2018 Silver Ghost Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Silver Ghost Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSA

SILVER GHOST 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Silver Ghost Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Weston Eidson’s devotion to quality and conviction for making rich, expressive, value-priced Napa Cabernet is getting him noticed. He’s found the ideal balance of lush Valley-floor fruit and robust high-elevation grapes that together make his wines thoroughly enjoyable. It’s clear when you taste them that they share qualities found in significantly higher-priced Cabs, and at $35, that’s something to celebrate.
 
Silver Ghost’s 2018 vintage combines fruit from a historic East Rutherford vineyard, a hillside site in Calistoga, and a secret parcel in Yountville. The wine also marries clone 7, which emanates elegance, and clone 337, which lends to the lush textures, and richness. 
 
The 2018 release was cellared for 22 months in French oak barrels and is concentrated, poised, and polished. With solid scores out of the gate, I wouldn’t hesitate too long to secure yours.
 
SILVER GHOST 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $35
 
 
“Aromas and flavors of dried flowers with currants, blackberries and violets. It’s full-bodied with soft, refined tannins and a savory finish. Pretty length, too…”
93 Points
 
“Deep garnet, rich plum nose, smooth and graceful, lush and toasty with ripe plum fruit; balanced, long and elegant.”
92 Points
 
“Silver Ghost is a full-bodied and richly expressive Cabernet Sauvignon crafted from some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyards. Dark in color with a vibrant nose of blueberries, violets and crème de cassis the palate reveals lush red and blue fruits, mocha and dark spice. The luxurious texture and depth continue through the long finish.”
2018 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2018 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

FLOWERS

2018 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST 

2018 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Flowers is a winery dedicated to crafting elegantly balanced wines that express their vineyard’s authentic voice. They’re able to achieve this through organic farming and minimal intervention in the cellar. As a result, their wines faultlessly showcase fresh coastal minerality, hallmark purity of fruit, and complex nuances derived from their land. The 2018 release is, as Jeb Dunnuck writes, “impeccably made and high-quality.”
 
Joan and Walt Flowers helped shape Pinot Noir production along the extreme Sonoma Coast and were among the first to plant grapes in the area known as the Fort Ross Seaview AVA. The region is also a source for such notables as Peter Michael, Marcassin, Martinelli, Fort Ross, and Pahlmeyer, to list a few. 
 
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. At under fifty bucks, I highly recommend harvesting some for your cellar.
 
FLOWERS
2018 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $46
 
 
“… Lots of spice box, earthy forest floor, cherries, and redcurrant notes define the bouquet, and it’s medium-bodied and balanced, with good acidity and a great finish. As with everything from this estate, it’s impeccably made and high-quality.”
93 Points
 
“This complex wine is thick in tannin and structure, with nuanced underlying elegance. Textured, it offers dried herb, clove, wild strawberry and a twist of blood orange on the palate, with acidity interwoven within the integrated oak.”
91 Points
 
“… pretty, aromatic and super-elegant. Crushed flowers, dried cherry, mint, sage, cedar and tobacco are some of the many notes that develop in the glass. The 2018 is perfumed, light on its feet and exquisitely beautiful—all qualities that make it a terrific choice for drinking over the next handful of years. Drink 2020 – 2026”
90 Points
2018 Morgan Twelve Clones Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands

2018 Morgan Twelve Clones Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtMontereyPinot NoirSanta Lucia HighlandsUSA

MORGAN

TWELVE CLONES
SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS
2018 PINOT NOIR 

2018 Morgan Twelve Clones Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands

Dan Lee’s focus on sustainable farming and minimalist winemaking over the past 40 years has made Morgan winery a category leader in high-quality, value wines from the Santa Lucia Highlands. The winery consistently produces balanced wines of distinction, and at less than $30, their Twelve Clones Pinot Noir regularly makes my short-list of California’s best value Pinots.
 
Morgan draws on several of the Santa Lucia Highlands’ top Vineyards, including the Double L Estate, Rosella’s, and Tondre, to create their flagship Twelve Clones Pinot. 
 
The team named Twelve Clones for the diverse Pinot Noir clones inside the Double L Vineyard. The vast selection of clones contributes to the multi-dimensional flavors and aromas that make this wine so revered.
 
