2016 Crowley Vineyard Cabernet Spring Mountain District

2016 Crowley Vineyard Cabernet Spring Mountain District

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CROWLEY VINEYARD

2016 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
SPRING MOUNTAIN DISTRICT

2016 Crowley Vineyard Cabernet Spring Mountain District
Crowley Vineyard Cabernet checks every box from top-level winemaking to a pedigreed vineyard and a passionate proprietor. Wineries like Barnett, Behrens Family, Sherwin, and Robert Craig have all sourced their grapes because of the fruit quality and biodynamic viticulture. Stephen Tebb makes their wine, and he spent the last ten years as Director of Winemaking for Robert Craig and specializes in Mountain Terroir. 
 
The vineyard is at the top of Spring Mountain, where rocky, well-drained, red volcanic Aiken loam produces densely concentrated fruit. Stephen pulls from superior blocks and clones within the vineyard, and at the winery price of $95, it’s stunning. Of course, at our price, we can hardly keep it on the shelf. The previous vintage sold out in a single day.
 
Stephen crafts this wine using gentle and minimal handling, resulting in Crowley’s Spring Mountain Vineyard’s pure expression of the land. The 2016 release is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and spent 18 months developing French oak barrels. The wine is rocking now and will also go the distance in the cellar.
 
CROWLEY VINEYARD
2016 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
SPRING MOUNTAIN DISTRICT
Retails at: $95
 
 
 
“The Crowley Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 begins with a beautifully elegant nose including red cherries, ripe blackberries, crushed rock, spring flowers, with hints of pencil lead and gunpowder. The palate is intensely concentrated, with penetrating cassis, muddled berries, red currants, dried plums, and baking spices. It finishes with firm, dusty fruit tannins, intense focus, and great length. Drink now through 2035.”
95 Points
2017 Revana Cabernet Sauvignon Terroir Series

2017 Revana Cabernet Sauvignon Terroir Series

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REVANA 

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 TERROIR SERIES 

2017 Revana Cabernet Sauvignon Terroir Series
Revana Vineyards was established under the philosophy that world-class wine begins in the vineyard. They hired Jim Barbour, one of Napa Valley’s top viticulturists to manage their vineyards. In Jim’s 30+ year career he’s planted some of the greatest vineyards in Napa Valley, including; Hundred Acre, Grace Family, Amuse Bouche, Pride, and the list goes on. They elevated their wines to an even higher level when they brought in Thomas Brown as consulting winemaker. Brown is at the top of his game and is one of the dominating forces in Cabernet. Their 2017 Terroir Series Cabernet powerfully reflects the winery’s standards of excellence. 
 
Winemaker Geoff Davies, and consultant Thomas Brown created the 2017 Terroir series from three powerfully distinctive vineyards in St Helena, Oak Knoll and Atlas Peak. Each renowned site plays a magnificent role in the wines complexity and overall balance. 
 
At the winery, the fruit is meticulously sorted by hand and whole cluster fermented in small lots. Dr. Revana believes that Brown’s artfully restrained approach to winemaking allows for a pure expression of Cabernet, and his attention to every detail results in wines of purity, depth, character and elegance.
 
REVANA 
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
2017 TERROIR SERIES
Retails at: $105
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“Lush and inviting, featuring a warm and silky wave of plum and blackberry sauce flavors, infused with black tea and subtle tobacco notes. Echoes of licorice root and loam run through the finish, with the fruit hanging on nicely. Drink now through 2025.”
91 Points
 
“Under the guidance of two Napa Valley legends, Vineyard Manager, Jim Barbour, and Winemaker, Thomas Rivers Brown, each vineyard block is hand-harvested, whole berry sorted and micro-fermented in small batches to maintain the individual expressions of terroir. This results in a richly textured Napa Valley Cabernet blend that is incredibly approachable upon release.”
2017 Luce Della Vite Luce Toscana

2017 Luce Della Vite Luce Toscana

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LUCE

DELLA VITE LUCE 
2017 TOSCANA

2017 Luce Della Vite Luce Toscana
Vittorio Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi took a risk creating the first Super Tuscan-style blend of Sangiovese and Merlot from Montalcino’s time-tested terroir. They merged traditional Tuscan winemaking with Montalcino’s majestic earth, balancing Sangiovese’s penetrating fruit with Merlot’s supple richness. Twenty-five vintages later, their flagship Luce Della Vite Toscana continues to turn heads with massive scores, sleek packaging, and powerfully enchanting flavors. 
 
