2018 Frescobaldi Castello Di Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva

2018 Frescobaldi Castello Di Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva

with No Comment $30 and underChiantiItalyKevin VogtTuscany

FRESCOBALDI

CASTELLO DI NIPOZZANO
CHIANTI RUFINA RISERVA 2018

2018 Frescobaldi Castello Di Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva
Castello di Nipozzano is an ancient stronghold of Florence over 1000 years old and the most prized of the Frescobaldi family’s land holdings. Historical documents about the fine wines of Nipozzano date back to the Renaissance period, when famous artists such as Donatello were among the regular clientele.
 
Frescobaldi wines represent the heritage of the Tuscan landscape, and their Sangiovese-dominate 2018 Chianti Rufina Riserva has an authentic, rustic Italian charm. Fermented in stainless steel before maturing for a minimum of two years barriques, this remarkable 96 Point Chianti Riserva enchants with penetrating fruit, classic spice, vast complexity, and structure that’s easy to enjoy for less than $30.
 
FRESCOBALDI
CASTELLO DI NIPOZZANO
CHIANTI RUFINA RISERVA 2018
 
Your Price: $26.99
 
 
“A crunchy Rùfina mainly from 1970s Sangiovese vines with dashes of both local heritage and international varieties, too. Fermentation in stainless steel precedes 24 months in concrete and large, second-fill oak vats. Its bright scarlet hues mirror equally bright and deliciously savoury fruit. The compact palate provides coherent interplay between fruit and tannin with no sense of overripeness or oaky angularity. It’s mouthwatering now, but resist so its texture evens out fully. Drinking Window 2022 – 2040.”
96 Points
2018 Aldenalli Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2018 Aldenalli Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

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

ALDENALLI

PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST 2018

2018 Aldenalli Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Alden and Emeril Lagasse developed the Aldenalli brand together with Alli and Dan Kosta, collectively aiming to produce Pinot Noirs from the Sonoma Coast with as much character as their esteemed reputations in the food and wine industry. Dan is an award-winning winemaker and Kosta Browne co-founder, and Emeril is a celebrity chef and proprietor of many successful restaurants all over the country.
 
The 2018 Aldenalli Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is a cuvée of three vineyards; Campbell Ranch, giving elegance and freshness, and Roger’s Creek and Sunchase Vineyards from the Petaluma Gap, adding luscious body, tannic structure, and earthy spice. This wine team matched their passion behind creating this wine with its intensity and concentration of bright flavors and exhilarating power to produce a wine diverse enough to pair with just about any dish you can throw at it.
 
ALDENALLI
PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST 2018
Retails at: $56
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“Rich and well-structured, with concentrated dark plum, cherry and raspberry flavors that are filled with plenty of Asian spice accents. Ends with notes of dark chocolate and cream on the mineral-filled finish, with peppery hints. Drink now through 2025.”
93 Points
2018 Kracher Trocken Zweigelt Burgenland

2018 Kracher Trocken Zweigelt Burgenland

with No Comment $30 and underAustriaKevin VogtZweigelt

KRACHER

TROCKEN ZWEIGELT
BURGENLAND 2018

2018 Kracher Trocken Zweigelt Burgenland
Alois Kracher of Kracher Winery was one of the greatest visionaries in Austrian winemaking, being honored as the “Wine Maker of the Year” by Britain’s highly regarded Wine Magazine seven separate times between 1994 and 2008. After Alois’s passing in 2007, his son Gerhard realized he had big shoes to fill, so he stepped up as the winemaker and continued his father’s legacy ensuring only the best quality.
 
Zweigelt, the most widely planted red wine grape in Austria, is a cross between St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch, sharing similarities with Pinot Noir in body and acidity levels but with more black fruits and exotic spices. Only about a century old, Zweigelt is a very young variety that has quickly risen to the top of Austrian red wines, so if you’re pining to try something new and seeking value, look no further!
 