MORGAN
TWELVE CLONES
SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS
2018 PINOT NOIR
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“Layers of baked berry, pie crust and star anise show on the nose of this clonal combination. It’s clean and direct on the palate, offering tart red-currant and cranberry fla­vors, touched up by thyme, lavender and potpourri elements.”
92 Points
 
“… the light ruby-hued 2018 Pinot Noir Twelve Clones gives up a pretty nose of framboise and strawberries as well as lots of floral, rose petal, sappy herb, and minty aromas and flavors. It’s another lightly textured, medium-bodied, elegant wine from this estate to enjoy over the coming 4-6 years.”
92 Points
 
“Pale ruby color, fresh cherry nose, crisp and bright with cherry, strawberry and rhubarb notes; silky and fresh, charming and long.” – Anthony Dias Blue, October 2020”
92 Points
 
“The 2018 Twelve Clones demonstrates the finesse of Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands. It displays aromas of blackberry, cola, and cured meat. Flavors of red and black fruit are complemented by notes of black plum and toasty oak. Perfectly poised, this medium bodied wine is light on its feet and a great reflection of 2018’s elegance…”
 
2018 The Crane Assembly Disciples Proprietary Red

2018 The Crane Assembly Disciples Proprietary Red

with No Comment $40-$50CalistogaKevin VogtNapaProprietary RedRutherfordUSA

THE CRANE ASSEMBLY

2018 DISCIPLES
PROPRIETARY RED

2018 The Crane Assembly Disciples Proprietary Red
The Crane Assembly wines honor the history of the G.B. Crane Vineyard, established around 1885. The eight-acre vineyard has 4 acres of original plantings. For Disciples, winemaker Kevin Fox and consulting winemaker Dave Phinney intermix fruit from other iconic vineyards in the area to replicate the style and structure of G.B. Crane. The 2018 release is richly layered, with supple dark fruits, vast complexity, and is perfectly balanced.
 
The wine’s backbone comes from Morisoli Vineyard, which sits in the center of the Rutherford bench and has been a longtime source for BV Georges de Latour, Elyse, Mercury Head, and the list goes on. The 2018 release also includes fruit from Tofanelli Vineyard in Calistoga, which has attracted producers like Prisoner, Schrader Cellars, and Turley. 
 
In 2018, the final blend is nearly 50% Zinfandel, matched with Bordeaux and Rhone Varieties. This wine deliciously shows off the incomparable skills of Dave Phinney & Kevin Fox. They are masters at creating new, unique blends that are as individualistic as they are enjoyable.
 
THE CRANE ASSEMBLY
2018 DISCIPLES
PROPRIETARY RED
 
Your Price: $45
 
 
“Strawberry preserves leap from the glass initially, followed by a bouquet of floral aromatics: lavender, violets and roses. Rich earthy notes of freshly plowed soil, fresh rain on warm granite and petrichor. Spicy, but not a peppery spice, more of a star anise spiciness, tart raspberries and sweet plouts, with a very long, dusty finish of strawberry cream, vanilla and caramelized sugar that lingers…. smooth and luscious!”
2018 Turley Zinfandel Old Vines

2018 Turley Zinfandel Old Vines

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtPaso RoblesUSAZinfandel

TURLEY

2018 ZINFANDEL
OLD VINES

2018 Turley Zinfandel Old Vines
Turley’s Old Vines Zinfandel is birthed each vintage from a collection of ancient vineyards, with vines ranging from 41 to 129 years old. Director of winemaking Tegan Passalacqua calls the 2018 vintage “one of the best in a long time,” and this wine wears it on its sleeves. They’ve produced their Old Vine Cuvee for twenty vintages, and it’s because it’s a compilation of so many of their properties that it’s as the winery describes, “the story of Turley Wine Cellars itself.”
 
Turley prides itself on being stewards of historic vineyards and producing forty-seven wines from over fifty Certified Organic sites. The 2018 Old Vines arose from seven iconic regions across California and includes many sites with yields too low to make a single-vineyard bottling. 
 
The winery has always attracted some of California’s most talented winemakers, beginning with Helen Turley. Helen passed the torch to winemaker Ehren Jordan and now Ehren to Tegan Passalacqua, who worked under Jordan before becoming Director of Winemaking.
 
TURLEY
2018 ZINFANDEL
OLD VINES
 
Your Price: $36
 
 
“The 2018 Zinfandel Old Vines is a gorgeous wine and a fabulous value. Sweet dark cherry, new leather, spice, menthol, licorice and red flowers all open up effortlessly. Medium in body yet fleshy and wonderfully deep, the 2018 has a lot to offer. It can be enjoyed now, but also has the stuffing to develop nicely for years to come.” 
90 Points
 
“Tegan has called this vintage one of the best he’s seen in a long time. Silky, structured, savory, and seriously satisfying, this wine has kind of natural depth, complexity, and grace that can only come from truly old vines. The full gamut of fruits and a satin-like texture, the Old Vines over- delivers, and will continue to do so for many years to come…”
2018 Courtney Benham Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford

2018 Courtney Benham Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSA

COURTNEY BENHAM

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 RUTHERFORD 

2018 Courtney Benham Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford
Courtney Benham wines give tribute to Courtney’s love of terroir and journey through some of Napa Valley’s most distinctive appellations, offering a vivid portrayal of their unique origins. Rutherford is one of the most celebrated terroirs in Napa Valley due to its dynamic complexity, powerful elegance, and dusty tannins. Courtney’s version spotlights each of those hallmark characteristics, as well as the incredible vintage, and at less than $50, it’s one of the best values in the region.
 
