WOW-58% OFF!

Winemaker Notes: The 2021 G3 Chardonnay shows layered aromas of nectarine and Bartlett pear accented with hints of hazelnut, butterscotch, and faint flint. The palate opens soft, supple, and juicy showing lively flavors of pineapple, peach, and tangerine. The wine's structure brightens and lifts into a dazzling finish with intense notes of lemon zest, citrus pith balanced with sweet toast and honey. $15 Our Price $6.25 (Arrives GT this afternoon)

***********

On deck for wine tasting next week at VRW:

Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
2021 Hess Collection Lion Tamer Napa Valley Cabernet

Polished and perfumed, this elegant wine drinks easily now but has the balance and quiet concentration to help it improve for several years. Lush black cherries, black currants and blueberries fill the palate, buoyed on moderate tannins and spiced with toast, cinnamon and cedar notes from oak barrels. Blended with 8% Malbec. $65

2020 The Mascot Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: The Mascot is a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon made from distinct hillside vineyards; specifically the younger vines of BOND, Harlan Estate, and Promontory. It started out as a small project shared among the family, winemaking team, and close friends. Drawing fruit from blocks of recently replanted vineyards, The Mascot shares a glimpse into the evolution of its parent estates: a youthful snapshot of their future. A vibrant purity manifests within this vintage’s generosity, which advances without excess of weight or volume. Aromas of gentle red fruit give way, eventually, to a savory darkness and finely wrought core. An effortless, structural tension transforms into a silky softness on the palate that envelopes The Mascot’s inner depth and dimension. The 2020 vintage resonates rather than roars: its intricate threads of tannin, acidity, and nuance interweave to form a complete expression that shimmers with sensory detail. $185

***********

Taste Pinot Noir: 2021 Bravium Anderson Valley, 2023 Meadowcroft Anderson Valley and 2022 Domaine de la Côte Sta. Rita Hills La Côte at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $20 per person.
Thursday, September 5th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
2021 Bravium Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

This beautiful expression of Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley emits immediate aromas of bright red cherry, raspberry and red plum complemented by earthy tones of roses, violets, damp forest floor, fresh mountain air and river-rock minerality. This depth and complexity follows through onto the palate, where fine-grained tannins create a silky texture. Elevated acidity maintains a sense of freshness from start to lingering finish. $32

Wine Enthusiast 94 Points
2023 Meadowcroft Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

This wine is rich, with aromas of raspberry, strawberry, vanilla cream, dried herbs and florals. Flavors on the palate are ripe berries and candied orange rind, intertwined with Bing cherry, dried clove and a dry, supple finish. Pair with roasted duck breast and cherry compote. —T.P $42

Wine Spectator 96 Points
2022 Domaine de la Côte Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills La Côte

This sports dark cherry, currant and raspberry fruit flavors that are mulled in feel, but kept taut and lively by a torrent of acidity, while sage, warm earth, white pepper, savory and flint notes bounce around. Overall a bit sauvage in feel, this is a compelling wine, but needs cellaring to tame it and allow it to stretch out. Best from 2026 through 2038. 368 cases made. $155

***********

Wine Spectator 90 Points
Louis Michel & Fils Chablis 2022

Bright and succulent, this open and enjoyable white exhibits peach, melon, thyme and flint notes, offering fine balance and a persistent finish. Drink now through 2027. 1,650 cases imported. $44 Our Price $34.95 (Arrives GT 9/6/24)

James Suckling 91 Points
Domaine de la Solitude Côtes du Rhône 2022

A juicy, delicious and fruit-driven blend of grenache, syrah and mourvedre. Notes of strawberries, candied cherries and baking spices follow through to a medium body with fine tannins. It's playful, juicy and everything you expect from a Cotes-du-Rhone with a spicy flair. $17 Our Price $14.99

Wine Enthusiast 94 Points
2022 Morgan Twelve Clones Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir

Focused and well integrated aromas of dark plum, raspberry, scarlet red rose and all of the baking spices make for a very elegant and appealing nose on this bottling. Baked boysenberry and Luxardo cherry flavors are cut by creamy chai spices on the palate. —M.K. $39 Our Price $32.99 (Arrives GT 9/6/24)

Jeb Dunnuck 98 Points
2021 Herman Story Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard

I always love Russell's take on this vineyard and the 2021 Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard is up with the best I've tasted from him. Sporting a deep purple hue as well as a gorgeous perfume of ripe red and blackberries, spring flowers, graphite, black pepper, and hints of game, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, spicy, incredibly complex style, polished tannins, and fabulous length on the finish. This ripe, blockbuster-styled Syrah stays flawlessly balanced, has polished tannins, and no hard edges. I love it today, yet it will keep for a solid decade. $78 Our Price $69.99 (Back in stock GT 9/10/24)

**********

Taste 2020 Macauley Bacigalupi Vineyard Chardonnay Russian River, 2021 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley and 2021 Laird Family Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Friday, September 6th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

2020 Macauley Bacigalupi Vineyard Chardonnay Russian River

Winemaker Notes: Expressive and balanced, showing notes of cream, pear, hazelnut, and apricot, with stony minerality that makes this Chardonnay absolutely wonderful. $48

Wine Spectator 91 Points
Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2021

A polished, friendly style, with boysenberry and blackberry pâte de fruit notes cruising through to the polished, licorice-accented finish. Drink now through 2032. 20,464 cases made. $39

Wine Spectator 93 Points
Laird Family Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2021

A lush, flattering style, with warmed cassis, fresh açaí berry and boysenberry pâte de fruit notes pressed together by bittersweet cocoa–accented toast. Dark and winey through the finish, with a streak of tar underneath that gives the lush fruit a solid grounding. Best from 2025 through 2037. 1,400 cases made. $70

**********

Taste French Sparking Wine and Champagne: NV Henri Champliau Authentique Brut Cremant de Bourgogne, Piper-Heidsieck Extra Brut Champagne Essentiel NV and 2014 Delamotte Champagne Blanc De Blancs at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $20 per person.
Saturday, September 7th. Available 12:00 noon -3:45 PM

Decanter Journal 96 Points
NV Henri Champliau Authentique Brut Cremant de Bourgogne France

Intense citrus, peach, custard apple and toasted brioche aromas with a lush, creamy textured mousse and a mouthwateringly vibrant acidity. Long, crisp, zesty and luxurious. $30

Wine Spectator 93 Points
Piper-Heidsieck Extra Brut Champagne Essentiel NV

Toasty on the nose, with hints of grilled nut, smoke and spices transitioning on the palate to accent flavors of baked nectarine, candied ginger and mandarin orange peel. Harmonious and expressive, with a fine, raw, silky mousse and pretty lime blossom and graphite accents on the finish. Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Disgorged November 2021. Drink now. 1,347 cases imported. $70

Jeb Dunnuck 94+ Points
2014 Delamotte Champagne Blanc De Blancs

Linear and focused, the bright straw-colored 2014 Champagne Blanc De Blancs is lifted with mineral aromas of chalky earth and flinty notes followed by green apple, powdery floral aromas, and lime candy. Bright and electric on the palate, its long, fresh spine of acidity propels the wine forward, with mouthwatering saline and a mineral-tinged backbone. A wine that commands attention, it has a fine mousse and is focused and long on the palate, with vibrant citrus. It’s going to have significant longevity over the coming 20 years. It saw 6.5 gram per liter dosage. $135

**********

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