2019 Baxter Chardonnay Oppenlander Vineyard

2019 Baxter Chardonnay Oppenlander Vineyard

with No Comment $30-$40ChardonnayKevin VogtMendocinoUSA

BAXTER

OPPENLANDER VINEYARD
CHARDONNAY 2019

2019 Baxter Chardonnay Oppenlander Vineyard
Philip Baxter gained inspiration for winemaking as a young boy working alongside his father, an influential figure and a supporter of his endeavors. After attending UC Davis, Phil took an internship in Burgundy. In France, he contributed to wine production from more than 30 vineyards ranging from village level to Grand Cru, developing French-winemaking techniques he would later bring to California.
 
Baxter wines are exclusively handmade, benefiting from Philip’s 17 years of experience and gentle, traditional French techniques that celebrate the varietal and the terroir. The grapes came from a small block on the Oppenlander vineyard. They were harvested by hand, fermented in neutral French oak, and aged on the lees for 12 months, adding body to the fresh, pure fruit flavors for a domestic Chablisienne-style Chardonnay that’ll rock your world when you try it.
 
BAXTER
OPPENLANDER VINEYARD
CHARDONNAY 2019
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“The 2019 Baxter Oppenlander Chardonnay has an alluring nose opening with chamomile, orange zest, green apple, Meyer lemon, brioche, vanilla ice cream, and crushed rocks. The aromas transfer to the palate with the added complexity of white peach, apricot, and nectarine with a hint of freshly baked brioche. The bright acidity complements the zesty minerality and crisp fruit flavors that portray elegance in a glass and varietal purity.”
94 Points
2020 Domaines Ott Chateau De Selle Rose Cotes De Provence

2020 Domaines Ott Chateau De Selle Rose Cotes De Provence

with No Comment $40-$50FranceKevin VogtProvenceProvenceRosé

DOMAINES OTT

CHÂTEAU DE SELLE ROSÉ
CÔTES DE PROVENCE 2020

2020 Domaines Ott Chateau De Selle Rose Cotes De Provence
Provence is the oldest winemaking region in France and the only in the world dedicated to rosé. Marcel Ott purchased several acres in the late 1800s, and 125 years later, the family estates are still run by the Ott family, with each Domaine producing wines of definition and allegiance to each vineyard’s unique terroir.
 
Chateau de Selle’s Vineyard sits on gypsum, red clay, dolomite, and sandstone mixed with gravel and large stones nestled high into the limestone slopes sheltered from winter frosts and harsh weather. The vines are grown on terraced vineyards that procure nuances from the diverse soils influenced by the sea, giving the 2020 vintage laser definition, making it “another gorgeous Ott,” as written by James Suckling.
 
DOMAINES OTT
CHÂTEAU DE SELLE ROSÉ
CÔTES DE PROVENCE 2020
Retails at: $54
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“…Ott’s 2020 Cotes de Provence Rose Chateau de Selle boasts restrained aromas of peach, melon and citrus underscored by hints of crushed stone. In the mouth, it’s medium-bodied and concentrated, with ample intensity, a slightly creamy texture and a long, mouthwatering finish. Like the other top rosés of Domaines Ott, this is a wine that is often better in its second year.”
93 Points
 
“This is big on drinkability with light cherry, strawberry and peach aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, creamy and minerally with fresh, stony character. Vivid at the end. Another gorgeous Ott. Drink now.”
93 Points
2017 Patz & Hall Chardonnay Duttin Ranch Vineyard

2017 Patz & Hall Chardonnay Duttin Ranch Vineyard

with No Comment $30-$40ChardonnayKevin VogtSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

PATZ & HALL

2017 CHARDONNAY
DUTTON RANCH VINEYARD

2017 Patz & Hall Chardonnay Duttin Ranch Vineyard
James Hall and Donald Patz were colleagues at Flora Springs Winery before realizing they had shared passion for wines with a sense of place and character, and so they built a friendship around their love for small lot wine production. In 1988 Patz & Hall was founded by Donald and Heather Patz, James Hall, and Anne Moses, and has since maintained a solid reputation of excellence, consistently producing brilliant wines from some of Sonoma’s most well-renowned vineyards and growers.
 