Rutherford plays an integral part of Courtney’s terroir expression series, with ideal temperatures coupled with gravel and loam soils and volcanic deposits. These elements produce dense Cabernet Sauvignon fruit heightened with a quintessential earthiness that’s unique to the region. 
 
Winemaker Courtney Benham has three decades of experience, and his talent for selecting vineyards of distinction is highly evident in this wine. The 2018 vintage showcases power and restraint, with concentrated fruit, earthy minerals, and a singular focus.  
 
COURTNEY BENHAM
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 RUTHERFORD
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $46
 
 
“The blue fruit, fresh flowers, sandalwood and dust are so beautiful in this. Full body, firm and polished tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Really linear and tight. Persistent finish…”
94 Points
2018 Fel Chardonnay Anderson Valley

2018 Fel Chardonnay Anderson Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Anderson ValleyChardonnayKevin VogtUSA

FEL

2018 CHARDONNAY
ANDERSON VALLEY

2018 Fel Chardonnay Anderson Valley
Fel produces their Chardonnay in a pure, refreshing style that highlights the fruit’s natural essence, without the influence of new oak or malolactic fermentation. Winemaker Ryan Hodgins ferments his Chardonnay in neutral oak barrels, a technique he used while working as the assistant winemaker at Hanzell Vineyards. The resulting wine captures the undiluted personality of the appellation and delivers it brilliantly. 
 
Fel Winery is in California’s Anderson Valley, and it’s the sister-winery of powerhouse Stags Leap District producer Cliff Lede. The winery also owns the renowned Savoy Vineyard, which produced single-vineyard wines from notables such as Radio-Coteau, Peay, and Littorai. 
 
The 2018 release is from several methodically selected Anderson Valley Vineyards, including Savoy Estate. The wine was aged sur lie for ten months, which contributed to the wine’s richness and textures, and perfectly complements the brightly focused fruit. 
 
FEL
2018 CHARDONNAY
ANDERSON VALLEY
 
Your Price: $32
 
 
“Fresh, vibrant fruit aromas and flavors drive this full-bodied and well-balanced wine. It floods the palate with flavors of crisp apple, ripe pear and a touch of pineapple while subtle hints of baking spice play in the background.”
92 Points
 
“The 2018 Chardonnay Anderson Valley is a soft, fruity wine to drink now and over the next handful of years. Apricot, orange confit, white flowers and tropical accents give this bold Anderson Valley wine tons of depth and complexity. The 2018 is a terrific appellation-level wine from Fel.”
89 Points
 
“Lifted floral aromatics waft from the glass of this citrus-driven Chardonnay. Notes of lemon zest, white grapefruit, and Key lime, are complemented by hints of juniper, struck flint, and melon. The blend of citrus flavors continues in the mouth with an abundance of fresh lemon and orange zest. The juicy finish is carried by notes of lemon balm with zippy acidity.”
2018 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $70-$80Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaSpring MountainUSA

PRIDE MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Pride Mountain Vineyards is a paradigm producer on Spring Mountain that defines its wines’ success by their uncanny ability to be identified in blind tastings. This distinction is due to the Estate’s highly unique terroir and their undeviating focus on producing intensely flavored wines that honor their fabulous property. At around $80, their 2018 Cabernet is a benchmark for high-elevation hillside Cabernet in Napa Valley, and you might grab some while you can.
 
The Estate Vineyards are at the top of Spring Mountain, and they straddle the Napa and Sonoma County line. The extreme elevation provides warm mornings and chilly afternoons that result in longer hang-time, contributing textural and flavor characteristics that don’t exist anywhere else in the world. This location is only part of the reason why their wines are so desirable. 
 
Winemaker Sally Johnson employs traditional winemaking practices designed to let the terroir of the grapes take center stage. Her method includes 100% destemming the red varietals and fermenting over two-weeks in stainless steel tank before transferring the wine to French oak barrels for roughly 18 months. 
 
