On deck for wine tasting next week at VRW:

Wine Advocate 95 Points
2021 Tyler Santa Barbara Chardonnay

The 2021 Chardonnay over delivers for its appellation-wide status. It has pretty scents of quince, poached pear, spring honey, chalk and roasted almonds. The medium-bodied palate is satiny, savory and expansive with dynamic flavor layers and a very long finish. $25

*************************

Taste 2019 Peter Michael Au Paradis Cabernet Sauvignon at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $25 per person.
Tuesday, February 21st. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
2019 Peter Michael Au Paradis

Hailing from Oakville, the 2019 Au Paradis is nuanced, with ripe redcurrant, fresh tobacco, and sweet baking spice. The palate is fully dry and has lift through its dark fruited profile. The midpalate is flush with roses and ripe red plum, giving way to a well-balanced, tannic structure. Drink 2024-2044. $260

*************************

Taste 2020 Auvigue Pouilly Fuisse Les Villages, 2019 Regis Bouvier En La Rue de Vergy, 2019 Bouchard Pere & Fils Clos de la Mousse at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Wednesday, February 22nd. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

Wine Spectator 94 Points
Vins Auvigue Pouilly-Fuissé Les Villages 2020

Creamy in texture, this white evokes peach, floral and pastry aromas and flavors. Beautifully balanced, unfolding gracefully to a long citrus- and mineral-infused aftertaste. Very approachable now, but should develop over the next decade, too. Drink now through 2030. 1,100 cases made, 1,089 cases imported. $35

Wine Spectator 93 Points
REGIS BOUVIER Morey-St.-Denis En La Rue de Vergy 2019

Aromatic, this red exudes violet, incense, wild strawberry, cherry and spice flavors. Taut, this firms up as it builds to the finish -- without losing any intensity or length. Enjoyable now. Drink now through 2035.—B.S. $74

Wine Spectator 93 Points
Bouchard Father & Son Beaune Clos de la Mousse 2019

This red is silky in texture and intense, yet its black cherry and blueberry flavors are restrained. Harmonious and long, with toasted spice and mineral accents adding depth. Needs a few years. Best from 2023 through 2035. 150 boxes imported. $80

**************************

Taste 2020 Alban Patrina Syrah at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $10 per person.
Thursday, February 23rd. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

2020 Alban Patrina Syrah

Notes from John Alban: All over the world, wine geeks, like you and me, freak out over the unbelievable wines that can be produced by isolating unique parcels on distinct soils. That concept is at the heart of every vineyard designated wine including Reva, Lorraine, and Seymour’s. Today we are releasing 2020 Patrina. This wine is our recognition of the fact that there are very important and genuinely beautiful human elements to any wine no matter its origin. Patrina is our wide open opportunity to share what our farming, vine selections, and fermentations can make when combined with the climate of the Edna Valley and the many soil types surrounding us. We are blessed with concentration, deep fruits, and long silty tannins. South of the Santa Lucia range and so very close to the Pacific, our vineyards were isolated from the tragic fires that plagued much of California in 2020 and buffered enough from the heat of early September to retain their freshness. This wine is among my favorites for this offering yet produced. It is dark, full of black and blue berries, coco powder, and immediately pleasing and pure. It is, in our opinion, a wonderful and delicious expression of our farm and farming. $60

*************************

Jeb Dunnuck 91 Points
2019 Luli Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay

The 2019 Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands is also terrific. Coming from a great, cooler region south of Monterey, it has a vibrant nose of melon and ripe orchard fruits as well as some spice and toasty notes. Balanced, medium-bodied, and nicely textured, with a juicy spine of acidity, it's well worth seeking out and would be one heck of a house white to drink over the coming couple of years. $25 Our Price $19.99 (Available GT and VRW)

2021 Luli Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir

Winery Notes: Luli Wines came about from a very special partnership between Sara Floyd and the Pisoni Family. Sara is a Master Sommelier from the San Francisco Bay Area with many years of experience in the restaurant and wine business. The Pisoni Family is from Monterey County, where they farm their eponymous vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands. $25 Our Price $22.99 (Available GT and VRW)

Wine Spectator 92 Points
GROTH Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 2021

Tasting Note: Distinctive, with lanolin, honeysuckle and litsea oil accents to the ripe peach, citrus and apricot flavors at the core. Reveals mouthwatering acidity and sea salt minerality on the finish. Drink now. —M.W. $26 Our Price $23.99 (Available GT and VRW)

Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points * 2020 Hoopes Vineyard Chardonnay

I was blown away by the 2020 Chardonnay, a clean, crisp, vibrant expression of Chardonnay that has medium to full-bodied richness, wonderfully integrated acidity, and a distinct sense of minerality in its citrus, stone fruit, and white flower-driven aromatics. It's shockingly good and tastes like it cost 3-4 times its price. $30 (Arrives GT 2/22/23)

Wine Spectator 92 Points
2017 Taub Family Rutherford Cabernet

Nicely compact, with a core of steeped red currant, plum and blackberry fruit that should unwind in the near future. Alder and licorice notes score the finish, with good latent energy. Best from 2022 through 2031. 1,500 cases made. — JM $75 Our Price $64.99 (Available GT and VRW)

Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
2020 Kapcsandy Family Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Cuvee

