Staff Favorites - Ryan Woodhouse

JD: 91

2019 Hendry "Estate" Napa Valley Proprietary Red

Review Date: 11-21-2023

Hendry Estate is probably the greatest "hidden gem" in the entire Napa Valley. While they've been getting some excellent critical acclaim for many years now, the wines remain some of the very best values (and quite frankly underpriced) wines you'll find in the region. The Hendry family has been farming this bucolic ranch that sits at the base of Mount Veeder since 1939. Just this past October I was in the vineyard early one morning during harvest watching 10-year-old Drew Hendry (the 4th generation to live here) driving the tractor up and down vine rows hauling grape bins behind him. The estate that sits on an elevated bench just west of the town of Napa has been planted to vines since the mid-1970s. Many original blocks of Cabernet, Zinfandel and Chardonnay are still producing lovingly tended by Hendry's fulltime vineyard team several of whom live on the ranch itself. The crew is led by Vicente and Pedro who have worked on the ranch since 1974 and 1980 respectively. Over many decades these vines have produced fruit sold to iconic producers such as Robert Mondavi and Opus One! What Hendry doesn't have in glitzy marketing or a huge advertising budget they more than make up for with quality, authenticity and historical pedigree. The 2019 Estate Proprietary Red is a traditional Bordeaux inspired blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, and roughly 10% each of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Merlot all selected from specific blocks of the estate. It was aged for 20 months in 60% new French oak. It's a bold powerful wine with tons of deep, dark intense fruit - blackcurrant, elderberry, plum. Then there's pencil shavings, briary notes, subtle tobacco leaf and warm earth. It's nicely framed by the French oak, but not overpowered by it. The tannins are present a correct but beautifully wrapped up in the luxuriously textured mid-palate fruit. Crushed stone minerals from the estate's extremely rocky soils linger with mountain herbs and cedar on the finish. It walks a nice line between valley floor power and weight plus the more savory, structural aspects of the Mount Veeder AVA that starts just a few hundred feet up the road. If you haven't experienced Hendry's phenomenal wines yet, then this is the perfect way to acquaint yourself with what might well become your new favorite winery in Napa.

Top Value!

Price: Hidden

2018 Evidence "Immaculate Vineyard" Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date: 11-17-2023

If you're curious why Coombsville has become one of Napa's most sought after and hyped AVAs in recent years this wine will illustrate exactly why! Jason Court brings all of his knowledge and experience making high-end cult Cabernet to bear here with a textbook, benchmark Coombsville Cab. This part of the valley, in the very south eastern corner, get lots of cold wind from San Pablo just a few miles south. This region is also consistently foggy until late morning that really elongates the growing season and amplifies the flavor intensity in the fruit. The soils here are volcanic gravels broken down from the Vaca Mountains to the east. These soils seem to lend a powerful minerality to the wines that is something of a signature of the terroir. Personally I love how the wines from Coombsville express lots of true varietal character, the "Cabernet-ness" isn't ripened out of the grapes, they embraces the cigar box, camphor, cedar elements that inform the wines of Bordeaux. At the same time there's the unmistakable power and opulence of Napa Valley. The 2021 Immaculate Vineyard Cab is redolent with smoky spices, mulbery, blackcurrant, briar patch, hot stone, and graphite. Elements of tobacco leaf and leather mingle with the torrent of muscular dark fruit. Exotic oak spices adds another dimension and structural definition. A very powerful wine that will no doubt age 20-30 years. Bold, concentrated and youthfully tense. A very serious wine that's up there with the best of the vintage including many that are significantly more expensive from the very same neighborhood. Enjoyable now with a good hour in the decanter and a standing rib roast or bone-in-ribeye, but will continue to improve for 5-10 years at least and will probably see 2050 in good shape.

Top Value!

Price: $94.95

JS: 96

JD: 94

2021 Stolo "Estate" SLO Coast Pinot Noir

Review Date: 11-17-2023

My #1 pick for Thanksgiving in 2023 is the Stolo SLO Coast Pinot Noir. This is just the definition of a bright, fresh, floral, deliciously fruit-forward Pinot Noir that is eminently drinkable, food-friendly and sure to please a crowd. From a tiny estate just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean in Cambria, this is one of very few vineyards on the coastal side of the Santa Lucia Mountains. The ultra-cool, heavily maritime influenced climate produces intensely flavored fruit with vibrant acidity. The 2021 Stolo Estate Pinot Noir was fermented entirely whole cluster and saw only neutral French oak barrels. The wine has a haunting scent of fresh rose petals, baking spice, bramble, clove spiced orange peel, alpine strawberry, ripe raspberry, subtle amaro-like aromatic herbal components punctuate the fresh, juicy fruit. So crushable, and yet complex at the same time. A great bottle that I have already had on numerous occasions and plan on having on my own Thanksgiving table.

Top Value!

Price: Hidden

RP: 95

2018 Silverado "Block Blend" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date: 11-16-2023

Don't hesitate on this one, it's sure to be sold out fast. A stunning value in Napa Cab that harnesses the power and richness of Stags Leap, the exotic lush fruit of Oakville, and the mineral core and structure of Coombsville. The quality of the fruit sources for this wine are phenomenal. To be honest it's pretty remarkable that Silverado even got this to market at its typical $40-$50 SRP given the cost of fruit these days from premium sub-regions of Napa. Factor in our 50% discount...it's a steal! The wine is nice and open, really expressive from the first sip, an easy to drink style. Medium plus bodied, nice blackcurrant fruit, some ripe plum, hints of cedar, gravelly minerals, espresso, well integrated oak. Fine tannins give a gentle grip. The extraction is beautifully judged. Nothing is over the top, it's a very nicely proportioned and balanced wine all around. Such an incredible value Napa Cab for under $20 that we very rarely see anymore. I'd bet on it ageing for 5-8 years too, it certainly has the balance and composure the develop nicely in the cellar.

Top Value!

Price: Hidden

JS: 92

2018 Crescere "Ritchie Vineyard" Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc

Review Date: 11-15-2023

Until recently, I knew nothing of Crescere wines. But when someone sends me samples of an old vine, Ritchie vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, with 98 points and comparisons to Haut-Brion Blanc...I sit up and start paying attention. The luxurious, heavy bottle is fitting for the powerful and concentrated wine inside. White flowers on the nose, struck flint, yellow plum, nectarine, lemon curd, wet stone and cut herbs. The palate shows much of the same, ranging from riper, golden stone fruit characters to more mouthwatering, zesty citrus elements, all given another layer of depth by the subtle oak, and lees derived texture. The finish is powerful and persistent as is common for this heralded planting. Despite the wines voluminous expression and effusive nature, the core of mineral infused acidity keeps everything under tension and nicely focused. It's a show stopping wine, and a worthy rendition of this world-class vineyard. Great stuff!

