2016 Chateau De Messey Burgogne Chardonnay Vieilles Vignes

2016 Chateau De Messey Burgogne Chardonnay Vieilles Vignes

with No Comment $30 and underBurgandyChardonnayFranceKevin Vogt

CHATEAU DE MESSEY

BOURGOGNE CHARDONNAY
2016 VIEILLES VIGNES 

2016 Chateau De Messey Burgogne Chardonnay Vieilles Vignes
It’s not easy finding $26 domestic Chardonnays that are powerful, concentrated, and well-balanced, but in Burgundy, we sometimes uncover great values in the broad Bourgogne classification. Bourgogne covers an extensive area and can include any Pinot Noir or Chardonnay produced in Burgundy. Located in the Maconnais region within Burgundy, Chateau de Messey is well-known for producing extraordinary values in Chardonnay, and their Vieilles Vignes (Old Vines) Bourgogne Chardonnay is a brilliant example of a value white Burgundy.  
 
Chateau de Messey was initially constructed as a fortress in the 10th century, and their Chardonnay vineyards are located in the villages of Chardonnay and Cruzille, in the Macon Appellation. 
 
The wine team barrel fermented the 2016 vintage on the lees to give it more richness. It offers concentrated white and citrus fruits intertwined with minerals, white flowers, bright acidity, and a cleansing salinity on the finish. At $26, I wouldn’t miss it. 
 
CHATEAU DE MESSEY
BOURGOGNE CHARDONNAY
2016 VIEILLES VIGNES 
 
Your Price: $26
 
 
 
“Pale yellow color with greenish yellow high- lights. The complex nose offers white flowers, grapefruit, peach and mineral aromas. The palate is straightforward, generous with fresh fruits and grapefruit hints. This Chardonnay shows a good intensity with a long length.”
2014 Valdez Zinfandel St. Peter's Church

2014 Valdez Zinfandel St. Peter’s Church

with No Comment $30 and underAlexander ValleyKevin VogtSonomaUSAZinfandel

VALDEZ

2014 ZINFANDEL
ST. PETER’S CHURCH 

2014 Valdez Zinfandel St. Peter's Church
California Zinfandel comes in many different styles, ranging from intensely jammy to concentrated and brawny, over to linear, elegant, and balanced. Valdez falls in the brawny, solidly-built category with a deep core of fruit, unending depth, and escalating persistence. When we sold out of the winery’s value-priced Sonoma County Zin, we filled the void with their 2013 St Peter’s Church Vineyard, and now that that’s gone, here’s a chance to order their 2014 at a price that’s way too good to pass up… 
 
The Valdez family are some of California’s most sought after wine growers, farming for top producers like Aubert, Kistler, Paul Hobbs, and many others. Their St Peter’s Church Zinfandel is simply one of the best Zins produced in California, which is why their 2013 earned a spot on my top 5 wines list in 2018. 
 
Carved from one of Sonoma county’s most exceptional vintages, the 2014 Valdez St Peter’s Church Zinfandel hails from a 5-acre vineyard in Alexander Valley that’s planted to nearly century-old vines. At our price, this is one of the best Zins that I’ve tasted, period… 
 
VALDEZ
2014 ZINFANDEL
ST. PETER’S CHURCH
Retails at: $45
 
 
 
“This focused, penetrating zinfandel flaunts intense flavors and aromas of rich Bing cherries, concentrated cranberry, and black currants with hints of Spring flowers, bakers chocolate and black olives. The amazing balance of flavors makes your palate thirst for more after every sip of this beauty.”
2018 Forturne 1621 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Fortune 1621 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOak KnollUSA

FORTUNE 1621

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Forturne 1621 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
I love it when a family-owned winery has a break-out vintage that shows off their expert winemaking and excellent fruit sources. Fortune 1621 Cabernet is a staple in our shop’s value area, and their 2018 is an even higher level of quality, concentration, and balance. At under $30, you honestly do not want to miss the boat on this one. 
 
The 2018 release of the Fortune 1621 Cab is the handiwork of winemaker Brian Mox, who spent several vintages at Lewis Cellars, and he’s also the winemaker at Laird. The 2018 growing season was faultless and virtually uninterrupted by significant heat spikes. This environment provided a prolonged hang-time, allowing the fruit to accumulate intense flavor and complexity. 
 
