Cakebread Cellars Wine Tasting This Week at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $10:

Taste 2019 Napa Sauvignon Blanc, 2019 Napa Chardonnay, 2018 Napa Merlot and 2018 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Available all day during operating hours Tuesday, 7/20- Saturday, 7/24/21.

2019 Cakebread Napa Sauvignon Blanc

Winemaker Notes: Aromas of fresh pink grapefruit, sweet citrus and hay burst with freshness on the nose. Cool melon tones balance pink grapefruit on the palate, accented by ripe acidity and a subtle mineral citrus finish. Blend: 99% Sauvignon Blanc, 1% Semillon.

2019 Cakebread Napa Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: Grown in the cool Carneros conditions that maintain excellent balance between fruit characters and acidity in grapes. We ferment and age this wine in French oak barrels, and leave it on the yeast lees for months to enhance texture and complexity. Floral aromas mingle with fresh citrus, orange blossom, and white peach characters, and the palate is weighty yet balanced, with a mouth-coating texture and a clean, mineral finish.

2018 Cakebread Napa Merlot

Winemaker Notes: This is a savory, bold and structured wine, with a firm foundation. Hints of dried herbs, along with aromas of deep blackberry and black cherry, are evident along with mineral notes of crushed stone. The flavors are deeply concentrated with black plum, as well as fresh blackberries to match the nose. Freshness and acidity are followed by silky textures and refined, elegant tannins.

2018 Cakebread Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: Our classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon reveals aromas of ripe blackberry and boysenberry with hints of dark chocolate and sweet oak. On the palate, the dark fruit is balanced by fresh acidity and lush tannins that carry all the way over a lingering, elegant finish—with just a kiss of minerality. Enjoy this wine now, with everything from lamb burgers to filet mignon and fire-roasted portobello mushrooms—or lay the wine down and watch it continue to develop complexity in the bottle for years to come.

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WOW-Discounted 57%!
2019 Orto Vins Les Argiles Rosat
(Rose from Spain)

Winemaker Notes: Lighter pink. (Clay soil) Restrained nose or black fig, rose petal, apple skin. Simple, fresh, clean on the palate, hints of aloe, cranberry and orange zest on palate. Produced from 100% Garnacha. $15 Our Price $6.45 (Arrives GT 7/21/21)

Wine Advocate 95+
2016 La Gaffeliere St Emilion

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 La Gaffeliere opens with compelling wild blueberries, freshly crushed plums and kirsch scents plus hints of garrigue, underbrush, rose hip tea and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is wonderfully elegant with a soft, velvety texture and seamless freshness carrying the multilayered fruit to a long finish. $93

2020 Spottswoode Napa/Sonoma
Sauvignon Blanc

Winemaker Notes: A beautiful Sauvignon Blanc, marked aromatically by citrus notes – lime, lemon, grapefruit, and a hint of mandarin. Full of white peach and cassis bud, framed with vanilla, ripe pear, green apple, and hints of dried herbs and toasted wheat berry. Rich and textural, with a wonderful minerality and energy that carries into a long, mouthwatering finish. $44 (Available GT)

Wine Spectator 94 Points
TARDIEU-LAURENT Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 2016

Lightly mulled plum, raspberry and boysenberry fruit flavors form the core here, with steeped anise, black tea and juniper hints adding detail. The tight-grained finish shows nice focus. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Best from 2021 through 2035. 625 cases made, 20 cases imported. — JM $80 Our Price $64.99 (Available GT)

Wine Spectator 94
ALTAMURA Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2016

Steeped Black Mission fig, plum and blackberry flavors are melded to warm fruitcake, dark licorice and Turkish coffee notes. Despite the profile, this is defined, with a subtle sanguine hint adding detail on the seductive finish. Drink now through 2030. 3,000 cases made. — JM $120 (Available GT and VRW)

Wine Spectator 92 Points
MARGERUM M5 White Margerum Estate Vineyard Los Olivos District 2019

Mouthwatering and vibrant, oozing with perfectly ripe white nectarine, Casaba melon, mango and dried pineapple flavors, with hints of candied ginger on a fresh, fleshy body. Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Viognier, Roussanne and Picpoul Blanc. Drink now. —M.W. $29 Our Price $19.99 (Available GT and VRW)

2019 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Rouge

Winemaker Notes: A vibrant nose of blackberry and bramble, teriyaki and black pepper. On the palate, brilliantly juicy, with flavors of elderberry, graphite, tangy plum skin and loamy earth. The long, gently tannic finish lingers with crunchy black fruit and foresty spice. Delicious now, but with the substance and balance to age for up to a decade. $25 Internet Price $19.99 (Available GT)

2020 AZIENDA VINICOLA ROCCA DI MONTEGROSSI Toscana Rosato

Winemaker Notes: Aromas of violets, fresh raspberries, crushed stones. Fresh, medium-bodied and fruity; light tannins. Pair with grilled fish or chicken; salumi; olive tapenade. $22 Our Price $17.99 (Available GT and VRW)

