2016 Sebright Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2016 Sebright Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $60-$70Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

SEBRIGHT

2016 RESERVE 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
NAPA VALLEY

2016 Sebright Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Sebright wowed us last year with their Greenwood Block Cabernet. Their resolute style of crafting beautifully refined wines deep-seated in elegance made a memorable impact. We wondered if it could get any better, and their 48 case production of Reserve Cabernet from their Estate Vineyard loudly answered that question with a resilient YES. The wine is more profound, more opulent, and with more intensity than their Greenwood Block bottling. At $125, it’s an incredible wine, but at $65, there aren’t enough superlatives to describe it. 
 
Sebright’s Reserve Cabernet comes from their single-acre Garnett Creek Estate Vineyard, double planted to clone 7, a clone also used by Screaming Eagle. They farm the vineyard sustainably and by hand, and the volcanic ash soils produce tiny yields of intense fruit. 
 
Andy Jones, who worked under Thomas Brown at Outpost, makes this wine, which reigns from the remarkable 2016 vintage. The Wine Spectator ranks 2016 as the highest-rated vintage for Napa Cabernet since 1997. It spent 23 months in new French oak barrels, and with just 2 barrels (48 cases) produced, don’t wait to secure yours.
 
SEBRIGHT
2016 RESERVE 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $125
 
 
 
“This is a very concentrated, powerful wine with an intense nose including muddled black and blue berries, rose petals, glove leather, and sweet vanilla. The focused palate has an energetic approach with layers of mountain blackberries complex minerals, Burgundy plums, and cherry pipe tobacco. The lavish finish is compelling, dynamic, exceptionally long, beautifully presented in a wine that I want more of.”
97 Points
2016 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

2016 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $100 and overCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtMt VeederNapaOakvilleSaint HelenaUSA

BERINGER

2016 PRIVATE RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 

2016 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
The remarkable vineyards combined to form Beringer’s flagship Private Reserve Cabernet are so expressive and profound that the winemaking team can take a minimalist approach to production, allowing these incredible vines to shine. The wine is, at its core, a blend of Pauli, Steinhauer, and Bancroft Ranch vineyards atop Howell Mountain, providing the unmatched power, enormous structure, and richness of the wine. They completed it with fruit from Oakville, St Helena, Spring Mountain, and Mount Veeder, which round out the stunningly complex blend. 
 
Mark Beringer not only vinifies each renowned site individually, but he also ages them separately for a full 20 months before making the barrel selection. He does this to allow each vineyard to express the depth of its unique terroir fully.
 
Beringer is California’s oldest continually operating winery, and they’re the only winery in history to have both a red and white wine honored as the #1 wine on the Wine Spectator Top 100. The 2016 release is as James Suckling writes, “Breathtaking” and worthy of the 99 point score.
 
BERINGER
2016 PRIVATE RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Retails at: $170
 
Your Price: $150
 
 
“Breathtaking. Exceptional integration of super ripe blackberries and the very finest oak. The tannins build up beautifully, forming wave upon wave as the wine flows across the palate. Then the wave breaks on your palate and shoots way out at the finish, so that you wonder where it will end and normal life begin again. Needs time to soften, but this is so, so good…”
99 Points
 
“… the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve shows the vintage beautifully and is more pure, classic, and elegant. Notes of crème de cassis, graphite, lead pencil shavings, and freshly crushed rocks give way to a medium to full-bodied, seamless Cabernet that has remarkable purity of fruit and impeccable balance…”
97+ Points
 
“… the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve sings of crème de cassis, kirsch, blackberry preserves and blueberry pie, with loads of chocolate box, floral and baking spices hints. Full-bodied with a firm, chewy frame and loads of savory accents, it delivers a long, multilayered finish…”
95 Points
2018 Paydirt Going For Broke Proprietary Red California

2018 Paydirt Going For Broke Proprietary Red California

with No Comment $30 and underCentral CoastKevin VogtPaso RoblesProprietary RedUSA

PAYDIRT

GOING FOR BROKE
PROPRIETARY RED
2018 CALIFORNIA

2018 Paydirt Going For Broke Proprietary Red California
Paydirt is an idiom about striking gold, defining a valuable or rewarding discovery, which is the feeling you’ll have when you taste this wine. The secret behind the palpable quality is in the dirt. With a core of Dusi Vineyard fruit, followed by Bokisch in Lodi and other vineyards in Paso Robles, Oak Knoll, and St Helena, Paydirt is deeply-rooted in heritage clones from ancient parcels. Jeb Dunnuck recently tasted the 2018 and alerted readers to this “delicious drinker,” so now would be the perfect time to stake your claim on a case. 
 
