2015 Coplan The Chairman Red Blend Sonoma Valley

2015 Coplan The Chairman Red Blend Sonoma Valley

with No Comment $30-$40CarnerosKevin VogtProprietary RedSonomaUSA

COPLAN 

THE CHAIRMAN
RED BLEND 2015
SONOMA VALLEY

2015 Coplan The Chairman Red Blend Sonoma Valley

Coplan is a limited-production, boutique winery in Sonoma, with an estate vineyard boasting Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted in the Sonoma side of the Carneros region in the 1940s. The Chairman is their flagship red blend that pays homage to the founder’s father, representing the layers of flavors and aromas encountered when opening a beautiful, balanced bottle of wine.

Winemaker Jacqueline Yoakum, known for her past work at Littorai, Amaranthe, and Schramsberg and currently the lead winemaker for Keller Estate, expertly blends each vintage to capture the elements of the growing season and quality of the fruit. 

Drinking beautifully right now, the 2015 Chairman comprises 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, with a portion of the fruit harvested from 70-year-old vines, and 58% Merlot, aged in French oak for 24 months and producing a minuscule release of just 100 cases.

COPLAN 
THE CHAIRMAN
RED BLEND 2015
SONOMA VALLEY
Retails at: $55

Your Price: $35

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“The 2015 Coplan The Chairman Sonoma Valley Red Wine Blend 2015 begins with a supple, seamless nose with red and black currants, ripe blueberries, elegant lavender, sweet vanilla, cardamom, and Spring florals. The palate continues with smooth, deep, rich black and red berries, tart cherry, and black plum with light kitchen spices, coffee hints, saline, and more floral elements. The rich, round fruits are balanced beautifully with just enough bright freshness to keep the opulence from feeling heavy. Tasted in November of 2023, and is perfectly ready to drink now.”

93 Points

2015 Maroon Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label Napa Valley

2015 Maroon Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label Napa Valley

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonCoombsvilleKevin VogtNapaUSA

MAROON

BLACK LABEL
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2015

2015 Maroon Cabernet Sauvignon Black Label Napa Valley
Embodying power and elegance at a value price, Maroon’s Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the winery’s Coombsville-Estate Vineyard and a neighboring property with similar rocky, volcanic, gravely loam soils. Polished by winemaker Chris Corley’s style of introducing as little manipulation as possible, Maroon’s 2015 vintage is beautiful now and has a lot to offer, particularly at our value price.
 
This incredible value emerges from one of Napa Valley’s top vintages, which the Wine Spectator describes as producing “significantly lower yields…Quality is high.” The 2015 vintage is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, offering supple dark fruits and red currants with perfectly balanced acidity. After more than five years inside the bottle, the winery reached deep into their cellar and found this gem for us, which we couldn’t wait to share with you.
 
MAROON
BLACK LABEL
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2015
Retails at: $70
 
 
 
“This wine begins with a beautiful, deep, supple nose of dark berries, purple florals, and light spice. The lively palate has a great presence with a balance of both red and black fruits, including black cherries, red currants, and ripe plums, and sweet vanilla, along with slightly earthy minerals. The finish is focused, long, and very satisfying.”
94 Points
2015 Chateau Trapaud Saint Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux

2015 Chateau Trapaud Saint Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux

with No Comment $30-$40BordeauxBordeauxFranceKevin VogtSaint Emilion

CHÂTEAU TRAPAUD

SAINT-EMILION GRAND CRU
BORDEAUX 2015

2015 Chateau Trapaud Saint Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux
Beatrice Larribiere is the fourth generation owner and winemaker of Château Trapaud, located just a few hundred meters from Château Valandraud and a close neighbor to the renowned Château Pavie. Beatrice’s winemaking style reveals the intricate balance between fruit, tannic structure, and expression of terroir from her vines organically farmed since 2009. She achieved this balance in the glorious 2015 vintage Saint-Emilion Grand Cru.
 
