2013 Villa Trasqua Trasgaia Toscana IGT

2013 Villa Trasqua Trasgaia Toscana IGT

with No Comment $30 and underChiantiItalyKevin VogtSangioveseTuscany

VILLA TRASQUA

2013 TRASGAIA 
TOSCANA IGT

2013 Villa Trasqua Trasgaia Toscana IGT
Villa Trasqua has a 1000 year history in Castellina, Chianti, rooted in viticulture and innovation. Their wines perfectly balance tradition and modernity and are enriched with old-world antiquity and enhanced with new world styled fruit. Over the years, their Trasgaia Super Tuscan has graced the shelves in our shop and has generated a devoted following due to its remarkable quality and realistic price.
 
The winery is on an ancient plateau in the town Castellina, and they cultivate their vineyards organically, perfectly expressing the site’s specific terroir. The estate shined in 2013, which was a vintage that the Wine Spectator noted as producing, “Sleek, vibrant wines with bright, focused fruit flavors.”
 
The 2013 vintage combined 50% Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and matured for 24 months in oak and five years of development inside the bottle. The 2013 release is powerful, beautifully defined and is perfectly ready to enjoy now.
 
VILLA TRASQUA
2013 TRASGAIA 
TOSCANA IGT 
 
Your Price: $28
 
 
“Fresh and aromatic red with blackberries, cherries and hints of flowers. Medium body, firm and silky tannins and a fresh finish. Linear and bright. A blend of sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. Drink now.”
91 Points
 
“Deep ruby red with very light garnet hues. The aroma is fruity with nuances of sour cherry in syrup, black currant and lemon jelly. Then vanilla, liquorice and nutmeg notes with balsamic reminiscences of eucalyptus and toasted Arabica coffee and gianduja chocolate. The nose opens up to black pepper and star anis. The taste is round with a warmth that makes it pleasant, tasty and well-balanced. The tannins are completely integrated. The long aftertaste is polite and measured with blackberry, currant and liquorice aromas.”
2013 Sebright Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2013 Sebright Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $60-$70Cabernet SauvignonCalistogaKevin VogtNapaUSA

SEBRIGHT

2013 RESERVE 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
NAPA VALLEY 

2013 Sebright Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Sebright wowed us earlier this year with their Greenwood Block Cabernet. Their resolute style of crafting beautifully refined wines deep-seated in elegance made a memorable impact on everybody lucky enough to try it. 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. Like the Greenwood block, Andy Jones, who worked under Thomas Rivers Brown at Outpost and several other well-known projects, made it. At $125, it’s an incredible wine, but at our customer appreciation week price of $65, it’s unbeatable.
 
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’s wine team created this reserve release from a vintage recognized for its unrivaled quality, and one that Robert Parker stated “…may turn out to be the finest vintage I have experienced in tasting North Coast varietals over the last 37 years.” It spent 23 months in new French oak barrels, and with just 2 barrels (48 cases) produced, only a few will be lucky enough to own it. 
 
SEBRIGHT
2013 RESERVE 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $125
 
 
“This is a profound wine with an intense nose that spans the spectrum including wild blackberries, ripe black plums, exotic fresh mushrooms, sweet violets, vanilla/cocoa spice. The captivating palate has a powerful, complex approach with black raspberries flinty minerals, mixed berry cobbler, and subtle aged tobacco leaf. The finish is sweet, rich, supple, very long, and exceptionally satisfying.”
96 Points
 
“This stately and elegant Cabernet Sauvignon derives great depth from a low yielding, tightly planted vineyard site in Calistoga. This historic site located on Garnett Creek Farm reflects high pedigree and creates intense, dark color attributes. The aromas center around blackberry, cassis and spice yet accented with a delicate mineral essence from our volcanic ash soil. The wine offers a juicy palate that folds together layers of complex black fruits and brambly tannins that integrate into a long, well-balanced, refined oak finish. The wine is 97% Cabernet Sauvignon with small amounts of Petit Verdot and Malbec which add color and structure. Designed to age yet approachable upon release. 13.9% alcohol.”
2013 Miner Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard

2013 Miner Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

MINER

2013 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
STAGECOACH VINEYARD

2013 Miner Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard
Miner has consistently produced powerfully elegant wines since the late 90s, under the guidance of Gary Brookman, who had honed his skills at Joseph Phelps and Grace Family. In excellent years like 2013, their Cabernets can perform at an exceptionally high level after around five years in the bottle, where they become even more enchanting and powerfully hedonistic. Their 95 Point 2013 Stagecoach Cabernet is a prime example of this, and now it drinks like it should be double the price.
 