The Dutton Ranch vineyard is home to some of the oldest Chardonnay vines in western Sonoma County, with partial dry farming producing intensely concentrated berries. The 2017 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay is a blend of five clones- Hyde-Wente, Robert Young, Rued, UC Davis Clone 4, and Spring Mountain, aged in 35% new Burgundian French oak giving the wine some spice while allowing the fruit shine.
 
PATZ & HALL
2017 CHARDONNAY
DUTTON RANCH VINEYARD
Retails at: $48
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
 
“From the Russian River, the 2017 Chardonnay Dutton Ranch is a step up and has more intensity and depth, with a rocking bouquet of honey stone fruits, brioche, toasted hazelnuts, and crushed stone. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and beautifully balanced, with bright acidity, it has a kiss of background oak but is a seriously good, layered effort that will cruise for 5-7 years, probably longer.”
96 Points
2019 Flowers Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

2019 Flowers Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $30-$40ChardonnayKevin VogtSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

FLOWERS

2019 CHARDONNAY
SONOMA COAST

2019 Flowers Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
The heart of the winemaking philosophy at Flowers is for the wine to express its origin and promote the unique flavors of the rough, rugged, and remote coastal ridges of the Sonoma Coast. Three distinct qualities define the vineyards used to source their Chardonnay: extreme elevation, coastal influence, and sustainable farming practices that together create a haven for growing cool-climate varieties.
 
Winemaker Chantal Forthun believes in low intervention and uses a natural yeast strain from the skin of the grapes for fermentation, giving Flowers wines their particular characteristics. The 2019 vintage saw a cold, wet winter, followed by a mild spring and summer, resulting in moderate to slow ripening for delicate but complex layers of flavor with bright acidity and a pleasantly lingering finish. Our panel was thrilled with the quality of their 2019 Chardonnay, marking one of their best vintages yet, offering a stratospherically high level of quality for its value price.
 
FLOWERS
2019 CHARDONNAY
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $50
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“I love the Chardonnay from this estate, and their appellation 2019 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast is well worth seeking out, revealing a lighter gold hue as well as a crisp, nicely defined bouquet of poached pear, citrus, spice, and hazelnuts. Beautiful on the palate as well, it’s medium-bodied and has nicely integrated acidity, notable balance, and a great finish.”
94 Points
 
“Rich and finely textured, with concentrated white fruit flavors that show buttery hints. The spicy finish lingers with minerally snap and creamy accents. Drink now through 2025.”
92 Points
Louis Roederer Collection 242 Brut Champagne

Louis Roederer Collection 242 Brut Champagne

with No Comment $50-$60ChampagneChampagne/SparklingFranceKevin Vogt

LOUIS ROEDERER 

COLLECTION 242 
BRUT CHAMPAGNE

Louis Roederer Collection 242 Brut Champagne
Champagne is one of the coolest growing regions in France and has seen a significant increase in temperatures resulting in riper flavors, undesirable for Champagne production. Louis Roederer has taken this as an opportunity to redefine their estate plots and historic partnerships in the Coeur de Terroir with the region’s acclaimed chalky soils and by harvesting earlier before the grapes accumulate too much sugar.
 
Collection 242 is the estate’s 242nd blend since its founding and where the art of blending comes into play with 34% Perpetual Reserve, 10% oak-aged reserve wines from 2009 through 2016 vintages, and 56% of the 2017 vintage. This new-age approach combined with old-world methods and Louis Roederer’s continuing drive for ultimate quality is an evolution in style necessary to preserve the integrity of Champagne. The results are breathtaking and should be a part of your holiday celebrations this year.
 
LOUIS ROEDERER 
COLLECTION 242 
BRUT CHAMPAGNE
 
Your Price: $55
 
 
“Aromas of cooked apple, bread dough and lemon tart follow through to a full body with round, delicious fruit and a rich, flavorful finish. Yet, it remains tight and fine with lovely, compressed bubbles. New energy and freshness. Medium-to full-bodied with layers of fruit and vivid intensity. 42% chardonnay, 36% pinot noir and 22% pinot meunier. 8 grams dosage. Four years on the less. A new-format non-vintage that designates the year of the 242nd harvest, 2017, plus reserve wine of 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Drink or hold.”
94 Points
 