Located in Oak Knoll, the vineyard benefits from the evening shadows of the Mayacamas Mountain range, where the micro-climate is one of the coolest in Napa Valley. It produces gorgeous fruit with incredible character, and the 2018 release is something special. At $30, it’s one of the best Cabs that I’ve tasted this year.
 
FORTUNE 1621
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
 
“Fresh nose of toasty oak, vanilla, blackberry, Bing cherry and touches of chocolate. The palate is full bodied with jammy fruit entry of ripe cherry, blackberry and hints of oak spice. Can be enjoyed on its own, but has enough structure and concentration to go with grilled meats.”
 
2018 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Dundee Hills Willamette Valley

2018 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Dundee Hills Willamette Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtOregonPinot NoirUSAWillamette Valley

ARCHERY SUMMIT

2018 PINOT NOIR
DUNDEE HILLS
WILLAMETTE VALLEY

2018 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Dundee Hills Willamette Valley
Pinot Noir is like a blank canvas, and more than any other grape I can think of, wherever it’s planted, it begins to reflect and channel the vineyard, land, and other environmental factors straight to the grapes, then to the glass. Pinot Noir from Oregon tends to have a distinct lushness of fruit and earthy characteristics that make it truly special. Archery Summit’s 2018 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir is a picture-perfect example, and it absolutely should be in the lineup for any Pinot lover. 
 
The 2018 Dundee Hills bottling is a compilation of fruit from Red Hills, Arcus, Summit View, Renegade Ridge, and Archer’s Edge Vineyard that offers a unique glimpse into Dundee Hills terroir, as well as the dynamic 2018 vintage. The winery was the brainchild of veteran winemaker Gary Andrus, who founded Pine Ridge in 1978.
 
The winemaking team fermented the 2018 vintage in a combination of oak barrels, concrete, and stainless steel open-top tanks, which contributed to the layered mouthfeel. On the palate, this release is rich with ripe red fruits, plum, and chocolate. Bullseye.
 
ARCHERY SUMMIT
2018 PINOT NOIR
DUNDEE HILLS
WILLAMETTE VALLEY
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $48
 
“This cuvée is the first to be released from each new vintage, and the most widely available. The 2018 marks the debut (from harvest to bottling) of winemaker Ian Burch, and it’s a promising one. Full bodied and open, this mixes ripe red and purple fruits, especially plums and cherries, with a touch of lightly minty chocolate. Delicious and ready for near-term enjoyment.” 91 Points
 
“Aromatically, the wine is boisterous and full of harmony, drawing on every fetching fragrance from the volcanic Red Hills. Equal parts rhubarb, clove, graham cracker, bay leaf, rose water, and carnation sync to provide a layered nose. On the palate, the wine shows fine, cocoa-like tannins with deep, marinated black currant flavors and a savory, dramatic finish. Flexing robust flavor while still offering restraint, this wine is a telling glimpse of a remarkable 2018 vintage.”
NV Haute Couture Rose French Bubbles

NV Haute Couture Rosé French Bubbles

with No Comment $30 and underChampagneChampagne/SparklingFranceKevin Vogt

HAUTE COUTURE

FRENCH BUBBLES
ROSÉ NV

NV Haute Couture Rose French Bubbles
Haute Couture French Bubbles unites the worlds of wine and fashion by fusing an ideal combination of flavor, style, packaging, and price. Their winemaking team perfectly unified traditional French winemaking with a new-world like fruit and mouthfeel, and at $28, this wine will make many friends… 
 
The winery is owned by Jean-Charles Boisset, who grew up at his parents Château du Clos Vougeot. He now operates one of the most impressive family-owned wine empires, with around 20 estates from France to California.
 
The blend combined Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes from several regions in France, and the wine team crafted it using traditional methods. After fermenting the grapes into still wine, they add a specific amount of liqueur de tirage (a liquid solution of yeast, wine, sugar,) to begin secondary fermentation. The next step is the dosage, which adds sugar back into the wine to soften it, and the results are stunning.
 
