2024 Far Niente Chardonnay Napa Valley

2024 Far Niente Chardonnay Napa Valley

with No Comment $50-$60ChardonnayCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

Far Niente

Chardonnay 2024
Napa Valley

2024 Far Niente Chardonnay Napa Valley

Defined by control and guided by grace, Far Niente’s 2024 Chardonnay achieves richness and precision in equal measure. It feels sculpted, its cool-climate origins articulated through vibrant acidity and a firm mineral spine. By forgoing malolactic fermentation, the wine preserves a crystalline edge, allowing the estate’s proprietary “Charlemagne” selection to reveal layered texture with focus.

Rooted in Coombsville’s gravelly loam and volcanic ash soils, it carries a mineral tension that grounds its generosity. These well-draining sites promote slow ripening, building depth while safeguarding natural acidity. The wine broadens across the palate, then narrows with purpose, finishing long and composed, its architecture as deliberate as its texture.

Balance is the defining signature. Acidity remains vivid, fruit precise, oak integrated rather than pronounced. Nothing dominates; everything aligns. The 2024 does not chase opulence. It relies on proportion, site, and discipline to create a Chardonnay that is confident, structured, and enduringly compelling.

Far Niente
Chardonnay 2024
Napa Valley
Retails at: $76

Your Price: $59.99

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“The Far Niente 2024 Napa Valley Chardonnay captivates with an elegance and freshness complemented by a subtle richness, beginning with aromas of citrus blossoms, honeydew melon, ripe nectarine, and sweet cream. On the palate, the wine offers flavors of vibrant lemon and lime zest, hints of vanilla, and delicate baking spices. The wine has a silky texture, balanced acidity and flavors, and a long, polished finish.”

94 Points

2024 Zialena Sauvignon Blanc Geyserville

2024 Zialena Sauvignon Blanc Geyserville

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtSauvignon BlancUSA

Zialena

Sauvignon Blanc
Geyserville, 2024

2024 Zialena Sauvignon Blanc Geyserville

The 2024 Zialena Sauvignon Blanc is the product of nearly a century of uninterrupted stewardship. From the same Alexander Valley estate first cultivated by Giuseppe Mazzoni in the early 1900s, it carries forward a lineage rarely seen in California, where ownership, farming, and intent have remained aligned across generations.

That continuity finds its clearest expression in the cellar, where Mark Mazzoni approaches the wine with experience shaped by decades rather than ideology. Fermentation in concrete, including egg-shaped vessels, allows the wine to evolve without interference, preserving what the vineyard gives while refining texture and structure. Each decision reflects a familiarity earned over decades, not imposed in pursuit of style.

The 2024 growing season unfolded with a steady rhythm that favored balance, allowing the vineyard to progress without interruption. At a site shaped by decades of observation, these are the years that matter most. The wine captures that alignment, where conditions and experience converge to produce something both precise and complete.

Zialena
Sauvignon Blanc
Geyserville, 2024
Retails at: $38

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“The Zialena 2024 Sauvignon Blanc from Alexander Valley opens with the inviting scent of lemon poppy seed muffins, followed by bright Meyer lemon, honeydew melon, and juicy mango, accented by orange blossom florals and vanilla. On the palate, the wine has rich, concentrated flavors of lemon curd, sweet cream, raw almonds, hints of tropical fruits, and delicate floral notes, giving a balance between freshness and roundness. The finish is long and polished, showcasing both opulence and brightness.”

94 Points

2022 Gritsch Riesling 1000-Eimerberg Austria

2022 Gritsch Riesling 1000-Eimerberg Austria

with No Comment $30-$40AustriaRiesling

Gritsch

Riesling 2022
1000-Eimerberg
Federspiel, Wachau – Austria

2022 Gritsch Riesling 1000-Eimerberg Austria

Rooted in centuries of continuity, Gritsch’s 1000-Eimerberg Federspiel Riesling draws its identity from one of the Wachau’s most enduring estates. The Mauritiushof in Spitz traces its origins to the 13th century, when it served as a place for monks to collect grapes along the Danube. In the hands of the Gritsch family since 1799, it stands today as a rare link between medieval viticulture and modern precision.

That continuity is tested and affirmed on the steep terraces of 1000-Eimerberg, a dramatic hillside rising above Spitz that defines both the challenge and character of the wine. The slopes are precipitous and unforgiving, leaving no room for shortcuts and requiring every vine to be worked by hand along ancient stone walls. This physical rigor shapes the wine’s profile, yielding fruit marked by focus, energy, and natural tension.

Dry and measured at 12.5% ABV, the 2022 vintage expresses the 1000-Eimerberg site with striking clarity. The wine moves with lift and purpose, its structure guided by natural acidity and restraint rather than weight. What lingers is a precise imprint of place, a Riesling that translates steep terraces and careful hands into a focused, articulate whole.