The biodiversity of Luce’s Vineyards is vital in the character and complexity of their wines. Located Southwest of Montalcino Village, their vines are influenced by the sea, earth, and the climate conditions created by the rolling hills.
 
Luce’s team sorts each berry carefully before transferring them into Cement fermentation vessels, where they spend four weeks on the skins, extracting depth and rich color. The wine is barrel-aged for a full 24 months, polishing the powerfully captivating flavors and aromas. 
 
LUCE
DELLA VITE LUCE 
2017 TOSCANA
Retails at: $110
 
Your Price: $99.99
 
 
“Dark-berry, walnut, cedar and violet aromas with just a hint of chocolate. Full-bodied, layered and rich with ripe tannins and a vivid finish. Shows energy and a velvety texture. Deep and long. Give it two or three years to soften. Try after 2022.”
97 Points
 
“… the 25th anniversary of Luce… the 2017 vintage celebrates this birthday properly. Luce is one of the few Super Tuscans of Montalcino. Compared to Brunello it is blended with Merlot adding suppleness and focused on new oak ageing. Deep crimson in colour, full of clove, vanilla and buttery aromas, than brights for black cherry and plummy notes, graphite and cherry flavour, with an earthy mineral finish. Grainy velvety tannins and firm acidity are well supported by incredibly rich fruit concentration and suppleness. A wine drinkable now with potential for ageing. Drinking Window 2020 – 2040”
95 Points
2018 Details Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County

2018 Details Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County

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DETAILS

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 SONOMA COUNTY

2018 Details Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County
Details Cabernet fuses superior talent, assiduous fruit selection, and rigorous science in creating their value-focused Cabernet. Their commitment to excellence and obsessive attention to detail paid off, resulting in an enchanting wine that tastes like it should be much more expensive. We were among the first to feature it last August, before any scores. Recently, Vinous reviewed it, alerting readers to this “ridiculous value.” At $33, it’s a wine everybody should try. 
 
Sourced from a hillside vineyard located on the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas Mountains, behind Oakville, this wine also incorporates fruit from Knights Valley, Alexander Valley, Dry Creek, and Chalk Hill for increased definition. Their team handpicks the fruit to precise analytics, equating to optimized flavors and aromas. 
 
Details is a new project by the owners of Sinegal, and Ryan Knoth makes the wines. Ryan gained valuable experience working under the tutelage of icons David Abreu, Michel Rolland, and Fredrik Johansson at Staglin Vineyards. He also worked with Jim Barbour and Philippe Melka at Gandona Estate.
 
DETAILS
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 SONOMA COUNTY
Retails at: $40
 
Your Price: $33
 
 
“The 2018 Details Cabernet Sauvignon is a new project from David Sinegal and winemaker Ryan Knoth made from a collection of top sites in Sonoma County, with a strong focus on Moon Mountain. Silky, yet powerful, with striking depth, the 2018 is simply magnificent. Readers will find a mid-weight, savory Cabernet Sauvignon. Best of all, the 2018 is a ridiculous value in today’s world.”
93 Points
 
“A value-priced release from this terrific estate, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon DETAILS checks in as 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% each of Merlot and Petite Sirah, 4% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot, all aged 16 months in 55% new oak. Lots of ripe black cherry and blueberry fruits, notes of vanilla bean, cedar, and tobacco, medium to full-bodied richness, and notable purity all make for a delicious Napa Valley Cabernet that won’t break the bank. Enjoy bottles over the coming 7-8 years.”
91 Points
2016 Coho Headwaters Proprietary Red

2016 Coho Headwaters Proprietary Red

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COHO

2016 HEADWATERS
PROPRIETARY RED

2016 Coho Headwaters Proprietary Red
Coho’s motto is to swim against the flow by crafting supremely balanced wines with just enough oak and ripeness to exhibit the purity of their varietals and origin. Proprietor Gary Lipp focuses on Napa Valley’s Coombsville region and select hillside vineyards Southeast of downtown Napa where cooler temperatures enable the fruit to develop concentrated flavors at ripe sugar levels refreshing, balancing acidity. Jeb Dunnuck writes that the purity of fruit and outstanding length are what make this vintage so special, and I agree. 
 
