2019 Domaine Maison Cheverny Rogue Loire Valley

2019 Domaine Maison Cheverny Rogue Loire Valley

with No Comment $30 and underFranceKevin VogtLoire ValleyPinot Noir

DOMAINE MAISON

2019 CHEVERNY ROUGE
LOIRE VALLEY

2019 Domaine Maison Cheverny Rogue Loire Valley
Pinot Noir/Gamay blends from Cheverny offer remarkable value and are relished by the French locals because they possess vibrant red fruit, crisp acidy, palpable minerality, and energizing freshness. Burgundy and the Atlantic Ocean influence Cheverny, a small region in the Loire Valley with siliceous clay, limestone, and gravelly soils, well-suited for Burgundian grapes that produce supple fruit with gentle tannins and vibrant energy. Cheverny Reds are primarily Pinot Noir/Gamay blends, with up to 10% Cabernet Franc or Malbec, known locally as Côt.
 
Domaine Maison’s Cheverny Rouge is a classic representation, combining 60% Pinot Noir with 30% Gamay with 10% Côt, balancing bright, supple fruit, floral character, and minerality, with vibrant energy, depth, and focus. This bottling is very typical for what the French locals might drink at a local Bistro, great wine that is an exceptional value.
 
Located between two rivers, Loire and Cher, the Domain Maison’s plots consist of vines between 20 and 45-years-old, grown in clay-limestone and light gravel soils, that produce focused fruit with depth and a sense of place. The team fermented this wine in stainless steel to preserve the fruit’s natural essence, beautifully delivered into your glass.
 
DOMAINE MAISON
2019 CHEVERNY ROUGE
LOIRE VALLEY
 
 
 
“Red wines of the Loire Valley are known for their brightness and vivacity. Cheverny AOC, located within the Touraine district, is planted mainly with Pinot Noir. This blend in particular is comprised of 60 percent Pinot Noir, 30 percent Gamay, and 10 percent Côt, the local name for Malbec. The region’s fruit ripens beautifully leading to wines with juicy, red cherry and raspberry flavors with great depth and concentration. Sweet spice notes, such as cloves and cinnamon, add an additional layer of complexity to the wine followed by a lush and silky finish. The locals enjoy this easy-drinking wine just a tad below room temperature, making it a perfect wine for the summer. Even at a fantastic value, the most surprising aspect of this wine is how quickly you’ll need another glass.”
95 Points
2019 Widows Peak Pinot Noir By Beau Vigne Anderson Valley

2019 Widows Peak Pinot Noir By Beau Vigne Anderson Valley

with No Comment $30-$40Anderson ValleyKevin VogtPinot NoirSonomaUSA

WIDOWS PEAK

BY BEAU VIGNE
2019 PINOT NOIR
ANDERSON VALLEY

2019 Widows Peak Pinot Noir By Beau Vigne Anderson Valley
Beau Vigne is a boutique producer whose signature style is in making balanced, rich, multidimensional wines, and one that Robert Parker says is “one of my favorite wineries.” Their founding winemaker was Dave Phinney, later succeeded by Kirk Venge, and now, Julian Fayard, former Director of Winemaking for Philippe Melka, is at the helm. Their recently released Widows Peak Pinot Noir impresses at its $85 retail price, but at $38, it’s an absolute delight.  
 
This remarkable Pinot Noir emerged from a small vineyard in Anderson Valley centered between two creeks where well-drained gravelly soils and large diurnal temperature swings inspire fruit with clarity, place, and dynamic complexity. 
 
This soul-stirring Pinot Noir gains complexity from a wide range of Dijon clones 115, 667, and 777, as well as Swan and Pommard, each distinctively showcased, flawlessly delivering the vineyard’s identity. At this price, you’ll thank me once you taste it. 
 
WIDOWS PEAK
BY BEAU VIGNE
2019 PINOT NOIR
ANDERSON VALLEY
Retails at: $85
 
 
 
“The finished Anderson Valley Pinot Noir offers a provocative and swirling mélange of aromas and flavors. Lush bing cherry, raspberry and fine-grained tannins, spice, and a flinty mineral notes.”
2019 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Las Alturas

2019 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Las Alturas

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtMontereyPinot NoirSanta Lucia HighlandsUSA

BELLE GLOS

2019 PINOT NOIR
LAS ALTURAS

2019 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Las Alturas
Belle Glos Pinot Noirs have an extravagantly rich style that transcends varietal/category to the degree that even some Cabernet-drinkers enjoy them. Winemaker Joe Wagner discovered Las Alturas Vineyard, one of Santa Lucia Highlands’s highest-plantable sites, and chose it for its strong maritime influence and Gloria sandy loam soils. The 2019 offers “a whirlwind of exuberance,” as stated by Wine Enthusiast, and with a monumental 96 Point score, I wouldn’t hesitate to secure yours. 
 
