral elements. Pazzo means crazy in Italian, and at around $30, the 2018 release is a crazy-good value.
 
Bacio Divino has a history of producing high-scoring wines. Because of that, they have access to some of the greatest vineyards in Napa Valley, including Beckstoffer Heritage sites in Oakville and Rutherford and Sangiovese on Atlas Peak. Pazzo comes from a collection of unnamed sites and include grapes from their Estate vineyard.
 
Winemaker Kirk Venge built the 2018 Pazzo with 38% Sangiovese and 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, and he tied them together with Syrah and Petite Sirah. The 2018 vintage produced powerful fruit with incredible intensity. This vintage is like a bistro-wine on steroids, and you’ll thank me later, once you taste it.
 
BACIO DIVINO
2018 PAZZO 
NAPA VALLEY
PROPRIETARY RED
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“This is full-bodied with round, ripe tannins that give form to the ripe palate of plum and berry with some fig undertones. Round and savory. Drink now or hold.”
91 Points
 
“Pazzo (which means ‘crazy’ in Italian) is a ‘funky’, unpretentious blend – an ingratiating wine that is wonderful to drink in its youth. In addition to its good looks, it displays a nose of red berry aromas and follows through with spirited, sweet, lingering, fruit flavors. We have enjoyed incredible success and growth with this unique blend.”
2018 Silver Ghost Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Silver Ghost Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSA

SILVER GHOST 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Silver Ghost Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Weston Eidson’s devotion to quality and conviction for making rich, expressive, value-priced Napa Cabernet is getting him noticed. He’s found the ideal balance of lush Valley-floor fruit and robust high-elevation grapes that together make his wines thoroughly enjoyable. It’s clear when you taste them that they share qualities found in significantly higher-priced Cabs, and at $35, that’s something to celebrate.
 
Silver Ghost’s 2018 vintage combines fruit from a historic East Rutherford vineyard, a hillside site in Calistoga, and a secret parcel in Yountville. The wine also marries clone 7, which emanates elegance, and clone 337, which lends to the lush textures, and richness. 
 
The 2018 release was cellared for 22 months in French oak barrels and is concentrated, poised, and polished. With solid scores out of the gate, I wouldn’t hesitate too long to secure yours.
 
SILVER GHOST 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $35
 
 
“Aromas and flavors of dried flowers with currants, blackberries and violets. It’s full-bodied with soft, refined tannins and a savory finish. Pretty length, too…”
93 Points
 
“Deep garnet, rich plum nose, smooth and graceful, lush and toasty with ripe plum fruit; balanced, long and elegant.”
92 Points
 
“Silver Ghost is a full-bodied and richly expressive Cabernet Sauvignon crafted from some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyards. Dark in color with a vibrant nose of blueberries, violets and crème de cassis the palate reveals lush red and blue fruits, mocha and dark spice. The luxurious texture and depth continue through the long finish.”
2016 Saddleback Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

2016 Saddleback Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

SADDLEBACK

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 OAKVILLE 

2016 Saddleback Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville
Saddleback Cellars is where premium Oakville fruit and a half-century of winemaking experience join forces to create deeply profound Cabernet Sauvignon that ranks among one of Oakville’s best values. The winery’s 14-acre vineyard is in a sweet-spot behind OPUS ONE, where the soils and climate combine to produce grapes of regal qualities. Nils Venge crafts the wine, and Nils was the first American winemaker to earn a perfect 100 point score from Robert Parker when he made the 1985 Groth Reserve Cab.
 
Saddleback’s vineyard is near Oakville’s center on Money Road with notable neighbors Plumpjack, Groth, and Silver Oak. The 2016 release showcases the vintage’s intense fruit and powerful style that offers layer after layer of dense black fruits, exotic chocolates, leather, and cassis. 
 
Nils ages his Cabernet for around 24 months in oak barrels, contributing structure and adding additional complexity layers. The 2016 vintage benefited from a further two years in the bottle, and it’s delicious right now will continue to perform for the next decade.
 
