On deck for wine tasting next week at VRW:

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
2022 Perchance Estates Sauvignon Blanc Beckstoffer Melrose Vineyard

From vines planted in 2000 and brought up in 75% new French oak, the 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Beckstoffer Melrose Vineyard is a brilliant white revealing classic lemon and floral notes, as well as some background tropical and spicy nuances. With great acidity, medium body, and beautiful overall balance, this will stand toe to toe with a great Bordeaux Blanc. It should evolve for 10-15 years, but I love it today. $135

Wine Spectator 92 Points
Michele Satta Bolgheri Superiore Piastraia 2020

Shows aromas of fresh black cherry and blackberry that are pure and expressive, accented by wild herbs, cedar, iron and spices. Dense, yet balanced and fresh, with refined tannins gracing the lingering finish. Merlot, Sangiovese, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2024 through 2035. 2,900 cases made, 1,300 cases imported. $45

2023 Ghost Block MorgaenLee Sauvignon Blanc

Winemaker Notes: Pronounced aromas waft immediately from the glass with just-ripe peaches, lemon, grapefruit, and honeydew with subtle notes of jasmine. The palate matches the fruit aromas of this well-rounded and medium-bodied wine with a mid-palate tangy acidity followed by a mouthwatering finish. $25

Wine Spectator 93 Points
Giuseppe Cortese Barbaresco 2020

A fresh, juicy red highlighted by cherry, plum, tar, grass and eucalyptus flavors. Gains support from vibrant acidity and pliable tannins as this cruises to a long aftertaste of fruit, vegetal and mineral notes. Best from 2026 through 2040. 850 cases made, 500 cases imported. $40

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Taste 2022 ETUDE Chardonnay Carneros Grace Benoist Ranch, 2021 Peju Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and 2022 Caterwaul Napa Cabernet Sauvignon at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Thursday, July 25th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

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

2021 Peju Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

Our 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon exudes a captivating blend of ripe fruit aromas, accompanied by subtle spicy undertones and delicate hints of blue fruit and cocoa. On the palate, it unfolds with a velvety texture, revealing layers of juicy plum preserve and red fruit flavors, intertwined with nuances of cedar box shavings. This wine strikes a harmonious balance, offering a creamy mouthfeel and well-integrated silky tannins that lead to a smooth and lingering finish. $75

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

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2023 La Bernarde Cotes de Provence Les Hauts de Luc Rose

Winemaker Notes: Bright and minerally focused, displaying blood orange rind, wild strawberry and delicate floral aromas in the glass. Energetic and precise on the palate, offering raspberry, red currant, pomelo, nectarine and crushed rocks. $21 Our Price $17.99 (Available GT and VRW)

2022 La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Winemaker Notes: La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir offers aromas of raspberry, cranberry, black licorice, and exotic tea notes. On the palate, red cherry, plum, and boysenberry, subtle hints of espresso and cocoa nib underpin notes of spice and toast. Firm yet integrated tannins and bright acidity drives a long finish. $28 Our Price $24.99 (Available GT and VRW)

Wine Spectator 93 Points
Aston Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2021

This pumps out tasty mulberry and black cherry fruit paste flavors, which show drive and focus as singed anise, warm earth and black tea notes come into play. Reveals late savory and bramble notes, which inject a nice hint of wild energy into the well-structured finish. Best from 2024 through 2030. 1,500 cases made. $45 (Available GT and VRW)

Wine Spectator 94 Points
ALBAN Syrah Edna Valley Patrina Alban Estate 2021

Plump and polished, with sleekly layered black raspberry flavors that are accented by dark chocolate, savory meat and cracked pepper tones that sail on the long and savory finish. Drink now through 2033. —T.F. $58 (Available GT and VRW)

James Suckling 94 Points
2022 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Spatlese

Fascinating nose of vanilla bean, licorice, white peach and melon. Giant wet stone freshness that pushes the unfermented grape sweetness, inherent to this style, way into the background. Firm structure at the long, cool and subtly earthy finish. Drink or hold. Winemaker Notes - The extremely steep Brauneberg hillside is an isolated, south-facing slope that is one of the drier vineyards in the area, a great advantage in this wet, northern climate. The Juffer vineyard surrounds the smaller Juffer Sonnenuhr on three sides, extending both upstream and down- stream, as well as above the sundial. This vineyard produces lighter, more delicate wines than the warmer, riper Sonnenuhr vineyard. The late-picked Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Spätlese has fine, forceful fruit in the aroma, a linear focus on the palate and a pure slate finish. $38 Our Price $31.99 (Available GT)

Wine Advocate 94 Points
2022 Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto

Made with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the Tenuta San Guido 2022 Guidalberto gives you a good taste of the same DNA that brings us one of Italy's greatest wines, Sassicaia, but it's offered in a more immediate style here (thanks to the addition of the Merlot). This warm vintage opens to medium-dark concentration and very plump aromas that take you immediately to blackberry and blackcurrant sitting out in the sun at your local farmers market. The wine shows a soft and gentle side with a pretty level of elegance transmitted through the fruit freshness and the light oak spice that is discernible here but delivered with grace. $76 Our Price $68.99 (Available GT and VRW)

James Suckling 92 Points
2022 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Pfalz Trocken

Deep nose with stacks of spice plus flinty and leesy complexity. The ripe stone fruit character emerges more and more with each swirl of the glass. A generous mouthful of extremely harmonious dry riesling. A touch of fine tannin deftly supports the finish. A good two-thirds fermented in stainless steel, the remainder in large neutral oak. From biodynamically grown grapes. Vegan. Drink or hold. Screw cap. $20 Our Price $17.99 (Available GT and VRW)

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Taste 2022 Drouhin Oregon Roserock Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills, 2021 Leviathan Proprietary Red and 2021 Sequoia Grove Napa Cabernet Sauvignon at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Friday, July 26th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

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

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
2021 Leviathan Proprietary Red

Always a good value, the 2021 California Red Wine is no exception and has darker berry fruits, some leafy herb, sage, lavender, and chocolate nuances, full-bodied richness, and a lush, round, seamless style that's already impossible to resist. This is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon (with plenty of other red varieties), and it should shine for 7-8 years, if not a decade, although I would drink this puppy in its youth. $40

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 2022 Gramercy Cellars Picpoul Walla Walla, 2021 Mondavi Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and 2021 Teeter-Totter Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Saturday, July 27th. Available 12:00 noon -3:45 PM

Wine Spectator 93 Points
Gramercy Cellars Picpoul Walla Walla Valley 2022

Brisk and refreshing, this white features distinctive flavors of green apple, grapefruit and lemon that zip along the mineral-laden finish. Drink now. 900 cases made. $22

Jeb Dunnuck 91 Points
2021 Mondavi Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

The classic 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is outstanding, with a more black fruit-driven profile as well as some violet and scorched earth nuances. Aged 18 months in 32% new French oak, it's medium to full-bodied, has a lifted, perfumed profile, supple tannins, and a great finish. Enjoy bottles over the coming decade. Maturity 2023-2033. $50

Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
2021 Teeter-Totter Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley comes mostly from Rutherford and is an interesting blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Charbono, Zinfandel, and Petite Sirah that was brought up in 65% new French oak. It's a terrific wine offering classic currant fruits, some baking chocolate and spicy nuances, medium to full-bodied, ripe tannins, beautiful balance, and outstanding length. California needs more wines like this. Drink this beauty over the coming decade. $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