Perched at 1,200 feet elevation, the 15-acre Las Alturas Vineyard is planted to various clones of Pinot Noir, separated by the land’s natural slopes and soil attributes. Joe’s team deliberately farms the site to encourage low yields, preserving fruit intensity, depth, and sense of place.
 
Joe created Belle Glos to showcase Pinot Noirs produced from noteworthy coastal wine-growing regions, personified in this Las Alturas bottling, which just shattered records with its 96 point score. 
 
BELLE GLOS
2019 PINOT NOIR
LAS ALTURAS
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“Firm lines of graphite and loamy earth streak through the opulent aromas of black plum and dried violet on the nose of this brooding Pinot Noir. The palate is a whirlwind of exuberance, as leathery tannins wrap around more graphite minerality, dried violet and lavender, stewed plum and a touch of bittersweet cocoa on the finish.”
96 Points
2019 Gamba MCM Estate Zinfandel Russian River Valley

2019 Gamba MCM Estate Zinfandel Russian River Valley

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtRussian River ValleySonomaUSAZinfandel

GAMBA

MCM ESTATE ZINFANDEL 
2019 RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

2019 Gamba MCM Estate Zinfandel Russian River Valley
Embodying the same passion for agriculture and tradition that’s been in their family for six generations, beginning in Northern Italy, Gamba Family expresses it all through the lens of their ancient 100-year-old vines. Gus acts as the human conduit for the vines to tell their story in every vintage, and the 2019s are what he strives for; They’re vibrantly detailed, engrossingly complex, and invigoratingly fresh. This vintage will undoubtedly earn monster scores, and given the small production, don’t wait to secure yours. 
 
Gus Gamba considers himself a steward of the land and utilizes organic farming practices in his family’s Vineyard planted in 1900. The Vineyard’s topography, soils, and microclimate are perfect for ripening Zinfandel to the peak of perfection. 
 
Gus and his winemaking team double hand-sort the berries, with only the best making their way into fermentors. Next, the 2019 release spent an impressive 18 months aging primarily in American oak barrels, contributing to the spice characteristics.
 
GAMBA
MCM ESTATE ZINFANDEL 
2019 RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
Retails at: $54
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“The exciting 2019 MCM Gamba Estate Old Vine Zinfandel is a brilliant wine, with bright garnet hues shining in the glass. The aroma offers lush raspberry, rhubarb pie and savory dried herbs. Medium to full in body, the wine explodes with fresh berries, stone fruit and red cherry that are accented with delicious brown spices and an essence of toasty oak. The texture is slightly leathery, yet polished and refined. The wine is focused, compelling, and exquisitely layered, with mouth-watering tannins; a serious and seamless flavor experience from beginning to end. Lifting acidity and mild toasted oak round out the coda of its pleasant, lingering finish. A great wine to enjoy in its youth, or candidate to lay down in the cellar if you have the will power!”
2019 Orin Swift 8 Years In The Desert Zinfandel Blend

2019 Orin Swift 8 Years In The Desert Zinfandel Blend

with No Comment $40-$50Kevin VogtUSAZinfandel

ORIN SWIFT

8 YEARS IN THE DESERT
2019 ZINFANDEL BLEND

2019 Orin Swift 8 Years In The Desert Zinfandel Blend
Eight Years in the Desert represents Orin Swift’s full-circle, which began with two tons of Zinfandel in 1998. In 2000, the Zinfandel wasn’t great as a single-varietal, so Dave Phinney, Orin Swift founder, created a blend and produced the inaugural vintage of The Prisoner, which he continued to make for the following eight vintages before selling The Prisoner brand. Eight Years in the Desert’s name references his eight-year non-compete agreement where Orin Swift couldn’t produce Zinfandel Blends, and lucky for us, they’ve now escaped those bounds. 
 
Calling on a vast collection of premier vineyards spanning California’s most ideal growing regions, 8 Years in the Desert is premeditatively crafted in a bold, approachable style, bearing delectable complexity and seductive fruits. 
 
Creatively, beginning in 2017, each sequential vintage of this wine reveals a new label that will continue for eight vintages. The 2019 release is centered around Zinfandel and magnified by Petite Sirah and Syrah, aged eight months in French and American oak.
 