Stagecoach Vineyard was developed in 1995 by Dr. Jan Krupp, and it took more than seven years to clear over one billion pounds of volcanic rock. The vineyard stretches from Pritchard Hill to an area overlooking Miner Winery in Oakville, and the well-drained soils produce powerful berries laced with volcanic subtleties. 
 
This wine emerges from a vintage unanimously recognized for its unrivaled quality, and one that Robert Parker alerted readers that it “…may turn out to be the finest vintage I have experienced in tasting North Coast varietals over the last 37 years.” After 21 months in premium French oak barrels and more than five years of development inside the bottle, this wine is stunningly brilliant right now.  
 
MINER
2013 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
STAGECOACH VINEYARD
Retails at: $110
 
 
“Aromas of blackberry, walnut and light, wet earth follow through to a full to medium body, light chocolate and a long finish. Refined and polished. Classic style. Better in 2019”
95 Points
 
“An impressively elegant wine from this rugged mountain top vineyard on the eastern slopes of Napa Valley. With black cherry and licorice flavors, flanked by firm yet lush tannins. A wine as special as this undeniably unique vineyard.”
2013 J Gregory Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2013 J Gregory Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaOak KnollUSA

J. GREGORY

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2013 NAPA VALLEY

2013 J Gregory Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
What comes after making some of Napa Valley’s most prestigious wines in the 1980s and 1990s? Mark Jessup was part of the original winemaking team at OPUS ONE from 1979 through 1987, and after OPUS, he chose to pursue his dream of building a winery of his own… Lucky for us, we found him, and his 2013 Napa Cabernet is genuinely a joy to behold.
 
The 2013 J Gregory Napa Cabernet hails from one of the areas most prized vintages. At nearly 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine perfectly embodies the power and focus that are hallmarks of this vintage. On the palate, the wine is detailed and expressive, yet firmly balanced and sophisticated.
 
Mark works closely with a handful of growers, where he has long term, mutual relationships. His 2013 vintage has origins in Coombsville and Oak Knoll, which are both situated in cooler-climate regions within Napa Valley, where in a great vintage like 2013, the grapes can achieve optimum ripeness, and at a gradual pace…
 
J. GREGORY
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2013 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $85
 
 
 
“There is a compelling way that this wine presents itself, with an intriguing nose of bright, briary wild berries and subtle eucalyptus that combine with balanced sweet vanilla and hints of wet earth. On the palate, ripe black cherries, red and black raspberries, red currants, and fresh cranberries beautifully frame elegant floral characteristics along with a subtle, minerally, slate-like thread. This beauty indeed begins bright and linear but puts on weight and body as it opens up in the glass over time. Drink or hold for a decade or more.” 94 Points
2013 Shottesbrooke Eliza Reserve McLaren Vale Shiraz

2013 Shottesbrooke Eliza Reserve McLaren Vale Shiraz

with No Comment $30-$40AustraliaKevin VogtMcLaren ValeSyrah

SHOTTESBROOKE

ELIZA RESERVE SHIRAZ
2013 MCLAREN VALE

2013 Shottesbrooke Eliza Reserve McLaren Vale Shiraz

We seized an opportunity to work with Shottesbrooke’s 97 Point Eliza Reserve Shiraz last year, and although the wine sold in a flash, it made a grand impression on everybody who tried it. Re-order requests were abundant, due to the wines’ chillingly intense nature and substantial hedonistic style. As luck would have it, we just procured another shipment, and at a rock-bottom price…. 