SADDLEBACK
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 OAKVILLE
Retails at: $78
 
 
 
“This has the well-defined fruit and racy graphite edge that typifies the vintage, with a core of steeped black currant and plum fruit and extra mesquite, sassafras and warm earth nuances throughout. The richness makes this tempting now, but no rush. Drink now through 2030.”
92 Points
 
“This substantial 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is a truly stunning! On the nose, complimentary oak, with pleasing aromas of black cherry, blackberry, graphite and light anise. One the palate, it approaches with a balanced, full bodied mouthfeel. It engages the palete with bold tannins and balances gracefully with blackberry compote, black cherry, leather and a hint of anise. A flavorful finish is generous with lingering notes of black pepper. Perfectly paired with your favorite cut of beef or tomato based pasta dish. Another amazing vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon from the ‘King of Cabs’!”
2017 Duckhorn Three Palms Napa Valley Merlot

2017 Duckhorn Three Palms Napa Valley Merlot

with No Comment $100 and overKevin VogtMerlotNapaUSA

DUCKHORN 

2017 THREE PALMS
NAPA VALLEY MERLOT

2017 Duckhorn Three Palms Napa Valley Merlot
Three Palms is the most distinguished Merlot Vineyard in the New World. It’s the exact location where a combination of large diurnal temperature swings and highly-porous gravely soils combine to produce powerful Merlot berries specific to their site. Dan Duckhorn recognized its vast potential early on and has created a single-vineyard Merlot from it since 1978. The Wine Spectator describes the 2017 release as “Powerful, rich and complex,” which is precisely what you’d expect from Three Palms. This vintage earned 96 points and was featured as the #15 wine globally on their Top 100 list last year.
 
Duckhorn’s 2017 Three Palms Vineyard Merlot perfectly embodies this hallowed ground’s most revered characteristics; Power, concentrated fruit, intensity, and a profound sense of place. 
 
The 2017 vintage was created from 100% Estate fruit, combining 91% Merlot balanced with Cabernet, Malbec, and Cab Franc. The wine is powerful, driven, focused, and confident. I strongly recommend securing a case of this celebrated California Merlot.
 
DUCKHORN 
2017 THREE PALMS
NAPA VALLEY MERLOT
 
Your Price: $110
 
 
“Powerful, rich and complex, with a refined mix of currant, dark cherry and plum tart flavors backed by suave, medium-grained tannins. Well-defined slate and loamy notes stretch out nicely on the finish, with black olive hints. Drink now through 2027.”
96 Points, #15 Top 100 Wines of 2020
 
“Once again, the famed Three Palms Vineyard has yielded a fascinating and full-bodied Merlot. Luxurious aromas of black cherry, plum, raspberry, cedar and wet slate rise from the glass where they mingle with hints of chocolate and sweet baking spices. On the palate, dusty tannins add nuance and sophistication to a round, fleshy texture, with flavors of black and red fruit, fig and iron-rich earthy notes drawing the wine to a long, resonant finish.”
2016 Post Parade Stretch Drive Cabernet Sauvignon

2016 Post Parade Stretch Drive Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $60-$70Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

POST PARADE

2016 STRETCH DRIVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 

2016 Post Parade Stretch Drive Cabernet Sauvignon
Post Parade Winery was founded ten years ago under the guiding principle to create something worth appreciating. The Post Parade crew performed this achievement without the slightest compromise, and they brought in Thomas Brown to make the wines. You may recognize Thomas from Schrader, Revana, and Outpost. When the project first launched, Brown said “Post Parade has been the most enjoyable project I’ve taken on in recent memory.” The wines have continually stretched the boundaries of quality at their price level, and the 2016 Stretch Drive, which is the second wine at Post Parade, is, as Jeb Dunnuck writes, “guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
 
The winery works closely with three vineyards; Trench Vineyard in Oakville, made famous by Russell Bevan; Red Head Vineyard on Soda Springs Road, where Brown also sources fruit Saunter Winery; and Ithaca Vineyard in North Rutherford, which is also a source for Revana winery. 
 
The grapes that go into Stretch Drive are hand-sorted twice, first by cluster, and again berry by berry after destemming, to ensure only perfectly ripened fruit makes its way to the crusher. The juice is then fermented on the skins for 16 days, extracting color and flavor, before aging in barrels for 22 months.
 
POST PARADE
2016 STRETCH DRIVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Retails at: $75
 
Your Price: $69.99
 
 
“The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Stretch Drive is also terrific and has a supple, sweetly fruited, sexy style. Ample blueberry and strawberry liqueur, fruitcake and spring flower notes all emerge from this full-bodied, massive fruit bomb that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. I suspect it will age, but I’d just drink it.”
93 Points
 
“Composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 20 months in 75% new French oak, the 2016 Stretch Drive Cabernet Sauvignon is deep garnet-purple colored and gives up notes of blackberries, black cherries, cassis and mulberries with hints of chocolate box, tilled soil and vanilla pod. Full, juicy and bursting with blackcurrant flavor, it has a soft texture and long, refreshing finish.”
90 Points