“So much for the composition and concept of the new NV Brut Collection 242, but how does it taste? This debut release is very impressive indeed, wafting from the glass with notes of pear, peach, ripe citrus fruit, toasted almonds, fresh pastry and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and textural, it’s concentrated and layered, with lively acids, an enlivening pinpoint mousse and a long, sapid finish. Brut Premier was already a very persuasive wine, but the new Brut Collection nevertheless represents a step up.”
93+ Points
2017 Raoul Gautherin Grand Cru Chablis Les Clos

2017 Raoul Gautherin Grand Cru Chablis Les Clos

with No Comment $80-$90BurgandyChablisChardonnayKevin VogtUSA

RAOUL GAUTHERIN

GRAND CRU CHABLIS
2017 LES CLOS

2017 Raoul Gautherin Grand Cru Chablis Les Clos
Chablis exemplifies the purest expression of Chardonnay through minimal intervention in the vineyard and winery, the use of natural yeasts, and the limited use of oak, prioritizing the delicate nuances of flavor. Adrien Gautherin of Domaine Raoul Gautherin vinifies his Grand Cru Chablis Les Clos in tanks and ages it in old barrels, creating a wine with incredible aging potential. 
 
Grand Cru vineyards in Chablis are grown in 160 million-year-old sedimentary limestone-rich clay, known as Kimmeridgian marl, famous for giving wines with vibrant character, racy acidity, and a zesty mineral component. These world-class Chardonnays begin showing their spectacular depth and charm after three to four years, which is where this one is right now, and with only 120 cases produced, don’t hesitate to secure yours.
 
RAOUL GAUTHERIN
GRAND CRU CHABLIS
2017 LES CLOS
Retails at: $100
 
Your Price: $89
 
 
“The 2017 Raoul Gautherin & Fils Grand Cru Chablis Les Clos has an exquisite nose with aromas of honeysuckle, white blossoms, green apples, white peaches, and brioche. The flavors on the palate are reminiscent of a butter pecan ice cream, coating the palate in a creamy mouthfeel but finishing on a crisp note with the wine’s natural acidity. This wine can be enjoyed now but will really shine after laying down in the cellar for a few more years.”
93 Points
2019 Red Car Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

2019 Red Car Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $30 and underChardonnayKevin VogtSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

RED CAR

2016 CHARDONNAY
SONOMA COAST

2019 Red Car Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
Built from a collection of coastal vineyards, Red Car’s 2016 Chardonnay is tuned with fruit from Kent Ritchie’s Vineyard, which has an epic history of producing some of California’s most distinguished Chardonnays. This wine gains additional complexity from Red Car Estate, Zephyr Farms, Manchester Ridge, and Hawk Hill Vineyards, crossing the finish line with clarity, balance, and delicate textures. 
 
Red Car parks their Sonoma Coast Chardonnay in primarily neutral oak barrels, creating a racy, fresh, inviting wine, and time in the bottle has increased richness and made the fruit softer and more supple, resulting in a wine that’s a joy ride to drink right now. 
 
RED CAR
2016 CHARDONNAY
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $28
 
 
“An oaky nose of caramel and brioche gives way to a lighter, brighter midpalate of high-toned acidity and fresh flavors of lemon and tangerine. The ripeness is balanced and well integrated with the tannin and oak.”
90 Points
2020 Domaines Ott By. Ott Provence Rose

2020 Domaines Ott By. Ott Provence Rose

with No Comment $30 and underFranceKevin VogtProvenceProvenceRosé

DOMAINES OTT

2020 BY. OTT
PROVENCE ROSÉ

2020 Domaines Ott By. Ott Provence Rose
A benchmark in style, Domaines Ott is one of the top rosé producers globally and acts as a reference standard in its category, setting the highest bar for quality. Provence, the oldest vineyard land in mainland France, has for the last 2600 years been primarily focused on crafting fruity, focused, dry rosés with a delicate color but a deep concentration of red fruit flavors and backbone of minerality.
 
Setting out to produce the finest examples of Provençal wines crafted from noble grape varieties, Marcel Ott discovered the Estate which would become Domains Ott in 1896. Today, cousins Christian and Jean-François Ott continue with the same dedication, creating classic and refreshing rosé blends, setting timeless precedence of quality. 
 