Top Value!

Price: Hidden

JD: 98

2021 My Favorite Neighbor "Harvey & Harriet" San Luis Obispo County White Blend

Review Date: 11-15-2023

For many years now the Harvey & Harriet wines from My Favorite Neighbor (founded by Booker) have consistently delivered some of the best selling, over-delivering wines from Paso Robles and the Central Coast. The wines always have astoundingly pure fruit, soft flowing textures and an immediacy about them that just makes you want to crack the bottle and enjoy it! The red wines we've offered from them have become customer favorites that folks have turned to time and time again. So, it should come as little surprise to you that when they turned their hand to making a white blend the results would be just and delicious! I tasted the Harvey & Harriet White several months back and brought it in to the stores right away. The quality on the wine and the glowing 95-point review from Parker's Advocate more than justified the $29.95 price point. However, just last week I was offered a chance to go deep on the wine at a crazy low price that means we can now sell this wine for an astounding $19.95! At this price it's an everyday, super quaffable, versatile, delicious house white! I mean how often do you see 95WA wines, from a legit producer, for under $20!? The wine is a bright, juicy, fresh coastal blend of Albariño, Chardonnay, Viognier and Pinot Gris. The Albariño and Pinot Gris give vibrant aromatics and exotic floral tones, with ripe citrus, tropical fruit notes, and honeysuckle with mouthwatering acidity. The Viognier and Chardonnay build in textural depth, weight and complexity on the palate. It's a very expressive fun wine that has a little something for everyone. Perfect to have around for the holidays - it's crowd pleasing style and very versatile with all kinds of food. An amazing bargain worth stocking up on.

Top Value!

Price: $19.95

RP: 95

2017 ¿Como No? Stag's Leap District Petite Sirah

Review Date: 11-13-2023

If you want the short version, this is just an absolutely delicious Petite Sirah from an incredible vineyard high in the hills of Stag's Leap. We're selling it for a ludicrously low price given the critical acclaim and fantastic quality. That should be more than enough info to pique your interest…But the full story is much more interesting. Como No is the culmination of a long and storied career for iconic restaurateur / vigneron Carl Doumani. Now 90-years of age, Doumani is well known in Napa Valley. In 1971 while looking for a home with 5-10 acres of land in the valley he ended up buying 400-acres in Stags Leap! The following year he founded Stags' Leap Winery and ran it for over 25 years. One of his first ever clients to buy fruit from him in his very first year was a young Robert Mondavi! After Doumani sold Stags' Leap Winery to Beringer Vineyards (now Treasury Wine Estates) in 1997, he kept some adjacent land and started Quixote winery with 27-acres of hillside vines. After building up a cult following for the Quixote wines, he again sold his business in 2014 keeping just a few acres on a high, rocky, steep slope directly beneath the Stags Leap Palisades (the towering cliffs from which the region takes its name). So, it is from this tiny 2-acres of Petite Sirah that Como No is produced. A guy who had his pick of 400 hundred acres of prime Stags Leap vineyards, over the course of 50-years growing grapes, narrowed it down to this radical mountain side parcel and his lifelong favorite grape variety, Petite Sirah. It is this true dedication and passion that led Robert Parker to write that Carl's Como No wines are "as terrific as Petite Sirah can be." This tiny estate is farmed by legendary viticulturist Mike Wolf. The wine is made by cult winemaker Aaron Pott. That’s some unbelievable pedigree and excellence for a wine that we're offering at such a low price! Alright, enough storytelling, what about the wine itself - well, it's a wonderfully powerful yet focused and refined version of this varietal. Petite Sirah can sometimes be overly brawny and unwieldy, but this is sheer class. As soon as you pour the wine you notice the deep inky black / purple color in the glass. Aromas of wild berries, mulberry compote, dark chocolate coated cherry, dried mountain chaparral, crushed rock, thyme, and brambles burst forth. It's rich, powerful and palate coating, but also has a wonderful core of crushed rock mineral and savory dried herb components that compliment the bold fruit. A nice tannic grip gives definition to the fruit but without feeling aggressive. It's drinking beautifully right now, you can pop and pour, but I'm certain it will continue to slowly develop for another 8-10 years, maybe more. The wine reminds me a lot of some of the great Ridge Petite Sirahs from York Creek Vineyard on Spring Mountain and those wines aged for decades! Such a fascinating and extraordinary wine that over delivers and then some at our rock bottom price!

Top Value!

Price: Hidden

RP: 93 - 95

VN: 92 - 94

2022 Laberinto "Arcillas de Laberinto" Riesling Maule Valley

Review Date: 11-10-2023

Kirk (our South American Wine Buyer) recently asked me to taste this wine...OK I thought, Chilean Riesling, sounds intriguing...swirl, sniff, sip....wow, this is killer...sip...no really, like profoundly good...it must be expensive...consult my phone / our website...$19.99!!! What!? Alright, I'm buying some! This is just astoundingly great wine. For Riesling nerds (myself included) it totally checks all the boxes, but perhaps more importantly, this is just a fascinating, engaging, complex, and beautifully crafted white wine that anyone can enjoy. Meadow wild flowers, crystalline citrus notes, white peach, hints of lime leaf, crushed quartz, a mineral purity like a spring water. Racy, dynamic, textured - this has it all. Just an arrestingly stunning wine that was a revaluation for me. Exceptional value. Buy some.

Top Value!

