VINEYARD 36
2017 FOUNDATION
PROPRIETARY RED
NAPA VALLEY
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ALMA de CATTLEYA
2017 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COUNTY
Your Price: $27.99/btl
From Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate: “Pale ruby purple in color, the 2017 Pinot Noir opens with Bing cherries, tart cranberry, blackberry, violet and tobacco leaf aromas with tangerine peel nuance. Light to medium-bodied, it’s fresh and soft in the mouth with crunchy red fruits and citrus accents, framed by soft, grainy tannins and juicy freshness to lift the finish…“ 90 Points
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JOSEPH JEWELL
2015 PINOT NOIR
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
Retails at: $40/btl
Your Price: Insider Club Members Only
Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers From PinotFile: “Moderately dark garnet color in the glass. Terrific nose offering aromas of vivid cherry, raspberry, spice and subtle toast. Thoroughly satisfying in a mid weight style featuring flavors of black cherry, blackberry and spice with a deft touch of oak in the background. Notable mid palate and finishing intensity, with gracious tannins. A charming AVA wine.“ 92 Points
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BLACK PINE
2017 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $30/btl
Your Price: $23/btl
Winery Notes: “The wine shows appealing aromas of Bing cherry mixed with vanilla and baking spice. The deep ruby and purple wine reveals candied red plum that lingers in the glass…. sensuous and mouth filling and shows black cherry and strawberry flavors. Medium bodied flavors of perfumed Cherry, lush red fruit and clove give way to the bright natural acidity and fine tannins that draw out a long and impressive finish.”
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JOSEPH JEWELL
2015 PINOT NOIR
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
Retails at: $40/btl
Your Price: Insider Club Members Only
Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers From PinotFile: “Moderately dark garnet color in the glass. Terrific nose offering aromas of vivid cherry, raspberry, spice and subtle toast. Thoroughly satisfying in a mid weight style featuring flavors of black cherry, blackberry and spice with a deft touch of oak in the background. Notable mid palate and finishing intensity, with gracious tannins. A charming AVA wine.” 92 Points
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We occasionally come across a new project so captivating that by the time it hits our palate, we’re left with absolutely no question that it’s going to be a success. In the case of Valravn, it wouldn’t be the first giant success for founder Baron Ziegler… Baron started Banshee wines in 2008, which quickly grew to over 50,000 cases before striking a deal to sell the brand to Billionaire Bill Foley last year. With a goal of producing approachable, delicious wines with single-vineyard level of quality from Sonoma County, and at prices far less than their counterparts, you can bet that they’ll make a lot of friends along the way. At under $25 their 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is velvety and opulent without any hard edges. If you’re searching for the next value Cab to share with your friends, this is it…
Valravn really hit the ground running, and they had a head start by already having established relationships with growers and winemakers which they formed over the last decade while growing the Banshee brand. Their 2017 Cabernet encompasses fruit from Alexander Valley, Moon Mountain and the Russian River Valley, and it’s made in a showy and velvety style that’s really easy to love.
