2018 Aston Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2018 Aston Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

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

ASTON

2018 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST

2018 Aston Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Co-founded two decades earlier by industry leaders Fred Schrader, Chuck Sweeney, and Thomas Rivers Brown, Aston arose from 14 acres of prime coastal vineyards near Annapolis. The winery is now under the sole ownership of Brown, and with the vines coming into age, the quality of the wine produced is at an even higher level, and the brand is ready to claim its throne as one of the Sonoma Coast’s top players. Brown describes Annapolis Pinots as having a savage quality, yielding a more significant, structured style of this Burgundian variety. 
 
Aston Vineyard is located along the Northern reaches of the Sonoma Coast and planted to Dijon clones 115, 667, and 777, which together produce a complete wine with outstanding depth and floral lift. As the vines have aged over the last two decades, Brown has noticed the fruit characteristics have become more interesting, and the 2018 release shows off the site’s capabilities. 
 
This wine enters from a vintage the Wine Spectator describes as “Nearly perfect conditions; full-flavored wines backed by crisp acidity, especially from coastal vineyards,” then was aged in 100% new French oak barrels. Fans of BIG, rustic, full-bodied, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs should scoop this up by the case.
 
ASTON
2018 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $75
 
Your Price: $45
 
 
“2018 was a winegrower’s dream come true. We had every available advantage leading into harvest and ample hang time for the fruit to fully mature. While still made up of all Estate fruit, this bottling comes from its own block in the vineyard. The result in the glass is a balanced, expressive Pinot Noir that resonates with all the hallmark notes of the Estate vineyard. The wine displays a red-purple hue in the glass. Aromas suggest blackberry jam, cranberry, plum, orange pith, and nutmeg. The sleek, structured palate resonates with notes of raspberry, pomegranate pulp, river rock, and lavender. This wine possesses vivacious energy and shows extremely well today.”
2018 Barnett Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District

2018 Barnett Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District

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

BARNETT 

2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
SPRING MOUNTAIN DISTRICT

2018 Barnett Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District
Carved into a 35º slope at 2000 feet elevation on Spring Mountain, Barnett’s Vineyard is impeccably farmed on a vine-by-vine basis, ensuring each berry reaches the pinnacle of ripeness. Once harvested, Winemaker David Tate ferments each block individually, performing multiple punch-downs daily, maximizing flavor concentration. Their unwavering use of traditional techniques and micro-managing production has solidified them as a paragon on Spring Mountain for more than 30 years. 
 
Crafted with the intent to showcase Spring Mountain’s most distinct characteristics, displayed with grace and persistence, Barnett’s team intricately combines fruit from their high-elevation Estate and neighboring York Creek Vineyards in creating their Spring Mountain District Cabernet.
 
Blending the 2018 Barnett, David utilized 8% Petit Verdot for increased depth, structure, and balancing the ripe and supple Cabernet Sauvignon fruit, which he aged for 22 months in barrel. At less than $100, this wine perfectly expresses the profound qualities that I look for in Spring Mountain Cabernet. 
 
BARNETT 
2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
SPRING MOUNTAIN DISTRICT
Retails at: $80
 
Your Price: $75
 
 
“In 2018 climatic conditions were perfect up on Spring Mountain. This Cabernet is evidence of that. Fresh blackberry, anise and mocha are the first things apparent on the nose followed by cola, acai berry and menthol. This is a silky lush wine with layers of dark chocolate, cedar and freshly ground coffee. The tannins are chiefly present, being round pleasing chalky tannins with firm mountain acid balancing them out. The finish is chocolate covered plum. This powerhouse Cabernet is already showing well and will develop even more complexity over the next 10-12 years (2030-2032).”
2018 Arrived Proprietary White Paso Robles

2018 Arrived Proprietary White Paso Robles

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtPaso RoblesProprietary WhiteUSA

ARRIVED

PROPRIETARY WHITE
2018 PASO ROBLES 

2018 Arrived Proprietary White Paso Robles
Chateauneuf-du-Pape white wines are a rare delicacy, often created by combining Grenache Blanc and Clairette Blanche. There are less than 175 total acres of Clairette Blanche planted in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and in California, it’s almost non-existent. Arrived arose from the Dusi Family’s Paper Street Vineyard in Paso Robles and is a near equal blend of both grapes. The wine is mesmeric, offering finely etched details, graceful opulence, and wildly intriguing nuances.
 
Arrived was cut from chalky, limestone-rich white soils that produce vibrant wines with remarkable clarity, intricacy, depth, and balance. The vineyard, located in the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles, is owned and farmed by the Dusi family. 
 
