2018 Marquesw De Murrieta Rioja Reserva Finca Ygay Rioja Spain

2018 Marques De Murrieta Rioja Reserva Finca Ygay Rioja Spain

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtRiojaSpainTempranillo

MARQUÉS DE MURRIETA

RIOJA RESERVA
FINCA YGAY
RIOJA SPAIN 2018

2018 Marquesw De Murrieta Rioja Reserva Finca Ygay Rioja Spain

Luciano Murrieta was one of the first winemakers to establish a winery in Rioja after his studies in Bordeaux in 1852. He achieved worldwide recognition for his signature style of producing powerful, complex, and elegant wines. The Marqués de Murrieta Reserva is a traditional Riojan wine that embodies Luciano’s passion and pays tribute to one of Rioja’s pioneers.

The vineyards are located in Rioja Alta at 320 to 485 meters above sea level and are rooted in a traditional, iconic history with modern innovation. 

The 2018 Reserva combines 82% Tempranillo, with Graciano, Mazuelo, and Garnacha aged 16 months in a mixture of new and used American oak with a year and a half in the bottle before release for a balanced integration and sophisticated drinkability.

MARQUÉS DE MURRIETA
RIOJA RESERVA
FINCA YGAY
RIOJA SPAIN 2018

Your Price: $29.99

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“The flagship red 2018 Rioja Reserva was produced with a blend of 86% Tempranillo, 8% Graciano, 4% Mazuelo (a.k.a. Cariñena) and 2% Garnacha selected from their 300 hectares of vineyards that exemplifies the character of the vintage and the place… Each variety and plot fermented separately in stainless steel. and the wines aged separately in American oak barrels for 21 months and then settled in concrete until bottling. It follows the path of the 2016, where I noticed a change that is taken further in this, controlling the power and increasing the freshness. It’s very aromatic, a year completely different from the 2017; it has less structure and more freshness and subtler balance and enough oomph, concentration and power neatly compensated by freshness… It’s perfumed, fresh, elegant and medium-bodied, with a velvety texture. Superb!”

94 Points

2018 Sosie Red Blend Stagecoach Vineyard Atlas Peak

2018 Sosie Red Blend Stagecoach Vineyard Atlas Peak

with No Comment $40-$50Atlas PeakKevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

SOSIE

RED BLEND 2018
STAGECOACH VINEYARD
ATLAS PEAK

2018 Sosie Red Blend Stagecoach Vineyard Atlas Peak

Sosie’s wines are sourced from celebrated vineyards in Sonoma and Napa Valley, chosen for exceptional farming practices that ensure perfectly ripened, well-balanced fruit, leading to minimal intervention in the winery. The winery focuses on blends, exploring various barrels, vineyards, appellations, and varietals, creating food-friendly wines with impeccable balance.

Perched at the top of Atlas Peak, the renowned Stagecoach Vineyard was planted in 1991 after a water witch discovered a viable water source. Today, the vineyard is prized for its volcanic soils, rocky terrain, and high elevation. 

This red blend from the superb 2018 vintage combines 56% Cabernet Franc and 43% Cabernet Sauvignon with Petit Verdot, fermented with native yeasts and matured 21 months in French oak, enhancing the purity and complexity of the finished wine.

SOSIE
RED BLEND 2018
STAGECOACH VINEYARD
ATLAS PEAK
Retails at: $90

Your Price: $45

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“The Sosie 2018 Stagecoach Vineyard Blocks K1 & K4 Red Blend begins with notes of violet, cassis, blackberry, clove, a hint of black pepper, and volcanic minerality. On the palate, the wine has firm, silky tannins and flavors of black plum, black currant, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and orange zest. This wine has well-structured elegance, and coats the mouth offering a delightful finish.”

93 Points

2018 Calcu Fotem Cabernet Sauvignon Valle De Colchagua Chile

2018 Calcu Fotem Cabernet Sauvignon Valle De Colchagua Chile

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonChileKevin Vogt

CALCU FOTEM 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
VALLE DE COLCHAGUA
CHILE 2018

2018 Calcu Fotem Cabernet Sauvignon Valle De Colchagua Chile

Hurtado family founded Calcu in 2003 in Marchigüe, Chile, located about 85 miles south of Santiago and 16 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Marchigüe’s prized terroir, composed of granite stone soils with clay deposits, produces powerful berries with a potent sense of place. Calcu’s vineyard team honors and respects this superior microclimate by sustainably farming the land and incorporating diversity with native plants and wildlife.

