Villa Trasqua Chianti Classico DOCG 2013 Tuscany, Italy

VILLA TRASQUA
CHIANTI CLASSICO DOCG
2013 TUSCANY, ITALY
One of the best values in the entire DOCG classification can be found in Chianti Classico.  DOCG lets consumers know that there are controlled production methods and guaranteed wine quality in every bottle.  And while the classification gives confidence and direction, when our panel tasted Villa Trasqua’s 2013 Chianti, we immediately knew it was something special.  I still have customers talking about the winery’s 2007 Chianti that we featured years ago…  Just like the 2007, the 2013 is beautifully balanced with good weight and definition and is extraordinarily memorable.  At $24.99/btl, don’t hesitate to secure a case…  This will take your pizza/pasta night to an even higher level.
Coming from a strong vintage in Chianti, a vintage the Wine Spectator describes as producing “sleek, vibrant wines with bright, focused fruit flavors…,” Villa Trasqua excelled in 2013.  Making a dramatic entrance the moment this wine splashes into your glass with a powerful cherry accented perfume laced with holiday spices and and vanilla, and with around 4 years in the bottle, this 2013 is singing right now.  I highly recommend a case, before this beauty disappears.
VILLA TRASQUA
CHIANTI CLASSICO DOCG
2013 TUSCANY, ITALY
Your Price: $24.99/btl Click to Order
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From James Suckling, “A tight and pretty red with blueberry and chocolate. Medium body, fine texture. Very enjoyable. Drink now.”
91 Points
 

Customers who enjoy Villa Trasqua’s Chianti Classico, may also enjoy these two terrific Italian wines…

SILVIO GRASSO
2013 BAROLO
PIEDMONT, ITALY
Your Price: $34.99/btl
Pushing the boundaries of tangible value, to find a beautifully crafted and classically styled Barolo at under forty per bottle isn’t just an anomaly… It’s a dominating statement in terms of what’s achievable and available at this price point.  Created in a warm, intense style with a solid core and beautifully persistent flavors, we simply couldn’t believe how great this Barolo was for $34.99/btl…
BIBBIANO
GRAN SELEZIONE
2013 CHIANTI CLASSICO
VIGNA DEL CAPANNINO
Your Price: $34.99/btl
From The Wine Spectator, “A savory example, featuring tobacco, earth, wild herb and underbrush notes enveloping a core of fading cherry. Balanced and finishing dry, with tobacco and iron accents lingering. Settling in nicely, with a few years more to go…” 
93 Points

Kenefick Ranch 2012 Petite Sirah Calistoga Estate

KENEFICK RANCH
2012 PETITE SIRAH
CALISTOGA, ESTATE
 
California Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux Style Blends aren’t the only wines that are shining bright from the 2012 vintage…  Some of the best examples of Durif, AKA Petite Sirah can age gracefully for up to two decades.  Even the word Petite refers to the small berries that these vines produce, and in turn, the greater skin to juice ratio creates a wine with penetrating intensity, yet supple, velvety tannins.  Kenefick Ranch’s 8 barrel production of their 2012 Estate Petite Sirah has everything that I look for in a great California Petite Sirah.  The flavors are deep and penetrating and on the palate the wine is pure silk, presented in a plump, velvety overlay.  At $45/btl retail this wine will bring a smile to your face.
With warm days and cool nights, Calistoga offers the perfect climate for Petite Sirah to fully develop, and many of California’s best examples of this variety come from the Calistoga area.  This quintessential Calistoga Petite Sirah was expertly guided from grape to bottle by talented winemaker Kent Jarman, who’s also the winemaker at Coup de Foudre, and previously the assistant winemaker at Duckhorn.  Kept for 18 months in Meyrieux Barrels, this 2012 is brimming with blue fruits, spices and plum.
 
KENEFICK RANCH
2012 PETITE SIRAH
CALISTOGA, ESTATE
Retails at:  $45.00/btl
 
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Winery Notes: “We treat this Petite Sirah in a gentle manner during fermentation to allow the heavy tannin profile to integrate properly. Aromatics of dark cherry, plum and spice are enveloped in a rich, fresh berry profile. Copious velvet tannins let this wine finish very long. Good to drink now and will cellar well for the next 10-15 years.”
 