Gritsch
Riesling 2022
1000-Eimerberg
Federspiel, Wachau – Austria

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“The 2022 Riesling 1000-Eimerberg Federspiel is perfumed with zesty citrus tones, reminiscent of Seville orange peel. The palate is brilliantly pure and ripe, dancing in on light feet and charming with its rounded citrus ripeness. This is smooth, fresh, enticing and totally charming. Light in body and relatively mild, this is a wine to entice skeptics to Riesling. (Dry)”

90 Points

2023 Sentium By Continuum Sauvignon Blanc Mendocino

2023 Sentium By Continuum Sauvignon Blanc Mendocino

with No Comment $70-$80Kevin VogtMendocinoMendocino RidgeSauvignon BlancUSA

Sentium

By Continuum
Sauvignon Blanc
Mendocino, 2023

2023 Sentium By Continuum Sauvignon Blanc Mendocino

Sentium stands apart for one clear reason: it treats Sauvignon Blanc as a wine of structure and longevity, not just freshness. Drawn from old-vine fruit in Mendocino, it delivers a rare combination of mineral precision, layered texture, and power. As the white wine expression of Continuum Estate, it carries that same uncompromising pursuit of precision into an entirely different register.

Its character takes shape in Redwood Valley, where cooling Pacific influence meets ample sun, creating a natural balance between ripeness and moderation. This steady pace slows ripening, preserving tension while allowing the fruit to reach full phenolic maturity. In 2023, that equilibrium comes through cleanly, where freshness and concentration move in seamless alignment.

The cellar work reinforces that balance through a deliberate, multi-vessel élevage. Concrete, stainless steel, and neutral oak each add dimension, while extended lees aging builds texture and density through the mid-palate. The result is a Sauvignon Blanc of uncommon shape and persistence, expansive yet precise, leaving a lasting impression that extends well beyond the variety’s expected limits.

Sentium
By Continuum
Sauvignon Blanc
Mendocino, 2023

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“The 2023 release totals approximately 188 cases. This vintage delivers beautifully luscious fruit, marked by lemon-leaf pithiness and notes of crushed Marcona almonds. There’s excellent tension and grip here, with the wine showing its hallmark medium-bodied richness and silky, satiny fruit character. Laced with vibrant acid tension, it finishes long with flinty minerality, a kiss of tarragon, and a lingering saline edge. Chiara Mondavi set out to find older, organically farmed vines cared for by family growers. Her search led her to Mendocino’s Redwood Valley, where vineyards planted between the 1940s and 1970s provided the perfect fit for her vision of crafting textured, ageworthy Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.”

96 Points

Ghost Block Sauvignon Blanc wine bottle from MorganLee Vineyard, Napa Valley.

2024 Ghost Block Sauvignon Blanc MorgaenLee Vineyard

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtNapaSauvignon BlancUSAYountville

Ghost Block

Sauvignon Blanc
MorgaenLee Vineyard
Yountville 2024

Ghost Block Sauvignon Blanc wine bottle from MorganLee Vineyard, Napa Valley.

In a valley defined by Cabernet, crafting a Sauvignon Blanc of substance takes conviction. Yountville provides ideal conditions, with warm afternoons and cool evenings that sharpen flavor while preserving texture. The 2024 Ghost Block Sauvignon Blanc captures that equilibrium with precision, layering lemon citrus, grapefruit, and fresh florals over structure shaped by old vines and intentional blending. This is Sauvignon Blanc with lineage and depth, built with purpose.

Its foundation is organically farmed, dry-farmed vines, some planted in 1978, their roots set deep in Yountville soils. The block is harvested in three measured passes, each pick capturing a distinct point of maturity, from vibrant citrus tension to fuller ripeness. Together, they form a complete portrait of one vineyard, amplifying complexity without losing sense of place.

In the cellar, that detail is preserved and refined. Whole-cluster pressing maintains purity, while barrel fermentation and seven months of aging shape integration and lift. A modest 2 percent of Sémillon adds subtle breadth to the mid-palate, extending the finish without softening the wine’s edge. The result is poised and luminous, a Sauvignon Blanc of precision, texture, and lasting presence.

Ghost Block
Sauvignon Blanc
MorgaenLee Vineyard
Yountville 2024
Retails at: $35

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“The Ghost Block 2024 MorgaenLee Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc hails from Yountville in Napa Valley and opens with an exuberant bouquet of cherry blossoms, jasmine, gooseberries, freshly cut lemon slices, ruby grapefruit, passion fruit, mangos, golden apples, and a wet stone minerality. On the palate, the wine is bright and energetic, with crisp acidity, flavors of lemon zest, white peaches, and guavas, all seamlessly layered. This wine has a clean, focused precision and structure, enhancing its freshness, with a long, refreshing finish.”