Saint Emilion Grand Cru AOC adheres to strict yields, a minimum alcohol level, and must be estate-bottled, ensuring a higher quality product. 2015 vintage is considered an excellent growing season for the region, which produced concentrated wines with soft tannins that are ready to drink now but likely have many years of potential in the cellar. At under $40, this remarkable Bordeaux is a staple in our shop, and the 2015 vintage is among their best yet.
 
CHÂTEAU TRAPAUD
SAINT-EMILION GRAND CRU
BORDEAUX 2015
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“Impressive concentration here; this smells of dark-berry pastries, plums and fresh cedary wood. Slick and flavor-packed palate with blueberry and deep-set plum-fruit flavors. Drink or hold.” 
92 Points
2015 Monchiero Barolo Piedmont Italy

2015 Monchiero Barolo Piedmont Italy

with No Comment $40-$50BaroloBaroloItalyKevin VogtPiedmont

MONCHIERO

2015 BAROLO
PIEDMONT, ITALY

2015 Monchiero Barolo Piedmont Italy
The Monchiero winery was established by Vittorio Monchiero’s grandfather, who decided to stay in the Langhe after World War II to tend to his treasured land, unlike his six brothers who left Italy for the United States. Vittorio took over the winery at the end of the 1980s and began examining each plot and replanting vines as necessary, adapting his vineyards to modern agriculture, which is reflective in the balance of his wines.
 
Vittorio aims to bring modernity into the vineyards and winery without losing the traditions that helped shape the historic region and its wines for centuries. The 2015 Barolo is divine and elegant with excellent fruit concentration accented with minerality, earth, and spice, producing a quality level rarely found for less than $50.
 
MONCHIERO
2015 BAROLO
PIEDMONT, ITALY
Retails at: $50
 
Your Price: $45
 
 
“A red showing ripe-berry and chocolate character with polished tannins and a flavorful finish. Medium to full body. Intense and focused ending. Drink after 2021.” 
92 Points
2015 Corley Proprietary Red Napa Valley

2015 Corley Proprietary Red Napa Valley

with No Comment $70-$80Kevin VogtNapaOak KnollProprietary RedRutherfordSaint HelenaUSAYountville

CORLEY

PROPRIETARY RED
2015 NAPA VALLEY

2015 Corley Proprietary Red Napa Valley
The Corley family and their dedicated team are well known for creating single vineyard premium Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from their vineyards in Rutherford, St. Helena, Yountville, and Oak Knoll. In 1990 they planted Cabernet Franc in their Oak Knoll vineyard with the vision of producing a Meritage of the three varieties.
 
The 2015 vintage is a small production of just 506 cases comprised of 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Cabernet Franc, and 32% Merlot, created to be approachable in its youth while also having the capability to age and can be enjoyed at every phase of its development. With over five years in the bottle, the 2015 perfect showcases Chris Corley’s winemaking ability, the strong vintage, and choice of vineyards.
 
CORLEY
PROPRIETARY RED
2015 NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $75
 
 
“The 2015 Corley Proprietary Red Wine opens with lavender, cassis, freshly picked blackberries, cherry cola, cloves, and crushed volcanic rocks. The palate is intense and complex, with flavors of black plums and cocoa powder with a hint of savory black olives. This wine is simply stunning at the moment and is an excellent food wine that will age gracefully for the next decade or so.”
96 Points
2015 Heitz Cellar Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

2015 Heitz Cellar Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $100 and overCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleUSA

HEITZ CELLAR

MARTHA’S VINEYARD
2015 CABERNET SAUVIGNON

2015 Heitz Cellar Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Martha’s Vineyard is one of the most prized vineyards in all of Napa Valley, boasting some of the New World’s longest-lasting, alluring Cabernet Sauvignons, capable of 100 point scores. Heitz has had a contract with Martha’s Vineyard since 1966, after Tom and Martha May, founders of Martha’s Vineyard, tasted Heitz Cabernet and were so impressed with the quality, they sealed a deal with their precious fruit.
 
Located on Oakville Bench bordering To-Kalon and below Harlan and BOND wineries, Martha’s Vineyard is fringed with eucalyptus trees believed to be the source of the wine’s signature minty, menthol character that makes it so memorable. The 2015 release is powerfully complex and loaded with the Vineyard’s hallmark savory undertones and is an absolute classic.
 
