On deck for wine tasting next week at VRW:

Wine Spectator 97 Points
Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri-Sassicaia Sassicaia 2020

Complex aromas and flavors of black currant, blackberry, iron, sweet tobacco and Mediterranean herbs are the hallmarks of this elegant, tensile red, which is already revealing plenty, yet still feels reserved, as though there were many more facets to be discovered. Superb harmony and freshness prevail, ending with a long aftertaste. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2045. 23,300 cases made, 5,300 cases imported. $275

Wine Spectator 90 Points
Nozzole Chianti Classico Riserva 2020

Leads with aromas of earth, tomato leaf and asparagus, followed by flavors of cherry, plum and loam. Dense and lively, with a complex, lingering finish. Rustic and savory, yet distinctive. Drink now through 2033. 150,000 cases made, 24,000 cases imported. $27

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Taste 2021 Kongsgaard Napa Chardonnay and 2021 Aubert Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast UV Vineyard at Vintage Reserve Wine for $25 per person.
Tuesday, January 16th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

2021 Kongsgaard Napa Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: Our historic blend of the Hudson and Hyde vineyards shows the classic tangerine oil and crème brûlée richness of aroma over intense marzipan and nectarine flavors. The palate is broad, but still well mannered. The finish is long and positively saline–dare we say “minerality?” Back when Robert Parker was visiting, he called this the Bâtard-Montrachet of Napa. $140

Wine Spectator 95 Points
Aubert Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast UV Vineyard 2021

Gorgeous, with an inviting core of raspberry, blood orange and boysenberry puree aromas and flavors that stream through, flanked by singed apple wood, dried anise and black tea notes. Shows serious depth but also drive and freshness, as a racy mineral edge lends energy from start to finish. Best from 2024 through 2033. 949 cases made. (USA Market Price $110+ at auction- $220)

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Taste 2020 Faiveley Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne Rouge, 2020 Faiveley Les Rugiens Pommard Premier Cru and 2020 Faiveley Les St Georges Nuits St Premier Cru at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $25 per person.
Wednesday, January 17th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

Wine Spectator 90 Points
Faiveley Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne Rouge 2020

This sleek, taut red is penetrated with a beam of cherry and strawberry fruit flavors supported by vibrant acidity and refined, chalky tannins. Elegant, showing fine balance and length. Drink now through 2027. 3,300 cases imported. $43

2020 Faiveley Les Rugiens Pommard Premier Cru

Producer Notes: Deep ruby red hue. The nose and palate are in perfect harmony and reveal aromas of black fruits, oak and spice. The attack is powerful and underpinned by direct, velvety tannins. This wine offers good structure and aromatic persistency. Serve with: Game stew, shoulder of lamb, duck confit, mature cheeses. $220

Vinous Media 93-95 Points
2020 Faiveley Les St Georges Nuits St Georges Premier Cru

The 2020 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges Premier Cru, a mixture of owned and contracted fruit, has a very floral bouquet with raspberry, wild strawberry and a touch of violet, building nicely in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation, fine energy and poise, slightly chalky in texture with satisfying salinity on the finish. This has a lot of potential. Excellent. Drinking Window 2026-2050. $200

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Taste Chandon California Brut, Taittinger La Francaise Brut and 2013 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $20 per person.
Thursday, January 18th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

Decanter 95 Points
Chandon California Brut

Elegant and vibrant aromas of crisp apples, zesty yellow citrus and touches of creamy notes. Very smooth and soft on the palate, harmonious, with fine bubbles. Blend: 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir. $24

James Suckling 92 Points
Taittinger La Francaise Brut

A dry, fresh and delicious Taittinger with aromas and flavors of apples, fresh lemons and minerals. Full-bodied. Precise. White pepper and salt at the end. 40% chardonnay and 35% pinot noir, the rest pinot meunier. Three to four years on the lees. Drink now. $70

Antonio Galloni, Vinous 98 Points
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs 2013

The 2013 Comtes de Champagne captures all the pedigree of this great vintage in its energy, depth and vibrancy. Lemon confit, dried flowers, chamomile, spice and crushed rocks all race across the palate. Passionfruit, ginger, marzipan and mint appear later, filling out the layers beautifully. Harvest took place in October in what has become the exception rather than the norm in Champagne. $220

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Wine Spectator 91 Points
Hahn Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands SLH 2021

Leads with mulled cherry and plum notes, with hints of warm licorice and fruitcake, plus red tea filling in on the finish. Reveals fresh underlying acidity that extends the finish nicely. Drink now through 2026. 25,000 cases made. $30 Our Price $22.99 (Back in stock GT)

Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
2021 Hartford Court Pinot Noir Land's Edge Vineyards

A rich ruby/purple, the 2021 Pinot Noir Land's Edge Vineyards is ripe and rounded with a perfume of blackberry preserve, damp forest floor, and toasted baking spice. Full-bodied, but with clean lift and without weight, it has dark berries, candied flowers, sweet, ripe tannins, and a soft texture. This is an immediate wine, but it has good freshness and the structure to drink over the next 4-5 years. $55 Our Price $44.99 (Arrives GT 1/17/24)