Named after the founders’ daughter, Eliza is the top Reserve Shiraz produced by the winery and is produced only in exceptional vintages. They created this wine from an individual patch of vineyard on the winery’s McLaren Flat property that naturally produces tiny yields of high-quality fruit.

Due to low yields and high-demand for Eliza, only a limited number of cases make their way to the US. The wine is kept for 19 months in oak before bottling, and the 2013 vintage is brimming with vivid red berries, roasted meats, black chocolate, and spices.

 
SHOTTESBROOKE
ELIZA RESERVE SHIRAZ
2013 MCLAREN VALE

Retails: $46.99

Your Price: $33
 

“Cloudy indigo color. Attractive, roasted, meaty aromas and flavors of mocha maple fudge, smoked nuts, jerky, and toasty cedar and clay with a satiny, dry-yet-fruity medium-full body and a tingling, involved, long finish that exhibits suggestions of blackberry creme brulee, pomegranate-tomato chutney on rye raisin toast, beef consommé, and tamari with moderate oak flavor. A decadently delicious and savory shiraz that will stimulate and satisfy.” 97 Points, Platinum Medal, Superlative 
2013 Valdez St Peter's Church Zinfandel

2013 Valdez St. Peter’s Church Zinfandel

with No Comment $30 and underAlexander ValleyKevin VogtSonomaUSAZinfandel

VALDEZ

2013 ZINFANDEL
ST. PETER’S CHURCH

2013 Valdez St Peter's Church ZinfandelHave you ever tasted a perfectly cellared California Zinfandel and had an epiphany moment, realizing that many Zinfandels will get better with age?  A grand example is the 2013 Valdez Zinfandel from St Peter’s Church Vineyard which happens to have also been one of our top 5 wines of the year in 2018. 

The 2013 Valdez St Peter’s Church Zinfandel arose from a 5 acre vineyard in Alexander Valley that’s planted to nearly century old vines.
The Valdez family are some California’s most sought after wine growers, having farmed for Aubert, Kistler, Paul Hobbs and others.
Valdez crafts their Zins in a concentrated and well-built style that bodes exceptionally well for cellaring, and because we recently sold out of their value-priced Sonoma County Zinfandel, we’ve made a deal to fill the void with their 2013 St Peters Zin at a price that’s simply too good to pass up.
 
VALDEZ
2013 ZINFANDEL
ST. PETER’S CHURCH  
Retails at:  $45/btl
 
 
Tasting Notes: “This impeccably balanced zinfandel flaunts energizing flavors and aromas of ripe black cherries, concentrated pomegranate, and crushed blackberries with hints of white rose petals, cocoa powder and pipe tobacco. The perfect balance shines through with an amazing brightness that elegantly supports the richly focused flavors.  Simply stunning!”   94 Points
2013 J Gregory Extol Proprietary Red

2013 J Gregory Extol Proprietary Red

with No Comment $50-$60Kevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

J. GREGORY 2013 J Gregory Extol Proprietary Red

2013 EXTOL
PROPRIETARY RED

 
I knew from the very first taste that J Gregory’s 2013 Extol deserved a spot on my top 5 list for 2019.  The wine is made in an enthralling style that washes over your palate in rich layers of perfectly ripened berries, focused red currents, baker’s chocolate and spice.  It was is created by Mark Jessup who was on the original winemaking team at OPUS ONE from 1979 through 1987, and his flagship “Extol” Proprietary Red is his version of OPUS ONE, and the 2013 was built around a solid core of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and dressed with Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot and Merlot.  The wine has a magnetic bouquet that draws you in, and on the palate, the wine is incredibly layered and powerful, yet supple and balanced.  At the winery price of $115, believe me, it’s an incredible bargain.  I recommend going big, because this one is going to fly…
 
Enchanting, profound, hedonistic are all fitting descriptors of the 2013 Extol which spent 22 months developing in French oak.  The flavors are profoundly stunning, pure and supple and on the palate the 2013 wraps your taste buds in a restrained opulence that I find incredibly appealing.  You might need someone to pinch you to make sure you’re not dreaming of a time when OPUS ONE was around the same price.  
 