Customers who enjoy the Kenefick Ranch Petite Sirah may also enjoy these two terrific Reds…

 

LEWIS CELLARS
ALEC’S BLEND
2015 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at:  $65.00/btl
Your Price: $59.99/btl
 
Winery Notes: “Our 2015 Alec’s Blend is a lot like the Honda XR500 that Alec takes to the trails of Lefthand Canyon in Boulder, CO – big, powerful, and lots of fun. Bursting with sappy black cherry, chocolaty oak spice and Madagascar vanilla, it’s a dense and delicious blend of 50% Syrah, 30% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. Fruit-driven and plush but framed in fine, polished tannins, this ride will make you smile...”
CARLISLE
2015 PETITE SIRAH
PALISADES VINEYARD
Your Price: $49.99/btl
 
From Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, “Another monster in the making… This is no ordinary Petite Sirah, but then, few are. Nearly black as a moonless night, the wine’s aromatics soar from the glass, offering up floral notes intermixed with blackberry, incense, blueberry liqueur, graphite and licorice. Huge intensity of flavor, sweet but noticeable tannins, low acidity, but fabulous richness, and a broad, almost endless finish characterize this Petite Sirah that should age well for 30-50 or more years…” 91-94 Points

Grassi 2014 Shiner Series Cabernet Sauvignon

GRASSI
2014 SHINER SERIES
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
 
We run across many second wines, but they don’t always come in second place…  Particularly when they’re created from Estate fruit and crafted by a brilliant winemaker.  Factoring in that Super Seconds often come at a lower price, it’s something to pay closer attention to. Grassi’s 6 barrel production of their 2014 Shiner Series Cabernet is incredibly fabulous and lucky for consumers, it also comes in at around $30/btl below their Estate Cabernet… It’s brought to life by Robbie Meyer, whose experience includes 5 vintages at the iconic Peter Michael Winery, as well as time at Lewis Cellars, Jericho Canyon, Del Dotto, and Meyer is currently the winemaker for Pierson Meyer…
 
Emanating from Grassi’s Estate Vineyard located on Soda Canyon Road, positioned about a mile South of the Stag’s Leap District and rests just below Atlas Peak, Grassi excelled in 2014… The clonal selection includes 337, which is commonly used in cult Cabernets and is known for producing bold yet luscious wines with some spice, dark berry flavors, and supple tannins.   Aged for 20 months in oak, this wine has everything I look for in a high-end Napa valley Cabernet, except the high price.
 
FYI, a “Shiner” is an unlabeled bottle straight from the winery prior to labeling, generally with a paper sticker and hand-written info on it.  This wine is an hommage to actual “Shiners.”
 
GRASSI
2014 SHINER SERIES
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Retails at:  $50/btl
Your Price: $45/btl Click to Order
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Winery Notes: “This Cabernet Sauvignon blend is a delicious and approachable cuvee from our estate vineyard… shows beautiful fruit expressions of ripe black cherry and wild blackberry. There is appropriate structure to the wine, but you will find it to have soft tannins and a very even mouthfeel that can be enjoyed as a daily wine pairing.” 150 Cases Produced
 
 
Customers who enjoy Grassi’s Shiner Series Cabernet Sauvignon may also enjoy these stunning Cabernets…
EHLERS ESTATE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2014 ST. HELENA
Retails at:  $55.00/btl
 
 
In grape growing, much as in real estate, location-location-location is absolutely essential.   And when your neighbors include Chuck McMinn’s renowned “Aida” Vineyard, Turley and Revana, wine lovers should pay keen attention.  Founded in 1886, EhlersEstate, located just North of St. Helena, quietly produces some of the most classically styled Cabernet Sauvignon out there.
LAIRD
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2013 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at:  $60.00/btl
Your Price: $52.99/btl
 
 
 
From Wine Enthusiast, “Juicy, spicy and red-fruit dominated, this wine is broad-shouldered and moderately balanced, with a powerful hit of tannin on the finish. Sweet tobacco and vanilla flavors crescendo on the finish.”
 
 
 
90 Points

Silverpoint 2015 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

SILVERPOINT
2015 CHARDONNAY
SONOMA COAST
 
If the best wines were like a puzzle, this wine would have every piece laid out perfectly.  With everything from an accomplished winemaker, iconic vineyard, blockbuster vintage and a terrific price, this wine truly has it all.  It was authored by Don Van Staaveren who’s responsible for authoring the Chateau St. Jean wines from ’85-’97, and even made history when his 1996 Cinq Cepages was recognized as the #1 wine on the 1999 Wine Spectator Top 100 list.  It was the first Sonoma wine to receive the honor of being the #1 Wine in the World… This wine makes no excuses at the winery’s $45/btl retail price, in fact it performs at a level even higher than that… At $29.99/btl the only puzzle piece missing is how many cases you can find room for…
 
This wine arose from the Rodgers Creek Vineyard located in the Petaluma Gap, this vineyard produces single vineyard wines from Ramey, Sojourn and Cherry Pie. Spending 15 months in oak and aged sur lie, a French term meaning literally ‘on the sediment’, the sur lie style aging plays a large role in contributing to this wine’s rich, opulent texture.  If you’re searching for an incredibly high quality Chardonnay to share with your friends and family and selling way below its true value… This is it.
 