HAUTE COUTURE
FRENCH BUBBLES
ROSÉ NV
Retails at: $30
 
Your Price: $28
 
“Pale pink in color with enticing aromas and flavors of juicy cherry, blackberry and raspberry. On the palate, this rosé is creamy and has the perfect dosage for a delicately sweet finish”
2018 Black Powder Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

2018 Black Powder Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaUSA

BLACK POWDER

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 HOWELL MOUNTAIN 

2018 Black Powder Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
With the average price of Howell Mountain Cabernet upwards of $150 per bottle, finding one at $40 will make just about anyone do a double-take. We found one, and the wine is dynamite. It’s everything that you’d expect from this iconic AVA and offers a blast of dark mountain berries, dominant focus, and towering structure. Occasionally, we’ll offer a wine that screams for you to stock-your-cellar, and this is undoubtedly one of them. This wine is ridiculously delicious now and will pay dividends in the cellar for 20 years if you can hang on to it that long…
 
Black Powder exploded from the Western Slopes of Howell Mountain at a staggering 2100 feet in elevation, where the vines produce potent berries. In 2018 mother nature helped guide them to the peak of perfection. 
 
This is a hot new project made by Bobby Moy, who passed the trial-by-fire in the wine industry mentoring under Thomas Rivers Brown. This 2018 is poised to blow-up all expectations of what you thought was possible for Howell Mountain Cabernet at a value price. 
 
BLACK POWDER
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 HOWELL MOUNTAIN
Retails at: $50
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“The Black Powder Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is an absolutely delightful wine, starting with a lush nose of blackberries, black plums, violets, crushed granite and baking spices. The palate beautifully displays mixed berry cobbler, dark chocolate, espresso roast and fresh sage. This is a textbook version of a Howell Mountain Cab, with firm, slightly dusty tannins, focused fruit, complex minerals, and a long finish. While it is drinking better at this point than I would expect for a 2018 Howell Mountain Cab, I see potential for even greater depth and complexity with bottle age and and/or more time in the glass.” 93-95 Points
2017 O'Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2017 O’Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $70-$80Cabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtMt VeederNapaOakvilleUSA

O’SHAUGHNESSY

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 NAPA VALLEY

2017 O'Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
O’Shaughnessy is one of Napa Valley’s top Cabernet producers, and it’s rare for us to feature their wines because of their scarcity. They have machine-like consistency for producing focused, intensely flavored Cabernets with perfect balance. At $75, their Napa Valley Cabernet perfectly represents their powerful style, and as Jeb Dunnuck says, “It’s a terrific 2017 as well as a good value.”
 
O’Shaughnessy’s Napa Valley Cabernet is composed using all Estate fruit from the winery’s properties on Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder, and Oakville. The wine perfectly expresses Mountain terroir with Oakville elegance in a way that brings me back for more. 
 
Since their inception, O’Shaughnessy’s winemaker has been Sean Capiaux, whom you might know from his work at Peter Michael or his own brand Capiaux. He did a terrific job on the 2017 which has concentrated, supple dark fruits, fresh violets, and complex savory notes.
 
O’SHAUGHNESSY
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $75
 
 
 
“Moving to the reds, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley checks in as 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, and 5% Malbec that spent 20 months in 75% new French oak. Deep purple-colored with notes of blackcurrants, blueberries, smoked earth, white chocolate, and crushed violets, it’s medium to full-bodied, ripe, and sexy, with a core of sweet fruit. It’s a terrific 2017 as well as a good value.”  93 Points
 
“A very reserved and structured cabernet with red and dark berries, as well as cedary notes and a savory, iodine-like edge. The palate has a very balanced and composed feel with a sleek, focused edge to the fresh blackcurrant flavors. Drink or hold.” 93 Points
 
“O’Shaughnessy’s 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is a terrific choice for drinking now and over the next few years. Bright aromatics, plush fruit and silky tannins give the 2017 much of its immediate appeal. Sweet red cherry, plum, mint, spice, blood orange, and rose petal all meld together in this very pretty and engaging Cabernet; there is certainly plenty to like here. As always, the Napa Valley Cabernet is a blend of fruit from O’Shaughnessy’s Oakville, Howell Mountain and Mt. Veeder ranches.” 91 Points
2019 Laird Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley

2019 Laird Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtNapaSauvignon BlancUSA

LAIRD

2019 SAUVIGNON BLANC
NAPA VALLEY 

2019 Laird Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley
There are many different styles of Sauvignon Blanc, from brightly focused, to silky and rich, with everything in between. Laird’s 2019 falls into the brightly focused category, but what puts this wine over the top in terms of quality/value was the remarkably concentrated fruit. Laird has their choice of premium vineyards, as one of Napa Valley’s preeminent farming families, and for this wine, they undoubtedly chose right…
 
Laird’s 2019 Sauvignon Blanc emanates from the winery’s Big Ranch Estate Vineyard, which is also home to Mario Andretti’s winery. Here, the gravel and silty clay loam soils, combined with the San Pablo Bay cooling influences, are ideal for ripening Sauvignon Blanc. 
 
