On deck for wine tasting next week at VRW:

Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
2021 Sequoia Grove Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

This velvety, opulent wine is rich in baked cherry and blackberry aromas, with dark chocolate and crème de cassis flavors. Layers of fruit and oak spices fill the palate, shaped gently by fine-grained tannins. Best from 2026–2034. — Jim Gordon. $55

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Taste Pinot Noir: 2021 Carmel Road MONTEREY, 2022 Alma Cattleya Sonoma and 2022 Rochioli Russian River Valley at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Thursday, July 18th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

2021 Carmel Road MONTEREY PINOT NOIR

Our 2021 Monterey Pinot Noir has bright cherry aromas that are layered with notes of wild strawberries and black tea. On the mouth, you get juicy black cherry flavors and notes of cola with hints of vanilla, toasted oak and well balanced tannins. A silky texture leads to a long finish. $18

2022 Alma Cattleya Sonoma Pinot Noir

Winemaker Notes: Harnessed within its medium ruby core, this Pinot Noir packs pure aromas of berry pie, pomegranate, and spicy sandalwood. Rich and textured on the palate, the senses are dazzled with fruit driven flavors of macerated blackberry and mulberry that pair seamlessly with more savory notes of dried herbs and hints of fresh earth. The youthful acidity and fine-grained tannin offer an exciting and approachable finish to this luscious wine. $30

Wine Spectator 92 Points
2022 Rochioli Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

Plump and juicy, this lush crowd-pleaser offers delicious cherry and raspberry compote notes laced with singed vanilla, red tea and sandalwood accents. Drink now through 2029. 1,321 cases made. $98

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2022 Alma Cattleya Sonoma Pinot Noir

Winemaker Notes: Harnessed within its medium ruby core, this Pinot Noir packs pure aromas of berry pie, pomegranate, and spicy sandalwood. Rich and textured on the palate, the senses are dazzled with fruit driven flavors of macerated blackberry and mulberry that pair seamlessly with more savory notes of dried herbs and hints of fresh earth. The youthful acidity and fine-grained tannin offer an exciting and approachable finish to this luscious wine. $30 (Available GT and VRW)

2022 Caterwaul Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: Our 2022 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon continues to deliver complexity and depth representative of fruit that is usually destined for single-vineyard bottlings. Inky dark purple in the glass, this wine lends aromatics of ripe cherry, dusky violets, and baking spice. The near-sweetness of roasted meats on the nose causes a mouthwatering reaction. Rich, opulent and full-bodied, the initial impact rewards the sip with a coating of dense marionberry compote, toasted oak and baking chocolate. Fine tannins frame and blend with a balanced acidity to create a lasting finish. This wine is clearly ready to shine out of the gate, and has the horsepower to drink well into the future if a bottle can be tucked away in the cellar. $55 (Available GT)

Wine Spectator 92 Points
ETUDE Chardonnay Carneros Grace Benoist Ranch 2022

A distinctive version, offering notes of dried honeysuckle and toasted sesame seed, with a hint of tangy tamarind adding to the mouthwatering quality that defines this wine. Lemon, Honeycrisp apple, lemon verbena and lime zest notes expand on the long finish. Drink now. 3,767 cases made.—MaryAnn Worobiec. $40 Our Price $30.95 (Available GT and VRW)

2021 Oberon Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: Irresistible aromas of rose petals and blueberry cobbler lead to ripe, supple silky tannins. Flavors of vibrant black cherry, candied blackberry, and red plum are complimented by notes of black currant and licorice, with a hint of coffee, dark chocolate and spice – all culminating into a lingering and delicious finish. $25 Our Price $19.99 (Back in stock GT and VRW 7/19/24)

2021 Masseria Li Veli Passamante

Winemaker Notes: Beautiful ruby red in colour, with distinctive aromas of ripe plum, blackberry, blackcurrant but also leather and sweet violet. Full-bodied in the mouth but never tiring, silky tannin and lingering taste reminiscent of licorice and coffee. $20 Our Price $14.99 (Available GT and VRW)

Lisa Perrotti-Brown,
The Wine Independent 92 Points
2022 Hartford Court Russian River Valley Chardonnay

