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
2021 Martin Ray Chardonnay Concrete Fermented Dutton Ranch Vineyard

2021 Martin Ray Chardonnay Concrete Fermented Dutton Ranch Vineyard

with No Comment $30 and underChardonnayKevin VogtRussian River ValleySonomaUSA

MARTIN RAY

CHARDONNAY 2021
CONCRETE FERMENTED
DUTTON RANCH VINEYARD

2021 Martin Ray Chardonnay Concrete Fermented Dutton Ranch Vineyard
There’s good reason for the resurgence in concrete egg fermentation, primarily because of its convex shape, which creates a vortex that naturally stirs the wine and causes the lees to disperse throughout the vessel—this natural circulation results in a wine with a fuller body and softer texture. Martin Ray’s consistently high-scoring Dutton Ranch Chardonnay is a pristine example, with a sharp focus complemented by the richness from lees providing a noticeable balance.
 
Dutton Ranch Vineyard sits in the Green Valley subregion of the greater Russian River Valley AVA, an area known for its Goldridge sandy loam soils and proximity to the ocean, producing some of Sonoma County’s most distinguished grapes. This 2021 Chardonnay is perfect for summer with its uplifting aromas and levity that pair effortlessly with the season, offering an abundance of value and enjoyment.
 
MARTIN RAY
CHARDONNAY 2021
CONCRETE FERMENTED
DUTTON RANCH VINEYARD
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $26
 
 
“Sliced apples, apricot stones, jasmine, lemons and white tea on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with a very clean, focused and mineral palate. Elegant. Made in concrete eggs. Drink now. Screw cap.”
93 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
2017 Immortal Estate Slope Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County

2017 Immortal Estate Slope Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County

with No Comment $70-$80Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtSonomaSonoma MountainUSA

IMMORTAL ESTATE

SLOPE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
SONOMA COUNTY 2017

2017 Immortal Estate Slope Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County
The magnificently steep vineyards of Immortal Estate are among the steepest in California, planted on a dramatic 55-degree slope on the Mayacamas range. The winery was formerly known as Hidden Ridge, and in 2019, Tusk Proprietor Tim Martin partnered up with Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander and Supermodel Kate Upton as the winery’s owners.
 
Winemaker Tim Milos made wine at Opus One, Stag’s Leap, and Cliff Lede and has two 100-Point wines under his belt, so it’s no wonder Immortal wines receive high scores from enthusiasts and critics with each new vintage. Individual barrels from eight lots were selected for the final blend of the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon producing complexly flavored, concentrated, age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon.
 
IMMORTAL ESTATE
SLOPE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
SONOMA COUNTY 2017
 
Your Price: $79.99
 
 
“A big beast of a wine, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Slope has loads of blackcurrant and blackberry-styled fruits as well as toasted spice, graphite, licorice, and crushed stone-like aromas and flavors. Structured, full-bodied, and tannic, it has masses of baby fat that will take at least 7-8 years to melt away, yet it’s one satisfying mouthful of a Cabernet today.”
94 Points

2015 I FavatiI Aglianico Iripina Campi Taurasini

with No Comment $30-$40ItalyKevin Vogt

I FAVATI

IRPINIA CAMPI TAURASINI
CRETAROSSA AGLIANICO 2015

This wine is a mouthful of flavor and syllables, so let me unpack both a bit. I Favati estate is located in the Irpinia region in central Campania, nearby the classic, key winemaking towns of Avellino, Tufo, and Taurasi. Aglianico is one of Italy’s noble red grapes and Campania’s most celebrated red variety, given the nickname “Barolo of the South” because of its notably high tannins and acidity, leading to long-lived wines with complexity and deep flavors.
 
‘Cretarossa’ is the name of the single-vineyard parcel near the village of Taurasi, where I Favati sourced fruit for this remarkable wine, and also represents the namesake DOCG of one of the most famous regions for Aglianico. This stunning example of Aglianico falls under the newer Irpinia-Campi Taursini DOC because of its less stringent aging regulations to produce a more approachable and accessible wine but with all the earth, dark fruit, spice, and mineral-driven components classic to the varietal.
 
I FAVATI
IRPINIA CAMPI TAURASINI
CRETAROSSA AGLIANICO 2015
 
Your Price: $32
 
 
“The 2015 I Favati, Irpinia Campi Taurasini Aglianico ‘Cretarossa’ opens with fresh bergamot, rose petals, black cherry, cloves, dusty earth, cigar box, and leather. On the palate, the wine has flavors of plum, black olive, black peppercorn, and balsamic glaze. This rustic style of wine is supported with bright acidity, well-structured tannins, and intensity of flavor that allows the wine to age gracefully for those who have the patience. The 2015 vintage has a few years in the bottle and is seriously impressive at the moment.”
95 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
Purecru Brut Rose Cuvee XXI California

Purecru Brut Rose Cuvee XXI California

with No Comment $30-$40Champagne/SparklingKevin VogtUSA

PURECRU

BRUT ROSÉ
CUVEE XXI CALIFORNIA

Purecru Brut Rose Cuvee XXI California
PureCru’s magnetic energy and engrossing charm have touched just about everybody coming into our shop since we introduced it in January, and we’ve urged everybody to try it. The Los Angeles International Wine Competition recently confirmed our enthusiasm for this wine. A panel of judges at the competition rated it 98 points and Best of Class, making it their highest-rated Sparkling wine. 
 
Mitch Cosentino is the mastermind behind PureCru; calling on his half-century of experience, he uses a single-stream fermentation to make it. Midway through fermentation, he transferred the partially fermented juice into a custom pressure-controlled tank, resulting in a wine with remarkable fruit intensity, balance, and freshness. Created from 100% Sangiovese grapes, PureCru Brut Rosé releases a sensational bouquet of aromas and flavors unique to the spicy, seductive Sangiovese variety brought forward by the single-stream fermentation method.
 
PURECRU
BRUT ROSÉ
CUVEE XXI CALIFORNIA
 
Your Price: $36
 
 
“The PureCru Brut Rosé XXI opens with an abundance of bright aromas beginning with jasmine, lime zest, wild strawberries, raspberries, lychee, passion fruit, pomegranate, and lemongrass. The aromas carry over onto the palate bursting with intensity and zesty fruit flavors accented by fresh acidity and a creamy effervescence. The finish is long and delightful as it slowly fades away, causing you to crave sip after sip.”
96 Points