Wine Advocate 92
2017 Hayfork Lewelling Ranch
Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch, containing 4% Petit Verdot, was aged 20 months in 75% new French oak. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it springs from the glass with energetic red and black currants, blackberry preserves and black forest cake notes with hints of bay leaves and fragrant earth. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is filled with juicy black fruit and red fruit accents, framed by ripe, grainy tannins, finishing with lovely freshness. 620 cases made. Internet Price $75 (Available GT and VRW)

Jeb Dunnuck 92-94 Points
2019 Caterwaul Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

A 3,000-case blend that should be one of the great values in the vintage, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley just about jumps out of the glass with its fruit-forward, undeniably delicious style that could be drunk today. Notes of cassis and berry fruits, lots of spice and flower nuances, full-bodied richness, and ripe, polished tannins all make for a no-brainer purchase geared for drinking over the coming decade. $50 (Back in stock GT and VRW)

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Friday Wine Tasting at VRW $15 per person (Indoor seating for 30 people) Must be 21 or older to attend

Friday Tasting, 7/23/21 (3:00 PM-5:30 PM):

Wine Spectator 95 Points
RAMEY Chardonnay Russian River Valley
Ritchie Vineyard 2018

This complex white is layered with a lively mix of fresh-cut Gala apple, Asian pear and tangerine flavors that are well-knit. A minerally freshness lingers with buttery hints on the richly spiced finish. Drink now through 2027. 767 cases made. — KM $70

ARISTA Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2018

Winemaker Notes: The Arista Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is a fresh, vibrant example of wines from the appellation in a great vintage. With a beautiful dark, translucent, garnet color, the wine invites the taster in. One is greeted by a nose of cool blue fruits, Herbes de Provence, black olive, spiced candy, and damp forest floor. A modest 20% new French oak frames a core of crunchy red fruit on the palate. The wine possesses great length with tangy acidity, and finishes with an herbal note and grippy tannins that marry pleasantly with the fruit and help carry the long finish. $68

Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
2018 Mending Wall Tournahu Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2018 Mending Wall Tournahu jumps out of the glass upon first swirl, with a substantial amount of pure fruit. This wine brings depth and complexity through the begging middle and end stages of the pallet. This 2018 shows as a full-bodied red with great Tobacco and herbal undertones, which complement the natural tannin and minerality in this wine. A wine that is ready to drink now, with the backbone to carry it through bottle aging. Single Vineyard Cabernet. $126

Saturday Wine Tasting at VRW $15 per person (Indoor seating for 30 people) Must be 21 or older to attend

Saturday Tasting with Anthem Winery and Vineyards, 7/24/21 (1:00 PM-3:30 PM): 2019 Yountville Sauvignon Blanc, 2017 Mt. Veeder Merlot, 2016 Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon and 2016 Beckstoffer Las Piedras Cabernet Sauvignon

2019 Anthem YOUNTVILLE SAUVIGNON BLANC

Winemaker Notes: Our classic Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc from the Riverbound Vineyard in Yountville opens with alluring notes of vanilla, citrus, and honeysuckle on the nose, leading way to a full and refreshing palate, with hints of melon, minerals, and lemon merengue, and a long, delicate finish. Just 200 cases of this single vineyard, hand-crafted white wine produced. $55

2017 Anthem MT. VEEDER MERLOT

Winemaker Notes: Our 2017 ultra-premium Merlot from our own Mt. Veeder is structured and complex with a nose of black fruits, spice, and olive. It shows its earthy hillside terroir on the palate with hints of black cherries, roasted meats, and chocolate, and has a long, lingering finish. Drink between now and 2027. $80

Wine Spectator 93 Points
ANTHEM Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder 2016

Lush and well-fruited, with lots of boysenberry, blackberry and plum flavors rolling through, laced with apple wood, anise, violet and sweet tobacco notes. Shows a tarry edge on the finish but the fruit keeps pace easily. Solidly built. Best from 2021 through 2032. 930 cases made. — JM $125

Wine Advocate 94
2016 Anthem Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Made of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard is deep garnet-purple in color and reveals expressive black cherries, blackberries and warm blackcurrants with hints of violets, black olives, Indian spices and cigar box. Full-bodied, rich and powerful, the palate is filled with well-poised black fruit layers and firm, grainy tannins, matched by bold freshness and finishing long. $125

Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW)
1552 E. Champlain Drive, Ste 109 Fresno, CA 93720 Via Montana Center (NE Corner Shepherd and Champlain-Two doors south of Big 5) www.vintagereserve.biz 559-878-3953
Tuesday-Friday 12 Noon-6:00 PM
Saturday 12 Noon-4:00 PM

The Grape Tray (GT)
6023 N. Palm Avenue Fresno, CA 93704
Opus One Center (NW Corner Bullard and Palm)
www.grapetray.com 559-226-6828
Monday-Friday 10:30AM-5:30PM
Saturday 10:30AM-4:00PM