Incorporating 5% Merlot and brought in before the Glass fire, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Cuvée is an outstanding effort that certainly appears to be smoke-free. Cassis, ripe plums, graphite, and tobacco define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with ripe tannins and outstanding length. This is the only 2020 released and just 300 cases were produced. $150 (Available GT)

2021 Staglin Family Salus Napa Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: The 2021 Salus Chardonnay provides an adventure for th e senses. It welcomes with perfectly ripened citrus, delicate florals, and limestone minerality. The expressive aromas deliver baked pear tart, a hint of fresh nutmeg and twist of Meyer lemon. The palate showcases juicy apricot, brûléed white grapefruit drizzled with fir honey, and the surprising texture of silky mango. The richness of sun warmed fruit is beautifully balanced by acidity focusing the entire experience. Each sip induces a longing for another. $60 (Back in stock GT and VRW)

2020 Alban Patrina Syrah

Notes from John Alban: All over the world, wine geeks, like you and me, freak out over the unbelievable wines that can be produced by isolating unique parcels on distinct soils. That concept is at the heart of every vineyard designated wine including Reva, Lorraine, and Seymour’s. Today we are releasing 2020 Patrina. This wine is our recognition of the fact that there are very important and genuinely beautiful human elements to any wine no matter its origin. Patrina is our wide open opportunity to share what our farming, vine selections, and fermentations can make when combined with the climate of the Edna Valley and the many soil types surrounding us. We are blessed with concentration, deep fruits, and long silty tannins. South of the Santa Lucia range and so very close to the Pacific, our vineyards were isolated from the tragic fires that plagued much of California in 2020 and buffered enough from the heat of early September to retain their freshness. This wine is among my favorites for this offering yet produced. It is dark, full of black and blue berries, coco powder, and immediately pleasing and pure. It is, in our opinion, a wonderful and delicious expression of our farm and farming. $60 (Available GT and VRW 2/22/23)

Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points
2019 Gemstone Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Alluvial Selection

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Alluvial Selection comes from more cobbly, rocky soils closer to the Silverado Trail, and it's a bigger, richer wine, offering lots of iron, mineral, black herbs, leather, and assorted red and black fruits. This full-bodied, concentrated, balanced 2019 will keep for upwards of 20 years. $165 (Available GT and VRW) Limited

*************************

Taste 2019 Archery Summit Eola Amity Chardonnay, 2021 Sojourn Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and 2019 AXR Napa Cabernet Sauvignon at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Friday, February 24th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

Wine Spectator 92 Points
Archery Summit Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills 2019

Precise and polished, with green apple, floral lemon and toasty spice flavors that glide on the lingering finish. Drink now. 769 cases made. $48

International Wine Report 93 Points * SOJOURN Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast 2021

The 2021 Sojourn Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir sees 50% new French oak and is fermented entirely with native yeast. Presenting a blue-ruby core with a silvery rim, it starts with lovely aromas of crushed blueberry, red and blue plum, dried violet flower, and wet autumn leaves. A well-balanced palate gifts perfect levels of acidity, rounded sweet tannins, and a blue-fruit and earth-driven finish. 2600 cases were made. $45

Decanter Magazine 97 Points
2019 AXR Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Jean Hoefliger sources grapes from the Denali Vineyard and V Madrone in St Helena, Furtado and Sleeping Lady in Yountville, and Ballard Vineyards on Spring Mountain. Restrained on the nose at first, with subtle dark fruits coated in fine graham cracker crumb, sweet cedar and chocolate. But the wine builds on the palate revealing dried strawberry, ripe boysenberry and traces of blue fruit, herbs and mineral flourishes, enrobed in palate-etching tannins. A tremendous wine. $60

*************************

Taste Pinot Noir: 2021 Sean Minor Sonoma Coast Signature, 2020 Castalia Rochioli and 2019 Sea Smoke Southing at (VRW) for $15 per person.
Saturday, February 25th. Available 12:00 noon -3:45 PM

Wine Spectator 91 Points
SEAN MINOR Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Signature Series 2021

Bright, high-pitched style, with blood orange and damson plum notes racing through, flecked liberally with savory and thyme hints. Nice sleek feel on the finish. Drink now through 2027. 7,500 cases made.—J.M. $28

2020 Castalia Rochioli Pinot Noir

Winemaker Notes: As always the wine is sourced 100% from the Rochioli vineyards and should age for at least ten years and be in its prime from 4 to 7 years. Castalia Pinot Noir possesses the full-bodied complexity and subtle cherry essence that is so typical of the finest Russian River Pinot Noirs. Many fine restaurants in the greater Bay Area have recognized that reputation by serving Castalia Pinot Noir year after year. I am pleased to now offer a limited quantity of our most recent vintage to the general public. $60

2019 Sea Smoke Southing Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir, Magnum

Winemaker Notes: Each year, our goal for Southing is to create the ideal marriage of complexity and elegance. The ever-changing nose of the Southing exhibits fresh strawberry, geranium, Montmorency cherry; and subtle baking spices. The fine tannins and minerality are enhanced by our estate vineyard’s characteristic cool climate acidity. 100% Pinot Noir. CA Market Price $298-$320/magnum

*************************

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 12:00 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 10:30 AM-5:30 PM
Saturday 10:30 AM-4:00 PM