2019 Rochiolo Pinot Noir Estate Russian River

2019 Rochiolo Pinot Noir Estate Russian River

with No Comment $80-$90Kevin VogtPinot NoirRussian River ValleySonomaUSA

ROCHIOLI 

2019 PINOT NOIR
ESTATE RUSSIAN RIVER

2019 Rochiolo Pinot Noir Estate Russian River
The Rochioli’s understood the potential of their land from very early on, deciding to put their family’s name on their product, selling their first estate-bottled Pinot Noir in 1985. The wine was immediately honored as the Best Pinot Noir in America by Wine Spectator and is one of the few wineries in California to have consistently scored above 90 points since that first vintage.
 
Tom believes that if America were to adopt a Grand Cru system similar to Burgundy’s, his vineyard would fall into the same prestigious status because of the several different soil types and varying elevation levels. He ferments each block separately, capturing every aspect of what defines Russian River Valley Pinot Noir in an expression that is pure Rochioli. 
 
ROCHIOLI 
2019 PINOT NOIR
ESTATE RUSSIAN RIVER
 
Your Price: $89.99
 
 
“This is a blend of several single-vineyard designates, predominantly Little Hill (53%) and Big Hill (15%), with additions from West Block, East Block and Sweetwater as well. Dark plum and raspberry accent a lively and expansive palate framed by rounded tannins and easy oak accents. Enjoy from 2029–2034.”
96 Points, Top 100 Cellar Selection
 
“Delicate and refined, this is filled with concentrated raspberry tart flavors that are laced together by plenty of cedary and underbrush accents. The fresh, juicy finish shows touches of ripe minerality and hints of white pepper. Drink now through 2027.”
94 Points
2019 Harvey & Harriet Proprietary Red San Luis Obispo

2019 Harvey & Harriet Proprietary Red San Luis Obispo

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonCentral CoastKevin VogtPaso RoblesUSA

HARVEY & HARRIET

PROPRIETARY RED 
2019 SAN LUIS OBISPO

2019 Harvey & Harriet Proprietary Red San Luis Obispo
Luxuriously designed to emulate high-end Cabernet Blends’ most hedonistic qualities, Harvey & Harriett creator Eric Jensen’s inspiration for this wine derived from his hardworking parents, Harvey and Harriet, who couldn’t afford the expensive, top-level Cabernet blends produced today. This wine is a “smoking value,” as Jeb Dunnuck alerts, embodying the satisfaction of a hard day’s work through exceptional quality, but without the high price tag.
 
Eric Jensen of Booker Vineyard is dedicated to growing fruit for some of the best wineries in Paso Robles, gaining winemaking experience along the way from neighbors Stephan Asseo of L’Aventure, and friend Justin Smith of Saxum. The fruit for Harvey & Harriet is sourced from premier sites, blended to showcase the intensity, depth, and character expected from cult-style wines. 
 
HARVEY & HARRIET
PROPRIETARY RED 
2019 SAN LUIS OBISPO
 
Your Price: $32
 
 
“…the 2019 Harvey and Harriet can be thought of as the more approachable, lush red in the lineup, and it always seems more black fruit-driven than the straight Cabernet Sauvignon. Blackberries, sweet tobacco, cedar, and some floral violet nuances define the nose, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a beautiful texture and silky tannins. It’s a smoking value, and while it has plenty of up-front charm, it certainly has a decade or more of overall longevity.”
94 Points
2019 My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon San Luis Obispo

2019 My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon San Luis Obispo

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

MY FAVORITE NEIGHBOR

2019 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
SAN LUIS OBISPO

2019 My Favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon San Luis Obispo
Turning heads with consecutive vintages earning mid 90 point scores, Eric Jensen of My Favorite Neighbor created an ideal combination of perfectly ripe fruit, flavor intensity, and lavish textures, giving some of the best $50 Cabernets anywhere a run for their money. As a homage, he created this Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend from exceptional vineyards around Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, and Edna Valley, crafted to deliver unreal quality and shake up domestic Cab in this price range.
 
Eric is dedicated to growing fruit for some of the best wineries in Paso Robles, gaining experience along the way from neighboring farmers and vintners, particularly from his original favorite neighbor, Stephan Asseo of L’Aventure Winery. Farming is life for him, and the farmers he works with all share the common goal of growing the best fruit possible using organic or biodynamic practices, coaxing the vines to perform at their ultimate best. The results are simply stunning, and with the new 95 point score, don’t hesitate to secure yours.
 