PRIDE MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $76
 
 
“Black currant, Morello cherry and just-ripe black mission fig dance with the aromas of sage, candied violets, star anise and black truffle. The palate is dense and compact with incredible structure. Layers of complex black and red fruit fill the mouth, while sandalwood, bay, graphite and forest aromatics linger with the velvety tannins on the long and dynamic finish. This is a showstopper!”
2018 Rocca Di Montegrossi Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy

2018 Rocca Di Montegrossi Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy

with No Comment $30 and underChiantiChiantiItalyKevin VogtTuscany

ROCCA DI MONTEGROSSI

2018 CHIANTI CLASSICO
TUSCANY, ITALY 

2018 Rocca Di Montegrossi Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy
Each decision that Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi of Rocca di Montegrossi makes in his vineyard has the laser-focused goal of balancing growth and production, with his wine’s quality paramount. Together with consultant agronomist Dr. Stefano Dini, he cares for 20 hectares of vines grown in one of the finest sections of Chianti. His flagship 2018 Chianti Classico has explosive aromas of rich dark fruits, wet slate, and wildflowers. It’s, as Vinous writes, “a fabulous wine for the money,” so don’t miss it.
 
The richness of this wine is matched equally by the Estate’s history, which dates back to the 7th century AD. In 1141, the property was passed to the Ricasoli family. To this day, Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi is dedicated to crafting the best wine from the Estate, and International fame has followed. 
 
The Estate is planted primarily to Sangiovese (13 hectares), followed by Merlot, while the remaining 4.5 hectares includes Canaiolo, Colorino, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pugnitello, and Malvasia Bianca del Chianti. Marco blends 8% Canaiolo and 2% Colorino with 90% Sangiovese to make a more complex and serious wine. If you’re looking for a killer bottle of Italian wine for under $30, this is it. 
 
ROCCA DI MONTEGROSSI
2018 CHIANTI CLASSICO
TUSCANY, ITALY
 
Your Price: $28
 
 
“The 2018 Chianti Classico opens with a burst of sweet red berry fruit, spice and wild flowers. Exuberant and racy, the 2018 is endowed with tremendous energy and tons of personality. Time in the glass brings out the wine’s inner sweetness and radiance, with a closing flourish of red flowers. This is a fabulous wine for the money. Don’t miss it. Drink 2022-2038.”
93 Points
 
“A red with blackberries, black cherries and hints of sliced dark mushrooms that follow through to a medium body, chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Some bark, too. Always a serious Chianti Classico. Drink now.”
92 Points
 
“It is very youthful with great energy and freshness on the palate but still fairly tightly wound. I’d give it a few more months in bottle before approaching. Drinking Window 2021 – 2027.”
91 Points
 
“Rocca di Montegrossi’s Chianti Classico is the estate’s flagship wine; it is a blend of about 90% Sangiovese, with Canaiolo and Colorino, and is produced every year. It ages mainly in large casks and barrels made with oak from Allier, for 12-14 months. It is unfiltered, and after bottling it ages another 6 months prior to release. In the glass it is lively ruby, with bright violet reflections, and on the nose displays the rich fruity aromas typical of the varietals, particularly forest berry fruit and sour cherries.”
2018 Hourglass HG III Proprietary Red

2018 Hourglass HG III Proprietary Red

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtNapaProprietary RedUSA

HOURGLASS 

2018 HG III
PROPRIETARY RED

2018 Hourglass HG III Proprietary Red
Hourglass HG III is strategically blended with the restaurant environment in mind and crafted in an approachable and expressive style that doesn’t require decanting. The winery describes it as a study in the art of blending. They make it with declassified Blueline Estate fruit and other meticulously selected sites that lend to the full spectrum of fruit and rich textures that make this wine so delightful. 
 
HG III beautifully intertwines Merlot, Petit Sirah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Merlot contributes sleek textures and elegant bright red fruit components. Simultaneously, the Petite Sirah provides the anchoring deep dark blue and black fruits, while the Cabernet weaves these together with structural framing and elegant refinement. 
 
Hourglass is made by Toni Biagi, who spent nearly ten years crafting the high-scoring Plumpjack wines, which rank among the best in Napa Valley. HG III offers a superb pedigree, and at around $50, the value is unrivaled. 
 
HOURGLASS 
2018 HG III
PROPRIETARY RED
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“Rich, textural layers define HG III. The 2018 greets with lifted aromatics of bright Bing cherry, dark plum, and cedar box, with subtle hints of herbs de Provence, cocoa powder and hoisin. A medley of saturated black cherry, crushed blueberry and cola root burst forth on the palate, providing broad-shouldered, sumptuous texture. Rich and concentrated, yet balanced by lively acidity, a refined structure and well-integrated tannins, HG III delivers and eminently drinkable wine at cork-pull.”