2019 Bevan Cellars Ontogeny Red Napa Valley

2019 Bevan Cellars Ontogeny Red Napa Valley

with No Comment $90-$100Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaOakvilleProprietary RedUSA

Bevan Cellars

Ontogeny Red
Napa Valley, 2019

2019 Bevan Cellars Ontogeny Red Napa Valley

Jeb Dunnuck’s Top Value 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet, Bevan’s Ontogeny delivers a rare convergence of elite Napa pedigree, undeniable power, and genuine accessibility. It performs comfortably at the level of the valley’s most coveted Cabernets, yet does so without spectacle or excess. With time in bottle, the 2019 vintage has settled into a composed, expressive phase, offering depth and polish that feel assured rather than forced.

At the core of Ontogeny’s identity is its primary fruit source, the storied Tench Vineyard, located directly across the road from Screaming Eagle in Oakville. From this privileged site, the wine draws its concentration, translating elite terroir into layers of dark fruit, texture, and mineral-driven intensity.

The 2019 vintage shows Ontogeny at a point where power and precision are fully aligned. Dense fruit is framed by polished tannins and steady freshness, creating a profile that feels complete without sacrificing tension. It is generous without excess, confident without weight, and deeply satisfying right now, with the structure to continue rewarding patience.

Bevan Cellars
Ontogeny Red
Napa Valley, 2019

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“A blend put together by Bevan from the single vineyards, the Ontogeny cuvée is year-in, year-out one of the greatest values in Cabernet Sauvignon. His 2019 Ontogeny is no exception, revealing a dense purple hue as well as rock star notes of crème de cassis, violets, tobacco leaf, and chocolate. It’s a big, classic Bevan wine and has remarkable purity, silky, polished tannins, and not a hard edge to be found. Don’t miss it!”

98 Points, #1, Top Values In 2019 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2019 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

2019 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

with No Comment $100 and overCabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtNapaUSA

La Jota

Cabernet Sauvignon
Howell Mountain 2019

2019 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

On Howell Mountain, beauty is earned. The soils are thin, the slopes unforgiving, and the climate cool; yet from this adversity comes the soul of the La Jota Cabernet. Each cluster ripened under intense sunlight and cooled by high-elevation breezes, developing a structure both formidable and refined. The result is a wine that speaks fluently of its origin: dark, resonant, and built for the long arc of aging.

La Jota’s roots run deep into this mountain as well. Founded in 1898 by Frederick Hess, the estate has weathered booms, busts, Prohibition, and rebirth, all while maintaining its foothold on Howell Mountain’s most expressive soils. Today, under Chris Carpenter’s guidance, the estate channels more than a century of resilience into each vintage. His approach honors the site’s original philosophy: let the mountain speak first, then shape its voice with precision and patience.

After several years of unhurried evolution in bottle, the 2019 now shows a harmony that only time can create. The fruit has deepened and integrated, while the tannins have relaxed without losing their mountain backbone, creating a wine that is open, expressive, and beautifully layered. It retains all the hallmarks of great Howell Mountain Cabernet, but with a charm and accessibility that make it stunningly enjoyable right now.

La Jota
Cabernet Sauvignon
Howell Mountain 2019
Retails at: $185

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“The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is another superb wine from La Jota. Rich and explosive, the 2019 possesses tremendous density and plenty of mountain power. A rush of black cherry, blackberry, licorice, spice and menthol builds into the huge finish. This is a fabulous vintage for the La Jota Cabernet.”

96 Points

2019 Laird Jillians Blend Napa Valley

251230 2019 Laird Jillians Blend Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50CalistogaCarnerosKevin VogtProprietary RedUSA

Laird

Jillian’s Blend
Napa Valley 2019

2019 Laird Jillians Blend Napa Valley

The Laird family’s name carries a certain weight in Napa Valley, with an unspoken authority earned over five decades of farming. Jillian’s Blend is a vivid expression of that legacy, drawing from the family’s deep roots and their instinct for growing exceptional fruit. It is a wine shaped by the land, and by generations of vision, risk-taking, and craftsmanship that have made the Lairds one of Napa’s most respected growers.

The wine’s foundation lies in the Lairds’ extraordinary vineyard holdings, stretching from Carneros to Calistoga and encompassing some of Napa’s most sought-after terroirs. Jillian’s Blend draws selectively from these parcels, weaving together fruit that reflects the Valley’s remarkable diversity. It is this mosaic of vineyard character that gives the wine its depth, its lift, and its unmistakable sense of place.

