Taste Caymus Napa Cabernet This Week at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $10: Taste the 2018 Thread Feathers Spring Mountain Napa Cabernet and 2019 Caymus Napa Cabernet.

Available all day during operating hours Tuesday, 10/19 – Thursday, 10/21/21.

2018 Thread Feathers Spring Mountain Napa Cabernet

Tasting Impressions: A beautiful display of red fruit beginning with bing cherry on entry and black cherry mid-palate. Forward and bold, with full-bodied richness yet considerable elegance and purity. It has ripe tannins and a beautiful spice note. $85 Internet Price $38.99

Wine Spectator 92 Points
CAYMUS Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2019

A rich, showy style, with a very creamy texture to its mix of warmed vanilla, plum and boysenberry puree, and melted black licorice flavors. A mocha notes swirls around the fruit on the finish. Drink now through 2028. 141,348 cases made. —James Molesworth $82 Our Price $79.95

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Wine Advocate 93 Points * 2019 Turley Wine Cellars Zinfandel Old Vines

The 2019 Zinfandel Old Vines has a medium ruby-purple color and bright, inviting red and blue berry fruits laced with notes of apricot and dried flowers. Medium-bodied, the palate is silky, soft, super fresh and approachable with understated but pure fruit character. Lovely! 11,380 cases produced. $29 (Arrives GT and VRW 10/20/21)

Wine Spectator 92 Points
PURPLE HANDS Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Lone Oak Ranch 2019

Sleek and pretty, with multilayered cherry and pomegranate flavors that are laced with orange peel, clove and spice notes. Drink now through 2029. 3,200 cases made. From Oregon.—T.F. $30 Our Price $26.99 (Arrives GT 10/20/21)

Vinous 93 Points
Lucienne 2018 Chardonnay Lone Oak Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands

Limpid yellow-gold. Vibrant, mineral- and spice-accented citrus and orchard fruit and jasmine qualities on the highly perfumed nose. Juicy and energetic in the mouth, offering Meyer lemon, pear nectar and quinine flavors and a touch of buttered toast. Closes minerally and impressively long, delivering a resonating floral note and firm, spicy lift. Drink 2021 – 2027. $40 Internet Price $35.99 (Available GT and VRW)

Wine Advocate 94 Points * 2019 Turley Wine Cellars Zinfandel Turley Estate

The 2019 Zinfandel Turley Estate has a medium ruby color. The nose begins with graphite, tar and aniseed and fleshes out to bright black and red berries with wafts of potpourri. The medium-bodied palate is surprisingly intense, offering up loads of berry and peachy fruits. It has a gently grainy and fresh frame, and it finishes long and floral. 2,480 cases produced. $40 (Arrives VRW 10/20/21)

Wine Spectator 92 Points
JULES TAYLOR Pinot Noir Marlborough 2019

Bold, with English breakfast tea, dense tannins and dried sage flavors in balance with licorice-laced plum and black cherry flavors. A smoky thread of palo santo lingers on the finish, where the tannins firm up. Drink now through 2030. 2,000 cases made, 500 cases imported. — MW $24 Our Price $18.25 (Available GT)

Antonio Galloni 93-96 * Turley 2019 Petite Syrah Hayne Vineyard

Tasted from barrel, the 2019 Petite Syrah Hayne Vineyard is dark, inky and so expressive. The purity of the fruit is just terrific. Blackberry jam, chocolate, spice, licorice and dark spice all meld together. Unctuous and flamboyant, the Hayne Petite is stellar. In 2019, the Hayne was one of the latest picks. This fruit came on September 28, 2-3 weeks later than normal. $80 (Arrives GT 10/20/21)

Wine Spectator 94 Points * CLOS ST.-MARTIN St.-Emilion 2017

Features an intense beam of steeped plum, blackberry and black currant fruit, laced with racy, mouthwatering alder, mineral and tobacco accents. Shows density, but stays fresh and sleek in feel overall. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2022 through 2035. 325 cases made. — JM $145 Our Price $125.99 (Arrives GT this afternoon) Limited

Wine Spectator 93 Points * CHÂTEAU FUISSÉ Pouilly-Fuissé Les Brûlés 2017

Complex, revealing clean lines and well-defined flavors of vanilla, peach and lemon, with a hint of lanolin. Intense and long, featuring a persistent finish that echoes spice and picks up a mineral note. Drink now through 2025. 250 cases made, 60 cases imported. — BS $148 Our Price $69.99 (Arrives GT this afternoon) Limited