Price: $19.99

TA: 98

2019 Martin Woods "Havlin Vineyard" Van Duzer Corridor Chardonnay

Review Date: 11-09-2023

This is likely to be the first of a few offers we have coming your way over the next couple weeks from this incredible winery that we have just started working with from Oregon. In the past few months every time I read an article or saw new scores in a tasting report for Oregon time and time again at the top of the list, with huge scores, was Martin Woods. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Decanter, International Wine Report...all with glowing things to say about these wines being some of the most exciting in the region...and yet I'd never tasted them! Well, something just had to be done about that. So, I sent a note to Evan Woods the winemaker / co-proprietor of the winery and was pleased to hear back from him even in the midst of harvest. Samples arrived a few days later and we scheduled a time to taste through the wines together "virtually" (very 2020) so I could get his personal reflections on the wines as I tasted. Wow! What a tasting, almost two hours and more than a dozen wines later I was simply flabbergasted by the level of quality, precision and complexity across the board. I could see right away what all the critics had recognized in these wines...they're simply some of the best wines being made in Oregon today, period. The first wine we're offering from Martin Woods is also an opportunity for you folks to try out these wines, to see what all the buzz is about, and do it for a super affordable price! The 2019 Havlin Vineyard Chardonnay is a wine that Evan made for a few vintages but is no longer getting the fruit from this cold and windy site in the Van Duzer Coridoor. Because this is the last release of this wine, he made us a great deal to go along side the other single vineyard wines we brought in. Havlin Vineyard sits on an exposed hillside at around 400ft from the valley floor. The soils are ancient marine sedimentary soils lending a powerful minerality to the wine. This is vibrant, focused Chardonnay with lots of crunchy orchard fruit, yellow stone fruit hints, slivered almond, freshly baked bread crust, oyster shell salinity with ripe citrus providing a nice zesty cut on the finish. Really well rounded, layered, complex Chardonnay that gives you a great feel for just how talented Evan is in the cellar! Watch out for his rising star winery that is about to blow up the Oregon wine scene!

Top Value!

Price: Hidden

2021 AXR Napa Valley Proprietary Red

Review Date: 11-09-2023

Here's a rare chance to get your hands on some seriously ultra-premium Napa Cab for under $30! Honestly, I taste thousands of Napa Cabs every year and this wine easily holds its own with dozens of $100+ bottles. Even at it's typical retail price of $40-$50 this wine is one of the best values you'll find today in Napa, and we have an even sharper price than that! Made by iconic winemaker Jean Hoefliger (Alpha Omega, The Debate, Harbison) who has many 100-point wines to his name. AXR winery sits at the base of Spring Mountain on the Madrone V Vineyard, but Jean has access to the very best fruit money can buy all across the valley from Beckstoffer To Kalon to Sacrashe, Sleeping Lady, Artalade, Stagecoach...the list of relationships from Jean's many decades in the region is endless! AXR's 21 Proprietary Red is composed of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec, 7% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot. It sees 12 months in 40% new French oak. The wine is just explosive! Huge aromas of creme de cassis, freshly picked blackberry, dark cherry, cedar notes, exotic oak spice, hints of mint and tobacco leaf. The palate is loaded with bold lush fruit, incredible purity, silky ripe tannins, perfectly integrated oak. There's a nice freshness and lift to keep all the richness and power dynamic and flowing. Just a beautifully satisfying bottle of deep, powerful Napa Cab for an exceptionally good price.

Top Value!

Price: Hidden

DC: 94

JS: 93

TWI: 92

2021 DuMol "Isobel - Charles Heintz Vineyard" Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

Review Date: 11-01-2023

Back in mid-September I was lucky enough to spend the best part of a day with the team at DuMOL out in the Russian River. We walked a number of vineyards, kicked the dirt, sampled fruit, and I even jumped on the sorting table to help process the first few tons of Estate Pinot Noir that was rolling into the winery that morning. I was also treated to the full lineup of spectacular 2021 single vineyard releases. The entire range is phenomenal. DuMOL are hands down making some of the greatest wines anywhere in California, and their Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays rival the finest Burgundies I've ever tasted. The 2021 Isobel from Charles Heintz Vineyard was a big standout in the lineup. Of course I assumed that with the monster scores (98WA / 98TWI / 97JS / 95-97VN) and historically low yields of fruit, that we would only get a handful of bottles. However, when our allocation arrived last week I was excited that my hours of fruit sorting and grape sampling had been rewarded with enough wine we could actually offer out to a small portion of our mailing list! It's still not very much wine is the grand scheme of things, but to even be able to get your hands on a wine with this level of critical acclaim and pedigree is increasing difficult! The wine truly captures the magic of this cold, heavily fog influenced site. Sitting just east of the town of Occidental, surrounded by coastal forest, the Chardonnay fruit here captures the crystaline nature of the cool sunshine, and salty ocean air. Tiny yields from the old vines, "moondust" Goldridge soils and meticulous farming give Heintz a unique flavor profile of golden exotic fruit with piquant acidity and incredible persistence on the palate. After decades of working with the site, no one captures its essence more brilliantly than winemaker Andy Smith. Get some of this in your cellar and enjoy over the next 15 years.

Price: $74.99

2019 Dunn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date: 10-28-2023

I consider myself very fortunate to have tasted dozens of vintages of Dunn's iconic Howell Mountain bottling over the years. I've had them young and old; bottles made by Randy Dunn, and bottles from more recent years as his son Mike took the reins. These powerful, distinctive, long-lived Cabernets never disappoint. I believe more than any other producer the flavors and characters captured at Dunn have become inseparable from Howell Mountain itself; they are truly the quintessential expression of this special place captured in wine. Back in August a few of us from K&L were lucky enough to spend a several hours at Dunn walking the vineyards, barrel tasting in the cellar, and running through numerous vintages of both the Napa and Howell Mountain Cabs. Out of all the wines we tasted that day, the 2019 Howell was truly exceptional. It felt and tasted like a Dunn Cab, and yet it was so open, expressive, and downright delicious even as a young wine! I remember some young editions of this wine that had your lips stuck to your teeth and your tongue coated in dense, thick tannins. My typical advice to people when they're buying Dunn Cabs is to forget about them for at least a decade...maybe two! But this 2019...wow, it's just stunning even upon release. Now, don't get me wrong, this is still most certainly a wine with 30+ years of ageing potential. However, the structure is beautifully refined, the fruit lush and polished, the balance of fruit and structure is immaculate, the oak integration totally seamless. The dark brooding core of volcanic minerality and briary mountain chapparal is still present, there's no doubt this is Howell Cab...it's just got another level of refinement and precision that is truly magical. I can't wait to follow how this wine evolves over the next few decades. Potentially one of the best ever bottlings of this legendary wine.