MY FAVORITE NEIGHBOR
2019 CABERNET SAUVIGNON
SAN LUIS OBISPO
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is more elegant and focused, with medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of cassis, redcurrants, green tobacco, and cedary spice. I love its texture, it has ripe, polished tannins, plenty of sweet fruit, and a great, great finish, all while staying in a relatively compact, and again, elegant package. As I’ve written in the past, it would cost three to four times the price from Napa. It’s worth noting the change in appellation from Paso Robles to San Luis Obispo County, which probably allows for a wider range of fruit.”
95 Points
 
“2019 My Favorite Neighbor is deeply aromatic with incense, ripe black plums, blackcurrants, and chocolate-covered cherries. The wine has a rich, decadent mouthfeel with voluminous flavors of blueberry crumble, mocha, and butterscotch. The wine has an edgy minerality, like wet stones after a rainstorm, enhanced by the soft, chalky tannins, finishing with a succulent, velvety texture. Drink now until 2031.”
94 Points
2019 Aniello 006 Malbec Riverside Estate

2019 Aniello 006 Malbec Riverside Estate

with No Comment $30 and underArgentinaKevin VogtMalbec

ANIELLO

2019 006 MALBEC
RIVERSIDE ESTATE
PATAGONIA ARGENTINA

2019 Aniello 006 Malbec Riverside Estate
Vines have been growing in Patagonia for over 100 years, and today a large number of low-yielding, old vines are thriving and producing some of the most exciting wines in Argentina. The latitude in Patagonia ranges from 38 to 42 degrees South, providing one more hour of sunshine each day and lower temperatures during the vegetative cycle, slowly ripening the grapes and resulting in complex, elegant flavors, and profound aromatic intensity.
 
The grapes retain their natural acidity due to the wide diurnal temperature range in the region, and the windy, desert climate forces the development of thick skins that give more tannic structure, deeper colors, and more concentrated flavors. Destined to become a new favorite, Bodega Aniello’s 006 Malbec has intriguing aromas, juicy fruit, spicy undertones, and a refined finish that vastly over-delivers at its modest $20 price.
 
ANIELLO
2019 006 MALBEC
RIVERSIDE ESTATE
PATAGONIA ARGENTINA
 
Your Price: $19.99
 
 
“A rich, ripe wine that shows dried berries and hints of figs and spice. Medium body, medium-chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Juicy blackberry finish that’s really fresh and zesty.”
92 Points
 
“Grown at an estate vineyard in Mainque, this malbec fermented in concrete tanks and a third of it aged for 12 months in oak barrels. It needs air to settle down, the cinnamon spice taking a backseat to an orange zest volatility. Wild and meaty. Best Buy” 
91 Points
2019 Fabien Coche Bourgogne Cote D'Or Pinot Noir

2019 Fabien Coche Bourgogne Cote D’Or Pinot Noir

with No Comment $30-$40BurgandyFranceKevin VogtPinot Noir

FABIEN COCHE

BOURGOGNE COTE D’OR
2019 PINOT NOIR

2019 Fabien Coche Bourgogne Cote D'Or Pinot Noir
Fabien Coche is a fourth-generation winemaker with exceptional familial ties to the Côte d’Or, coming from one of Burgundy’s renowned winemaking families, Coche-Dury. Fabien took over his family’s Domaine in 2005 and has quickly become the Coche to keep an eye on with wines that are neither flashy nor dramatic but poised, powerful, and seductive.
 
The Pinot Noir for his Bourgogne Rouge comes from two parcels; One in Meursault and the other in Pommard, where roots have grown deep into the earth for the last 30 to 60 years, extracting the remarkable terroir. Fabien’s minimalistic approach focuses on expressing the site in each wine he creates without the use of pump-overs or punch-downs, ensuring a fruit purity that speaks of the terroir it was grown on, providing a sensation you won’t want to miss!
 
Our entire tasting panel wanted to buy a case for themselves after tasting this… 
 
FABIEN COCHE
BOURGOGNE COTE D’OR
2019 PINOT NOIR
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“The 2019 Fabien Coche Bourgogne Côte d’Or Pinot Noir is everything you’re looking for in a Pinot Noir. This stunning wine has profound complexity opening with rose petals, cranberries, red cherries, wild strawberries, cloves, mushrooms, and forest floor. The wine has a silky mouthfeel on the palate with beautifully balanced fruity and savory flavors that gracefully linger on the finish.”
94 points
2019 Montagu Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2019 Montagu Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

MONTAGU

2019 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST

2019 Montagu Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Exceptional vineyards attract the best winemakers, and Montagu’s owner and winemaker, Weston Eidson, is no exception, gaining much of his experience from his mentors Jason Moore and Russel Bevan. Weston focuses on single-vineyard wines from some of the best vineyards in Napa and Sonoma, sourcing the fruit for this Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir from a hidden location in Sonoma’s rolling hills, cooled by ocean breezes and fog from the Pacific Ocean.
 
Rarely blended with other varietals, Pinot Noir is a vector for terroir expression and meant to reflect the earth on which it was grown. Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir presents richness elegantly with bright fruit character and refreshing acidity that you can’t find anywhere else on earth.
 