2016 Burgess Cellars CONTADINA Napa CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Winemaker Notes: A dense and concentrated cabernet with aromas and flavors of confectionary blackberry and stewed cassis. The lush fruit is brought into balance by high tone herbal aromatics of mint, sage, and sweet tobacco. The distinctively thick-skinned Cabernet grapes provide a long velvety finish. $52 Our Price $44.99 (Available GT and VRW)

James Suckling 91 Points
2022 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Rouge

Raspberries, fresh cherries, redcurrants and bay leaves on the nose follow through to a medium body with finely grained tannins. Suave and playful with bright acidity, crunchy fruit and a fresh, fruity finish. 54% syrah, 29% grenache, 13% mourvedre, 3% counoise and 1% terret noir. $22 (Back in stock GT 1/18/24)

Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
2022 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Blanc

A delicate shade of yellow in the glass, this Grenache Blanc-led blend of seven white Rhône varieties is broad yet crisp on the nose, showing white flowers, Asian pear and jicama. The texture is both chalky and steely on the palate, where citrus spray and pome fruit flavors align. $22 (Back in stock GT 1/18/24)

Vinous 96+ Points
2019 Staglin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is a rich, heady wine that is going to need a number of years to shed its baby fat and come into its own. Dark and vertical in feel, the 2019 possesses tremendous energy as well as power. Black cherry, chocolate, new leather, licorice, espresso and cloves build into the huge, resonant finish. The 2019 spent 22 months in barrel, 80% new. I would not dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. Best After 2027. $325 (Available GT)

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Taste 2019 William Harrison Simpatico Rutherford Proprietary Red, 2019 Vineyard 29 Cru Napa Cabernet and 2019 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville Napa at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Friday, January 19th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

2019 William Harrison Simpatico Rutherford Proprietary Red

Winemaker Notes: Simpatico is the baby brother to our Reserve Cabernet, comprised of all estate grown fruit, and crafted with the same winemaking techniques as our primary wines. Aromatics burst with maraschino cherry, pencil shavings and caramel. The palate offers generous, youthful flavors of ripe boysenberry and tart plum, with notes of cedar and fresh brewed espresso. Its texture is medium-bodied but rich, with supple tannins and a finish. 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Merlot $50

Jeb Dunnuck 92 Points
2019 Vineyard 29 Cru Napa Cabernet

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Cru Napa Valley is outstanding, and at the less than the $100 price point, it’s about as good as it gets! Ripe cassis, flowers, spicy oak, and tobacco notes all emerge from the glass, and it’s a ripe, round, wonderfully textured Cabernet that will shine for a decade or more. Best After 2022. $75

Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
2019 Paul Hobbs Coombsville Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

From the southern, cooler end of the valley, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville offers a vibrant, lively bouquet of blue fruits, sappy herbs, truffle, tobacco, and hints of gravelly earth. It brings plenty of richness on the palate and is medium to full-bodied, has nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish. It's a beautiful, cooler-climate, textured, balanced Cabernet that can be enjoyed today or cellared for upwards of two decades. MATURITY: 2022 – 2042. $120

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Taste 2021 Catena Zapata Appellation La Consulta Malbec, 2021 Aperture Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon and 2021 Gentry Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Saturday, January 20th. Available 12:00 noon -3:45 PM

Wine Advocate 92 Points
2021 Catena Zapata Appellation La Consulta Malbec

The range of appellation wines from 2021 is very fresh and balanced, clean and precise, as can be seen in the juicy but serious 2021 Appellation La Consulta Malbec, which was produced with grapes from vines planted in 1996 on alluvial soils. This is still young and a little marked by the élevage in barrel, with spices and some creaminess, and it has the mineral sensation and fine tannins that this wine always has. It has black fruit and an earthy twist. 84,000 bottles produced. $22

Wine Advocate 96 Points
2021 Aperture Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon comes from Aperture's estate vineyard in Healdsburg and their newest vineyard acquisition, Farrow Ranch in Alexander Valley, plus some of the original single vineyards in the Aperture program like Oliver Ranch. It is blended with 6% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot, 3% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc and was matured for 16 months in 55% new French oak. It has vibrant, layered aromas of blueberry compote, lavender, aniseed, milk chocolate and nutmeg with undertones of cast iron and tobacco leaves. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled, pairing deep flavors with a weightless feel due to its bright acidity and velvety tannins. It has a long, latent finish and deserves 3-5 years in bottle. 4,480 cases produced. $80

2021 Gentry Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Producer Notes: This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from a single biodynamic vineyard on Howell Mountain is made by a very acclaimed winemaker (who must remain nameless) who describes the wine as vibrant, shows the power and restraint of Howell Mountain. First, a powerful bouquet of rose petals, African violets and lavender greet your nose. Next, wanting to show its true colors you will find balanced fruit attributes of Bing cherries, plums and cranberries on the palate. A mountain wine at heart, graphite and iron are also ever-present. In an effort to show its youthfulness, this medium bodied wine with lively acidity and inviting freshness finishes with energetic yet refined tannins. $70

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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
Tuesday-Friday 10:30 AM-5:30 PM
Saturday 10:30 AM-4:00 PM