SILVERPOINT
2015 CHARDONNAY
SONOMA COAST
Retails at:  $45.00/btl
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From the Wine Enthusiast, “Don Van Staaveren is the winemaker of this well-crafted wine sourced from Rodger’s Creek Vineyard in the Petaluma Gap area.  Opulent on the nose, it follows up in richness and robust flavors of toasted oak and apple, finishing awash in butterscotch...” 90 Points


 

Humanitas 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Reid Vineyard

HUMANITAS

2012 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
REID VINEYARD, NAPA VALLEY
 
We’ve had a lot of great feedback on many of the wines that we’ve featured, and it’s become abundantly clear that the best feedback often comes from wines that have a little extra bottle age.  But every once in a while we come across a “Holy S**t*” wine, and this is clearly one of them… And since this one is coming to an end, we wanted to give you one last shot at it… Last year we made the Humanitas Signum our number one wine on our top 5 list, and it sold out before noon
 
Expertly composed by winemaker Rob Lloyd, former winemaker at Rombauer, this 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon originates from a single vineyard on the North Eastern edge of St Helena.  Stunningly concentrated and dangerously hedonistic, the 2012 Reid Vineyard Cab is bursting with authoritative and alluring flavors of sensual dark fruits, chocolate espresso, scorched earth and pipe tobacco.
 
HUMANITAS
2012 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
REID VINEYARD, NAPA VALLEY
Retails at:  $60.00/btl

 
Tasting Notes:The aromatic bouquet blooms with red and black fruits, pipe tobacco, dark chocolate and hints of sun-baked earth. In the glass it is black as a starless night, ringed with rich, hedonistic blackberry, cassis, red berries and cocoa powder.  Though dense, this wine is nimble but with deep, dark black currant, mixed black berries, bing cherry and a touch of sweet vanilla that surrounds your palate in pure joy.  This is another sensational effort from a producer that is quickly becoming one of my favorites.”

Brulium 2014 Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands

BRULIAM

2014 PINOT NOIR
SOBERANES VINEYARD
SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS
 
From a vineyard that’s become synonymous with excellence, I get excited when I see this vineyard name printed on a bottle. Wineries like Lucia, Roar and Black Kite all make single vineyard Pinots from Soberanes, and Bruliam perfectly articulates this wondrous site.  The wine leaps from the glass with mineral-laced cherries, wild berry, rose petals, ripe plum and hints of baking spices.  It was strategically guided from grape to bottle by medical doctor-turned-winemaker Kerith Overstreet. Earning 93 Points from Wine Enthusiast, this beautifully expressive, sophisticated and charming Pinot is a terrific bottle of wine at near fifty per bottle retail.
Created from 100% Pisoni Clone, Soberanes is the latest vineyard planted by the Pisoni’s & Franscioni’s, whose families have been farming the area for over 100 years.  Bruliam brilliantly expresses the remarkably distinct flavors and textures that this vineyard is becoming known for.  With the average price of Pinot Noir from Soberanes estimated to be upwards of $50/btl, I strongly recommend making some serious room for this one…
 
BRULIAM
2014 PINOT NOIR
SOBERANES VINEYARD
SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS
Retails at:  $48.00/btl
 
 
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From The Wine Enthusiast,Hearty sagebrush, rust and dust meet with dried Montgomery cherry and tart pomegranate aromas on the nose of this bottling from a Healdsburg-based producer. It’s luscious on the palate with ripe plum fruit and tons of baking spice, from cinnamon to clove cream, nutmeg and vanilla.” 93 Points

 

Customers that enjoy Bruliam’s Soberanes Vineyard Pinot,  may also enjoy these two terrific Pinots…
TROMBETTA
2014 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST
Your Price: $44.99/btl
 
From The Wine Enthusiast, “The oak treatment is supportive only, with the wine aged in French oak, 25% of it new, for nine months. Restraint allows it to remain soft and silky on the palate, with inviting characteristics of white pepper, lavender, rose, cranberry, strawberry and vanilla bean.
93 Points
DANIEL
2014 PINOT NOIR
GRAND VENT VINEYARD
Retails at:  $60.00/btl
 
This profound Pinot was composed by accomplished winemaker Dan Fitzgerald, who got his start working at Williams-Selyem… Created in a silky and extravagant style, remarkably deep and compelling flavors envelope your palate and bring a smile to your face.  With a total production of 90 cases, this Pinot Noir will only go to a lucky few.