The whole grape clusters were pressed and fermented in stainless steel before spending just nine months in neutral barrels. The 2019 Arrived has incredible energy and offers various tropical fruits, honeysuckle, and stony minerals. With a total production of 75 cases, don’t wait to secure yours.
 
ARRIVED
PROPRIETARY WHITE
2018 PASO ROBLES
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“Gravenstein apple, honeydew melon, kiwi, lemon zest, asian pear, and a core of minerality that continues to develop in the glass. Lifted, concentrated, showing a bright purity of fruit. Succulent. Balanced. Refreshing.”
2018 Sor Ugo Super Tuscan Bolgheri Rosso Superiore

2018 Sor Ugo Super Tuscan Bolgheri Rosso Superiore

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtSangioveseUSA

SOR UGO

2018 SUPER TUSCAN
BOLGHERI ROSSO SUPERIORE
AIA VECCHIA WINERY

2018 Sor Ugo Super Tuscan Bolgheri Rosso Superiore
Aia Vecchia’s determination to express the most natural characteristics of their land, along with their undeterred attention to detail, manifests profoundly in their wines. The wine’s commanding intensity, supreme richness, and arrant focus effortlessly combine, making it feel like the only wine in the room. Vinous writes, “the purity of the flavors is striking,” and with a 94 point score and price far lower than what you’d expect from Bolgheri, it’s easy to see why this is our most popular Tuscan wine year after year. 
 
Sor Ugo boldly reflects Castagneto Carducci terroir and the Estate’s proximity to the Tyrrhenian coast. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, embellished with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Verdot, the 2018 vintage is super-concentrated with crystalline focus enriched with minerality and divinely saturating intensity. 
 
Aia Vecchia’s winemaking team has a precisely detailed approach; Meticulously hand-sorting each berry, vinifying, fermenting and aging each varietal separately before creating the blend, which spends a year in the bottle before release.
 
SOR UGO
2018 SUPER TUSCAN
BOLGHERI ROSSO SUPERIORE
AIA VECCHIA WINERY
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 

“The 2018 Sor Ugo is a superb Bolgheri red. Pliant, succulent and so expressive, the 2018 offers plenty of richness, but with terrific energy, too. Black cherry, mocha, spice, licorice and chocolate all build as the 2018 fills out over time. The purity of the flavors is striking.” 

94 Points

2018 Joseph Jewell Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

2018 Joseph Jewell Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtPinot NoirRussian River ValleySonomaUSA

JOSEPH JEWELL

2018 PINOT NOIR
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

2018 Joseph Jewell Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
Striking a delicate balance of character and approachability, Joseph Jewell’s Russian Valley Pinot Noir embodies the region’s spirit, calling on the best qualities of three renowned vineyards. This wine is winemaker Adrian Jewell’s best representation of the Russian River Valley, mindfully created from a barrel selection of Bucher, Starscape, and Hallberg Vineyards. The wine is a perennial favorite that will make you wonder how a Pinot Noir can be this good for this low of a price. 
 
Gaining lush fruits and earthy undertones from Bucher, brighter red fruit and supple tannins from Starscape, and structure with darker berries from Hallberg, Joseph Jewell’s Russian River Pinot Noir is a complete wine of charisma and balance. 
 
This intriguing release is ebullient and beautifully knit with a flirtatious mix of red and black fruits, wild rose, and classic cola and spice characteristics. Like the previous vintages, the fleshy, rich textures are sublime and are a hallmark of this brand. 
 
JOSEPH JEWELL
2018 PINOT NOIR
RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
Retails at: $40
 
 
 
“Luscious and inviting, with aromas of bing cherry, cola, and orange blossom, this wine follows fast with striking aromatics of candied cherries, vanilla, fresh mint, and hibiscus. On the palate, the medley of fresh cherries, cranberries, and red plum is accented with an elegant herbaceousness and a lasting floral finish. Soft tannins support a lush mouthfeel that will keep you coming back for more.”
2018 Saint-Galet Chateauneuf-Du-Pape

2018 Saint-Galet Chateauneuf-Du-Pape

with No Comment $30-$40Cotes du RhoneFranceKevin Vogt

SAINT-GALET 

CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE
2018 VINTAGE

2018 Saint-Galet Chateauneuf-Du-Pape
Venerated for marrying power and grace, Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines are the pinnacle of the Southern Rhone Valley, envied for their fruit intensity and garrigue, a French term referring to a savory mix of lavender, juniper, thyme, rosemary, and sage. Their nobility, supreme quality, and scarcity result in prices that start around $50 and climb to over a thousand per bottle. How did we find one for $32? This wine is the direct result of France’s restaurant shutdowns, and fueled by a pause on tariffs, we seized this opportunity.  
 