The 2018 blend married 81% old vine Zinfandel with Grenache, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Barbera, and Cabernet Sauvignon crafted by winemaker Kent Jarman. Kent is also the winemaker at Coup de Foudre and Kenefick Ranch and was previously the assistant winemaker at Duckhorn. 
 
This wine made its debut in 2010, and the winery proved they could hold-their-own in the competitive $30 red blend category. Now entering the 2018 vintage, they’re onto a new challenge in the sub $20 price range and based on the quality, they’re poised to dominate it.
 
PAYDIRT
GOING FOR BROKE
PROPRIETARY RED
2018 CALIFORNIA
 
Your Price: $19.99
 
 
“Brambly herbs, plum, framboise, and violet notes emerge from the 2018 Going For Broke, which is a Zinfandel-dominated blend that includes small amounts of Grenache, Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. Balanced and medium to full-bodied, with both richness and elegance, it’s a delicious drinker to enjoy over the coming 4-6 years or so.”
90 Points
2018 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

FAUST

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
The producers of Faust challenge themselves to create wines that purely express their Coombsville estate. They describe the wine as a modern classic that they craft in a bold style exemplifying their vineyard’s unique characteristics and dynamic terroir. At around $50, it’s one of Napa Valley’s best values in high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon.
 
Faust’s winemakers Jen Beloz and David Jelinek have every possible tool to make great wine inside Quintessa’s state-of-the-art winery in Rutherford. There, they craft a world-class Cabernet using an optical sorter that inspects each berry to ensure uniform ripeness before the juice travels gently by gravity through the winemaking process. 
 
The 2018 release is composed around a core of fruit from the winery’s estate vineyards in Coombsville and Rutherford and elevated with Atlas Peak, Mount Veeder, and Howell Mountain grapes, producing diverse and compelling flavors.
 
FAUST
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“Very attractive aromas of blackcurrants, black olives and dark leather with some cedar. It’s full-bodied with firm, silky tannins and a refined, polished finish. Shows finesse and focus. Grows on the palate. Really delicious now, but will improve with age. Drink or hold.”
94 Points
 
“…this full-bodied, highly expressive red is made from Coombsville estate grapes as well as grapes from sites in Rutherford and Oakville. It presents concentrated, burly black-fruit notes tempered by savory clove, espresso, leather and toasted oak.”
92 Points
 
“Intense yet fresh with juicy blue and black notes. Dark chocolate mixed with dried herbs seduces the palate, while silky tannins and lifting acidity lead to a layered and lingering finish.”
2017 B. Kosuge Pinot Noir The Shop, Carneros

2017 B. Kosuge Pinot Noir The Shop, Carneros

with No Comment $30 and underCarnerosKevin VogtNapaPinot NoirUSA

B. KOSUGE 

2017 PINOT NOIR
THE SHOP, CARNEROS 

2017 B. Kosuge Pinot Noir The Shop, Carneros
Byron Kosuge is a highly-skilled winemaker who’s spent decades immersed in Carneros Pinot Noir, but it’s his curious nature that sets him apart from the rest. He continually experiments with farming and fermentation techniques to create a more distinctive, fresher Pinot Noir. He describes his style as a “new tradition” of winemaking, inspired by old-world methods but recombining them in ways that seem to suit New World conditions. The results are brilliant, and at $30, his 2017 Carneros Pinot Noir is also a glaring value.
 
Byron spent the first 15 years of his winemaker career at Saintsbury Winery in Carneros, where he meticulosity studied the region and surrounding vineyards. His vast skill set has attracted several other high-quality Pinot producers like MIURA and Small Vines as the consulting winemaker. 
 
In the vineyard, and the cellar, Byron is incredibly hands-on; walking the vineyards, working the vines, sorting grapes. He ferments his Carneros Pinot in a combination of neutral oak vessels of various sizes and concrete, resulting in a clean, fresh style of Pinot Noir that’s remarkably balanced.
 
B. KOSUGE 
2017 PINOT NOIR
THE SHOP, CARNEROS
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“The 2017 Shop was, as usual, aged in a combination of neutral oak vessels of various sizes and concrete. In response to the somewhat riper flavors in the fruit, I included a fairly healthy portion of whole clusters in the fermentations, slightly more than usual, to help balance out the ripe fruit flavors. But no drastic changes. In its youth the wine was deeply colored, very plush and a bit brooding during its time in barrel and cask. Now, it still tends towards the darker fruit end of the spectrum. One other benefit of mature vines—despite the heat of the vintage, the alcohol checks in at surprisingly modest 13.3%”
2018 Grand Napa Master Red Napa Valley

2018 Grand Napa Master Red Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40CoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaProprietary RedSaint HelenaUSA

GRAND NAPA 

MASTER RED
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Grand Napa Master Red Napa Valley
Grand Napa Vineyards in Rutherford produces wine in an approachable style that’s keenly balanced, richly textured, and without hard edges. They seek vineyards that produce concentrated fruit, naturally balanced by elegant tannins. Their Master Red combines grapes from both warm and cool parts of the Valley and harmoniously balances fruit, acid, and structure, tying it all in with soft, velvety tannins. Notably, this wine earned double 92 point scores based on the winery’s $90 retail price, so at our price, you can be the judge.
 