Gary Lipp hired renowned winemaker Phillip Titus to help achieve his goal of crafting flavorful yet balanced wines. Philip has been with Chappellet for nearly 30 years and has produced some of California’s most sought-after wines. 
 
The 2016 release combines 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 39% Merlot from Michael Black and Barking Dog Vineyards in Coombsville and 24% Petite Verdot. After nearly two years in barrel and three more in the bottle, this wine is stunning.
 
COHO
2016 HEADWATERS
PROPRIETARY RED
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $49.99
 
 
“Rich aromas of dark plums, blackberries and blue plums here with dark chocolate and baking spices on offer. The palate has a juicy feel with fine, crisp tannins, wrapped in plenty of dark-berry and plum flavors. Drink or hold.”
93 Points
 
“… Some graphite, black fruits, scorched earth, and tobacco notes all emerge from this beauty, which has a layered, medium to full-bodied, sexy style on the palate that just begs to be drunk. With no hard edges, the purity of fruit that makes the vintage so special, and outstanding length, it’s not going to make old bones, but it unquestionably offers loads of pleasure today.”
90 Points
 
“Rich, and fruit forward, the blackberry and plum flavors announce themselves upon palate entry, while nuances of lightly roasted coffee beans and baking spices are revealed as the wine is drawn in. The long, balanced finish is a good indication of a delicious wine that will be enjoyable upon release and for an additional decade.”
2018 Fort Ross Pinot Noir Sea Slopes

2018 Fort Ross Pinot Noir Sea Slopes

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FORT ROSS

2018 PINOT NOIR
SEA SLOPES 

2018 Fort Ross Pinot Noir Sea Slopes
Sea Slopes is a wine inspired by the majestic Sonoma Coast and crafted by renowned winemaker Jeff Pisoni. Over the years, this wine has built upon a reputation of excellence as one of the area’s most reliable values. It’s the delicious result of the culmination of the proprietor’s drive to make the best wines from their Estate, and at $30, the value is substantial. 
 
Fort Ross Vineyard sits at the exact location where various soil types and elevations meet with an extreme maritime climate. In the near vicinity and inside the Fort Ross Seaview AVA, icons Peter Michael, Marcassin, Martinelli, Flowers, and Pahlmeyer all source fruit. 
 
Winemaker Jeff Pisoni helps to articulate the best attributes of the Estate. Jeff barrel ages this wine in primarily neutral barrels to integrate the natural acidity, rich flavors, and soft tannins into a beautiful, perfumed Pinot Noir.
 
FORT ROSS
2018 PINOT NOIR
SEA SLOPES
Retails at: $35
 
Your Price: $29.99
 
 
“Bottled under screw cap and a value-priced effort, the 2018 Pinot Noir Sea Slopes comes from sites in the Sonoma Coast and has a lively, complex bouquet of spiced cherries, cranberries, sappy flowers, and a kiss of marine-like salinity. With good complexity, medium body, nicely integrated acidity, and a good finish, it’s a delicious drinker to enjoy over the coming 3-4 years.”
89 Points
 
“An expressive garnet, this lively Pinot Noir has alluring layers of raspberry, red plums and hibiscus aromas. Vibrant flavors of perfumed Bing cherry, tangy plum and dried cranberries seamlessly intertwine with hints of cassis framed by fine tannins. The mouthwatering acidity and structured, elegant layers of pure Pinot Noir fruit lingers through the energetic finish. Sea Slopes is a true expression of a coastal Pinot Noir.”
2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

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MARTIN RAY

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 HOWELL MOUNTAIN 

2018 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
Martin Ray’s entire team is devoted to crafting wines with a sense of place. They source fruit from hillside vineyards that encourage deep root systems which extract minerals and other deposits unique to their origin. For their Howell Mountain Cabernet, they choose Candlestick Ridge Vineyard at 2,250 feet elevation, where decomposed volcanic ash and red clay soils receive twice as much rain as the valley floor yet remain bone dry due to its porous composition. The site produces powerful berries that tell a relentless tale of their place. At $80, it fits right in with its neighbors, but at $49, the wine plays in a different league. 
 
