On deck for wine tasting next week at VRW:

2021 Cakebread Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: The wonderfully pure, pretty nose of our Cabernet Sauvignon is redolent of warm berry cobbler, with lovely toasted boysenberry and blackberry scents joined by hints of wild cherry, loamy earth and oak vanillin. On the supple, beautifully structured palate, the wine offers rich, vibrant blackberry, plum and black cherry flavors framed by perfectly integrated tannins and a long, savory finish. Delicious now, this elegantly sumptuous Cakebread Napa Cabernet Sauvignon will develop further nuance with another 5-7 years' bottle age. $75

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
2019 Ramey Claret Red

The 2019 Claret North Coast Red Wine is a killer value, with great lift and freshness throughout. Made from 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, and the rest Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, the majority of the fruit was sourced from Jericho Canyon. Pouring a youthful purple/red, it is lifted with aromas of graphite, fresh black cherry, cedar, and pine needles. Full-bodied but lifted, it offers ripe tannins, fresh acidity, and notes of fresh red and black fruit, pressed flowers, and turned soil earthiness on the finish. It's drinking well now but is certainly worth cellaring over the next 10 or more years. It’s a great value. $40

Wine Spectator 93 Points
Margerum M5 Santa Barbara County 2022

Offering polished cherry and cinnamon flavors accented by garrigue and cracked pepper, this sleek red finishes with refined tannins. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Counoise and Cinsault. Drink now through 2032. 3,486 cases made. $32

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Taste Pride Mountain Vineyard 2022 Chardonnay, 2021 Merlot and 2021 Cabernet at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $20 per person.
Thursday, February 29th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

The Wine Independent 93 Points
2022 Pride Mountain Vineyard Chardonnay

The 2022 Chardonnay has delicately played, soft-spoken scents of apple butter, lemongrass, and persimmons with hints of sea spray, marzipan, and beeswax. The medium to full-bodied palate is elegant and refreshing, with a silky texture and a pure, citrusy lift on the finish. $48

Jeb Dunnuck 92 Points
2021 Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot

Lots of red plums, darker chocolate, and tobacco notes emerge from the 2021 Merlot, a beautifully textured, medium-bodied Pomerol look-alike that has fine tannins, notable purity, and a great finish. It's beautifully done and an utterly delicious, satisfying Merlot to drink over the coming decade. $69

2021 Pride Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: Blackberry, currant and plum lead to seductive flavors of cedar box and summer savory. The tannins are mouthfilling and luxurious in the way that only mountain fruit can achieve. The balance is precise, offering enough tension to intrigue the senses and welcoming you to another sip. The acid that so elegantly frames the richness of this wine will allow it to age gracefully and completely. Drink early and often but be sure to lay down enough to appreciate its progression for the next 10 – 25 years. 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.5% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 1.5% Cabernet Franc $82

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2021 Roth Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine of great complexity and structure. Upon opening, dark fruit aromas of black cherry and blueberry are intertwined with notes of forest floor and vanilla spice. Deep, layered flavors of blackberry, dark chocolate, and black tea are present on the palate. Soft tannins and a hints of mocha linger on the finish. $27 Our Price $20.99 (Back in stock 3/1/24)

Wine Enthusiast 92 Points
2021 Talbott Sleepy Hollow Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay

Subtle aromas of lemon peel, Asian pear and honeysuckle draw the nose into this bottling from an iconic vineyard. A bright spritz of lime and a firm tension meet with underripe pineapple and sea salt on the palate. $45 Our Price $31.99 (Back in stock 3/1/24)

Wine Enthusiast 92 Points
2021 Exit West Red Hills Estate Red

This concentrated wine offers blackberry, olallieberry, huckleberry and blueberry compote with layers of intense florals, sandalwood, chocolate mint, Katamala olive, dried thyme and dried tomato leaf. The finish is lengthy and the tannins silky. $35 (Available 3/1/24)