J. GREGORY
2013 EXTOL
PROPRIETARY RED
Retails at: $115/btl
 
 
Tasting Notes: “You just know from the moment this wine kisses your lips… it’s really something special. This brilliant expression has an exquisite nose of wild crushed ripe blackberries, alluring red currants, dried herbs and smoke. Impressively structured with a beautifully supple approach, the rich, viscous, velvety texture perfectly frames the opulent layers of bing cherry, brooding mountain berries and cassis.  Then comes a breath of sweet pipe tobacco, green herbs and sweet vanilla oak. The supple fruit tannins perfectly balance a mesmerizing flow of precisely orchestrated fruits, then ending with a long, elegant, mouth watering finish.” 97 Points
2013 Matias Riccitelli Vineyard Selection Malbec

2013 Matias Riccitelli Vineyard Selection Argentina Malbec

with No Comment $30 and underArgentinaKevin VogtMalbecSouth America

MATIAS RICCITELLI  2013 Matias Riccitelli Vineyard Selection Malbec

2013 MALBEC
VINEYARD SELECTION
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA

 
Every great winemaker has at least one mentor that helped guide them in their career.  When  your father is the head-winemaker at Bodegas Norton, and the first South American to ever be named Winemaker of the Year by Wine Enthusiast magazine, it can come with a few advantages… Matias Riccitelli had both the connections and the drive to spend a decade working 2 harvests each year, one in Argentina, and the others in New Zealand, Napa Valley, Europe and Australia.  During that time he soaked up every bit of winemaking knowledge in order to achieve his goal of creating a brand of that could express the full potential of Argentine terroir.
 
Carved from exceptional vines ranging 20-80 years in age and grown in Perdriel and Vistalba in the Lujan de Cuyo and El Cepillo in La Consulta,  Riccitelli’s 2013 Vineyard Selection Malbec is stunningly complex and loaded with hedonistic aromas of dark black fruits, scorched earth, blue violets, licorice and hints of wild game.  Many of you tasted and loved Riccitelli’s The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree Malbec that we introduced last year, and with the Vineyard Selection Malbec, I wouldn’t hesitate to secure yours…
 
MATIAS RICCITELLI
2013 MALBEC
VINEYARD SELECTION
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA
Retails at: $55/btl
 
 
From Vinous: “(made from three small vineyards in Luján de Cuyo and Uco Valley): Bright medium ruby. Showing more balsamic cedar and herbs on the nose than the 2014 The Apple . . . Malbec; plenty ripe but less dark-fruity and chocolatey and more minty and herbal… this intensely flavored wine is much less sweet than The Apple, with its currant and blackberry flavors complemented by a saline quality and nicely framed by healthy acidity. A bit less forthcoming, drier and more classic on the end, showing suaver tannins.“
2013 Delas Domaine Des Genets Vacqueyras

2013 Delas Domaine Des Genets Vacqueyras

with No Comment $30 and underFranceKevin VogtProprietary RedRhone ValleyRhone ValleyUncategorized

DELAS 2013 Delas Domaine Des Genets Vacqueyras

2013 VACQUEYRAS
DOMAINE DES GENETS

 
As much as I love the innovative and forward styles of New World GSM blends (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre), I’m equally drawn to the complexity, depth and character found in Old World GSM’s, which originated in the Rhone region in Southern France as early as 600BC.  With trials and tribulations spanning hundreds of years, many of the best wines in the Old World give you that feeling of antiquity and historical relevance when you taste them.  Vacqueyras is located in the Southern Rhone Valley of France, just a few kilometers from Gigondas.  Many consider it to be the younger and more affordable brother to the iconic region of Chateanuef-du-Pape.  The wines from Vacqueryas are revered for their power and when you find one that’s been perfectly cellared and is ready to drink like this one, they can offer some of the greatest value in the Rhone Valley.
 