Drink from 2024 to 2024

Price: $199.00

IWR: 98

VN: 98

WS: 96

2019 Brittan "Gestalt" McMinnville Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Review Date: 10-25-2023

Brittian's Gestalt bottling come from the single most distinctive block on the estate. This small, west facing, hillside block bears the brunt of the cold winds that come through Van Duzer Gap from the frigid North Pacific Ocean. The vines here grow smaller canopies and set smaller clusters of grapes with thick skins. Further adversity for the vines comes from the soil (or lack thereof) in which they grow. This particular parcel has very shallow top soils over fractured basalt rock. I consistently found this wine to be the most mineral driven and tense of the Brittan bottlings. It has significant concentration and structure with powerful, brooding volcanic mineral notes. The block is planted largely to clone 115 that is known for producing wines of aromatic intensity. It works beautifully here as the lifted aromas of dried flowers, spiced citrus peel and sandalwood, provide a nice contrast to the more savory, soil driven flavors on the palate, and the wine's muscular structure. A powerful wine, but not one that takes it's power from ripeness of fruit, it's more how it conveys its unique and distinctive sense of place.

Drink from 2024 to 2024

Price: $59.95

RP: 98

IWR: 95

JD: 95

2019 Brittan "Basalt" McMinnville Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Review Date: 10-25-2023

Brittan's stunning "Basalt Block" bottling comes from the very heart of the estate. A mid-slope, south facing bowl, with the most pure oceanic basalt soils on the vineyard. The "Estate" level bottling is also predominantly from this block, so the Basalt really is a micro-selection of the very best rows and barrels out of this block. Just 140 cases made. This wine shows off the complexity and depth this site brings to Pinot Noir. Mostly 777 Dijon clone with some 667 and Pommard, too. Dark fruit, forest berries, leaf litter, signature volcanic minerality underpinning everything. The structure is firm, but beautifully enveloped in the refined fruit and woodsy spices. A repeating dark rose petal note and black raspberry linger. Such a layered and complete wine, a wonderfully transparent wine to display the special qualities of this vineyard.

Drink from 2023 to 2023

Price: $59.95

RP: 98

JD: 93

2019 Brittan "Cygnus" McMinnville Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Review Date: 10-25-2023

Despite coming in one point lower than the other two single block wines in Roberts Parker's Advocate ratings...I thought this was the star of the show in the 2019 lineup, at least for drinking young. The Cygnus comes from a small block of vines planted exclusively to the Swan clone (or selection) of Pinot Noir. This clone's origin is still a bit of a mystery, but it was reportedly brought to the USA from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy and propagated by the iconic Joseph Swan. At Brittan Estate, it is planted on an east facing hillside that is a little more sheltered from the Van Duzer winds than the rest of the blocks and I think expresses a little more generosity than the other bottlings right now. It has a wonderful brambly, wildness to the deep red fruits. A mixture of earthy spices and floral tones. Nice flesh on the palate, with a little more fruit than the Basalt or Gestalt bottlings, at least to my palate. This will no doubt aged beautifully as with all the exceptional Brittan wines, but this would be my selection if I was pulling a cork tonight.

Drink from 2023 to 2023

Price: $59.95

RP: 97

JD: 94

2019 Planetary Estate "Polaris" Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date: 10-25-2023

Without doubt the showiest / most effusive of the vertical, the 2019 is just explosively aromatic with redolent creme de cassis, blackberry, boysenberry, lavender, dried flowers, cedary oak, and Asian spice. The palate, whilst retaining the freshness and vibrancy that Yountville Cab is renowned for, has lashings of ripe, expressive, exuberant fruit. The fine, ripe tannins give a lovely powdery grip and the natural acidity draws the wine out long on the finish. Inky concentration with plenty of forward fruit shows the vintage expression perfectly. There's so much to enjoy here right now, but I'm sure it has more than enough stuffing to go 10 years in the cellar...but why wait!

Drink from 2023 to 2023

Price: Hidden

2018 Planetary Estate "Polaris" Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date: 10-25-2023

This wine is showing beautifully but also will age very well for at least 10 years, probably 20. A fragrant nose of cedar, lavender and pristine blue and purple fruit. The palate is very focused with fresh cassis, mulberry, blueberry compote, incense and alpine herbs. Very lifted and vibrant, framed with with classy French oak. Fine grain, long chain tannins give sneaky grip and persistence. The mid-palate has plenty of fruit but with remarkable poise and length. A very classy bottle of Cabernet showing the quality of the vintage and fantastic ageing capability.

Drink from 2023 to 2023

Price: Hidden

2017 Planetary Estate "Polaris" Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date: 10-25-2023

The 2017 Polaris Cab probably shows the most breadth and ripeness of the vertical. It has a slightly darker, red fruit profile with lovely concentration and plenty of loamy, earthy, dusty tones quite reminiscent of Rutherford Cab rather than Yountville. Ripe plum, redcurrant, dusty loam, cigar box, subtle leather, refined oak spices, fans out in the finish with fine tannins and plenty of soft fruit.

Drink from 2023 to 2023

Price: Hidden

2017 Copain "Les Voisin" Anderson Valley Chardonnay

Review Date: 10-18-2023

Alright, how do we follow up on that Copain Edmeades Vineyard Pinot Noir that sold out FAST!? Well, how about a stunning bottle Copain Chardonnay for a ridiculous price, more than 50% off it's original SRP and under $15 for K&L Insiders!? Once again a recent visit to Copain unearthed some absolute gems. This Les Voisin Chardonnay is from the highly regarded Ferrington Vineyard that has long been a favorite source of top quality fruit for iconic names such as Willams-Selyem, Arista, Failla, Breggo and others. Picked quite early when the flavors were bright and vivid, wild yeast fermented in neutral French oak, this stunning Chardonnay is vibrant and alive, it's super fresh - tasting like a 2021 vintage wine! Racy citrus notes, quince paste, baked apple, marcona almond, toasted grains, and an oyster shell, very Chablis-like quality in the resonating, mineral infused finish. Don't let the modest price fool you, this is profoundly complex, vibrant, mineral intensive Chardonnay that is a true joy to drink. We went all-in on this one and took the rest of the production to get the best possible price. It's absolutely exceptional at this price and a wine I personally plan to drink plenty of over the next several years.

Top Value!

