2010 Calstar Chardonnay Cuvee Ann - Wine of the Day

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2010 Calstar Chardonnay Cuvee Ann

$35

This bottling is dedicated to my mother Ann Davis, who passed away in February 2012 from complications with Alzheimer’s. 

Golden straw in color with aromas of rich ripe Gravenstien apple and Bosc pear with notes of lemon cream, soft vanilla and toasted shortbread.  On the palette, the juicy acidity carries notes of green apple peel, lemon blossom and wet rock.  Very focused minerality and bright citrus notes balance the barrel richness and spice.

Counter Punch 2012 Merlot - Wine of the Day

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Counter Punch 2012 Merlot bottle shot on Qorkz

Counter Punch 2012 Merlot

$45

The grapes for the 2012 Counter Punch Merlot were hand-harvested on September 28, 2012 from the Los Carneros AVA of Napa Valley at 24.0 Brix. "Classic" and "Perfect" are just two accolades being bestowed upon the 2012 Napa Valley growing season and harvest. Textbook conditions saw near-ideal spring bud break, steady flowering, even fruit set, and a lengthy stretch of warm days and cool and often foggy nights during the long summer months. Late and light rains held off until the grapes found optimal ripeness, bringing exceptional quality to the crush pad and into the cellar. 

The fruit arrived at the winery in small 1/2 ton bins where destemming and hand-sorting occurred. Fermentation proceeded in a small bin for eight days. The free-run was transferred directly into neutral barrels for settling. After settling, the young wine was racked from the neutral barrels into new American oak barrels (from trees grown in Minnesota) where it aged for an additional year. The wine was polish filtered and bottled in April 2014. 

2013 Agnitio Pinot Noir Sun Chase Vineyard - Wine of the Day

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2013 Agnitio Pinot Noir Sun Chase Vineyard bottle image on Qorkz

2013 Agnitio Pinot Noir Sun Chase Vineyard

$60

The 2013 Sun Chase Pinot Noir is our inaugural release of Pinot Noir. An incredibly vibrant wine, the aromas are complex and rich. Plums, black cherries, blackberries and flowers all jump from the glass, finishing with notes of cloves and sweet tobacco. This Pinot Noir has great structure and a strong backbone, with balanced mouthwatering acidity, soft tannins, and a long finish. This is definitely a wine to hold on to for a few years.

2013 Playground Cellars Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon - Wine of the Day

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2013 Playground Cellars Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

$60

This Howell Mountain Cab comes to us serendipitous by being in the right place at the right time, with the vineyard between contracts only for the 2013 season we were able to score enough for two barrels. This is a quintessential Howell Mountain Cab.

Grabbing your senses on the nose with berries, roses, leather, and white pepper, the palate is then enhanced by dark chocolate, nutmeg, plums and toasted oak.

2012 Nobelle Wines Grenache/Syrah - Wine of the Day

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2012 Nobelle Wines Grenache/Syrah

$28

Kiler Canyon is home to some of the best syrah in the county; it shares a fence line with Terry Hoag Cellars a well-established winery and a big syrah house as well. Conditions were ideal! A mild leaf thinning had to be done in August to get full sun exposure and good ventilation against potential mildew.

Impressive coffee bean scent when you open the bottle, follow by toasted bread and nutty aromas. The mouthfeel is soft and velvety, but the tannins are strong. Thanks to the syrah, a long acidity from the grenache makes the finish linger. A solid red with at least a 10 year aging potential.

2014 Calstar Alta Zinfandel - Wine of the Day

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2014 Calstar Alta Zinfandel

$25

Clear, deep ruby crimson color with violet glints.  A complex, meaty and multifaceted Zinfandel with all the power and fruit of an old vine vineyard.  Blackberry, au jus, toasty sweet oak and black pepper aromas are supported by hints of mushroom and dried thyme.  The palette follows with juicy berry acidity and velvety chewy tannins.  Flavors of black plum skin, fig compote, dried herbs and roast beef with concentrated fruit and a dark, brooding finish. 

2011 Humanitas 'Good Earth' Cabernet Sauvignon Reid Vineyard - Wine of the Day

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2011 Humanitas 'Good Earth' Cabernet Sauvignon Reid Vineyard

$60

Be the inner chef!  Take a little white pepper, throw in some dark fruits like raspberries, blueberries and even some cranberries, toss in some chocolate, fresh Bing cherries, a little cola, and a dose of baseball glove leather (seriously!) and you’ve got the complex nose of the Reid Vineyards Cab.

In the mouth, the Reid Cabernet Sauvignon is something special.  On one hand it is ‘classic’ Napa Cab, and on the other hand it is uniquely Reid with a tantalizing dose of winemaker Rob Lloyd.  It is on one hand brooding & complex, and on the other fun and inviting (like Rob!).  Think classic, yet dynamic and mysterious.  It calls out for either a classic steak dish…or something bold, yet relevant.  How does a comfort food roast sound…or something like a short rib dish?  And music always completes the vibe.  Maybe a playlist of Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Mozart, the Beatles and Pearl Jam (yeah…we just said Pearl Jam was ‘that’ kind of classic!) is in order?

2011 Sabina Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - Wine of the Day

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2011 Sabina Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

$125

This Cabernet Sauvignon is rich and concentrated with well-defined acidity and lush tannins. Dark cherry, currant, and blackberry abound in the aroma, followed by a chocolate, herbal flavor profile wrapped in cassis and black cherry. The blend of vibrant fruit and earthy notes are made complete with a long finish and smooth, lingering tannins. This wine is amazingly approachable now and will age gracefully for a solid 10+ years.

