On deck for wine tasting next week at VRW:

Wine Advocate 94-96 Points
2021 Résonance Chardonnay Willamette Valley

Still in barrel, the 2021 Chardonnay Willamette Valley is the first iteration of this wine from Résonance, made from both estate and purchased fruit. The nose opens with streaks of matchstick and crushed almonds that give way to a deep core of yellow apple, jasmine and touches of cream and butter. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and expansive with savory layers energized by focused acidity, and it has a long, textural finish with alluring floral perfume. $40

2022 Roar Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: A harmonious blend of tropical fruit, toasty texture, and minerality. It seemlessly melds the different faces of northern and southern vineyards for a quaffable staple that will make you all warm inside. $50

2022 Roar Garys’ Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir

Winemaker Notes: Leather, tobacco, and cola in a dense, masculine cloak of ripe dark berries makes one imagine sipping this in an old 19th-century library. This wine has a refined richness that stands out, and ages beautifully. $80

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Taste Cabernet Sauvignon: 2021 THE HESS COLLECTION Napa Valley Allomi, 2021 Precision Wine Company Method Napa and 2019 Robert Craig Howell Mountain at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Thursday, March 14th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

Wine Spectator 93 Points
THE HESS COLLECTION Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Allomi 2021

Boysenberry and açaí berry fruit gives this a slightly exotic profile, but it's finely stitched with apple wood, sassafras and singed anise notes to keep it honest. The polished finish lets a chaparral note chime through the flashy fruit. This should have fans for sure. Drink now through 2036. 66,186 cases made.—James Molesworth. $40

2021 Precision Wine Company Method Napa Cabernet

Winemaker Notes: This cabernet sauvignon exhibits intense and complex aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, and dark cherry notes. Also hints of cedar, tobacco, vanilla, and chocolate. On the palate flavors of blackberry, black cherry, and plum. With some notes of cocoa, coffee, or mocha. $45

Vinous 97 Points
2019 Robert Craig Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain) is another stellar wine from Robert Craig. Bright and incisive, with tons of energy, the Howell Mountain Cabernet delivers the goods, big time. A rush of inky red/purplish fruit, rose petal, lavender, menthol, spice and crushed rocks build into a crescendo of aromas and flavors that dazzles. This deep, vivid Cabernet hits all the right notes. Superb. $125

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Wine Spectator 94 Points
JOURNEYMAN Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2021

Stunning, with fleshy peach, apricot and Fuji apple flavors that are juicy, generous and precise, with hints of fennel seed, lemon oil, lemongrass and candied ginger that linger on the long, expressive finish. Drink now. 440 cases made. —MaryAnn Worobiec. $54 (Available GT)

Wine Spectator 92 Points
Lewis Chardonnay Russian River Valley Barcaglia Lane 2021

Exudes smoky, toasty overtones to the grilled peach, Meyer lemon, ripe melon and dried pineapple flavors, while spicy accents of clove, nutmeg and orange bitters linger on the rich, expansive finish. Drink now. 300 cases made. $80 Our Price $74.99 (Available GT)

Wine Spectator 94 Points
Echolands Syrah Walla Walla Valley 2019

Precise and elegantly structured, with multilayered boysenberry, forest floor and crushed stone flavors that build richness and tension toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2030. 800 cases made. $38 (Available GT)

2021 JAX Estate Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: Full-bodied and well proportioned, this wine carries through to a vibrant and lively finish. Dark aromas of ripe blackberries, currants and a hint of spice. This Cabernet Sauvignon coats the palate with dense layers of black cherry, cocoa nib, forest floor and soft hints of cedar. $60 Our Price $54.99 (Available GT and VRW)

Wine Spectator 95 Points
Tekstura Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills Redford-Wetle Vineyard 2021

This compelling wine shows impressive structure and polish, with multilayered raspberry and blueberry flavors. Reveals notes of forest floor, crushed rock and black tea as this builds richness and tension toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2033. 455 cases made.—T.F. $70 (Arrives GT 3/22/24)

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Taste 2021 Pahlmeyer Jayson Napa Chardonnay, 2017 Venge Vineyards Silencieux Cabernet Sauvignon and 2021 Cakebread Napa Cabernet Sauvignon at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Friday, March 15th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

James Suckling 93 Points
2021 Pahlmeyer Jayson Napa Chardonnay

Sliced cooked apple with some apple puree and apple blossom as well as lemon rind on the nose. Medium-bodied with creamy texture. Flint and mineral flavors. Good acidity and energy. Hints of fresh straw underneath. $60

Wine Enthusiast 94 Points
2017 Venge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Silencieux

This hearty wine is blended with 4% Petit Verdot. Grippy, rich and viscous, it has intense fruit flavors of plum and cassis, with supple, integrated tannins. The whole is a testament to good grapes and great winemaking, blending together seven sites across the valley. $60

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

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Taste Pinot Noir: 2022 SEAN MINOR Sonoma Coast Signature Series, 2021 Frank Family Carneros and 2021 Cattleya Wines Cuvee Number Eight Sonoma Coast at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Saturday, March 16th. Available 12:00 noon -3:45 PM

Wine Spectator 92 Points
SEAN MINOR Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Signature Series 2022

A nice streamlined, mineral-tinged version, with racy acidity running underneath blood orange and raspberry coulis flavors, while savory and hibiscus hints chime in on the finish, where the fruit lingers prettily. Drink now through 2028. 3,000 cases made. From California.—James Molesworth $28

2021 Frank Family Carneros Pinot Noir

Winemaker Notes: A beautiful expression of the Carneros appellation, this Pinot Noir opens with lively aromas of strawberry, ripe red cherry, and a touch of baking spice. The palate is greeted with a juicy, full-bodied mouthfeel and refreshing, well-balanced acidity that lingers on the finish. $40

Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
2021 Cattleya Wines Pinot Noir Cuvee Number Eight Sonoma Coast

A semi-opaque, deep ruby with a purple hint, the 2021 Pinot Noir Cuvee Number Eight takes on a darker profile, with wet stone, blackberry, pepper, and grilled rosemary. Full-bodied, it brings more structure, with ripe tannins, iron-rich earth, and kirsch as well as fresh lift on the finish. Drink 2025-2035. $65

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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