The 2022 Chardonnay comes bounding out of the glass with eager-to-please notes of juicy ripe pears, yellow apples, and powdered ginger with touches of acacia honey and lightly buttered toast. The medium-bodied palate has lovely harmony, with a satiny texture and a spicy kick to the finish. This wine was barrel fermented and aged in French oak. Native strains were used for alcoholic and malolactic fermentation and the wine is unfined and unfiltered. The Russian River Valley Chardonnay is a barrel selection from all of Hartford Court's Estate Designated Vineyard properties and select growers from all RRV neighborhoods: Middle Reach, Green Valley, Laguna Ridge, Santa Rosa Plain, and Sebastopol Hills. $30 Our Price $24.99 (Available GT)

Wine Spectator 94 Points
Drouhin Oregon Roserock Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills 2022

Supple and elegantly structured, with detailed raspberry and cherry flavors that are accented by rose petal, brown baking spices and orange peel as this glides toward polished tannins. Drink now through 2032. 15,100 cases made. $44 Our Price $35.99 (Arrives GT 7/19/24)

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Taste 2023 CRAGGY RANGE Sauvignon Blanc Martinborough Te Muna, 2022 Luli SLH Pinot Noir and 2022 Hartford Court MacLean's Block Pinot Noir at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Friday, July 19th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

Wine Spectator 94 Points
CRAGGY RANGE Sauvignon Blanc Martinborough Te Muna 2023

Fresh and precise, with lime, mango and passion fruit notes that are accented by crunchy sea salt, litsea oil, dried chamomile and fresh lemon zest on a mouthwatering, fleshy frame. Drink now. —M.W. $26

2022 Luli SLH Pinot Noir

Winemaker Notes: The 2022 Luli Pinot Noir embodies the combination of elegance and richness. This wine possesses a deep ruby hue and a mélange of exuberant aromas. Notes of Bing cherry and wild raspberry mingle with hints of cedar spice and delicate violets creating an enticing bouquet. The palate displays the broad textual notes common from these rugged hillsides of the Santa Lucia Highlands. Decomposed granite soils stressed the vines and 2022 was a particularly low yielding year. Vibrant flavors of juicy plum dance alongside muddled raspberries and layered tannins. This Pinot Noir wonderfully captures the cool, foggy weather of the Santa Lucia Highlands. $26

Lisa Perrotti-Brown,
The Wine Independent 95 POINTS
2022 Hartford Court MacLean's Block Pinot Noir

The 2022 Maclean's Block Pinot Noir is medium ruby-purple in color. Scents of ripe blackberries, mulberries, and boysenberries leap from the glass, followed by nuances of licorice, tar, and underbrush. The medium to full-bodied palate is bursting with blackberry and savory layers, supported by fine-grained tannins and a lively line, finishing earthy...It is named after Don & Jennifer Hartford's son MacLean. MacLean's Block is on a vineyard located on a gentle east-facing slope, east of the town of Occidental. $80

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Taste DOMAINE CHANDON Blanc De Blancs Los Carneros By The Bay Carneros Vineyard Reserve NV, Roederer Brut Collection 244 and 2014 Gaston Chiquet Millésime Carte d’Or Premier Cru Brut at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Saturday, July 20th. Available 12:00 noon -3:45 PM

Wine Spectator 92 points
DOMAINE CHANDON Blanc De Blancs Los Carneros By The Bay Carneros Vineyard Reserve NV

Unabashedly California is style, with bold and generous baked apple, Meyer lemon and yeast roll flavors that build richness on the long finish. Drink now. 15,000 cases made.—Tim Fish $32

James Suckling 94 Points
Roederer Brut Collection 244

The first impression is as invigorating as a sea breeze. I love the interplay of mirabelle, grapefruit and lychee fruit with minty freshness and waxiness from lees contact. And all this is welded to a beautifully proportioned palate with plenty of structure, the acidity bright and the mousse animating. Very salty finish that pulls you back for more. A cuvee of 41% chardonnay, 33% pinot noir and 26% pinot meunier. Of these, 15% fermented in oak and 85% in stainless steel. The final blend contained 36% reserve perpetual and 10% reserve wines of the 2012 - 2018 vintage from oak. The dosage is 7 g/l. $70

Antonio Galloni, Vinous 94 Points
Gaston Chiquet Millésime Carte d’Or Premier Cru Brut 2014

The 2014 Brut Millésime Carte d’Or is fabulous. Bright and beautifully sculpted, the 2014 is so impressive right out of the gate. Lemon peel, dried herbs, flowers, mint and sage all develop over time. Translucent and so expressive, the 2014 is a real knock-out. Disgorged: November, 2020. $75

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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