The region shares similar soils and climate to neighboring Gigondas, and like Gigondas their reds are often built around a core of Grenache.  Winemakers in Vacqueyras tend to use more Syrah than in Gigondas, and in turn the wines can be deeper, richer and even more powerful.  The 2013 Delas Domaine Des Genets is a prime example and with a few extra years of bottle age, the 2013 is absolutely stunning.  In fact, we bought every bottle available before our glasses were emptied… It’s that good and at $23, this could go fast…
 
DELAS
2013 VACQUEYRAS
DOMAINE DES GENETS
 
Your Price: $23/btl 
 
From Vinous: “Vivid ruby. Lively red berry and cherry aromas pick up hints of lavender and peppery spices with air. Silky, gently sweet and focused on the palate, offering juicy raspberry and spicecake flavors and a touch of smokiness. Dusty tannins come up slowly, adding shape to a long, fruit-driven finish.” 90 Points
From Richard Jennings: “Bricking dark red violet color; mature, ginger cake, dried berry, licorice, dried fig nose; tasty, black fig, licorice, ginger cake palate with good balancing acidity; medium-plus finish (blend of Grenache, Syrah & Mourvedre)”  93+ points

Customers that enjoy a beautiful Vacqueyras may also enjoy these two terrific Rhone Wines…

2014 Lavau Gigondas 2013 Paul Jaboulet Aine Gigondas
LAVAU
2014 GIGONDAS
RHONE VALLEY, FRANCE
 
Your Price: $29.99/btl

Click to Order

 
From Vinous, “Youthful violet. Aromas of fresh black and blue fruits are complemented by suggestions of peppery spices and pungent flowers. Sweet and open-knit, offering jammy blueberry and cherry compote flavors that tighten up slowly in the glass. Finishes smoky and long, with harmonious tannins coming in late.” 90 Points
PAUL JABOULET AINÉ
2013 GIGONDAS
PIERRE AIGUILLE
 
Your Price: $27.99/btl

Click to Order

 
From Vinous, “Limpid ruby. Perfumed aromas of ripe red berries, peppery spices and potpourri, complicated by a woodsmoke nuance. Silky, expansive and gently sweet, offering concentrated raspberry liqueur and lavender pastille flavors and an allspice quality that builds on the back half. Finishes sweet, sappy and persistent, with firming fine-grained tannins adding grip.”  90 Points
2013 Foley Johnson Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon

2013 Foley Johnson Rutherford Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSA

FOLEY JOHNSON 2013 Foley Johnson Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon

ESTATE CABERNET 
2013 RUTHERFORD 

 
Napa Valley’s Iconic Rutherford appellation is one of THE most revered regions for Cabernet Sauvignon, and it’s celebrated for producing wines with palpable character.  Paragons Quintessa, BV and Scarecrow all set a precedence for quality in Rutherford.  I recently checked the average retail price of the more than fifty 2013 vintage Rutherford Cabernets listed in the Wine Spectator and they averaged well over $130/btl…  This is a real barometer to the quality of this appellation, and if you’ve followed my emails for a while, you know that one of my favorite Rutherford producers is Foley Johnson.  Their name is synonymous with epic value, and even at the winery retail price of $75 it’s a terrific find.  At our price, it’s a complete steal…
 
Arising from Rutherford, an area long celebrated for its exceptional terroir and dusty tannins, this exemplary 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon shines with all of the hallmarks that I love most about Rutherford.  It’s brimming with concentrated black fruits, crushed violets, graphite, freshly ground coffee and of course, beautiful Rutherford dust.  After nearly 4 years blossoming inside the bottle, words can hardly describe how great this wine is drinking right now.  
 
FOLEY JOHNSON
ESTATE CABERNET
2013 RUTHERFORD
Retails at:  $75.00/btl
 
 

Winery Notes: “The nose of our 2013 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is fruit forward with very deep and concentrated notes of blackberry, black currant and hints of toasted characters. The body follows the aroma and is fruit forward with nice tannin balance throughout the palate. The fruit on the palate shines and provides flavors from blackberry to slight hints of light raspberry and as it opens up there is a light hint of sweetness and licorice. Although the tannins are still quite prevalent, they are not overwhelming and are approachable now, but will age nicely over next 5-10 years.”