Winemaker Brian Mox fermented 15% of the grapes sur lie, and in neutral oak barrels. The balance was fermented in stainless steel tank, preserving the brightly focused fruit, and the combination of the two methods creates a beautiful tension on the palate that’s simply irresistible.
 
LAIRD
2019 SAUVIGNON BLANC
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $30
 
Your Price: $26.99
 
“Inviting aromas of elderflower, passion fruit, melon, and Kefir lime lead the way to a medium-bodied white wine with a refreshing zing of bright acid, followed by flavors of white peach, Asian pear, and lemongrass. The well-balanced nature of this wine is evident in its soft, lingering finish.”
2016 Pavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2016 Pavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleRutherfordSpring MountainUSA

PAVI

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 NAPA VALLEY 

2016 Pavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Pavi means lightning, and their new 2016 Napa Cabernet precisely reflects that. The 2016 vintage has a regal presence on the palate that’s defined by lush fruit and superior richness. Renown winemaker Rob Lawson owns the winery, and throughout his career, Rob helped craft some of the top brands produced at Napa Wine Company while he was GM. He’s also responsible for helping shape the 2007 Kapcscandy Grand Vin, which scored a perfect 100 point score from Robert Parker.   
 
Pavi’s 2016 release combines high-quality grapes from Rutherford, Oakville, and Spring Mountain AVAs. The Rutherford vineyard is on the Southeastern end of the AVA, just South of Caymus, and the Oakville fruit comes from the center of Oakville.
 
The final blend is 97% Cabernet Sauvignon along with 3% Petite Verdot, which contributes to the lush, dark fruit. The only downside is there were only 150 cases of this beauty produced, and at this price, you might want to strike quickly…
 
PAVI
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2016 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $85
 
 
 
“This is a lush, full-bodied wine, rich and bright with dark-fruit flavors and floral aromas. The intense flavors of black cherry, peppery spice, and cocoa come together in a balanced wine that is a perfect complement to savory grilled and braised meats, mushroom pizza and the perfect hamburger”
2015 Elyse Cabernet Sauvignon Morisoli Vineyard Rutherford

2015 Elyse Cabernet Sauvignon Morisoli Vineyard Rutherford

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSA

ELYSE

2015 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MORISOLI VINEYARD
RUTHERFORD

2015 Elyse Cabernet Sauvignon Morisoli Vineyard Rutherford
Grand Cru means ‘great growth,’ and in France’s Burgundy region, it’s the top of the pyramid for the highest-quality grapes. They only bestow that designation after prolonged observation of a site with a history of producing exceptional fruit. If Napa Valley were to use the same system, the historic Morisoli Vineyard planted in the 1880s, which sits on the center of the iconic Rutherford Bench, would undoubtedly be on it. The vineyard’s neighbors include icons Staglin, Inglenook, and Scarecrow, and if you’re looking for a wine with a powerful sense of place, remarkable balance, and incredible value, this Cabernet should top your list…
 
Morisoli Vineyard sits on gravelly bale, clay loam soils with excellent drainage. The site has a proven track record of producing fruit with bold flavors, depth, intriguing spice, and unmistakable Rutherford dust. Over the years, its fruit has graced the wines of BV’s flagship Georges de Latour Cabernet, Trujillo, V. Sattui, Sequoia Grove, Orin Swift Mercury Head, and the list goes on… 
 
Elyse recognized the quality of Morisoli early on, and they’ve produced their flagship single-vineyard Morisoli Cabernet for more than 25 consecutive vintages. At $85, this wine is a brilliant example of Morisoli Cabernet, but at our price, it’s simply one of the best Cabernets in the shop.
 
ELYSE
2015 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MORISOLI VINEYARD
RUTHERFORD
Retails at: $85
 
 
 
“Deep, dark red in color with layers of black fruit and spice aromas – cassis, black pepper, black cherries, nutmeg, plumbs, and cedar. The full-bodied palate gushes with ripe blackberries, currants, cherries, and espresso crema followed by warm, sweet oak, bright acidity, and those signature dusty tannins of the Rutherford appellation. True to form, this wine displays year after year the power and elegance that is so characteristic of this renowned vineyard.”