Eric Bonnet blended this wine, and he is the winemaker at La Bastide Saint Dominique. This Saint-Galet Chateauneuf-du-Pape bursts with black raspberry, dark plum, and new leather, offering supreme balance, energy, and classic garrigue. 
 
Aged in a combination of stainless steel tanks and French oak to best highlight the fruit, this wine reflects the elegance of the 2018 vintage. The Wine Spectator’s Vintage report sights, “Reds are supple and velvety, low in acid, offering flattering, forward fruit.”
 
SAINT-GALET 
CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE
2018 VINTAGE
 
Your Price: $32
 
 
“The nose has an alluring blend of pie cherries, savory fresh herbs, cold smoked meat, violets, and hints of spearmint. On the palate it is rich, supple, and penetrating with a complex blend of black raspberries, Burgundy plums, red currants, kitchen spices, crushed minerals, and a rustic elegance. The finish is smooth and supple, but with enough mouth-quenching acidity to keep it lively and long. I love wines like this because they are a wonderful break from my everyday routine.” 
93 Points
2018 My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles

2018 My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonCentral CoastKevin VogtPaso RoblesUSA

MY FAVORITE NEIGHBOR

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 PASO ROBLES

2018 My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles
Created in a collaborative spirit that calls on the best, sustainably farmed fruit from a collection of neighboring vineyards, Eric Jensen of My Favorite Neighbor believes it takes a village to make great wine. His circle includes favorite neighbor Stephan Asseo of L’Aventure, and friend Justin Smith of Saxum, whom Eric spent five vintages with, gleaning top-level winemaking. This wine gives Paso Robles an unmistakable voice, powerful enough to be heard in Napa. A $50, 96 Point Cabernet from anywhere is a dominating force.  
 
Guided by inspiration, Eric interferes as little as possible during the winemaking process, resulting in elegantly balanced wines with a salient sense of place. Modeling consistency, this wine’s cumulative average rating from Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate over the past six consecutive vintages is an astounding 96 Points.
 
Impeccably farmed, Eric’s 100-acre certified organic estate vineyard on Paso’s Westside produces noble quality fruit. The 2018 blend includes 77% Cabernet Sauvignon accented with Bordeaux and Rhone varieties, aged 18 months in oak.
 
MY FAVORITE NEIGHBOR
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 PASO ROBLES
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“…deep purple/ruby-hued and has slightly more red fruits with lots of black raspberry, cassis, toasted spice, unsmoked tobacco, and incense aromas and flavors. It almost has a Margaux-like perfume and is medium to full-bodied, seamless, and wonderfully balanced on the palate. Some chalky minerality comes through with time in the glass, and it has plenty of tannins and a great finish. It’s not an over-the-top blockbuster and impresses just as much for its elegance as its richness.”
96+ Points
 
“… Deep ruby-black in color, it gives up luscious crème de cassis, blackberry pie, kirsch, mint chocolate, vanilla bean, coffee and grilled meats scents with touches of tobacco and sweet spices. Medium to full-bodied, it offers intense, expertly managed, ripe fruits and loads of spices with a firm, finely grained frame and great freshness, finishing long and spicy.”
93-95+ Points
 
“Dark, bright-rimmed purple. Deeply perfumed aromas of ripe black/blue fruits, sandalwood and potpourri take on a smoky mineral nuance and a spicy top-note with air. Palate-staining blackberry, cassis, cherry-vanilla, spice-cake and mocha flavors are joined by suggestions of candied rose and cola on the back half. Finishes on an alluringly sweet dark berry preserve note, with well-knit, gently gripping tannins and sharp definition.”
94 Points
2018 Domaine Dominique Guyon Hautes Cotes De Nuits Les Dames De Vergy

2018 Domaine Dominique Guyon Hautes Cotes De Nuits Les Dames De Vergy

with No Comment $30-$40BurgandyFranceKevin VogtPinot Noir

DOMAINE DOMINIQUE GUYON 

2018 HAUTES COTES DE NUITS
LES DAMES DE VERGY

2018 Domaine Dominique Guyon Hautes Cotes De Nuits Les Dames De Vergy
Domaine Dominique Guyon (Domaine Antonin Guyon) is a family-owned producer in Burgundy with significant holdings in the Côte d’Or. Brothers Dominique and Michel Guyon lead the operation, and they’re meticulously hands-on, which is not replicable with larger producers and is palpable in the glass. Their 2018 Les Dames de Vergy Cotes de Nuits Red Burgundy has penetrating fruit, restrained with a high level of balance and place. At less than $40, this a joy to behold and a remarkable value.  
 