KRACHER
TROCKEN ZWEIGELT
BURGENLAND 2018
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“The 2018 Kracher Zweigelt Trocken is a very interesting wine that begins with a complex nose of wild red and black berries, exotic spices, and light florals. On the palate, loganberries and black currants combine with white pepper, hints of cardamom, white flowers, and liquid minerals. The fruit is lighter bodied, but with a firmer structure, giving it slightly a dusty mouthfeel. This is a very fun, unique wine that offers a lot of complexity at a very modest price.”
91 Points
2018 Beau Vigne Romeo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Beau Vigne Romeo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $50-$60Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleRutherfordSaint HelenaUSA

BEAU VIGNE

ROMEO CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2018

2018 Beau Vigne Romeo Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
With over two decades of winemaking experience, Julien Fayard has earned respect among winemakers in Napa Valley. He began in his family’s Provençal winery, then spent valuable time in Bordeaux at Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte. After relocating to Napa Valley, Julien worked as the Director of Winemaking for Philippe Melka and currently oversees small boutique wineries, including Beau Vigne, combining his elegant French winemaking style with bold California elements.
 
The Beau Vigne Romeo Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is a charming blend of premier vineyards in Oakville, Rutherford, and St. Helena that’s impossible not to love. Beau Vigne’s limited production is a prize to behold, especially in exceptional vintages such as 2018 that will continue to deliver with an elegant demeanor and complementary depth.
 
BEAU VIGNE
ROMEO CABERNET SAUVIGNON
NAPA VALLEY 2018
Retails at: $100
 
 
 
“Dark chocolate cherry and roasted coffee intensity glides in on a sleek mouthfeel. Seductive notes of blackberry and licorice rise up to a massive shouldered – yet balanced – red. In his youth, Romeo is cloaked in dark violet flowers that bloom as the wine opens up.”
97 Points
2018 Morlet Pinot Noir Coteaux Nobles Fort Ross Seaview

2018 Morlet Pinot Noir Coteaux Nobles Fort Ross Seaview

with No Comment $100 and overFort Ross SeaviewKevin VogtMontereyPinot NoirUSA

MORLET

2018 PINOT NOIR
COTEAUX NOBLES
FORT ROSS – SEAVIEW

2018 Morlet Pinot Noir Coteaux Nobles Fort Ross Seaview
Luc Morlet grew up on his family’s Estate in Avenay-Val d’Or, where he discovered that he shared the same deep passion for wine that members of his family have had for generations. Luc began honing his skills in the vineyards of Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Southern France while studying all aspects of wine production at a young age.
 
Luc left France in 1996, joining his wife Jodie in California, bringing with him his savoir-faire of Old-World winemaking techniques, becoming known and respected in Napa and Sonoma for crafting superbly balanced, terroir focused wines. This bottling embodies Luc’s minimalistic approach to winemaking, allowing the Pinot Noir’s natural beauty to show through and fully display the prized Fort Ross AVA terroir.
 
MORLET
2018 PINOT NOIR
COTEAUX NOBLES
FORT ROSS – SEAVIEW
 
Your Price: $110
 
 
“Coming from the Nobles Ranch Vineyard in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA (northern Sonoma Coast), the 2018 Pinot Noir Coteaux Nobles has a ripe, opulent bouquet of black raspberries, orange blossom, baking spices, white chocolate, and candied violets. Gorgeous on the palate as well, this full-bodied Pinot Noir has a rounded, opulent texture that carries bright acidity, ripe tannins, and a distinct salty minerality and subtle marine-like influence. It’s already drinking spectacularly well yet will cruise for a decade in cold cellars. It’s the finest vintage of this cuvée I’ve tasted.”
98 Points
 
“The Coteaux Nobles Pinot Noir comes from 27-year-old vines planted at the Nobles Ranch vineyard in Fort Ross-Seaview AVA. Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2018 Pinot Noir Coteaux Nobles pops with lifted floral notes of roses and lavender over a core of Morello cherries, ripe raspberries and fresh mulberries, plus wafts of wild thyme and tilled loam. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with red berries and herbal accents, supported by soft, silky tannins and racy freshness, finishing long and fragrant.”
96 Points
2018 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2018 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $100 and overCabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaUSA

BERINGER

PRIVATE RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
NAPA VALLEY 2018

2018 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Jacob and Frederik Beringer purchased 215 acres of prime Napa Valley land in 1868, solidifying Beringer’s reputation as a critical player among the first wineries in the valley. Later on, Beringer purchased a handful of other premium vineyard locations ranging from the valley floor to the highest peaks, garnering extreme complexity and versatility in winemaking styles.
 
The Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is selected from the best plots of their reserve vineyards, vinified separately, aged 18 months in new French oak, and another 16 months in the bottle. The winery is the first and only in history to have a red wine and white wine honored as the #1 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator Magazine. The fabulous 2018 vintage is already gaining enthusiastic praise, with many scores in the very high 90s.
 
BERINGER
PRIVATE RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
NAPA VALLEY 2018
Retails at: $170
 
Your Price: $165
 
 
“Wild blackberry, cassis, dark chocolate, tobacco and dark spice on the nose. Dried violets, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, powdery tannins and a creamy texture. Intense, yet restrained and refined, with a solid core of dark berries and bitter chocolate. Really focused and crafted with exemplary Napa cabernet character…”
98 Points
 
“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve is based on 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, brought up in 90% new French oak. It’s a beautiful wine that shows the vintage’s pure, elegant, yet concentrated style perfectly. Gorgeous crème de cassis, violets, blueberries, and cedar pencil notes emerge from the glass, and this beauty builds incrementally on the palate, with full-bodied richness, a lively, pure, layered texture, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It can be enjoyed any time over the coming 20-25 years.”
97 Points
 
“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve is every bit as impressive today as it was last year. It might very well be the finest Private Reserve I have ever tasted. More than anything else, the 2018 impresses with its energy and total sense of finesse. It’s a wine that marries power with vibrancy in grand style. As always, most of the fruit is sourced from Beringer’s ranches on Howell Mountain.”
97 Points
2018 Les Hauts De Granget Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux

2018 Les Hauts De Granget Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux

with No Comment $30-$40BordeauxBordeauxFranceKevin VogtSaint Emilion

LES HAUTS DE GRANGET

SAINT-EMILION GRAND CRU
BORDEAUX 2018

2018 Les Hauts De Granget Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Bordeaux
The Union de Producteurs de Saint Emilion was established during the economic crisis of the 1930s to unite several vineyards and estates in the means of production. For over 80 years, the emphasis has been on quality and responsibility, as evidenced by their multiple certifications and state-of-the-art facility.
 
Les Hauts de Granget produces elegant wines with sophistication, reflecting the subliminal terroir of St Émilion. With the help of four oenologists and a viticultural expert, their 2018 vintage won the Medaille d’Or in France, a blind tasting celebrating the most impressive wines in the country. It also charmed the Decanter World Wine Awards, receiving an incredible 96 point score.
 
LES HAUTS DE GRANGET
SAINT-EMILION GRAND CRU
BORDEAUX 2018
 
Your Price: $35
 
 
“Ripe black cherry, blueberry, cedar and cinnamon on the nose. Full bodied with fine grained ripe tannins. Cabernet Franc helps to give some refreshing acidity that balances the depth of fruit concentration.”
96 Points
2018 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder

2018 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtMt VeederNapaUSA

MT. BRAVE

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MT. VEEDER 2018

2018 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder
Mount Veeder is Napa Valley’s largest sub-AVA, spanning over 15,000 acres; however, only 1,000 acres of it are grapevines making up just two percent of the valley’s total production. Viticulture on the mountain is challenging due to its rocky terrain of ancient seabed soils that are extremely thin, holding little water, making the capture of winter rains vitally important.
 
Celebrated winemaker Chris Carpenter is a mastermind with mountain fruit, producing classic vintages at Lokoya and Cardinale before the Mt. Brave endeavor began in 2007. The Mt. Brave vineyard produces fruit with tiny, concentrated berries full of flavor and structural components that will gracefully guide the wine down a beautiful aging path but vinified to allow the wine to be amiable and approachable right now.
 
MT. BRAVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
MT. VEEDER 2018
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“Lots of cassis and black raspberry fruits as well as classic Mount Veeder notes of lavender, violets, bouquet garni, and rocky, mineral-like notes emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon. A deep, full-bodied mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, it has a plush, layered texture, beautiful tannins, a deep, concentrated mid-palate, and a great finish. Another head-turning wine from this label, it’s a candidate for the best Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon out there at the price point.”
97 Points
 
“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from Mt. Brave is fabulous. Inky, rich and explosive, the 2018 possesses tremendous depth and tons of personality. Graphite, blue/purplish fruit, blackberry jam, bittersweet chocolate, sage, lavender, menthol give the 2018 tons of character to match its explosive feel. The brooding, backward wine is going to need quite a bit of time to unwind, but boy is it gorgeous.”
97 Points
 