Price: Hidden

WE: 92

WS: 90

2021 Realm "The Bard" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date: 10-14-2023

After choosing to not make any red wines in 2020, we’re thrilled to have some Realm wines back in stock. The wines at Realm are the epitome of no expense spared, fanatical attention to detail, micro-lot winemaking. The Realm team is absolutely focused on perfection and will settle for nothing less. Fruit for the 2021 Bard comes from their own exceptional estate holdings in Stag’s Leap (Moonracrer) and Houyi Vineyard on Pritchard Hill, plus a list of the most highly regarded growers in the valley: Blair, Beckstoffer To Kalon, Beckstoffer Bourn, Larkmead, Farella and Bettinelli Upper Range. At a recent visit to Realm, the 21 Bard was showing beautifully! In fact it was perhaps even more expressive than some of their other higher-end wines designed for extended aging. If you're looking to see what all the fuss is about with Realm, The Bard is the perfect peek behind the curtain. A nose that dances between power and delicacy - there are lifted floral and dried herb notes, but also deeply saturated ripe fruits and base earth tones. Incredibly pure fruit on the palate with creme de cassis, ripe red currant, mulberry, baking spice, volcanic rick tinges, exotic oak spice and subtle pencil shavings. The texture is sublime, very fine, silky but tactile tannins are engulfed in luxurious ripe fruit. Full-bodied, but not cumbersome, rich but refined. The 2021 Bard showed very well even in the context of the seriously the stacked line up we tasted with Scott and Benoit that included upcoming releases of 2021 Hartwell XX, To Kalon, Houyi, and Absurd. By their own admission, a lot of thought, and time goes into making The Bard the strongest wine possible from their incredibly impressive range of fruit sources. Don't miss this one.

Drink from 2023 to 2023

Price: $174.99

JS: 97

TWI: 97

2017 Amapola Creek "Estate" Moon Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date: 10-11-2023

I'm a huge fan of Moon Mountain Cab and this wine shows exactly why! This rugged volcanic hillside high above Sonoma Valley is dotted with legendary vineyards that have produced some of the most powerful, formidable, age worthy Cabernets in the country, and yet they typically don't get nearly the attention of the Mt. Veeder wines from just over the ridgeline in Napa County! Legendary winemaker Richard Arrowood knows these vineyards about as well as anyone with five decades of crafting wines from these vines. Amapola Creek is his own estate planted immediately next door to the famed historic Monte Rosso Vineyard. Amapola's vineyard blocks share the same very rocky, iron oxide filled, red volcanic soils. The resulting wine is a big, powerful, dense, muscular Cabernet with brooding dark fruit, ripe blackberry, plum, blackcurrant, scorched earth, leather, graphite, mountain thyme, hints of cigar box. It's broad and rich on the palate but has ample mountain tannins to keep everything in line. Ripe and exuberant, but not sweet or jammy. Just bold, powerful, old-school mountain Cab. A very satisfying bottle that is just approaching prime drinking and will continue to impress for another decade or more. We bought the last parcel of the 2017 vintage available for a special price almost 50% less that the typical retail price. This is an incredible bottle for under $50.

Top Value!

Price: Hidden

2021 Ridge Vineyards "East Bench" Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel

Review Date: 10-09-2023

The 2021 East Bench from Ridge is a beauty! Though not from ancient vines like many of the winery's offerings, this is from a block that was very purposefully planned and re-planted in 2000 using every scrap of knowledge the team at Ridge had learned over many decades of working with Zinfandel. Also, they planted the block with massale selection cuttings taken from the very best heritage vines across their vast holdings of some of the best old vine vineyards in the state. So basically you've got a historic site that was originally planted in the very early 1900s. A custom planted Zinfandel block calling on many decades of viticultural expertise, using the best of the best old vine cuttings from iconic vineyards across the region! And that is why this wine often stands shoulder to shoulder with its more expensive stablemates. Word on the street is that this may well be the last vintage of East Bench being being released to the broad market as a single vineyard bottling. The quality of the fruit is now so proven that it will become a component of higher-end wines and a Ridge mailing list only selection. The wine is stunning, 2021 is a near perfect vintage for just about every grape variety in NorCal, and Zinfandel certainly benefitted from the lack of big heat spikes that can so easily raisin this thin skinned grape. Instead 2021 resulted in wonderfully pure, ripe, juicy, naturally balanced wines with big concentration of flavor from the ongoing drought conditions. The East Bench is packed with boysenberry, brambly blackberry fruits, mulberry too. Dusty earthy notes and hot stone, dried garrigue and briar patch. Vibrant acidity and a lick of exotic oak spice frame it perfectly. So, don't hold back here, secure some of this 95-point, picture perfect Zin for a ludicrously low price offered to our Insider's Advantage mailing list customers. It's almost too good to be true! Pinch me!

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JD: 95

2017 Spring Valley Vineyards "Frederick" Walla Walla Valley Bordeaux Blend

Review Date: 10-09-2023

This wine was showing absolutely beautifully at a recent staff tasting! It's just a stunning, traditionally styled Bordeaux inspired wine with an incredible balance of fruit, savory complexity, great structure, and layered complexity. Spring Valley Vineyards is a unique and historic family property that has history all the way back to the original homestead in 1865. The land has been farmed by multiple generations of Corkrum and Derby families. The vines were planted in 1993 in the heart of the Walla Walla Valley. All the parcels are hillside plantings with the Blue Mountains rising up behind. Though listed as a red blend, the 2017 Frederick is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon. It's very Pauillac like on the palate with cassis, damson, mulberry, alluring scents of cedar, unsmoked cigar, bay laurel and gravelly mineral elements. Fine, elegant, powdery tannins work perfectly with the layered, aromatic, blue and black fruits. This would be a wonderful compliment to rack of lamb or standing rib roast. Treat it as you would a 10-year old Bordeaux and it will perform! Really impressive wine with a lot going on and wonderful balance and completeness.

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2019 Beau Vigne "Reserve" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date: 10-05-2023

Although the Beau Vigne brand lives on in the exceptionally capable hands of super-star winemaker Julien Fayard (who has worked at Lafite Rothschild, Smith Haut Laffite, Purlieu, Atelier Melka, Lail, Gemstone and Dalla Valle Vineyards etc) this bottle of 2019 Reserve Cab is the last of an era when the wines were sourced from the Stag's Ridge Vineyard on Atlas Peak. That high elevation, rocky volcanic terroir was in large part responsible for how the wines gained such huge critical acclaim and adoration among cult Cab collectors. The vineyard was sold and is now home to Seven Apart wines that continue to build on this site's reputation for producing massively powerful mountain grown Cabernet. This wine was harvested, fermented and barreled down by Kirk Venge who was making the Beau Vigne wines at the time of the sale. The wine was then cared for, blended and bottled under the exacting eye of Julien Fayard who is the current winemaker for the Beau Vigne brand. This bottle has everything you'd expect from bigtime mountain Napa Cab. Everything in this wine is turned up to 11. Huge explosive purple and black fruit, creme de cassis, liquored plum, blackberry, boysenberry. Then there's tons of crushed rock and volcanic minerality. Big mouth-coating tannins that saturate every part of your palate. Exotic, sexy oak rounds things out a little and polishes the edges of the tannin, but this is still a big mouthful of muscular Cabernet. Not for the faint hearted, but really shows just how big and bold Napa Cab can be but has plenty enough structure and framework to handle the relentless torrent of fruit.