Calcu’s Fotem captures the regional terroir and personality of Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the Colchagua Valley’s most coastal terroir. 

This inaugural release highlights the granitic, clay soils and cool sea breeze influences that define this maritime region and delivers Cabernet with lively acidity, vibrant fruit, and spice with persistence and depth.

CALCU FOTEM 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
VALLE DE COLCHAGUA
CHILE 2018
Retails at: $55

Your Price: $32

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“The granitic soils in Marchigue tend to produce extremely tannic wines, and although we have nothing agains that (it’s nothing that the right food or some time in the cellar can’t fix), in this case, we’re surprised that a cabernet, a variety rich in tannins, shows such softness in its texture. According to winemaker Rodrigo Romero, the key lies in the quality of the grapes, which are harvested early with firmer skins that don’t give up their tannins as easily during fermentation. That, in addition to delicate extraction, makes this a silky cabernet full of red fruits with spicy and herbal tones and offering delicious varietal clarity. It’s elegant and subtle, a cabernet that’s sophisticated like few others in Colchauga.”

95 Points

2018 Edict Pinot Noir Reserve Russian River Valley

2018 Edict Pinot Noir Reserve Russian River Valley

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtPinot NoirRussian River ValleySonomaUSA

EDICT.

PINOT NOIR
RESERVE 2018
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

2018 Edict Pinot Noir Reserve Russian River Valley

Edict’s commitment to winemaking excellence and guiding principles influence every choice made throughout the winemaking process, from the vineyard to the cellar. Drawing upon three decades of expertise, Edict’s Vineyard Manager holds strong alliances with top growers in Sonoma and Napa Valley and meticulously chooses the most varietally expressive fruit for their wines.

2018 was an outstanding vintage in the Russian River Valley, where ideal weather allowed grapes to ripen slowly and evenly, resulting in excellent fruit quality. 

This 2018 Reserve Pinot Noir possesses elegance and finesse with great purity, making this wine a standout expression of this fantastic vintage, ready to drink now but can age further if desired.

EDICT.
PINOT NOIR
RESERVE 2018
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
Retails at: $60

Your Price: $29.99

Click Here to Join Our (Free) Insider’s Club & Unlock Special Offers

Click to Order

 

“The 2018 Edict Reserve Russian River Valley Pinot Noir begins with a bright nose of red cherries, cola bean, dried mushrooms, iron, and lavender. It continues on the palate with distinct cherry cola, cranberries, red plums, and baking spices wrapped in soft tannins. The smooth, supple, seamless palate carries to a moderately long, elegant finish.”

92 Points

2018 David Clinton Old Vine Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley

2018 David Clinton Old Vine Zinfandel Mounts Vineyard Dry Creek Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Dry Creek ValleyKevin VogtSonomaUSAZinfandel

DAVID CLINTON

OLD VINE ZINFANDEL
MOUNTS VINEYARD 2018
DRY CREEK VALLEY

2018 David Clinton Old Vine Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley
Specializing in Old Vine Zinfandel, David Clinton Wines began with the unity of two friends sharing a passion for wine, then sourcing fruit from choice vineyards in Sonoma County. The Dry Creek Valley is famous for high-quality Zinfandels due to its soil composition, topography, and cooling influences from the Pacific Ocean. These factors are the driving influence behind David Clinton’s wines.
 
The winery has produced a single vineyard Zin, from the Mounts Vineyard, located adjacent to Rafanelli, since 2013. This wine defines their house style with approachability, red and black fruits balanced with acidity, and a smooth mouthfeel. The 2018 vintage represents a classic example of Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel sourced from an old vineyard block, giving concentrated, intense flavors, soft tannins, and ageability. 
 