Crafted from this enviable palette of terroirs, the 2019 blend unfolds luxuriously. Cabernet anchors the wine with depth, while the supporting varietals add dimension. Each sip feels shaped by careful selection and seamless integration. It’s a style that mirrors the Laird approach: generous in expression, meticulous in execution.

Laird
Jillian’s Blend
Napa Valley 2019
Retails at: $55

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“Currants and dried berries with fresh flowers and spices. Medium to full body with round, juicy fruit and ripe, firm tannins. 62% cabernet sauvignon, 20% syrah, 12% merlot, 5% malbec and 1% petit verdot. Needs time to come together. Drink after 2025.”

92 points

2019 MC4 Cabernet Sauvignon Martin & Croshaw Vineyard St. Helena

2019 MC4 Cabernet Sauvignon Martin & Croshaw Vineyard St. Helena

with No Comment $40-$50Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaSt. HelenaUSA

MC4

Cabernet Sauvignon
Martin & Croshaw Vineyard
St. Helena 2019

2019 MC4 Cabernet Sauvignon Martin & Croshaw Vineyard St. Helena

In a valley dominated by grand estates, MC4 stands apart. Drawn from a single acre of organically farmed vines tucked into St. Helena’s prized western bench, the 2019 MC4 is the kind of wine that reminds you how powerfully a tiny vineyard can speak. It’s a micro-cuvée born of obsession, precision, and a site so focused that every bottle feels like a direct transmission from the land itself.

What gives MC4 its unmistakable character is the vineyard’s tight geographic focus: a gravelly, west-side slope warmed by afternoon sun and cooled by drifting canyon breezes. Each vine seems to express its own nuance of dark fruit, spice, and mineral tension, resulting in a Cabernet that feels less blended than harmonized; one voice composed of countless subtle inflections.

Shaping this fruit is winemaker Victoria Coleman, whose training spans Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars under Michael Silacci to Château Mouton Rothschild. Her touch brings both restraint and clarity, guiding the fruit toward a style that marries Napa Valley richness with a Bordeaux-like sense of proportion. The result is a wine that feels confident, polished, and remarkably complete.

MC4
Cabernet Sauvignon
Martin & Croshaw Vineyard
St. Helena 2019
Retails at: $75

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“Coming from a small, organically farmed vineyard to the north of Ehlers Lane in St. Helena, MC4’s 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and vibrant scents of redcurrant jelly, kirsch and black raspberries, plus hints of menthol, cedar chest, rose oil and pencil shavings with a touch of cinnamon stick. The medium to full-bodied palate shimmers with bright, energetic red and black berry layers, framed by ripe, fine-grained tannins and exhilarating freshness, finishing long and perfumed.”

94+ Points

2019 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder

2019 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder

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

Mt. Brave

Cabernet Sauvignon
Mt. Veeder 2019

2019 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder

After years of quiet evolution in the cellar, the 2019 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon is finally revealing the full measure of its power and grace. What was once tightly coiled and brooding has unfurled into a symphony of mountain fruit, fine tannin, and haunting perfume. The wine offers a mesmerizing reminder of what patience can achieve in the hands of a master.

100pt winemaker Chris Carpenter has spent more than two decades decoding the language of Napa’s mountain vineyards, and Mt. Brave is among his most eloquent expressions. From the steep, fractured slopes of Mt. Veeder, he coaxes fruit that balances density with lift, structure with purity. The 2019 reveals that duality: a wine of formidable strength that moves with the grace of a dancer.

Now, with time having sculpted its edges to perfection, the 2019 Mt. Brave Cabernet stands at its pinnacle. It opens with an arresting purity, unfolding in layers before settling into a finish that seems to stretch toward the horizon. Mt. Brave’s 2019 vintage is mountain Cabernet at its most complete: soulful, sophisticated, and utterly compelling.  

Mt. Brave
Cabernet Sauvignon
Mt. Veeder 2019
Retails at: $125

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“Showcasing the lovely freshness of high-elevation Mt Veeder grapes. Vivid boysenberry and mulberry fruits give way to mountain herbs, dusty minerals and rich toasty cedar. A compact wine revealing black-fruited flavours and savoury herbal nuances alongside sculpted tannins that are pixelated and mouthcoating. An impressively long finish of iron shavings, baked agave and dried chaparral.”