Wine Advocate 94 Points

La Vizcaina by Raul Perez Las Gundinas Tinto 2021

The 2021 La Vizcaína Las Gundiñas has a slightly earthy touch and is a variable wine that feels quite harmonious and clean, as it's from a plot that sometimes suffers in cooler years. They are going to change the vinification of this plot to achieve more precision. They used 100% full clusters and matured it in well-seasoned, neutral 500-liter oak vats. It is cleaner and more precise this year. 5,500 bottles were filled in May 2020. $50 Our Price $39.99 (Arrives GT 3/1/24)

Wine Advocate 93 Points
2021 Raúl Pérez La Vizcaína La Poulosa

The grapes from the 2021 La Vizcaína La Poulosa were the first to be picked, and they lowered the alcohol and compensated for the tendency to produce ripe wines. They pick no more than 12,000 kilograms of grapes from the 2.6 hectares of vines in the plot, one of the oldest vineyards in Valtuille and one of the ripest too, especially given the low yields they get here. Despite the 13% alcohol, the sensation is riper than the other La Vizcaína wines, with prunes and a sensation of sweet fruit (despite being dry). It's from a vineyard on compact clay with stones, planted in the 1940s. $50 Our Price $39.99 (Arrives GT 3/1/24)

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Taste 2021 Hourglass HG III Proprietary Red, 2021 The Prisoner Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and 2021 PAHLMEYER Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Jayson at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Friday, March 1st. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

2021 Hourglass HG III Proprietary Red

Winemaker Notes: The 2021 HGIII is the most complex and layered vintage to date. Explosive aromatics of blackberry, Bing cherry and pomegranate intertwine with savory layers of pink peppercorn, fennel and crushed rose petals. The palate presents rich tones of crème de cassis, black cherry and baker’s chocolate, which evolve into secondary characteristics of red currant, vanilla bean and pipe tobacco. A beautiful balance of precise natural acidity with a weighted yet broad, silky mouthfeel. $105/magnum

2021 The Prisoner Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: On the nose, blackberry, currant, and plum are layered with dried, crushed herbs and licorice. On the palate, cedar, vanilla, nutmeg, and toasted coconut lead as plum and dried blackberries culminate in a lush, full mouthfeel and a lengthy, balanced finish. $60

Wine Spectator 93 Points
PAHLMEYER Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Jayson 2021

Frankly ripe, offering an enticing gush of açaí, blackberry and black currant compote notes that roll through, carried by warm humus, licorice root and singed alder notes. A muscular style, this is defined, with subtle, latent energy through the finish. Best from 2025 through 2037. —J.M. $100

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Taste 2021 RÉSONANCE Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, 2020 Thread Feathers Stags Leap Cabernet and 2018 Altamura Napa Cabernet Sauvignon at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Saturday, March 2nd. Available 12:00 noon -3:45 PM

Wine Spectator 94 Points
RÉSONANCE Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2021

Precise and elegantly structured, with detailed raspberry, savory tea and crushed stone accents that gather richness and tension toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2031. 10,870 cases made.—T.F. $40

2020 Thread Feathers Stags Leap Cabernet

Winemaker Notes: This 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is a stunning expression of the Stags Leap District growing region. Grown on an eastern facing hillside on the west side of Silverado Trail, this wine is bright and opulent with dark fruit notes of dark cherry and blueberry compote and hints of baking spice, cedar, violet and crushed stone. This wine is rich with beautiful structure, balance and polished tannins. 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. $40

Lisa Perotti-Brown, The Wine Independent 96+ Points
2018 Altamura Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2018 Altamura Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and is deep garnet-purple in color. It slowly unfurls to reveal intense scents of blackcurrant cordial, blackberry preserves, and dried lavender, plus suggestions of crushed rocks and black olives. Full-bodied, the palate delivers vibrant, lively black fruit and mineral layers, supported by velvety tannins, finishing long and fragrant. Really different. $135

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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