Drink from 2023 to 2023

Price: Hidden

JD: 95

TWI: 95

2017 Tobias Glen Vineyard "Jinsei" Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

Review Date: 10-04-2023

A fascinating wine from a great vineyard just outside Forestville in the outer reaches of the Russian River Valley. Tobias Glen was a longtime vineyard designate for the iconic Merry Edwards so that should tell you something about the quality of this site! Now factor in that this wine is made by Stephane Vivier of Hyde de Villaine (HDV) and his own eponymous label Vivier. That's some serious pedigree packed into a relatively inexpensive bottle of wine! The 2017 Jinsei (meaning "life") shows off the terroir of this site. It has bright red berry fruits, spiced cherry, pomegranate, and brambly notes that I often find so readily in Russian River Pinot Noir. But it also has a forest floor, earthy, sous bois-like savory component that is more typical of cooler west Sonoma coast. As a 2017 vintage you can also pick up a little secondary complexity hits of iron, leather, and truffle from bottle conditioning. It's really in a nice spot for drinking and has lots of depth beyond just primary fruit. A modest alcohol level and good natural acidity mean this bottle is very well suited for the dinner table. We worked with the winery to get a great price on this boutique production wine; I hope you enjoy it!

Drink from 2023 to 2023

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2021 Daou Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date: 10-02-2023

The 2021 Cab from Daou is very impressive. This producer has long been a benchmark for the region with their higher-end wines like Soul of a Lion, and Patrimony consistently garnering massive scores from the top critics. However, for me it's the quality and consistency of their regular Cab that is truly impressive. This wine always over-delivers for the money and the 2021 is the best release yet! Daou capture all that power and ripeness that Paso Robles does so well, but the incredible limestone soils of the Adelaida District give the wine a fantastic underpinning of structure and acidity harnessing the richness of fruit but keeping everything balanced and focused. Lashings of blackcurrant, mulberry, creme de cassis, cedary oak, wild thyme, lavender, and nicely integrated oak spice. Layered, bold, and intense, but never jammy or sweet. Real Cabernet with both power and precision. Very impressive for the price, especially at our super-sharp $19.99!

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RP: 93

WE: 91

2018 Thomas Fogarty Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir

Review Date: 09-27-2023

This is absolutely, without doubt, one of the finest bottles of Pinot Noir in all of California. A perfect rendition of what the Santa Cruz Mountains can do with this varietal. Simply stunning! Sitting high on Skyline Rd, at the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Thomas Fogarty is one of the crown jewels of the appellation. Winemaker, Nathan Kandler, has steadily built a reputation as one of the best winemakers of his generation, crafting wonderfully pure wines that speak with clarity and confidence about this world-class, cool-climate terroir. The Santa Cruz Mountains bottling from Fogarty combines several blocks of their own estate vineyards with other small family growers across the mountains. The sources include four different sub-regions: Corralitos, Summit, Skyline, La Honda - and the blend expertly captures the magic of these mountains and their potential to produce sensational Pinot Noir. Beautifully expressive right from the first pour with wonderful floral tones of red rose, bramble fruit, baking spice and coastal redwood forest. The palate is brimming with pure, ripe, delicious red berry fruits, ground spices, subtle Amaro like alpine herb tones. Medium bodied with perfectly weighted fruit and vibrant, energetic acidity that really gives lift and potency to the aromas and flavors. Subtle oak spice rounds out the suave finish with lingering floral tones and earthy spice. Exquisite Pinot Noir by any measure, and a truly faithful rendition of what the Santa Cruz Mountains has to offer lovers of this grape. I can't recommend this wine any more highly, don't miss it!

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VN: 93

2018 Ragtag Wine Co. Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date: 09-26-2023

Wow! This is one serious bottle of Cabernet! From a single vineyard in El Pomar District of Paso Robles. The vines here at Dos Robles Vineyard were planted back in 1994 on a steep, rocky hillside. It's a powerful Cabernet with plenty of pure fruit and structure. Bright notes of crème de cassis, elderberry, huckleberry, smoky spices, hints of cigar box. Really pure and refined on the palate. Powerful and dense but with excellent balance and definition. I taste a LOT of Cabernet as part of my job, most of them much more expensive than this...but I actually sat down and drank this one with my family at dinner. The wine is polished enough to enjoy right now, but I think it will also age beautifully for 8-10 years. Very impressive wine from a small producer that bottled just 250cs of this Cab. Our winery-direct deal brings it to you for a price that is way lower than the quality of the wine would suggest. The big luxurious bottle, beautiful label design, and waxed cork make this a great gift bottle too.

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2017 Voyager Estate "Girt by Sea" Cabernet Merlot Margaret River Western Australia

Review Date: 09-25-2023

I simply can't believe the value here. Don't be alarmed by the VERY low price, this wine is GOOD! Years ago when I bought the Aussie wines for K&L, I really enjoyed the wines from Voyager estate. I carried this exact same wine from a prior vintage. But now, somehow Thomas has negotiated a deal to get it on the shelf for half the price I sold it for 7-8 years ago! Yes, in this age of historic inflation, this wine is less expensive than almost a decade ago with this ridiculous Insider's Advantage deal. But as I said, this drinks well above its price. The nose has lots of leafy, tobacco notes, juicy red fruits, loganberry, bay leaf, a subtle French oak spice. Medium bodied with lots of freshness and energy to give lift to the fruit. 30 mins in the decanter brings out some darker fruit and more softness on the palate. What a wine for the money...just incredible.

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Price: $9.99

2019 Voyager Estate Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon Margaret River Western Australia

Review Date: 09-25-2023

A stunning value in everyday drinking Sauv Blanc! Thomas our Aussie buyer just landed an incredible deal on some wines from Voyager Estate in Margaret River. This is a very special part of the world to grow grapes. The ancient soils, combine with the powerful Australian sun, but also the tempering breezes from the cold Southern Ocean. This wine from Voyager captures the intense coastal energy and freshness you get from this place. Lots of zesty citrus elements, lime leaf, lemongrass, snow pea. Then the significant portion of Semillon weighs in and gives great texture and density to the snappy Sauvignon Blanc fruit. I actually really enjoyed letting this wine warm up and open up in the glass, don't drink it ice cold, you will get more flavor and texture if you let it sit in the glass for a while. Fantastic value for money!