“…Deep garnet-purple colored, it springs from the glass with vibrant crème de cassis, baked plums and Morello cherries scents, followed by nuances of sautéed herbs, clove oil, mocha and scorched earth. The full-bodied palate is densely laden with layers of black and blue fruits, sporting a rock-solid backbone of grainy tannins and great tension, finishing long and minerally.”
95+ Points
2018 Vista Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve

2018 Vista Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSA

VISTA

RUTHERFORD RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018

2018 Vista Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Reserve
Vista commands the wine world’s attention as the only Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford at $25, powerfully reflecting the region’s signature complexity, elegance, and dusty tannins, a combination unmatched anywhere in the world. Qualities magnified further by the 2018 vintage and amplified by time in the bottle, unleashing a richer, more opulent, complex Cabernet that will make anyone rethink what’s possible at this price level.
 
This 2018 offering originates from Rutherford’s Western side, where the soils and microclimate produce pristine, complex fruit. The Cabernet Sauvignon is clone 337, often used in cult wines, and it’s balanced with 15% Oakville Cabernet Franc and 6% Rutherford Merlot. The resulting wine reflects the vintage with a purity of fruit and complexity that expands into mineral-laced black fruits, blue violets, iron, and Rutherford dust hints. If you’re looking for a wine that tastes like it should be at least double the price, this is it.
 
VISTA
RUTHERFORD RESERVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“The Vista Reserve Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 has a gorgeous, powerful nose of blackberry pie filling, French lavender, sweet vanilla and brioche. On the palate, this opulent beauty is rich and concentrated, with a core of focused fruits and flavors including mountain blackberries, red plums, ripe blueberries, menthol, vanilla spice, and dark chocolate, all supported by fine grained fruit tannins. It is amazingly ready-to-drink now, but has the structure to cellar for a decade.” 
95 Points, Kevin M. Vogt, Master Sommelier
2018 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges De Latour Private Reserve

2018 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges De Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

with No Comment $100 and overCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSA

BEAULIEU VINEYARDS

GEORGES DE LATOUR
PRIVATE RESERVE 2018
CABERNET SAUVIGNON

2018 Beaulieu Vineyards Georges De Latour Private Reserve
Few wines in the Napa Valley have the same historical prestige as Beaulieu Vineyard’s Georges de Latour Private Reserve, setting the benchmark for Napa Cabernet Sauvignon for over 80 years. André Tchelistcheff didn’t know it at the time, but his talented winemaking helped create one of the most collected American wines and one of the first true “cult” Cabernets in the New World.
 
André coined the term “Rutherford dust” because of the unique aroma that gives wines a provenance that can’t be matched anywhere else in the world. The 2018 release is an elegantly structured wine with layers of complexity and finely integrated tannins that create a solid backbone for aging, making it a fine addition to any collector’s cellar. As a side note, former BV winemaker for 27 years, Joel Aiken, is part of our weekly tasting panel, and his insight is invaluable.
 
BEAULIEU VINEYARDS
GEORGES DE LATOUR
PRIVATE RESERVE 2018
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Retails at: $145
 
Your Price: $139.99
 
 
“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve is fabulous. Inky, rich and explosive, the 2018 is a fine addition to the lineage of one of Napa Valley’s most historic wines. Inky red fruit, chocolate, leather and licorice all open in the glass. Aeration brings out floral top notes, raspberry and a hint of blood orange. There is plenty of depth, but the tannins are finer than they were a few years ago. Shorter time on the skins and a reduction in barrel fermentations really allow the pedigree of these Rutherford sites to come through. The 2018 is sensational.”
98 Points
 
“Blackberry, blackcurrant and mint with some sage and crushed-stone undertones. Full-bodied with chewy tannins that are in-check and nicely polished. Smoke, toasted oak and bark at the end, complementing the fresh yet ripe fruit. Drink after 2024.”
98 Points
 
“The famous wine lives up to its historic promise in this wonderfully complex and structured vintage, the wine showing an abundance of tension and youthful grip. Earthy in dried herb, cedar and sage, it shares notes of black currant, cassis and forest within a textured and brightly layered foundation of elegant ageablity. Enjoy best from 2028–2038.”
97 Points, Cellar Selection