Dwight Bonewell, the winemaker at Grand Napa, keeps a black book of secret vineyard sources, and he created his 2018 Master Red from top sites in Coombsville and Saint Helena. His 2018 combines 55% Cabernet Sauvignon with nearly equal parts Malbec and Merlot. 
 
2018 was a faultless growing season, virtually uninterrupted by significant heat spikes, providing a prolonged hang-time and allowing the fruit to accumulate intense flavor and complexity. Grand Napa’s 2018 Master Red envelopes your palate in a blanket of red and black fruits, crushed flowers, black coffee, and soft, velvety tannins.
 
GRAND NAPA 
MASTER RED
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $90
 
 
 
“Loads of black cherries, currants, tobacco leaf, chocolate, and spring flower notes emerge from the 2018 Master Red. A medium to full-bodied, lightly textured blend with integrated tannins and a clean, classy finish, I’d be thrilled to drink bottles any time over the coming 10-15 years.”
92 Points
 
“Savory aromas of dried mushroom and oyster shell on the nose, layered with dried blackcurrant and tobacco. It’s medium- to full-bodied with sleek, integrated tannins. Flavorful with a juicy, savory finish. Try from 2021.”
92 Points
2018 Vineyard 29 Cru Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Vineyard 29 Cru Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $60-$70Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaSt. HelenaUSA

VINEYARD 29

CRU CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Vineyard 29 Cru Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Vineyard 29 utilizes a combination of Old-World techniques and the most advanced methods available in their constant pursuit of perfection. These processes include everything from gravity flow tanks, an optical sorter that can be programmed algorithmically, to a control room that monitors the conditions inside the vineyards, caves, and winery. They center their philosophy on Elevage, which translates to raising the wine from grape to bottle. The 2018 Cru Cabernet perfectly portrays the character of the Napa Valley terroir, and as Jeb Dunnuck writes, it does so with “notable purity, balance, and length.”
 
The wine team thoughtfully constructed the 2018 release from fourteen vineyards, with their core composed of parcels surrounding the winery’s Estate in St Helena. The winemaking team hand-selects the balance of fruit from different parts of the Valley, creating a well-rounded and richly layered Cabernet that’s effortlessly balanced. 
 
Vineyard 29 Winemaker Keith Emerson has crafted this wine since the inaugural vintage in 2005. He gained invaluable experience while working alongside Philippe Melka on the winery’s high-scoring Estate wines through 2017, while Philippe was consulting winemaker. At under $100, this is a steal in terms of the sheer quality of what’s inside the bottle.
 
VINEYARD 29
CRU CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $75
 
Your Price: $69.99
 
 
“Plums, Asian spices, tobacco, and lead pencil notes emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Cru, which hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a beautifully polished, elegant texture, and outstanding length. This is another gorgeous 2018 displaying notable purity, balance, and length as well as richness. It can be drunk any time over the coming 15+ years.”
94 Points
#28 Top Napa Cabernet Under $100
 
“The 2018 CRU Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon holds nothing back upon opening. Grilled meat, cocoa and Bing cherry perfume a beautifully expressive nose. Pulling from multiple vineyards throughout Napa Valley, this wine truly encompasses the incredible diversity that our valley has to offer. Firm tannins and structure house notes of cassis, plums, black peppercorns and fresh tobacco leaf. This wine finishes with a long, weighty finish that never loses its focus and remains pure throughout.”
2016 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montalcino Montalcino, Italy

2016 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montalcino Montalcino, Italy

with No Comment $60-$70BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin Vogt

CASTELLO ROMITORIO 

2016 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY 

2016 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montalcino Montalcino, Italy
Vinous describes the 2016 Brunellos as “a well-muscled black stallion in its prime…. dark yet radiant, expressive, nearly explosive at times, yet pure, poised and structured.” The vintage marks the second epic year in a row for Brunello, and top producers like Castello Romitorio excelled. Their team has an intimate knowledge of their land and immense respect for tradition, which acts as the perfect vessel for expressing Brunello’s essence from their remarkable Estate.
 
Castello Romitorio has Italian history embedded in its DNA. The Estate dates back to the Middle Ages and is ideally positioned northwest of Montalcino’s town. The vineyard has soils composed of clay and Albarese, from which fossils and shells emerge, evidence of an ancient coastal seabed.
 