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Price: $9.99

JH: 93

WE: 92

JS: 90

2018 Porterhouse Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date: 09-25-2023

As you all know, we search high and low for great deals in Napa Valley Cabernet and those deals have become harder and harder to find. So how about this beauty!? Sourced from a single vineyard (that must remain nameless) that sits just a few feet below the Howell Mountain AVA boundary. This is a powerful, mountain-grown Cabernet with briary redcurrant, blackberry, graphite, leather, smoky oak spices and cocoa nibs. The rich fruit envelops the robust tannins and the exotic oak spice smooths everything out very nicely. This wine was made mostly as a restaurant wine for high-end steakhouses. However, our inside connection to the winemaker means we got a sweet deal on this that is almost unheard of these days for quality Napa Cabernet, let alone basically single vineyard Howell Mtn! So, throw a Porterhouse steak on your grill, pour some Porterhouse Cab in your glass, and enjoy!

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2018 Vivo Carneros Chardonnay

Review Date: 09-21-2023

This is an absolute hidden gem! I had never heard of these wines until very recently when they were presented to me. Talk about pedigree! This wine (though not listed on the bottle for contractual reasons) is entirely from the legendary Hyde Vineyard. The winemaker behind the project is none other than Stephane Vivier, who for many years was the head winemaker at Hyde De Villaine (HdV) a collaborative project between Napa pioneer Larry Hyde, and Aubert de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanée Conti (DRC). Stephane's depth of experience with Hyde fruit is clear to see here. This is a Chardonnay very much for white burgundy drinkers. The cool climate of Carneros and the moderate growing season of 2018 resulted in a focused, racy, mineral driven style with beautiful lees elements building texture and savory intensity. It's a crystalline wine showing golden apple, firm white peach, chopped pine nuts, salty marcona almond hints. A fascinating wine with flinty, saline minerals in spades. It's fresh with wonderfully vibrant acids and I think will continue to age beautifully. Built for the long haul if you can keep your hands off it now. Fans of Meursault, Puligny, Chablis...check this out. We have a very finite amount of this wine, so act fast if this is for you! A deep Insider's Advantage discount and huge score from the Wine Advocate are sure to make this a winner.

Drink from 2020 to 2020

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RP: 95

WE: 94

2018 Koehler Estate "Rebel" Santa Ynez Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend

Review Date: 09-12-2023

Some of you may have gotten in on our past offering from Kohler that is now long sold out. Thankfully we managed to go back to the well and get another parcel of the 2018 vintage Rebel Red and once again we have an amazing price that makes this one of the best values of the year. Koehler are working on a re-branding of their wines and worked directly with the winery to move along some of their stock with the previous label design. Since here at K&L we're much more about what's inside the bottle, we jumped at the opportunity. The Rebel Red is an old vine Cab - Syrah blend from 50-year-old vines on Koehler's estate in Foxen Canyon. These old, own-rooted vines grow in exceptionally rocky, fractured shale soils to produce small yields of very flavorful grapes. The Rebel Blend pulls together the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon with the perfume and mid-palate flesh of Syrah and combines them into a very satisfying wine. There's plenty of red and black currants, ripe cherry, baking spice, warm rocks, cracked pepper, and dried herbs. Soft and juicy enough to quaff on its own, but balanced, poised, and restrained enough to be versatile with a range of foods, too. This careful barrel selection of estate grown lots sells at the winery for $45+. We took every case they had and are offering it out for under $15! That's 70% off the original SRP! A simply unbeatable value, this is your next house wine for pulling a cork whenever you feel like it!

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2019 J. Wilkes Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay

Review Date: 09-10-2023

When I was offered this wine at a crazy low price I didn't hesitate. I've known for years that the J. Wilkes wines represent some of the most incredible value wines in California even at full retail pricing. These wine harness the incredible estate vineyards of the Miller Family (Bien Nacido, Solomon Hills etc) plus the proven talents of winemaker Wes Hagen. It seems almost unfathomable that you can take Chardonnay from some of the finest acres of vineyard on the central coast, have it hand-crafted into wine by a renowned winemaker like Wes (who by the way made the great wines of Clos Pepe in the Sta Rita Hills for many years) and wrap it all up to sell under $25. Even more mind-blowing is that we're taking another 40% OFF! My wife recently poured me a glass of this without me knowing what it was...tasting it blind I was even more impressed of how well this wine showed with is crystaline stone fruits, baked pear, intense minerality, coastal acidity and saline complexity. It has a very Chablis-like oyster shell thing going on which I loved and is rarely found in inexpensive wines like this. So balanced, focued and complex for such ludicrous price. Seriously, if you like more vibrant, bright, mineral driven Chardonnay buy a case of this and you'll be very happy!

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Price: Hidden

W&S: 92

JD: 90

2020 Spottswoode "Estate" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date: 09-07-2023

If there is one thing I learned early on at K&L it's that the best thing you can do when collecting wine is follow the producers that you trust. K&L has a five decade history of just that, sticking with the folks that make consistently excellent wines regardless of what vintage specific, seasonal challenges come their way. Nothing could be more reflective of that strategy than looking at Spottswoode's 2020 Estate Cabernet. 2020 was obviously a challenging vintage with tragic reasons already well documented. However, there are plenty of excellent wines to be found and this is one of them. This wine has everything you expect from Spottswoode - stunning varietal typicity, layers of flavor, a refined, elegant structure, vibrant, fresh acidity, and precise balance and poise. Despite being remarkably well integrated and approachable when I tasted the wine first in April and again last week, I'm sure this wine will also age beautifully in the cellar for those lucky enough to secure some. Spottswoode is a small vineyard with a very finite production level, our allocations typically go very fast and we can rarely get additional wine after release.