94 Points

2024 Raig De Raim Garnatxa Blanca Terra Alta, Spain

2024 Raig De Raim Garnatxa Blanca Terra Alta, Spain

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtProprietary WhiteSpain

Raig De Raïm

Garnatxa Blanca
Terra Alta, Spain 2024

2024 Raig De Raim Garnatxa Blanca Terra Alta, Spain

From Terra Alta, the widely recognized birthplace of Garnatxa Blanca, Raig de Raïm stands as a definitive expression of what the grape can achieve at its highest level. Precise yet generous, it delivers energy and structure in equal measure, revealing Garnatxa Blanca’s full range with all elements in a steady balance. Its sense of completeness feels earned rather than constructed, the natural result of shaping the variety where it has always belonged.

That precision is rooted firmly in Terra Alta’s soils. Organically farmed vines, aged between 10 and 25 years, are planted in clay-chalky terrain that naturally promotes lift and definition. These conditions sharpen acidity and give the wine its architectural line, allowing fruit and structure to move together rather than with weight.

In the cellar, careful handling completes the picture. Temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel preserves aromatic detail and freshness, allowing the wine’s natural energy to remain intact. There is no oak to soften or distract, only a clear, focused expression that carries through to a finish defined by lift, and linear persistence.

Raig De Raïm
Garnatxa Blanca
Terra Alta, Spain 2024

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“The color of pale straw in the glass, this blend of Garnatxa blanco and Macabeo deliver fresh, youthful enticement with a combination of citrus blossoms, ripe apples, pear, and a squeeze of fresh pineapple. The acidity is well housed in a succulent palate and crisp finish.”

91 Points

2021 Casina Bric Nebbiolo Cuvee 970 Origo Ginis Brut Rose

with No Comment $30-$40Champagne/SparklingItalyKevin Vogt

Casina Bric

Nebbiolo Cuvée 970
Origo Ginis Brut Rosé
Spumante d’Alba 2021

Sparkling Nebbiolo remains one of Italy’s most compelling outliers, and Casina Bric’s Nebbiolo d’Alba Cuvée 970 Spumante Brut Rosé stands among its most convincing expressions. Drawn from the rare Nebbiolo d’Alba Spumante designation, the wine reframes expectations, showing how Nebbiolo’s structure and energy can translate into lift and finesse rather than weight.

Cuvée 970 reflects a deliberate, measured approach to sparkling winemaking. Extended time on the lees builds depth and cohesion, while careful handling preserves brightness and freshness. The result is a wine with natural composure, where texture and precision work together and elegance never comes at the expense of character.

Nebbiolo seldom appears in sparkling form, and that rarity lies at the heart of Cuvée 970’s appeal. Casina Bric resists softening the grape’s identity, instead preserving its natural tension and vitality. Freshness, structure, and lift move in concert, yielding a sparkling rosé that feels articulate and precise, carrying Nebbiolo’s unmistakable verve in a form that is both unexpected and entirely convincing.

Casina Bric
Nebbiolo Cuvée 970
Origo Ginis Brut Rosé
Spumante d’Alba 2021

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“The Cascina Bric 2021 Cuvée 970 Nebbiolo d’Alba Spumante Rosé has a fine, persistent mousse,and opens with aromas of white strawberry, ripe peach, and pink grapefruit, layered with hints of raspberry and maraschino cherry. On the palate, delicate red berry fruit takes center stage, with hints of strawberry shortcake. The fruit feels pure and is carried by just enough acidity for a crisp, refreshing finish.”

93 Points

2021 Marquis de Goulaine Touraine Sauvignon Blanc Loire Valley France

2021 Marquis de Goulaine Touraine Sauvignon Blanc Loire Valley France

with No Comment $30 and underFranceKevin VogtLoire ValleySancerreSauvignon Blanc

Marquis de Goulaine

Touraine Sauvignon Blanc
Les Landelles 2021
Loire Valley, France

2021 Marquis de Goulaine Touraine Sauvignon Blanc Loire Valley France

Marquis de Goulaine’s Les Landelles Sauvignon Blanc delivers a level of freshness, balance, and site expression that immediately sets it apart as an exceptional value. Floral aromatics and fresh herbal notes emerge with immediacy and restraint, capturing Touraine’s cool influence and mineral soils in strikingly pure form.

That purity is rooted firmly in Touraine’s geology and climate. Beneath the vines, tuffeau limestone intermingles with sands and flint clays, soils that naturally favor tension and aromatic definition. Above ground, the region’s position between Atlantic influence and a more continental rhythm allows Sauvignon Blanc to ripen slowly, preserving acidity while sharpening expression.