ENOS
2014 ESTATE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
DRY CREEK VALLEY
Retails at: $60/btl
Your Price: Insider Club Members Only
Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers Tasting Notes: “This intriguing Cabernet begins with a compelling nose of black cherries, red currants and cocoa powder, followed by pipe tobacco, toasted hazelnuts and sweet vanilla spice. On the palate, focused blackberry and chocolate covered cherries intertwine beautifully with a complex, earthy wet clay character along with slightly dusty tannins. The finish is detailed, long and fresh, without be heavy or cloying. A delight to enjoy now and will age beautifully for a decade or so. Serious wine at a not-so-serious price…” 93+ Points
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VISTA
2017 RUTHERFORD
PROPRIETARY RED
Your Price: $23/btl
Tasting Notes: “Scintillating aromas of fresh blackberries, tart red currants, cocoa powder and vanilla spice. The palate is dense, rich and powerful with a beautiful combination of bright red fruit characteristics that perfectly intertwine with deep black fruits including blueberry compote, crushed black raspberries, ripe red plum, baking spices and bittersweet chocolate. Intense and penetrating, this wine displays concentrated, powerful fruit with a gorgeous center core that finishes with a long, focused finish and slightly dusty tannins.” 92-95 Points
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Flowers is a winery that helped shape Pinot Noir production along the extreme Sonoma Coast through style, consistency and quality. They began their journey nearly 30 years ago and they helped pioneer the plantings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in what’s now known as the Fort Ross Seaview AVA. In 2011, it was approved as its own Appellation within the Sonoma Coast region. The area is also a source for such notables as Peter Michael, Marcassin, Martinelli Martinelli, Fort Ross and Pahlmeyer, to list a few. The 2017 is wonderfully energetic and blooms with intense raspberry, wild strawberries, lavender and baking spices. At under fifty bucks, I highly recommend harvesting some for your cellar.
With attention to every detail, Flowers hand-sorts their fruit on their custom-built shaker table before gently dispersing the berries onto the next sorting table where six sorters assess every cluster before allowing only the best fruit to pass through into the fermenters. Blossoming after 10 months in oak, this Pinot is indescribably beautiful now and will continue to bear gorgeous fruit for the next decade…
TROMBETTA
2015 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $45.00/btl
Your Price: Insider Club Members Only
Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers Click to Order From Wine Enthusiast: “This is a juicy exploration of the coast-a well-made effort that showcases notes of forest floor, black tea and savory pine. The black cherry and currant fruit leans dark and brooding, with an impressively balanced, medium-bodied hold on the palate.” 90 Points
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CASTALIA
2016 PINOT NOIR
ROCHIOLI VINEYARD
Your Price: $59.99/btl
Arising from one of California’s Grand Cru Vineyards, this Pinot Noir is so enchanting, that it will literally speak to your soul. A penetrating ruby/purple in the glass, the 2016 is beautifully layered with baked raspberries, warm cranberries, back cherry, roses, shaved chocolates and was carefully guided from grape to bottle by Terry Bering, Cellar Master for Rochioli Vineyards for over two decades…
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This time of year, we start our tastings with nearly two dozen Chardonnays, and see every style from extremely rich, lushious and buttery offerings, to shimmering, unoaked crisp and minerally, Chablis-like examples. Somewhere in the middle of those very opposite styles you’ll find a perfect balance of concentrated, pristinely focused fruit that perfectly balances the elegant oak and subtle buttery characteristics. When we find one of these, it really stands out in a crowd of countless others. Vine Cliff’s 2017 could be the reference-standard for perfectly balanced, intensely powerful Chardonnay… It is an absolutely pure expression of concentrated fruit with just enough oak and butter characteristics to appeal to anyone that tries it. If you enjoy Chardonnay, trust me on this one. It’s one of the best that I’ve tasted in years.
Vine Cliff has a terrific reputation of quality and consistency and is one of Napa Valley’s historic wineries, being established in 1871. This Chardonnay comes from their twelve-acre Estate vineyard in the heart of the Los Carneros appellation, an area that’s absolutely perfect for producing perfectly ripe, incredibly balanced Chardonnay fruit. The fruit was pressed long and slow in a Champagne style to maximize freshness and you’ll taste it in this brilliant Napa Valley Chardonnay.
VALDEZ
2016 CHARDONNAY
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
Your Price: $35/btl
Winery Notes: “Smooth, full-bodied, and crisp; The 2016 chardonnay fills the palate with juicy citrus fruits, honey, and hints of vanilla. The 2016 vintage is slightly brighter than the 2015 with a touch more acidity that presents a nice freshness in the wine…“
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MARTINELLI
2016 CHARDONNAY
BELLA VIGNA
Retails at: $45.00/btl
Your Price: Insider Club Members Only
Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers Click to Order The core of Martinelli’s 2016 Bela Vigna Chardonnay
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