Dominique accumulated nearly 80 separate parcels in the hills above Nuits-Saint-Georges, in an area known for quality. He combined them into a single 22-hectare vineyard with South facing slopes and limestone, rock, and clay soils that produce a remarkable expression of Pinot Noir. 
 
The Guyon’s are just as meticulous in their winemaking as they are with farming. They sort the grapes by hand in the vineyard, aiming to get the fruit to the vat within just 30 minutes from picking. They age the wine in oak for just 12 months to preserve the natural essence of the fruit, and the results are brilliant. 
 
DOMAINE DOMINIQUE GUYON 
2018 HAUTES COTES DE NUITS
LES DAMES DE VERGY
 
Your Price: $36
 
 
“This rich, densely textured wine is impressively ripe. Its tannins are still young and will sustain further development. With plenty of red cherry fruitiness to balance the structure, it will age further. Drink from 2022.”
92 Points “Cellar Selection”
2018 Panther Creek Pinot Noir De Ponte Vineyard Dundee Hills

2018 Panther Creek Pinot Noir De Ponte Vineyard Dundee Hills

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtOregonPinot NoirUSA

PANTHER CREEK

2018 PINOT NOIR
DE PONTE VINEYARD
DUNDEE HILLS 

2018 Panther Creek Pinot Noir De Ponte Vineyard Dundee Hills
Panther Creek crafts their Pinot Noir from the soil up, with the earth as the defining factor, drawing the blueprint for each of the wines they produce. Their Dundee Hills Pinot Noir arose from red clay-loam and volcanic soils that run from the ground straight through your glass, articulating its origin by balancing tart black cherry with lush raspberry, wild spices, and dried flowers. Once you see who’s making the wine and our price, the only question will be whether a single case will be enough. 
 
Tony Rynders, the winemaker at Panther Creek, has been immersed in Oregon Pinot Noir for two decades. He began his career under the tutelage of Ken Wright and later spent a decade at Domaine Serene, crafting their highly acclaimed Pinots. 
 
De Ponte Vineyard consists of South facing vines grown at 625 feet elevation centered in the Dundee Hills Appellation. Widely praised for their dense red fruits, intense floral aromas, and a hint of minerality, Pinot Noir from De Ponte is unmistakable. Panther’s Creek version expressively embodies the vineyard’s potential, and at $36, I couldn’t be any more enthusiastic about it.
 
PANTHER CREEK
2018 PINOT NOIR
DE PONTE VINEYARD
DUNDEE HILLS
Retails at: $45
 
Your Price: $36
 
 
“This supple, penetrating beauty begins with a nose with black cherries, white pepper, baking spices, and hints of vanilla. It is rich and concentrated with supple Mountain blackberries, pomegranate, cherry cola, and strawberries on the finish and is a silky, hedonistic pleasure to enjoy.”
93 Points
2018 Lobo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Lobo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOak KnollUSA

LOBO

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY

2018 Lobo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Founded on farming first and foremost, Lobo’s Oak Knoll Vineyard’s high-density planting, aggressive pruning, and idyllic terroir caught the eye of great winemakers like Randy Lewis from the get-go. Calling on Mario Bazan’s 30 years of experience managing vineyards like OPUS ONE, To-Kalon, and Stags Leap, Lobo positioned themselves for a seamless transition from selling grapes to becoming a boutique winery making ridiculously high-quality wines. 
 
Lobo winemaker Victoria Coleman is well-rounded in her skillset, working alongside Erick Tourbier at Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Jade Valley Winery in China. Her exposure to Old-World winemaking technique resonated and manifested in the elegantly balanced, terroir expressive wines she produces. 
 
Raised under the shadows of the Mayacamas Mountains, Lobo Vineyard’s well-drained gravelly loam and micro-climate cooler than the neighboring Yountville produces Cabernet Sauvignon fruit of dynamic complexity. Their 2018 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon crafted in a style that melds balance and enchantment, power and grace, and at less than $100, this wine is stunningly impressive. 
 
LOBO
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2018 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $75
 
 
 
“A savoury and spice-driven nose of tobacco leaves, underbrush and earl grey tea. Tender red fruits and zesty acidity provide a delicious lift to the finish, where the tannins and edgy but pleasing. A delicious Cabernet at a relative value…”
92 Points
 
“… More beauty than beast with nose of meadow flowers and red berry fruit, it offers lush, pretty flavors of red currant, cherry, pomegranate, black raspberry and allspice. An elegant and sensual wine that promises wonderful aging potential and is ready to enjoy when you are.”