Howell Mountain is cooler than the Valley floor, and in turn, allows the grapes more hang-time, resulting in concentrated fruit. Cooler temperatures align with porous soils and contribute to the intensely powerful fruit produced there. 
 
Martin Ray’s winemaking team includes lead winemaker Leslie Renaud, former winemaker for Foley Estate, and consulting winemaker Keith Emerson of Vineyard 29. The 2018 Howell Mountain Cabernet is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and a powerful reflection of the region and terroir.
 
MARTIN RAY
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 
2018 HOWELL MOUNTAIN
Retails at: $80
 
Your Price: $49
 
 
“This is chock ’o block with flavors of dark currant paste and blackberry preserves mixed with tar, licorice snap and alder notes. There’s a nice smoldering feel through the finish as the fruit and earth notes meld. Best from 2023 through 2035”
93 Points
 
“Lots of ripe berries and plums with flowers, chocolate and some sandalwood on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins and a pretty, fruit and berry character at the finish. Drink or hold.”
92 Points

“Fresh, wild blue and black fruit with ripe Bing cherry, and subtle elderflower. Deep, rustic touches of olive tapenade, with layers of boysenberry and wet earth, with supple, velvety tannins and touches of clove and graphite on the finish.”
2018 Eleven Eleven X-I Estate Cabernet Oak Knoll District

2018 Eleven Eleven X-I Estate Cabernet Oak Knoll District

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ELEVEN ELEVEN

X∙I ESTATE CABERNET
2018 OAK KNOLL DISTRICT 

2018 Eleven Eleven X-I Estate Cabernet Oak Knoll District
Eleven Eleven is a new winery producing exciting wines out of their state-of-the-art production facility near downtown Napa. Winemaker Kirk Venge creates them in a powerfully captivating style that’s elegantly balanced and enriched with nuance. Their 2018 X∙I Estate Cabernet perfectly reflects the winery’s drive to make the best wines possible, and at $85, don’t miss this high-scoring Cab. 
 
The 2018 release is nearly 90% Cabernet Sauvignon heightened with the other four most classic Bordeaux varieties; Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. The wine spent almost two years developing in French oak barrels, and it’s rocking now. 
 
The X∙I Estate Vineyard is in the Oak Knoll AVA, where the clay loam soils, combined with the San Pablo Bay cooling influences, are ideal for ripening Bordeaux varieties. The resulting wine is, as Vinous writes, “spectacularly rich” and “gorgeous in its style,” and at $85, it’s a stupendous value for top-quality Napa Cab.
 
ELEVEN ELEVEN
X∙I ESTATE CABERNET
2018 OAK KNOLL DISTRICT
 
Your Price: $85
 
 
“The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate will thrill readers who enjoy opulent Napa Valley wines. Inky dark fruit, dark chocolate, menthol, licorice and spice blast out of the glass. Unctuous and spectacularly rich, the 2018 is a gorgeous wine in its style. Plush, silky tannins round out the luxurious finish.”
94 Points
 
“Black garnet color. Aromas and flavors of boysenberry, eclairs, sassafras, sage, and licorice with a lightly tannic, vibrant, dryish full body and a warming, complex, long finish with moderate oak flavor. A dense and brooding Oak Knoll Cabernet for fabulous steaks; drink now through 2035.”
Gold Medal, Exceptional, Cellar Selection
94 Points
 
“I haven’t been this excited about unveiling a new wine in years. Finally, the secret is out! A true 5 varietal Estate Bordeaux Blend. Having the viticulture at your fingers to guide each of these plantings with just the right inputs and be blessed with a nearly perfect vintage like 2018 was a combination for success. I love the dark fruit and young tightly laced tannin feel. As young as these plantings are, I predict outstanding things in future years stemming from this, the XI inaugural release!”
Winemaker Kirk Venge
2015 Poggio Nardone Brunello Di Montalcino Italy