ORIN SWIFT
8 YEARS IN THE DESERT
2019 ZINFANDEL BLEND
 
Your Price: $45
 
 
“Medium garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Zinfandel Blend 8 Years in the Desert delivers notions of stewed plums, baked raspberries and fruitcake with hints of powdered cinnamon, clove oil, tree bark, hoisin and dusty soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is chock-full of ripe, spicy black and red fruits, supported by chewy tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and earthy.”
93 Points
2019 Katherine Goldschmidt Cabernet Sauvignon Stonemason Hill

2019 Katherine Goldschmidt Cabernet Sauvignon Stonemason Hill

with No Comment $30 and underAlexander ValleyCabernet SauvignonKevin VogtSonomaUSA

KATHERINE GOLDSCHMIDT

2019 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
STONEMASON HILL
ALEXANDER VALLEY 

2019 Katherine Goldschmidt Cabernet Sauvignon Stonemason Hill
Designed to expose a vineyard’s most defining characteristics and deliver them with transparency, richness, intensity, and balance, Katherine Goldschmidt Cabernet offers relentless value, unprovoked by trends or production costs. Nick Goldschmidt hand-selected Stonemason Hill Vineyard after recognizing the distinct character and terroir of the vineyard would ensure the continued stylistic goals that made the brand so successful.
 
At 500 feet elevation in Alexander Valley, Stonemason Hill is near Rattlesnake Hill and Blue Rock Vineyards, where low-yielding 31-year-old-vines grown in Sandy and Bale loam produce concentrated fruit with striking characteristics. 
 
Nick Goldschmidt is a global winemaker with decades of experience making wine in California, New Zealand, and Argentina. His 2019 Stonemason Hill Cabernet is 100% single-varietal and out-performs most Cabernets at double its price.
 
KATHERINE GOLDSCHMIDT
2019 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
STONEMASON HILL
ALEXANDER VALLEY
 
Your Price: $24
 
 
“Intense purple and reds in color. The aromatics are opulent and very floral. Black fruits of black cherry and plum were a common theme. The mouth follows with rich dark fruits of blackberry, plum, and some licorice texture. Lush ripe tannins, full body and the nice creamy velvet tongue-wrapping flavor. Drink now or over the next 10 years… if you can wait that long!”
2019 Arbe Garbe White Blend Sonoma County

2019 Arbe Garbe White Blend Sonoma County

with No Comment $30-$40Kevin VogtProprietary WhiteSonomaSonoma ValleyUSA

ARBE GARBE

2019 WHITE BLEND
SONOMA COUNTY

2019 Arbe Garbe White Blend Sonoma County
Inspired by the Friuli region of Northern Italy, Letizia Pauletto and Enrico Maria Bertoz created Arbe Garbe to reconnect with their roots by crafting unadulterated wines, created from rare varieties common in Friuli but scarce in the New World. An essential part of their blend is Tocai Friulano, a relative of Sauvignon Blanc, of which there are 51 acres planted in California. Malvasia Bianca and Chardonnay shape the rest of the blend into a freshly focused, euphorically detailed white that’s unlike anything else from California. 
 
Winemakers Enrico and Letizia worked harvests in Friuli, well-rounding their skillsets. After arriving in the US, Enrico gained invaluable experience at Sine Qua Non, Joseph Phelps, and Flora Springs. 
 
Their 2019 release includes 50% Malvasia Bianca, an ancient variety with Greek origins contributing to the clean, crisp, laser focus. The winemaking is done naturally with gentle pressing and native fermentation, resulting in balanced, direct, and powerfully intriguing wines.
 
ARBE GARBE
2019 WHITE BLEND
SONOMA COUNTY
 
Your Price: $35
 
 
“This beautiful wine packs a one-two punch in both style and fruit character. It begins with a basket of ripe stone fruits, including peaches, nectarines, and apricots. It then follows with exotic bright citrus with pomelos, kumquats, mandarins, calamondins and carries bright florals along the way. The weight and body of this wine are rich and supple, with a degree of opulence and a bright acidity profile to keep it super fresh and clean—what a delight.”
93 Points
2019 Alma De Cattleya Pinot Noir Sonoma County

2019 Alma De Cattleya Pinot Noir Sonoma County

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtPinot NoirRussian River ValleySonomaSonoma CoastUSA

ALMA DE CATTLEYA

2019 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COUNTY

2019 Alma De Cattleya Pinot Noir Sonoma County
At 14, how many of us knew what we wanted to do for a career? Despite growing up in Columbia with very little exposure to wine, Bibiana González Rave knew she wanted to become a winemaker. Graduating with honors from the University of Bordeaux, Bibiana gained invaluable experience at Château Haut-Brion in France, Soronsberg in South Africa, Lynmar Estate, and Peay in California before climbing the ranks at Pahlmeyer. Proving fantastic wine can be had at an accessible price, Bibiana crafts Alma de Cattleya to represent the purity of their varietals. 
 