MONTAGU
2019 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $60
 
 
 
“The Montagu Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2019 begins with aromas of rose petals, bing cherries, strawberries, vanilla, and earth. The palate leads with a crisp acidity that enhances the bright fruit character and soft tannins that lead into a silky, smooth finish. This wine is drinking wonderfully right now but can also lay down for 5-7 years. I’d be delighted to see this at my dinner table this evening.”
92 Points
2019 Highlands Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley

2019 Highlands Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Cabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

HIGHLANDS

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 RESERVE
NAPA VALLEY

2019 Highlands Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Napa Valley
Highlands Winery combines over 75 years of winemaking and grape growing experience by two wine industry pioneers, both working with some of the biggest names in Napa. Dave Cofran began making wine in 1967 and later joined Silver Oak in 1984 as GM, and Paul Segas is an expert in the vineyard, selling grapes to Chateau Montelena, Joseph Phelps, and Robert Mondavi.
 
Paul and Dave spent years perfecting their crafts and combined their expertise to make high-quality wines from small plots, guided by the belief that winemaking begins in the vineyard. Their attention to detail, drive to make their best wines possible, and vast knowledge of the vineyards and winemaking is undeniable in this wine, which won’t last long at less than half the winery retail price!
 
HIGHLANDS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 RESERVE
NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $85
 
 
 
“Highlands Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 is an incredibly aromatic beauty that opens with violets, cassis, blackberries, anise, and graphite. The palate is round with flavors of black plums, cloves, and chocolate fondant cake. The fine-grained tannic structure and fresh acidity will age very well, becoming softer with time and revealing additional layers of complex flavors.” 
92 Points
2019 Hanzell Sebella Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2019 Hanzell Sebella Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaSonoma CoastUSA

HANZELL

SEBELLA PINOT NOIR
2019 SONOMA COAST

2019 Hanzell Sebella Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Founded in 1953 with a passion for traditional Burgundian-style, low intervention winemaking that naturally expresses the purity of the fruit and the terroir, Hanzell is a paragon in this style domestically. The current owners, the de Brye family, and winemaker Michael McNeill dedicate themselves to preserving this natural approach that’s made Hanzell a reference standard for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay production.
 
Hanzell “Sebella” Pinot Noir is blended from specially selected vineyard sites on the Sonoma Coast, providing the depth, complexity, and age-worthiness of Hanzell’s estate wines for a fraction of the cost. The wine is primarily aged in neutral barrels, preserving wine’s fresh fruit character and spice that can be enjoyed now or cellared for a few years to develop the classic savory and earthy notes of a mature Pinot Noir.
 
HANZELL
SEBELLA PINOT NOIR
2019 SONOMA COAST
Retails at: $45
 
Your Price: $32
 
 
“Having spent nine months in new French oak, this wine offers a mix of bright acidity and crunchy red fruit. It uncovers white pepper, lavender and forest floor accents as it develops, yielding a wine that shows tremendous value for the quality.”
94 Points, Editors’ Choice
2019 My favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles

2019 My favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles

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

MY FAVORITE NEIGHBOR

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 PASO ROBLES

2019 My favorite Neighbor Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles
Eric Jensen of Booker Vineyard is dedicated to growing fruit for some of the best wineries in Paso Robles, gaining experience along the way from neighboring farmers and vintners, particularly from his original favorite neighbor, Stephan Asseo of L’Aventure Winery. The homage is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend from exceptional vineyards around Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, and Edna Valley, presented in a powerfully compelling and lavish style. 
 
Farming is life for Jensen and the farmers he works with, sharing the common goal of growing the best fruit possible using organic or biodynamic practices, coaxing the vines to perform at their ultimate best. The result is a wine that stands up to some of the most noteworthy California cult Cabernets and makes no excuses at its $50 price level where it performs at the highest level. 
 
MY FAVORITE NEIGHBOR
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 PASO ROBLES
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“2019 My Favorite Neighbor is deeply aromatic with incense, ripe black plums, blackcurrants, and chocolate-covered cherries. The wine has a rich, decadent mouthfeel with voluminous flavors of blueberry crumble, mocha, and butterscotch. The wine has an edgy minerality, like wet stones after a rainstorm, enhanced by the soft, chalky tannins, finishing with a succulent, velvety texture. Drink now until 2031.”
94 Points
2019 Dakota Shy Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2019 Dakota Shy Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $100 and overCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtNapaUSA

DAKOTA SHY

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 NAPA VALLEY

2019 Dakota Shy Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Dakota Shy founder, Todd Newman, was raised outside of the small farming town of Minot, North Dakota, where from a very young age understood the meaning behind a long, hard day of work. Discovering his passion for wine at 22 years old while working at a Michelin starred restaurant in Napa Valley, Todd came to work for Revana Family Vineyards, where he met assistant winemaker Tom Garrett.
 
With access to some of the most prestigious vineyards and several years of working under some of Napa Valley’s biggest winemaking legends, Newman and Garrett partnered to found Dakota Shy. Named to represent the balance between the strength and humility of winemaking, the two have reached their shared goal of producing wine to rival the best of what Napa Valley has to offer, producing truly exceptional and profound Cabernet Sauvignon.
 
DAKOTA SHY
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 NAPA VALLEY
 
Your Price: $110
 
 
“The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) is soft, pliant and wonderfully inviting, with terrific energy that adds brightness to the red/purplish berry fruit, spice and rose petal flavors. This mid-weight, vibrant Cabernet is a terrific introduction to the year.”
90-92 Points