DAVID CLINTON
OLD VINE ZINFANDEL
MOUNTS VINEYARD 2018
DRY CREEK VALLEY
 
Your Price: $32
 
 
“The David Clinton 2018 Mounts Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel begins with red cherry, plum, mixed berry pie, milk chocolate, cinnamon, and earth. On the palate, the wine has rich flavors of raspberry, blueberry, and chocolate chip cookies, with a hint of black pepper on the finish. This wine has had some time to develop in the bottle, bringing out more profound complexity and a soft texture that will continue to age but is very drinkable right now.” 
94 Points
2018 Top Source Red Blend Columbia Valley

2018 Top Source Red Blend Columbia Valley

with No Comment $30 and underColumbia ValleyGrenacheKevin VogtProprietary RedSyrahUSAWashington State

TOP SOURCE

RED BLEND 2018
COLUMBIA VALLEY

2018 Top Source Red Blend Columbia Valley
Meredith Hyslop is a Walla Walla native who graduated from the Walla Walla Wine Institute in 2007 before moving to Dijon, France, to complete a Master’s program in International Wine business. After her studies, Meredith moved to the Languedoc-Roussillon in Southern France, where she spent 12 years working in the wine industry and found many significant similarities to the climate of her home in Eastern Washington.
 
Realizing that Syrah and Grenache thrive in Columbia Valley’s volcanic soils and high diurnal range, Meredith founded Top Source to showcase Rhône-style blends from the AVA’s idyllic conditions and terroir. 
 
Meredith hand-selected three organically farmed sites for her 2018 Red Wine, blended at bottled at her partner’s winery, Cayuse Vineyards, one of Washington State’s most iconic producers. The Blend combines 70% Syrah with 30% Grenache, aged in neutral oak, highlighting the region’s fruit and world-class growing conditions.
 
TOP SOURCE
RED BLEND 2018
COLUMBIA VALLEY
Retails at: $30
 
 
 
“The 2018 Red Wine Columbia Valley combines Syrah (70%) with Grenache (30%). The palate is wonderfully stony with bright red fruits that mingle with orange rind, umami and pretty pomegranate seed flavors. The salty accents really make this sing.”
93 Points
2018 Taupenot-Merme Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru Red Burgundy

2018 Taupenot-Merme Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru Red Burgundy

with No Comment $100 and overBurgandyFranceKevin VogtRed Burgandy

TAUPENOT-MERME

CHARMES CHAMBERTIN 2018
GRAND CRU RED BURGUNDY

2018 Taupenot-Merme Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru Red Burgundy
Romain Taupenot descends from a long line of vignerons dating back to the 17th century. Today, he produces nineteen different wines across seventeen appellations in the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, with a significant portion of fruit sourced from Premier Cru and Grand Cru sites. Old vines represent most of Domaine Taupenot-Merme’s holdings, with new plantings propagated from cuttings from each site’s best vines. 
 
The prestigious village of Gevrey-Chambertin produces some of the world’s most famous and sought-after wines, and the 68-acre Charmes-Chambertin vineyard was officially granted Grand Cru status in 1937.
 
Romain considers himself a hands-off winemaker as he prioritizes his work in the vineyard and uses minimalistic approaches in the cellar. The fruit for the 2018 Charmes-Chambertin was hand-harvested, de-stemmed, and cold-soaked before fermentation in stainless steel, then aged in French oak. The wine shows beautifully now and will gain ethereal complexity from extended aging time in the bottle.
 
TAUPENOT-MERME
CHARMES CHAMBERTIN 2018
GRAND CRU RED BURGUNDY
Retails at: $345
 
 
 
“The 2018 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru has a seductive, plush nose laden with pure red cherries, cranberry and wild strawberry fruit. Nicely integrated new oak, quite luxurious in style. The palate is well balanced with fine tannins, crisp acidity (perhaps acidified?) With just a little shrillness towards the finish. It does improve with aeration and develops a pleasing harmony. Tasted blind…”
93 Points
2018 Coho Pinot Noir Stanly Ranch Vineyard Los Carneros

2018 Coho Pinot Noir Stanly Ranch Vineyard Los Carneros

with No Comment $30 and underCarnerosKevin VogtNapaPinot NoirUSA

COHO

PINOT NOIR
STANLY RANCH VINEYARD
LOS CARNEROS 2018

2018 Coho Pinot Noir Stanly Ranch Vineyard Los Carneros
COHO Wines was founded in 2002 by Gary Lipp, following principles he learned from his 35 years of experience working in multiple aspects of wine production. To help achieve his goal of crafting powerful yet perfectly balanced wines, Gary hired renowned winemaker Phillip Titus, who has been with Chappellet for nearly three decades and producing award-winning wines.
 