HEITZ CELLAR
MARTHA’S VINEYARD
2015 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
 
Your Price: $260
 
 
“Enticing, with the frankly ripe profile of the vintage showing off in a display of slightly exotic plum and blackberry coulis flavors, while dark licorice, menthol and sassafras notes course through. Sweet spice accents sparkle through the finish, revealing a lingering hint of singed juniper. The long finish features rippling acidity…” 
95 Points
2015 Caiarossa Toscana IGT Tuscany, Italy

2015 Caiarossa Toscana IGT Tuscany, Italy

with No Comment $50-$60ItalyKevin VogtProprietary RedTuscany

CAIAROSSA

2015 TOSCANA IGT
TUSCANY, ITALY

2015 Caiarossa Toscana IGT Tuscany, Italy
Caiarossa describes their flagship Super Tuscan as a liberation of the senses, achieved by artfully blending seven varieties, biodynamically farmed and woven into a luxurious tapestry, encapsulating the Estate’s dynamic terroir. Tuscany’s 2015 vintage embellished the wine’s already alluring qualities, naturally producing wines, “Ripe and opulent, with plenty of fruit,” as noted by the Wine Spectator, and with 96 points and priced less than $60, I highly recommend adding this Italian legend to your cellar. 
 
The Estate’s 16-hectare vineyard on the Tuscan coast was resurrected in 2004 by the late Eric Albada Jelgersma of Grand Cru Margaux houses Château Giscours and Château du Tertre. The winery’s deep ties to Bordeaux are present in their wines, telling an authentic tale of their origin. 
 
CAIAROSSA
2015 TOSCANA IGT 
TUSCANY, ITALY
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $58
 
 
“The nose immediately shows a fabulous contrast between riper mulberries and blackberry crumble and freshly ground herbs, citrus and incense. The palate shows much the same polish, carrying bright blue-fruit flavors across a bedrock of muscular tannins and driven acidity. This finishes long and very grainy yet succulent. A blend of merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, sangiovese, petit verdot and alicante.”
96 Points
2015 Spence Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

2015 Spence Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

with No Comment $80-$90Cabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaUSA

SPENCE

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2015 HOWELL MOUNTAIN 

2015 Spence Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
The producers of Spence Howell Mountain Cabernet set out to create a wine that’s theirs alone, reflective of the specific characteristics of their exceptionally unique plot near Howell Mountain’s summit. Keenly focused on extracting what transpires in the vineyard, voiced in your glass with eloquence, purity, and individuality, their team is hands-off in the cellar. Their 2015 Howell Mountain Cabernet is sensationally intense, rivetingly defined, powerfully expressive, and an incredible value. 
 
Uniquely positioned above a canyon, Spence’s Vineyard benefits from consistent breezes, thickening the grape skins, contributing color and intensity. The site’s thick surface layer of red volcanic soil laced with rock allows rapid drainage, forcing the roots deep into the earth, extracting site-specific nuance.
 
Spence’s winemaker Ted Osborne began his career at Cakebread before gaining global experience in Australia, South Africa, and Bordeaux and returning to Napa Valley to make wine at Piña and Storybook Mountain. His focus is on vineyard-defined wines that unveil the site’s character in a balanced, elegant, and unique fashion through minimal-intervention winemaking.
 
SPENCE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2015 HOWELL MOUNTAIN
Retails at: $110
 
 
 
“Coming from the Spence’s vineyard at 1,900’ elevation on top of Howell Mountain, this blockbuster Cabernet reminds me of watching a Cheetah run in slow motion. It’s firm and bursting with power, yet sleek, graceful, and elegant at the same time. It begins with a gorgeous nose of explosive black plums, fragrant violets, dusty cocoa powder, wet slate, dried mushrooms, and vanilla hints. This mind-blowing concoction is perfectly ripe on the palate, with concentrated crushed blackberries, exotic wild currants, stewed plums, baker’s chocolate, and scorched earth. It is wonderfully firm and amazingly complex and long on the palate, with mouth-quenching crushed-velvet tannins that, time after time, left me yearning for another sip. It is a decadent, amazingly sultry stunner now that will continue to drop jaws for well over another decade.” 
97 Points, Kevin M. Vogt, Master Sommelier
2015 Varner Pinot Noir Los Alamos Vineyard Santa Barbara County