Sparkman 2015 Holler Cabernet Sauvignon

SPARKMAN
2015 HOLLER
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Sparking an intense love affair with Washington Wines with just a single taste, when we first offered Sparkman’s 2013 Holler Cabernet two years ago we knew it would induce one of those where have you been all my life moments…  Later that year it went on to rank #21 in the world on the Wine Spectator Top 100 and even outscored icons like Screaming Eagle at more than 25 times its price.  The 2015 Sparkman Holler will make you fall in love with Columbia Valley wines all over again and hits your palate with a thundering cascade of dark brambly fruits, roasted coffee, minerals and crushed violets.  It’s honestly thrilling to taste this wine, considering it’s still sells for around thirty per bottle.
Carved from eight distinct vineyards and kept for 19 months in oak Barrels, the 2015 is stunningly concentrated, poised and beautifully proportioned.  Both the 2013 and 2014 were wines that left a deep impression, and followed up by the 2015, I can honestly say this is my favorite one yet.  If you’ve had interest in experiencing a great wine from this incredible region, this is the perfect opportunity to try one of the best.
SPARKMAN
2015 HOLLER
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Retails at:  $32.00/btl
Your Price: $29.99/btl
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Winery Notes: “Phantasmagoria: red black blue fruit chocolates flowers spices textures, depth breadth. Velvet stone smoke cinnamon kelp play dough grip supple rich minerals.” 

 

Customers that enjoy Sparkman’s Holler Cabernet Sauvignon,  may also enjoy these two terrific Cabs…
OBSIDIAN RIDGE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2015 ESTATE, RED HILLS
Retails at: $32.00/btl
Your Price: $29.99/btl
A wine with fabulous upside potential, this idyllic expression of Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon emerges from the winery’s high elevation vineyard where the explosive terroir manifests perfectly in this exceptional, award-winning Cabernet.   Perpetually high scoring, an earlier vintage was named Best Cabernet at the Lake County Wine Awards Competition, where it earned a Double Gold Medal and outperformed some of the area’s other top wines.
LUKE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2015 COLUMBIA VALLEY
Retails at:   $30/btl
Your Price:  $23/btl
Recognized as one of the 2016 Wine Spectator wineries to watch, Luke’s 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is rich and extracted, yet perfectly poised and elegant, with substantial quantities of chocolate covered raspberries, creme de cassis, pulverized blackberries, and dried violets.  A palpable sense of value is absolutely unmistakable in this wine, and the previous three consecutive vintages have all earned 90 and above scores in the Wine Spectator…

Tonti 2014 Reserve Old Vine Zinfandel Russian River Valley

TONTI

2014 RESERVE
OLD VINE ZINFANDEL
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
 
Have you ever wondered what makes Old Vine wines unique?  There are two defining factors that when combined, become even more powerful.  Like humans, as vines age their circulation becomes weaker which results in smaller berries and more focused and concentrated flavors.  Older vines also have deeper root systems, which increases the complexity in the wine.  Perfectly expressing what Old Vines are about, Tonti’s 2014 Russian River Zinfandel is the delicious result of two ancient vineyards planted in the early 1900’s.  Remarkably hedonistic, the 2014 saturates your palate with a full gamut of red, blue and black fruits, exotic spices, mixed chocolates and round, plush tannins.  With Gus Gamba as their consulting winemaker, Tonti is producing an extremely high-level Zinfandel, and at retail of $49.00/btl it’s well worth the price of admission….
 
Earning a Double Gold at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, as well as 94 Points from tastings. com, this wine exhibits all the qualities that I look for in Old Vine Zinfandel.  Housed for 18 months in American oak barrels and from a vintage that’s becoming increasingly recognized for it’s superior quality, grab a case while you can. 
 