97 Points

2019 Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection Napa Valley

2019 Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection Napa Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Atlas PeakCabernet SauvignonHowell MountainKevin VogtMt VeederNapaOakvilleRutherfordSpring MountainSt HelenaSt. HelenaUSA

Conn Creek

Cabernet Sauvignon
Special Selection
Napa Valley 2019

2019 Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection Napa Valley

Conn Creek’s 2019 Special Selection delivers a commanding portrait of Napa Valley’s most grand terroirs: Rutherford, Oakville, Howell Mountain, Atlas Peak, Spring Mountain, Mt. Veeder, and St. Helena, each woven together with meticulous precision. This wine serves as a sweeping symphony of the valley’s finest, where each site contributes its voice to a blend that’s layered, pedigreed, and full of vitality.

Winemaker Elizabeth DeLouise-Gant, with experience at Beaulieu, Tamber Bey, and Stag’s Leap, brings a steady hand and sharp instinct to the blend. Her 2019 Special Selection, a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon with precise touches of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, showcases her gift for balancing bold structure with lifted aromatics and polish.

The 2019 Special Selection is a culmination of Conn Creek’s deep relationships with Napa’s most esteemed growers, offering a blueprint of Napa’s greatness distilled through the winery’s decades-long commitment to meticulous vineyard selection. Every bottle captures a moment in time, layered with the legacy of sites that rarely share the same label.

Conn Creek
Cabernet Sauvignon
Special Selection
Napa Valley 2019
Retails at: $150

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“The Conn Creek ‘Special Selection’ is a blend of appellations that were among the original sources of the estate (established in 1973) and from sites around Napa Valley. The idea is to frame a classically fashioned snapshot of Napa Cabernet through the eyes of Elizabeth DeLouise-Gant, who has been making the wines since 2017. Previously, she worked at Beaulieu Vineyard, Tamber Bey, and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. This 2019 is over a classic vintage expression, with fruit from Mt. Veeder, Oakville, St. Helena, Howell Mountain, Rutherford, Atlas Peak, and Spring Mountain AVAs. Very pretty blackberry fruit aromas, nuanced by tobacco, cedarwood, and graphite. Medium to full-bodied with tobacco-laced blackberry fruit, Bing cherry, and spiced plums, with delicious vanilla-kissed sweet oak spices and an undercurrent of mocha with fine-grained tannins and a finish of chalky minerality.”

95 Points

2019 La Rasina Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany Italy

2019 La Rasina Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany Italy

with No Comment $40-$50BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin VogtTuscany

La Rasina

Brunello di Montalcino
Tuscany, Italy, 2019

2019 La Rasina Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany Italy

From one of Brunello’s most celebrated vintages emerges La Rasina, a captivating synthesis of meticulous craftsmanship, organic stewardship, and authentic expression of terroir. With a stellar 95-point score, and from a vintage recognized by Wine Spectator for its remarkable blend of elegance and intensity, La Rasina stands as a luminous example, delivering exceptional quality and compelling value.

Set upon the northeastern slopes of Montalcino, La Rasina’s vineyards have been carefully tended by the Mantengoli family through three generations. Committed to organic farming and minimal intervention, their efforts allow the vineyard’s unique character and vivid fruit purity to resonate profoundly in every sip.

La Rasina’s Brunello spends over two years in large oak, carefully harnessing the elegance of tradition to deliver a wine that’s vibrantly alive. Its remarkable architecture promises decades of evolution, yet its lush complexity and elegant depth invite you to experience it right away.

La Rasina
Brunello di Montalcino
Tuscany, Italy, 2019

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“A firm, velvety-textured wine and not overbearing, offering red cherries and hints of cedar and mushrooms. Chewy and structured. Excellent structure and a savory finish. Cool, structured red. From organically grown grapes. Best in three to four years and beyond. Try in 2026.”

95 Points

2019 Mastroberardino Radici Taurasi Campania Italy

2019 Mastroberardino Radici Taurasi Campania Italy

with No Comment $50-$60ItalyKevin VogtProprietary Red

Mastroberardino

Radici Taurasi
Campania, Italy 2019

2019 Mastroberardino Radici Taurasi Campania Italy

Mastroberardino’s Radici Taurasi embodies Campania’s volcanic terroir and centuries of heritage. Cultivated in the volcanic hills of Irpinia, it reflects the enduring commitment of one of Italy’s most historically significant wine families. After World War II, Mastroberardino spearheaded the revival of Campania’s indigenous varieties, with Aglianico at the center. ‘Radici’ represents the peak of what this classic varietal can be.

First released in 1986, the wine emerged from meticulous research into clonal selection, site elevation, and the precise pairing of vine to soil. The vineyard’s rugged volcanic soils and cool mountain breezes produce fruit with depth, restraint, and tension. Every detail of the farming and winemaking is carefully considered, allowing the character of the place to emerge clearly and confidently.