2015 Varner Pinot Noir Los Alamos Vineyard Santa Barbara County

with No Comment $30 and underCentral CoastKevin VogtPinot NoirUSA

VARNER

2015 PINOT NOIR
LOS ALAMOS VINEYARD
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY

2015 Varner Pinot Noir Los Alamos Vineyard Santa Barbara County
Twin brothers Bob and Jim Varner handcraft balanced, emotion-invoking wines enriched with value. Referencing a string of successful wines, Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate called them “One of the stars of the Central Coast,” noting, “Few winemakers do… Pinot Noir better.” Their 2015 Los Alamos Vineyard Pinot Noir is subtly expressive and delicately balanced, impressive at any price, but ridiculously great at $23. 
 
The wind-swept slopes of Los Alamos Vineyard are centered between Santa Maria and Santa Ynez Valleys, offering the best characteristics of both regions, with pristine freshness. 
 
Varner’s Los Alamos Pinot combines clone 777 grown in shallow soils with low fertility and older vine Pommard clone, contributing opulence and floral character. The Wine Spectator’s Vintage report notes that Santa Barbara Pinot Noir shined in the 2015 vintage. Varner is a stunning example.
 
VARNER
2015 PINOT NOIR
LOS ALAMOS VINEYARD
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
 
Your Price: $23
 
 
“The 2015 Pinot Noir Los Alamos Vineyard has a pale garnet color and a classic nose of woodsmoke, cranberries, Bing cherries, tree bark, dried citrus peel, pipe tobacco and dusty earth. In the mouth, it’s light-bodied and delicate with finely grained tannins and juicy freshness, finishing long and amaro-tinged. Drink 2019-2026.”
91 Points
2015 Caiarossa Toscana IGT Tuscany, Italy

2015 Caiarossa Toscana IGT Tuscany, Italy

with No Comment $50-$60ItalyKevin VogtSangioveseTuscany

CAIAROSSA

2015 TOSCANA IGT 
TUSCANY, ITALY

2015 Caiarossa Toscana IGT Tuscany, Italy
Caiarossa describes their flagship Super Tuscan as a liberation of the senses, achieved by artfully blending seven varieties, biodynamically farmed and woven into a luxurious tapestry that encapsulates the estate’s dynamic terroir. Tuscany’s 2015 vintage embellished the wines already alluring qualities, naturally producing wines, “Ripe and opulent, with plenty of fruit,” as noted by the Wine Spectator, who rated the overall year as the best since 1997. With 96 points and priced less than $60, I highly recommend adding this Italian legend to your cellar. 
 
Located in Val di Cecina on the Tuscan coast, The Estate was resurrected in 2004 by the late Eric Albada Jelgersma of Grand Cru Margaux houses Château Giscours, and Château du Tertre. The winery’s deep ties to Bordeaux are present in their wines, which tell an authentic tale of their origin. 
 
Planted to 11 grape varieties, each selected based upon the most suitable soil type, Caiarossa’s 16-hectare vineyard is a work of art. Their land’s nobility and the winery’s commitment to producing the best wine from it is unmistakable in their 2015 release, which also happens to be drinking ridiculously good right now.
 
CAIAROSSA
2015 TOSCANA IGT 
TUSCANY, ITALY
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $58
 
 
“The nose immediately shows a fabulous contrast between riper mulberries and blackberry crumble and freshly ground herbs, citrus and incense. The palate shows much the same polish, carrying bright blue-fruit flavors across a bedrock of muscular tannins and driven acidity. This finishes long and very grainy yet succulent. A blend of merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, sangiovese, petit verdot and alicante.”
96 points