The winery’s flagship Brunello powerfully reflects the Estate’s history and is magnified by the superb vintage. The team that produces it hand sorts each berry before and after destemming. They ferment slowly for 20 days, which contributes to the dark color and power of this wine. After maturing for 24 months in oak and a year in the bottle before release, this wine is ready to make you smile.
 
CASTELLO ROMITORIO 
2016 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY
 
Your Price: $65
 
 
“The Castello Romitorio 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is a classic expression of the vintage, showing lots of ripe fruit, crushed mineral, herbal nuances and varietal-driven purity. This wine nails that sweet spot between elegance and power that is not easily achieved. It offers an expanded array of Sangiovese flavors with wild cherry, forest floor, crushed clove and medicinal herb, but it also shows plump density and a velvety texture…”
95 Points
 
“Dark, brooding and geared for the cellar, the 2016 Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino takes its time opening up in the glass, yet patience is rewarded, as a mix of blackberry and cherry further blossoms, adding crushed stone minerality with hints of sage, lavender and violets. It’s silky and textural upon entry, yet it firms up quickly through a mix of vibrant acids and saturating fine tannin. However, there’s plenty of density to its primary fruits, feeling almost weighty in this youthful state yet perfectly balanced all the same. Savory herbs and spice linger along with tart red berries on the long, structured and dramatic finish…”
95 Points
2017 Ten Acre Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2017 Ten Acre Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

TEN ACRE

2017 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST

2017 Ten Acre Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
The wine team at Ten Acre believes that they should make wine with respect for the land’s character from which they celebrate. Their 2017 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir celebrates three remarkable cool-climate vineyards farmed by passionate growers. They choose each specific block for its defined sense of location, and then carefully blended it so all three vineyards shine through.
 
This Pinot Noir strategically combines fruit from Three Perch, Stephens, and Jenkins Vineyards, producing tiny-yields of powerfully expressive Pinot Noir berries. Each site is grown in Goldridge soils, highly regarded for producing premium Pinot Noir fruit. 
 
Michael Zardo, the winemaker at Ten Acre, was previously the assistant winemaker at Pisoni Vineyards. He crafts balanced, expressive, terroir-driven wines, which he achieves through gentle winemaking, and fermenting with native yeast. The quality of fruit, skilled craftsmanship and balance of this wine is very distinctive and worth every cent.
 
TEN ACRE
2017 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $38
 
 
“… Moderate garnet color in the glass. Very appealing aromas of darker red and purple fruits with hints of spice and white pepper. More concentrated than the Russian River Valley bottling, featuring a mid weight array of blue and purple fruits along with a touch of oak and licorice. Nicely integrated tannins and some finishing persistence.”
90 Points

“Embodying the character and quality of the three vineyards it comes from, this dynamic Pinot Noir combines luxurious fruit with layered complexity. On the nose, aromas of plum, black cherry, rhubarb and sweet baking spices mingle with sophisticated hints of sage, graphite and crunchy fall leaves. The red and black fruits is echoed on the palate, where lively underling acidity frames the blackberry, cherry and pomegranate flavors, while drawing the wine to a long, bright finish.”
2017 Luke Goldschmidt Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley

2017 Luke Goldschmidt Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley

with No Comment $30 and underAlexander ValleyCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtSonomaUSA

LUKE GOLDSCHMIDT

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2017 ALEXANDER VALLEY

2017 Luke Goldschmidt Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
Goldschmidt wines highlight a region’s most distinct characteristics and present them in an intense, well-balanced style. Some of their best examples come from Alexander Valley, where Nick Goldschmidt has extensive experience. Nick’s son Luke also has experience making wine worldwide, from Chile, France, Spain, and Argentina to New Zealand. Together, they crafted this wine which at $22 perfectly reflects Alexander Valley’s rich terroir.
 
The 2017 vintage is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from low-vigor vines, yielding just 3.5 tons per acre of highly concentrated berries. The wine is deep and rich on the palate, layered with red and black fruits, cocoa, cherry pipe tobacco, and dried herbs. 
 
Nick and Luke fermented this release in a combination of French, American, and Hungarian oak barrels, which added compelling spice notes and vexations of toasty oak. Just like in previous Goldschmidt Cabernets, this beauty out-performs others at double its price.
 
LUKE GOLDSCHMIDT
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2017 ALEXANDER VALLEY
Retails at: $25
 
Your Price: $22
 
 
“Nicely focused red cherry and red raspberry aromas. Loaded with red berry fruit flavors with a touch of caramel, dark chocolate, and toasty oak. Full and well-structured from the long hang time. The texture is smooth and the mouth medium bodied. White pepper and spice in the finish with long and supple tannins.”