The 2019 vintage captivates with its harmony and intensity. After two years in French oak and large Slavonian casks, followed by extended bottle aging, the tannins are now firm but polished, the acidity bright, and the finish long and composed. Vinous called it “impossible to ignore.” For those drawn to authenticity, structure, and a deep connection to place, this is one of the most compelling wines in Southern Italy.

Mastroberardino
Radici Taurasi
Campania, Italy 2019

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“The 2019 Taurasi Radici is impossible to ignore, mixing cloves with incense, crushed stones and dried black cherries. This is saturating and intense, with a silken textural wave that ushers in masses of tart wild berry fruits and spices, all carried by a stream of vibrant acidity. It finishes long and youthfully tense, with a mineral tinge that lingers along with notes of black licorice and a sour cranberry crunch. In 2019, the Taurasi Radici is back to form.”

95 Points

2019 La Magia Brunello Di Montalcino Italy

2019 La Magia Brunello Di Montalcino Italy

with No Comment $60-$70BrunelloBrunelloItalyKevin VogtPiedmont

La Magia

Brunello Di Montalcino
Montalcino, Italy 2019

2019 La Magia Brunello Di Montalcino Italy

From one of Brunello’s most celebrated vintages emerges a wine that feels inevitable—2019 La Màgia, a vivid reflection of its origins, moment, and intent. Tucked into the southern folds of Montalcino, La Màgia occupies a storied landscape once held sacred by the Etruscans. Its name—magìa—hinting at its mysticism. Since the late 1970s, the Schwarz family has tended this estate with a deep respect for the land and an understated commitment to its potential.

At the heart of La Màgia lies a striking 37-acre amphitheater of Sangiovese, a seamless expanse of 40-year-old vines. Perched high and facing east, the vineyard is sculpted from stony, sandy loam atop water-holding clay—soil that challenges the vine and lends refinement through adversity, where the wild grace of nature transforms into something extraordinary.

Matured for 36 months in French oak, the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino balances poise and strength. Its palate is lively yet polished, with smooth tannins and bright acidity that captivate now and promise a decade or more of evolution. Earning mid to high 90s scores universally, I welcome you to discover the enduring magic of La Màgia for yourself.

La Magia
Brunello Di Montalcino
Montalcino, Italy 2019

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“The nose opens fresh and cool, with aromas of eucalyptus, wild mint and fennel, before the tang of raspberries and pomegranates arrives. The palate brings richer fruit notes of candied cherry and blood orange, but also more of those refreshing herbaceous elements, leaping on the back of athletic tannins and searing acid.”

96 Points

2019 Scarlett Grenache McGah Vineyard Rutherford Estate

2019 Scarlett Grenache McGah Vineyard Rutherford Estate

with No Comment $30-$40GrenacheKevin VogtNapaRutherfordUSA

Scarlett

Grenache 2019
McGah Vineyard
Rutherford Estate

2019 Scarlett Grenache McGah Vineyard Rutherford Estate

Scarlett’s 2019 Estate Grenache beckons with a captivating departure from Rutherford’s celebrated Bordeaux tradition, revealing the region’s alluvial soils—woven with gravelly sands and loam—as a generous haven for Rhône varietals. Ancient sediments from the Mayacamas and Vaca Mountains have shaped this distinctive terroir, creating an exquisite foundation where Grenache flourishes with striking clarity.

Crafted by winemaker Mike Smith, whose artistry was refined through years alongside acclaimed vintner Thomas Brown, this wine reflects a mastery honed at Napa Valley estates like Maybach Family, Tamber Bey, and Carter Cellars. Smith’s vision captures Rutherford’s distinctive character, yielding a Grenache of remarkable depth and expressive finesse.

Born from Napa Valley’s exceptional 2019 vintage, Scarlett’s Grenache offers elegant refinement and approachable luxury. It celebrates the region’s storied terroir, inviting you to savor Rutherford’s singular character. As Wine Advocate noted, “For the price, the quality is extraordinary.”

At our price, it’s even better…

Scarlett
Grenache 2019
McGah Vineyard
Rutherford Estate
Retails at: $45

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“The exotically perfumed 2019 Grenache is—at least for the moment—a one-off effort, as the protective purchaser backed out of their contract, leaving the grapes to Scarlett and winemaker Mike Smith. Made with 50% whole clusters from head-trained vines planted in 2010, this is floral, and spicy—a veritable potpourri on the nose, backed by ripe cherries. Full-bodied and supple, this is just great stuff, which shows no sign of its considerable alcohol (16+%). 150 cases produced. For the price, the quality is off the charts.”

94 Points