DOMAINES OTT
2020 BY. OTT
PROVENCE ROSÉ
 
Your Price: $27.99
 
 
“Plenty of sliced strawberries and peaches with citrus and perfume. Medium-bodied, showing lovely fruit and balance. Creamy finish. Drink and enjoy.”
91 Points
 
“Light orange-pink. Ripe pit fruits and red berries on the nose, along with a hint of smokiness. Juicy and open-knit, offering strawberry and nectarine flavors that show very good clarity and back-end cut. Finishes smooth and long, leaving a suggestion of pit fruits behind.”
90 Points
2020 Joseph Jewell Rose Of Pinot Noir Slusser Vineyard Russian River

2020 Joseph Jewell Rose Of Pinot Noir Slusser Vineyard Russian River

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtRoséRussian River ValleySonomaUSA

JOSEPH JEWELL

ROSÉ OF PINOT NOIR
SLUSSER VINEYARD
2020 RUSSIAN RIVER 

2020 Joseph Jewell Rose Of Pinot Noir Slusser Vineyard Russian River
Representing a singular expression of the people, place, and vintage, Joseph Jewell wines bring people together with easy approachability, conversation-driving quality, and powerful varietal character. They source from expressive, cool-climate vineyards that provide the ingredients necessary to create wines that stand out for their pristine balance and thoughtful sophistication. Their 2020 Rosé was a bright star at our tasting with piercing aromatics, mineral-intensity, and contagious energy, and at $24, it’s a superb value. 
 
Farmed by the same family for over 100 years, Slusser Vineyard is in the middle reach of the Russian River Valley, where Mark West Creek’s flooding resulted in intense minerality in the wines. 
 
Calling on 100% Pinot Noir, winemaker Adrian Jewell crafted this Rosé in a brightly focused style, highlighting the vineyard’s keen minerality and freshness of fruit that will leave your taste buds craving more.
 
JOSEPH JEWELL
ROSÉ OF PINOT NOIR
SLUSSER VINEYARD
2020 RUSSIAN RIVER
 
Your Price: $24
 
 
“Fruity and layered in waves of raspberry, strawberry and watermelon, this light, crisp wine delivers vibrant flavor and texture. Dried herb and a hint of lemongrass add complementary nuance and deliciousness.” 
91 Points
2020 Maison Lispaul Sancerre Les Deux Rangs Loire Valley

2020 Maison Lispaul Sancerre Les Deux Rangs Loire Valley

with No Comment $30 and underFranceKevin VogtLoire ValleySancerre

MAISON LISPAUL

2020 SANCERRE
LES DEUX RANGS
LOIRE VALLEY

2020 Maison Lispaul Sancerre Les Deux Rangs Loire Valley
When it comes to refreshing wines with dynamic complexity, laser focus, and tantalizing acidity, Sancerre is unparalleled. They offer stratospherically high quality/value compared to neighboring Burgundy, where you could be paying several times the bottle price for wines of comparable quality. Shirley Gaucher’s 2020 Sancerre Les Deux Rangs is classically concentrated, refreshingly bright, and focused, offering tremendous value, immediately noticeable in your glass. 
 
Drawn from established thirty-year-old vines grown in classic clay and flint soils, Shirley Gaucher’s Sancerre is vinified in stainless steel tanks for eight months, preserving the wine’s natural freshness, keen acidity, and fruit purity. 
 
Made at Maison Lispaul, named for the winemaker’s two children Lison and Paul-Henri, which is a small family-run estate, with proprietor David Maudry coming from a family of vintners. Their Sancerre comes from a 15-hectare plot on the left bank of the Loire, chosen for its Southern exposure, silex (flint)-rich soils, and expressive fruit.
 
MAISON LISPAUL
2020 SANCERRE
LES DEUX RANGS
LOIRE VALLEY
 
Your Price: $28
 
 
“The Shirley Gaucher Sancerre Les Deux Rangs 2020 shimmers in the glass and begins with a beautiful combination of lively fruits and florals on the nose, including ripe pomelo, lime peel, white peach, and wild rose petals. It has a laser-like focus on the palate with grapefruit, Kiwi, and mandarins, along with a focused, penetrating, and vibrant finish.”
91 Points