Les Landelles delivers its message with Loire-like precision. Bright acidity defines the structure, bringing focus to citrus and herbal notes while allowing the wine’s mineral character to surface naturally. There is no excess weight, resulting in a finish that feels both refreshing and distinctly place-driven.

Marquis de Goulaine
Touraine Sauvignon Blanc
Les Landelles 2021
Loire Valley, France

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“The Marquis de Goulaine 2021 Touraine Les Landelles is lively and expressive, with aromas of lime zest, grapefruit pith, subtle green tropical fruit notes, and freshly cut grass, white peach, and chalky soil. On the palate, the wine is sharp and focused, driven by racy acidity and flavors of citrus, green apple, and gooseberry, with a Touraine limestone minerality. The wine finishes clean and with hints of oceanic salinity and a crisp, refreshing sensation.”

94 Points

2021 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Rrussian River Valley

2021 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Russian River Valley

with No Comment $70-$80ChardonnayKevin VogtRussian River ValleySonomaUSA

Shibumi Knoll

Chardonnay 2021
Corazon del Río Vineyard
Russian River Valley

2021 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Rrussian River Valley

Shibumi Knoll occupies a rare place in California Chardonnay, guided by intention rather than scale and shaped by the skilled hand of Thomas Rivers Brown. The result is a wine that speaks in a higher register, focused, precise, and alive with detail, offering a clear counterpoint to the estate’s more mature expressions.

Within the renowned Buena Tierra Vineyard, one small block behaves differently. Its younger vines yield fruit with sharper edges, brighter energy, and a natural tension that demands restraint. The 2021 Corazon del Rio Chardonnay is drawn from this block and shaped to emphasize clarity and lift. What emerges is a wine with nerve and definition, alive rather than polished into submission.

Nothing here feels accidental. Time in barrel brings texture and dimension without dulling the wine’s natural edge, keeping tension at the core of the experience. The palate is persistent and finely tuned, delivering intensity through precision rather than force. It is a Chardonnay that rewards attention, unfolding gradually and revealing its depth with patience, not haste.

Shibumi Knoll
Chardonnay 2021
Corazon del Río Vineyard
Russian River Valley

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“The 2021 Chardonnay Corazon Del Rio Vineyard is another brilliant Chardonnay (these are all made by Thomas Rivers Brown) from the Russian River Valley. Bright citrus, honeyed flowers, and subtle toasty oak notes define the aromatics, and its medium-bodied, has a fresh, focused mouthfeel, terrific balance, and a great finish. I’d be thrilled with bottles in the cellar.”

95 Points

2024 Ronsard Sancerre La Pleiade Loire Valley France

2024 Ronsard Sancerre La Pleiade Loire Valley France

with No Comment $30-$40FranceKevin VogtSancerre

Ronsard

Sancerre La Pléiade
Loire Valley, France 2024

2024 Ronsard Sancerre La Pleiade Loire Valley France

The La Pléiade Sancerre opens with the pristine radiance that only the Loire’s greatest vineyards can summon. A blend drawn from celebrated plots such as Chêne Marchand, Les Monts Damnés, Chasseignes, and Les Deserts, La Pléiade captures the valley’s dual nature: the cool, stony edges of its Kimmeridgian slopes and the gentle, sunlit contours of its clay-rich parcels.

What sets La Pléiade apart is the seamless way these sites come together in the glass. The limestone parcels drive a spine of mineral energy, while the clay slopes offer a rounder, more generous register, giving the wine both tension and veiled amplitude. It’s a Sauvignon Blanc that feels both effortless and profound, showcasing its terroir with striking precision.

Ronsard’s minimalist touch in the cellar allows this interplay of soils to shine without distraction. Stainless-steel fermentation keeps the profile clean and vivid, while gentle clarification protects the wine’s natural texture. La Pléiade speaks in its own voice, delivering a purity that honors both the vineyards and the heritage of Sancerre.

Ronsard
Sancerre La Pléiade
Loire Valley, France 2024

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“The Ronsard 2024 Sancerre ‘La Pleiade’ opens with fresh aromas of pink grapefruit, lemon zest, white pepper, and a saline, flinty minerality. On the palate, the wine is pure and refreshing, with playful citrus notes, elderflower and white blossoms, crisp tension, and a linear focus. The minerality is precise, recalling wet stone and chalk, while the texture is both delicate and refined. The wine’s balance is vibrant yet harmonious, with a clean, mouthwatering essence that layers notes of crisp, mineral-driven flavors into an absolutely compelling finish.”

95 Points