Founded equally from Russian River and Sonoma Coast Vineyards, favoring maritime influenced sites, Bibiana’s 2019 Pinot Noir is vibrantly detailed, superabundantly fragrant, and expertly balanced. 
 
Fermenting in stainless steel open-top tanks to allow for hand-punch-downs and preserve freshness, Bibiana’s commitment to the highest quality is evident in every aspect of production. This Pinot embodies the soul of Sonoma County, and at $30, everybody should try it.
 
ALMA DE CATTLEYA
2019 PINOT NOIR
SONOMA COUNTY
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“Exploding with aromas of raspberries, cherries, wild strawberries and a hint of vanilla, the mouthfeel is rich, with great texture and a supple finish.”
2019 Sailor's Grave Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2019 Sailor’s Grave Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

with No Comment $30 and underCabernet SauvignonCalistogaKevin VogtNapaStags LeapUSA

SAILOR’S GRAVE

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 NAPA VALLEY 

2019 Sailor's Grave Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Sailor’s Grave Cabernet highlights Michael Pozzan’s connections with many of Napa Valley’s premier growers and his ability to hand-select exceptional fruit each year. The 2019 vintage exemplifies his drive to produce an affordable Napa Cabernet packed with character, depth, and rich flavors far exceeding its value price. If you’ve been on a quest to find a full-bodied Napa Cab that doesn’t break the bank, this one inks it. 
 
The 2019 vintage was sourced from Stag’s Leap District and included fruit from Chiles Valley and Michael Pozzan’s home vineyard in Calistoga. This wine showcases the diversity in all three terroirs with precise definition, balance, and length.
 
Checking in at 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, this vintage offers a well-rounded interpretation of Napa Valley terroir and the vintage as a whole. The wine hails from a year that produced richly concentrated flavors, fruit purity, and balanced acidity that’s delightful to drink.
 
SAILOR’S GRAVE
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2019 NAPA VALLEY
Retails at: $40
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“The 2019 Sailors Grave Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is thoroughly a Napa Valley classic Cabernet. The nose is dark and inviting with aromas of blackberry, espresso, and the sweet char of French oak. The mouth is characterized by a core of pure Cabernet – cassis, boysenberry, and a hint of graphite, with soft, polished tannins and deftly integrated oak. The persistent finish sustains with delicate nutmeg.”
2019 Desoncierto Albarino Cambados Urban Winery Cambados, Spain

2019 Desoncierto Albarino Cambados Urban Winery Cambados, Spain

with No Comment $30 and underKevin VogtProprietary WhiteSpain

DESCONCIERTO

2019 ALBARIÑO
CAMBADOS URBAN WINERY
CAMBADOS, SPAIN

2019 Desoncierto Albarino Cambados Urban Winery Cambados, Spain
The delightfully refreshing nature of Desconcierto Albariño intersects with profound intensity, resulting in a stimulating, unique white that makes other varietals envious. The wine’s alluring qualities are fueled by great weather, causing it to move faster than any other white wine on our tasting menu. Desconcierto is beautifully opulent, loaded with brightly focused fruit, intriguing spice, and classic saline character that’s simply irresistible. 
 
Albarino grows best in areas with a strong maritime influence, which helps the grapes maintain a lively acidity. Desconcierto’s Vineyard is close to the Arousa Estuary’s shores, and the sea’s impact stands out in this classic Atlantic-influenced wine. 
 
Desconcierto utilizes partial Malolactic fermentation in their winemaking, which a technical method now widely used that gives the wine a rounder mouthfeel. There are less than 350 cases of this wine produced and trust me, you’ll wish you had ordered a lot more once you taste it.
 
DESCONCIERTO
2019 ALBARIÑO
CAMBADOS URBAN WINERY
CAMBADOS, SPAIN
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“Lively and intense aromas of white peach, pear and apples. Light notes of vanilla and yeast, a result of aging and stirring in the vat. Full body, crisp, vibrant and refreshing with mouthwatering citrus notes. Long finish with dry mineral notes.”