The Stanly Ranch Vineyard is the easternmost vineyard on the Napa side of the Los Carneros AVA, first planted in 1870 and supplied Louis Martini with fruit leading up to his purchase of 200 acres of the site in 1942. COHO has produced a Stanly Ranch Pinot Noir since their inaugural vintage, and the 2018 release is a blend of Pommard clones, planted in 1970, and younger Dijon clones, giving a vast array of complexity from Napa’s cooler, southern edge near the San Pablo Bay.
 
Sadly, this is Coho’s final vintage. We hate seeing them go, as their wines have always over-delivered with substantial quality and value, making them a favorite among many of our customers. 
 
COHO
PINOT NOIR
STANLY RANCH VINEYARD
LOS CARNEROS 2018
Retails at: $45
 
 
 
“Notes of raspberries, strawberries, baking spices and dried flowers. Medium-bodied with plush tannins. Juicy and fruity with floral and spicy character on the finish. Rich and layered. Drink or hold.”
92 Points
2018 The Mascot Proprietary Red Napa Valley

2018 The Mascot Proprietary Red Napa Valley

with No Comment $100 and overKevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

THE MASCOT

PROPRIETARY RED
NAPA VALLEY 2018

2018 The Mascot Proprietary Red Napa Valley
The Mascot shares the hallmarks of Napa Valley’s most elite wines, such as meticulous farming, high-profile winemaking, and pedigreed grapes, offering an introduction to Napa’s most distinguished Cabernet Sauvignons. Emerging from distinct hillside vineyards, specifically from the comparatively younger vines of BOND, Harlan Estate, and Promontory, The Mascot lucidly reveals its unrivaled pedigree with each swirl of the glass while offering insight into the vintage and evolution of its parent properties.
 
While the winery doesn’t specify exact grape varietal percentages in each vintage, The Mascot has historically been 85-95% Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petite Verdot. Crafted in an intensely captivating style that’s gloriously supple, penetrating, and harmoniously balanced, only a few very select retailers have the opportunity to offer this wine, and we are delighted to be one of them!
 
THE MASCOT
PROPRIETARY RED
NAPA VALLEY 2018
 
 
 
“…The fruit of the young vines maintained a measured balance that gave the team little indication that harvest was imminent. Fog and temperate days followed in September, when relying more on instinct than empirical cues we began to pick. This judgment as well as the gentle nature of the season is confirmed in the subtle, ethereal power of the vintage, which reveals itself first in the deep, brooding aromas of dark fruit, black tea, and herbal notes. The texture expands around a lifted structure, as powdery tannins gently resolve. This diffused, enigmatic softness is anchored on the mid-palate by a gratifying density, which prepares the senses for a flourish of hidden energy and vivid detail that illuminates the finish.”
2018 Sequum Cabernet Sauvignon Kidd Ranch Vineyard Napa Valley

2018 Sequum Cabernet Sauvignon Kidd Ranch Vineyard Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaSaint HelenaUSA

SEQUUM

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
KIDD RANCH VINEYARD
NAPA VALLEY 2018

2018 Sequum Cabernet Sauvignon Kidd Ranch Vineyard Napa Valley
Sequum is a boutique winery based in Saint Helena, led by Paul Skinner, who combines his Ph.D. in viticulture and soil science with his deep connections in the wine industry to create balanced wines with a powerful sense of place. 
 
Paul spent two decades consulting for premium vineyards before starting his winery in 2003, which is now blended and bottled at Pride Mountain Vineyards.
 
The cooler 2018 growing season is known for producing red wines with elegance, and this Cabernet Sauvignon is nuanced and sophisticated while exhibiting power and depth throughout the finish. It promises a divine wine-drinking experience and has many years of cellaring potential.
 
SEQUUM
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
KIDD RANCH VINEYARD
NAPA VALLEY 2018
Retails at: $75
 
 
 
“The Sequum Kidd Ranch Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 begins with an intense nose of black currants, Italian glove leather, baking spices, milk chocolate, Kalamata olives, and French lavender. The rich palate continues with ripe red and black plums and tart red cherries, combining a complex savory note with sweet vanilla spice. It has an outstanding balance of rich, ripe black fruits intermixed with tart, bright red fruits, intertwined in a way where the red fruits lift the heavier dark fruits to create a wine with impeccable power, elegance, grace, liveliness, and length. Congratulations to Paul Skinner and his team for making another beautiful vintage of this wine.”
95 Points