Sommariva Prosecco Superiore di Conegliano-Valdobbiane Brut DOCG NV

Winemaker Notes: Fragrant floral tones and drying mineral notes characterize this luminous Prosecco Brut. The sparkling wine delivers frothy peach, herbal accents and a steady dose of citrus zest. $15 Our Price $12.99 (Available GT)

Wine Advocate 90 Points
2019 Kokomo Winery Dry Creek Zinfandel

The 2019 Zinfandel has a medium ruby-purple color, beginning with some tarry notes on the nose that give way to apricot and dark berry fruits. It's medium-bodied, soft, juicy and appealing with loads of upfront fruit and a touch of spice lingering on the finish. 2,000 cases were made. $28 Internet Price $25.99 (Available GT and VRW)

Wine Advocate 93 Points
Roederer Brut Collection 242

Producer Notes: This debut release is very impressive indeed, wafting from the glass with notes of pear, peach, ripe citrus fruit, toasted almonds, fresh pastry and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and textural, it's concentrated and layered, with lively acids, an enlivening pinpoint mousse and a long, sapid finish. Brut Premier was already a very persuasive wine, but the new Brut Collection nevertheless represents a step up. $65 Our Price $54.99 (Back in stock VRW this afternoon)

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

Friday Tasting, 10/22/21 (3:30 PM-6:00 PM): Ruinart Brut Rose, 2019 Mont Olivet Cuvee du Papet Chateauneuf and Opus One Overture 2021 Release

Wine Spectator 94 Points * RUINART Brut Rosé Champagne NV

A classy rosé that glides across the palate, with flavors of raspberry coulis, yellow peach, chamomile and blanched almond that expand on the creamy mousse and linger on the lightly spiced finish, powered by mouthwatering acidity. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Drink now through 2026. — AN. Internet Price $84.99

Wine Spectator 96 Points * CLOS DU MONT-OLIVET Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Cuvée du Papet 2019

Dark in profile, but very seductive, with the cassis, crushed plum and cherry reduction notes carried by the substantial yet very silky structure. Light floral, incense, black tea and warm earth details score the finish. Tantalizing now for its mouthfeel and expressiveness, but there's no rush at all. Drink now through 2038. —J.M. 100 cases imported. Internet Price $85.

Opus One Overture 2021 Release

Winery Notes: Overture reflects the winemaker’s artistry by showcasing the talent of blending five traditional Bordeaux grape varieties and capturing terroir characteristics of the same variety grown in different soils. However, Overture’s third blending aspect – that of marrying multiple vintages – yields a softer, rounder expression of our estate that can be enjoyed upon release.

Winemaker Notes: A timeless expression of our estate vineyards, Overture is full bodied but approachable in its youth. Overture shows generous dark fruit aromas and flavors with a soft, supple mid-palate. $150

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

Paul Hobbs Wine Tasting, 10/23/21 (1:00 PM-3:30 PM): 2018 Paul Hobbs Russian River Chardonnay, 2018 Paul Hobbs Russian River Pinot Noir and 2019 Paul Hobbs Katherine Lindsay Estate Pinot Noir.

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
2018 Paul Hobbs Russian River Valley Chardonnay

Starting with the 2018 Chardonnay Russian River Valley, this quintessential Russian River Chardonnay offers loads of white currants, caramelized peach, honeysuckle, and spicy oak aromas and flavors. With good acidity, beautiful purity, and a layered, opulent texture, it's a gem of a wine well worth seeking out. This cuvée comes 80% from estate fruit. $65

Wine Advocate 93 Points
2018 Paul Hobbs Russian River Pinot Noir

Made with about 10% whole cluster, the 2018 Pinot Noir has a medium ruby-purple color and a nose of cranberry sauce, rhubarb, tea leaves and earth with a spicy undercurrent. Medium-bodied, it's concentrated and grainy with appealing juicy fruits and a long, lifted finish. 7,612 cases produced. $65

Wine Advocate 94-96 Points
2019 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Katherine Lindsay Estate

A barrel sample, the 2019 Pinot Noir Katherine Lindsay Estate offers lush black and red berry preserves aromas with notes of toasted coconut and spice. The palate is medium-bodied, seamlessly structured and very intense, its powerful fruits lingering on the finish. I can't wait to see this in bottle when those youthful fruits give way to more nuance. Around 450 cases will be made. $120

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 1:00-6:00 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 10:30 AM-5:30 PM
Saturday 10:30 AM-4:00 PM