2015 Poggio Nardone Brunello Di Montalcino Italy

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POGGIO NARDONE

2015 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY 

2015 Poggio Nardone Brunello Di Montalcino Italy
There are great wines made through the winemaker’s decisions, and then there are those that result from the vintage, which was a fantastic one in Montalcino for their 2015’s. The year produced wines with remarkable power, dynamic complexity, and a purity of fruit that’s spectacular. Finding a high-quality Brunello from 2015 is easy, but finding one at $40 is nearly impossible. Of the 118 2015 vintage Brunellos rated by the Wine Spectator, only 1 had a release price of $40. Here’s the needle in the haystack. 
 
Poggio Nardone’s 2015 Brunello is a classic blend of 100% Sangiovese Grosso aged four years in barrel. The vines were grown at an altitude of 350-450 meters in soils rich in marl and limestone and produced fruit with precision detail. 
 
The estate is less than 10 hectares, but it’s also the exact location where ideal soils and high altitude vineyards intersect and produce powerful, dense, and long-lived Brunellos that make a lasting impression.
 
POGGIO NARDONE
2015 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY
Retails at: $55
 
Your Price: $39.99
 
 
“A ripe but composed Brunello di Montalcino with tar, leather, dried brambleberries, dried tea leaves and ash. Chewy and foursquare on the full-bodied palate; the rustic tannins give this a silty, grainy quality. Decadent and powerful…”
94 Points
 
“This is a lovely expression of Sangiovese with a full and generous disposition… offers bright cherry, cassis, raspberry and other red berry fruits. Those fruity high notes are followed by savory tones of forest floor, candied orange peel, autumnal leaf and baking spice. The wine offers a smooth and silky mouthfeel with well-integrated tannins and a long, polished finish. This is a clean and compact interpretation of Brunello with the amped up and generous characteristics of this sunny vintage… Drink 2021-2035”
93 Points
2018 Marimar Estate Acero Unoaked Chardonnay Russian River Valley

2018 Marimar Estate Acero Unoaked Chardonnay Russian River Valley Don Miguel Vineyard

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MARIMAR ESTATE

ACERO UNOAKED CHARDONNAY
2018 RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
DON MIGUEL VINEYARD

2018 Marimar Estate Acero Unoaked Chardonnay Russian River Valley
Marimar Estate’s Don Miguel Vineyard is in Green Valley, the coolest, foggiest part of the Russian River. The site is influenced by traditional Mediterranean viticultural practices and planted in a high-density European-style with more than 2,000 vines per acre, which naturally encourages low-yields with concentrated, and balanced flavors. The winemaking team selected specific blocks with great intensity and aromatics within the vineyard for their Acero Unoaked Chardonnay, which at around $25, is a serious value. 
 
Don Miguel Vineyard is organically farmed and contains desirable sandy loam, Goldridge soils of volcanic origin, and marine sediment. The high-density planting promotes vines to live longer and achieve fruit with greater concentration and more elegance and finesse. 
 
Marimar Torres teamed up with Bill Dyer, legendary winemaker at Sterling Vineyards, for 20 years to produce the best wines possible from the Estate. The wine team ages and ferments their Acero Chardonnay in 100% stainless steel to capture the purity of flavors and the fruit’s most natural essence.
 
MARIMAR ESTATE
ACERO UNOAKED CHARDONNAY
2018 RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY
DON MIGUEL VINEYARD
Retails at: $34
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“Fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks, this wine never sees oak. A floral aroma of honeysuckle wrangles the nose as a crisp palate brings flavors of pear, peach and lavender. Stony minerality defines the texture, and the finish carries a touch of honey.”
90 Points
 
“This has a bright, green-melon and apple nose with light, flinty nuances. The palate has a supple, white-peach and pear core. Fresh, light and clean. Drink now.”
90 Points
 
“There are lots of stony notes to the open-textured, spicy Gala apple, dried apricot and quince flavors of this white. The plush finish offers plenty of creaminess. Drink now.”
89 Points