Drink from 2026 to 2026

Price: $259.99

RP: 98 - 100

TWI: 96 - 98

JD: 96

2018 Marimar Estate "Mas Cavalls - Doña Margarita Vineyard" Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Review Date: 09-06-2023

I've been happily married for 16 years, but I might just have fallen head-over-heels again! I'm just so enamored by this bottle of Pinot Noir! The sample bottle I received from the winery immediately captured my attention with it's explosively floral, exotic nose. Every swirl, sniff and sip continued to draw me in. What a wine! Perfumed floral top notes meet Asian spices, pristine forest berries, sandalwood, coastal forest tones. On the palate this is pure silk. Just so elegant and soft, with super fine tannins caressing the palate. Crushed alpine strawberry, more sweet red berries, wild flowers, mulling spices. It just keeps on scintillating your senses with pure, seductive, Pinot Noir magic. This wine really shows the potential for this part of the far west Sonoma Coast. Dona Margarita Vineyard sits just 6-miles from Bodega Bay close to the small town of Occidental. The cool winds, frequent fog, and extended growing season here combine with the powdery, fine sandy loam soils to true produce a truly transcendental expression of Pinot Noir. There's a lot of attention on this area right now as it produces some of the best Pinot Noir in the country. However, farming costs are high, yields are painfully low, so finding affordable wines from this neighborhood is becoming increasingly difficult. Our winery direct deal offers you the chance to see just how special this place can be without blowing your budget. An exceptional bottle of Pinot Noir that I can't recommend more highly.

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JD: 92

JS: 92

WS: 92

2021 Giornata "Il Campo Rosso" Paso Robles Red Blend

Review Date: 09-01-2023

Giornata is hands-down my favorite Cal-Ital producer. Sure lots of folks make great wines from Italian varietals in California, but almost none of them can match the value for money you get from true Italian wines. However, this rocking red blend aptly named "Il Campo Rosso" is a "Red Field" blend made from Sangiovese, Aglianico and small portions of Merlot and Petit Verdot. Following the classic traditions of food friendly Italian wines this mid-weight wine has a beautiful combination of red berry fruits, dusty earth, dried spices, alpine herbs and cured meat. Nice fine grained tannins and juicy acidity makes it a very moreish, quafflable, table wine...and the best thing is...it's perfectly priced to drink any night of the week! Lovers of Chianti, Rosso di Montalcino or just about any of the classic Tuscan or Umbrian table wine should check this out ASAP. The folks at Giornata are really firing on all cylinders and it's awesome to see them getting big critical acclaim, too! Top value, everyday drinker!

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Price: $17.95

2019 Robert Craig "Estate" Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Review Date: 08-29-2023

The Robert Craig Howell Mountain Estate Cab is simply incredible. A wine that manages to at once capture the power and intensity that Howell Mountain is known for whilst also remaining perfectly balanced, refined and nuanced. The aromatic profile and purity of fruit is really striking. The nose is full of lavender, mountain thyme and chapparal, mulberry, cassis, leather and crushed graphite. The palate is rich and mouth-filling with dark red and purple fruits, crushed flowers, shaved cedar, and cigar box tones. Lots of tannin and structure, but perfectly refined and fine grained, not at all harsh or astringent as can sometimes be the case with young mountain-grown wines. I have long been a big fan of the Robert Craig wines but these 2019 releases from them are next level. This bottling comes from two blocks of their estate both over 2000ft elevation on west facing slopes Howell Mountain. One block has the classic red volcanic rocks and soil, the other parcel is quite distinctive with white volcanic ash, or tufa that I believe enhances the perfume of this wine so beautifully. I think this is the best bottle of Napa Cabernet you can buy right now for $100 and there are plenty of $300+ bottles that don't even come close. Incredible work from the team at Robert Craig who absolutely nailed it in 2019. Don't miss it.

Drink from 2023 to 2023

Price: $99.95

VN: 97

DC: 96

2019 Pellet "Sunchase Vineyard" Petaluma Gap Chardonnay

Review Date: 08-25-2023

A stunning deal on a single vineyard Chardonnay from one of the most dramatic sites in Sonoma. Sun Chase Vineyard high on the slopes of Sonoma Mountain in the Petaluma Gap AVA is a truly special vineyard. Sitting at around 1,000ft, the vines are mostly above the fog line getting ample sunshine during the growing season, however, the cold winds that stream in from the coast moderate temperatures and concentrate flavors. Sun Chase is contiguous with Gap's Crown Vineyard, the source of many revered wines from Kistler, Kosta Browne, Patz & Hall, and Three Sticks. The soils here are extremely rocky with volcanic boulders strewn across the hillside. This cool climate, windy, exposed terroir is what drew Pellet Estate winemaker Tom Rinaldi to select this fruit. After his decades of making wine in Napa and Sonoma for big names like Duckhorn, Hewitt and Provenance, Tom is now focused on his own small projects and consulting for other boutique properties. Knowing the natural intensity and mineral qualities of the Sun Chase fruit, he chose to vinify this Chardonnay without using oak barrels. Unlike some unoaked Chardonnays that I sometimes find to be a little lacking in texture and complexity, that is certainly not the case here! This wine is packed with flavor and density on the palate. Ripe stone fruit, baked apple, nectarine, citrus peel, salted pretzel, crushed rock, river stone mineral. This wine has excellent phenolic texture that gives great presence on the palate and long, mineral driven savory finish. Amazing value for tiny, hand-made wine with such pedigree of both vineyard site and winemaker.

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2017 Copain "DuPratt Vineyard" Anderson Valley Chardonnay

Review Date: 08-24-2023

I absolutely LOVE Copain's DuPratt Chardonnay! This is just how I like my Chards, great concentration and intensity of flavor, but razor-like acidity and long mineral tension on the palate. Close your eyes and this could be top-flight white burgundy, Meursault perhaps. This wine comes from 40+ year old vines planted way up at 1,500ft elevation on the edge of the Anderson Valley and Mendocino Ridge AVAs. These old Wente Clone vines struggle in the rocky Franciscan shale soils and produce tiny clusters of deeply concentrated fruit. The wine is really more about minerality, savory lees characters, piercing acidity and phenolic texture than big fruit. I get some white floral notes, preserved lemon, yellow quince, raw almond, toasted grains, crushed rock, flint and saline hints. So much vibrancy and energy for a wine with 5 years in bottle, this will continue to drink beautifully for at least another 5 probably 10 years. Fermented with native yeast in just 10% new French oak. Winemaker Ryan Zepaltas got everything right with this one from a legendary site that deserves more recognition than it already gets from those in the know. One of the most compelling, focused, intense Chardonnay's I've had this year. This wine is a sensational value especially versus where white burgundy has gone in the past few years. Load up, it's a one time deal!

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Price: Hidden

JD: 93