TONTI
2014 RESERVE
OLD VINE ZINFANDEL
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
Retails at:  $49.00/btl
 
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Winery Notes: “...Deep purple color. Rustic, fruity aromas of wild raspberry Danish, iron rich soil, menthol, and touch of pepper with a slightly chewy, fruity sweet medium body and an intriguing, medium-long sun dried raspberries, sun dried tomatoes, sweet basil, and milk chocolate bar and terracotta finish with firm chewy tannins and light oak. A spot on zinfandel, rich and juicy with good tannins and structure. Organically Dry Farmed”
 
Customers that enjoy Tonti’s Reserve Zinfandel, may also enjoy these two terrific Zins…
CARLISLE 
2015 ZINFANDEL
CARLISLE VINEYARD 
Your Price: $47.99/btl
 
 
From Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, “…This is another killer wine, as it is always one of the top wines in his extensive and impressive portfolio. The alcohol is 15.3%, but that’s a minor component to this big, juicy, succulent, in-your-face, dramatic Zinfandel that boasts raspberry, black cherry, strawberry, licorice, tar, earth and roasted Provençal herbs. ….” 90-93 Points
GAMBA
2015 ZINFANDEL
STARR ROAD RANCH
Retails at:  $49.00/btl
 
Fashioned from an organically farmed vineyard planted in 1920, the ancient vines have relied on winter rains as their sole source of irrigation for over 95 years.  Yielding just 1.5 tons per acre of strikingly intense, concentrated, pristinely focused fruit, the 2015 exhibits all the qualities that I look for in Old Vine Zinfandel.

Walter Hansel 2015 Estate Pinot Noir & 2014 Cahill Lane Chardonnay

WALTER HANSEL
2015 ESTATE PINOT NOIR

2014 CAHILL LANE CHARDONNAY
Like sitting front-and-center at the grand opera, and instead of string, woodwind and percussions vibrating throughout, penetrating flavors permeate your palate, hitting every note along the way with perfect clarity.  Consistently rated in the mid 90’s, and with each performance like a sold-out show, and yet the ticket price has remained almost unchanged over the past decade… Walter Hansel voices the best of the Russian River Valley, and Robert Parker writes that they’re “… consistently terrific wines… realistically priced… consumers couldn’t have a better friend than proprietor Stephen Hansel.”
Originating from famous clones, strategically planted to specific areas of Walter Hansel’s Estate Vineyard, the new releases are hitting the high notes that you wouldn’t think possible at this price level…

 

WALTER HANSEL
2014 CHARDONNAY
CAHILL LANE
Your Price: $34.99/btl
From Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, “The 2014 Chardonnay Cahill Lane emerges 100% from the Old Wente clone. This is in heavy clay and fertile Goldridge soils and cropped in by at least 30% to improve concentration. This wine, which is less intense than his other Chardonnays, offers notes of lime and other citrus, with crisp acidity…” 
92 Points
WALTER HANSEL
2015 PINOT NOIR
ESTATE VINEYARD
Your Price: $37.99/btl
From Vinous, “The 2015 Pinot Noir The Estate Vineyard boasts off the charts intensity, richness and texture. Soaring aromatics and a core of dark red and bluish fruit are front and center. Racy and voluptuous to the core, the Estate captures all the intensity of this vintage. This is a dazzling Pinot from Stephen Hansel, not to mention one of the best values readers will find.”
94 Points

Buoncristiani 2014 OPC Blend Napa Valley

BUONCRISTIANI

2014 O.P.C. BLEND
NAPA VALLEY
 
In winemaking, sometimes less is more, but in this particular scenario, more is clearly more.  Created by four brothers, each with their own set of skills and talents that when combined with a passion for wine… the results speak for themselves.  Consistently high scoring and now in it’s 16th vintage, they’ve managed to again raise the bar, and it’s already made a big impression on the critics.  Robert Parker boasts that it’s “an intriguing blend that Buoncristiani has pulled off flawlessly” and with the stellar 95 Point Score, don’t hesitate to secure a case.
 
The 2014 blend was fashioned from a rockstar lineup of several of Napa Valley’s most prestigious vineyards, including Hyde, Stagecoach, Hossfeld, Bennett, and even the Yountville Vineyard just across from our wine shop.  The diversity in each site adds complexity to the final blend.  Aged for 20 months in French oak barrels, the wine is dense, concentrated and remarkably delicious.  If you’re searching for a stand-out Napa Valley blend from one of the best vintages in the last decade… This is it.
 
  From Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, “The 2014 Proprietary Red O.P.C. is a blend of 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Syrah, 20% Malbec and 12% Merlot. A brilliant nose of blue, red and black fruits, licorice, graphite, background spice and roasted meats jumps from the glass of this complex proprietary red. This is an intriguing blend that Buoncristiani has pulled off flawlessly. The color is a dense ruby/purple, the wine full-bodied and rich with sweet tannin, a burgeoning, broad suppleness and a rich, long, lusty finish. Drink it over the next 10-12 years. 95 Points
 
Retails at:  $70.00/btl