2012 Coruce Zinfandel - Wine of the Day

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 2012 Coruce Zinfandel

$24.99

This wine is comprised of 90% Zinfandel, 5% Syrah and 5% Petite Sirah.  The fruit was all hand harvested and table sorted followed by a 48 hour cold soak on the skins.  The fruit was fermented for 18 days and then pressed off the skins and racked off the solids into 3 and 4 year old American oak barrels and aged for 18 months.

This wine has flavors and aromas of wild blackberry and brambly raspberry fruits, cherry, cola and leather followed with a toasty finish.  Medium tannins

2013 Oak Cliff Cellars Rogues Blend - Wine of the Day

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2013 Oak Cliff Cellars Rogues Blend

$29

A proprietary red blend that marries three primary varietals native to the Rhone Valley of France: Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre (GSM). This classic-style blend resembles the Southern Rhone Chateauneuf du Papes blends in which the spice of the Grenache, lavender fragrance and perfumed berries of the Mourvedre and the dense, tannic fruit of the Syrah are united in a way that creates an earthy, yet explosive combination of flavors suitable for pairing with a wide variety of savory dishes or by itself.

2013 Ascension Cellars Trinity GSM Grenache, Syrah & Mourvèdre - Wine of the Day

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2013 Ascension Cellars Trinity GSM Grenache, Syrah & Mourvèdre

$56

Our vibrant, ruby red gemstone wine is a beautifully bodied southern Rhône-style Grenache blend. Roses, red strawberries and bing cherries encompass the classic elements and style of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, swirling with sour jamminess and spontaneous bursts of rose water, crushed blood red oranges and white pepper on the finish.  

Trinity GSM is an enjoyable companion for medium bodied cheeses but our wine is invariably invited to stay for dinner with entrees of salmon, duck, pheasant, goose, pork, turkey and pasta.

2013 Playground Cellars Playground Proprietary Red - Wine of the Day

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2013 Playground Cellars Playground Proprietary Red

$48

Only 25 cases available!!! This has been the find of the year.  85% St. HelenaCabernet Sauvignon and 15% Oak Knoll Merlot.  We keep hearing the same reaction from people when tasting this amazing wine from the barrel “I want to drink all of this now”.

Blackberry all the way with leather and violets living in harmony. A faint hint of orange blossom points to the fresh fruit while the tannins showcase the French Oak.

2012 Humanitas 'Good Earth' Pinot Noir Truchard Vineyard

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2012 Humanitas 'Good Earth' Pinot Noir Truchard Vineyard

$55

Our 2012 'Truchard Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Carneros region of Napa Valleybegins with leather and smoke, then opens to ripe cranberry and raspberry fruit with a hint of smoked meats. 'Earth' comes to mind - followed by black cherry juice, maybe some ripe tomato, mushrooms and cinnamon. On the palate, the wine is so inviting, with strawberry jam, vanilla, rhubarb, truffle & cinnamon all wrapped around a hint of caramel apple. Think either a big, thick salmon steal grilled with some hickory chips or a tasty rib-eye grilled just past rare. Throw in a little acoustic guitar, good friends, some heady conversation, and you've got the perfect setting to enjoy this truly stunning wine.

2014 Oak Cliff Cellars Napa Pinot Noir - Wine of the Day

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2014 Oak Cliff Cellars Napa Pinot Noir

$45

This Pinot Noir is still very young, will cellar for years to come and needs some decanting, if only in the glass, for the full bouquet to evolve. Brilliant garnet in color, the flavor profile starts out with cherry/black cherry and cedar, and as the wine opens up with flavors of orange zest, fig, butterscotch, cardamom and black tea, with a long, silky finish. Pair this wine with turkey, ham, salmon and savory vegetarian dishes like stuffed mushrooms or ratatouille.

2013 Coruce Semillon - Wine of the Day

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2013 Coruce Semillon

$20.97

The wine is comprised of 94% Semillon, 4% Chardonnay and 2% Viognier.  Whole cluster pressed and settled for 3 days then racked off the solids.  Cold fermented for 24 days in stainless steel tanks and then racked off the lees.  The wine was then aged for 6 months in 4 year old French barrels.

This wine has a combination of flavors and aromas of apple, pear, lemon grass and a touch of saffron spice on the finish.  Crisp and clean with nice acidity.

2013 Ryan Cochrane Wines Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley "Solomon Hills Vineyard" - Wine of the Day

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 2013 Ryan Cochrane Wines Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley "Solomon Hills Vineyard"

$43

The nose explodes right out of the glass, unleashing aromas of rich red berries, black licorice, sandalwood, fresh flowers, black tea with lemon and mushroomy earth. On the palette, I’m getting garden strawberries, bing cherries, spice cake, orange marmalade, tea and underlying wet forest floor. The wine has a beautiful light garnet color, which alludes to its medium-light bodied character and perfect balance. The wine starts off with a bright and showy mouthfeel, but morphs into something much more complex as an effervescent acidity takes over with a nice snap at the end. This wine lingers on the tongue 4 evah!

2010 Calstar Cellars Chardonnay Cuvée Ann - Wine of the Day

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2010 Calstar Cellars Chardonnay Cuvée Ann

This bottling is dedicated to winemaker Rick Davis's mother Ann, who passed away in February 2012 from complications with Alzheimer’s. 

Golden straw in color with aromas of rich ripe Gravenstien apple and Bosc pear with notes of lemon cream, soft vanilla and toasted shortbread.  On the palette, the juicy acidity carries notes of green apple peel, lemon blossom and wet rock.  Very focused minerality and bright citrus notes balance the barrel richness and spice.