On deck for wine tasting next week at VRW:

2022 Kongsgaard Napa Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: Our historic blend of the Hudson and Hyde vineyards is augmented in 2022 with fruit from the spectacular Coombsville estate planted by Warren Winiarski for a wine of both energy and opulence. In line with the previous bottlings, the wine is defined by the tension of citrus and honeyed aromas over a vibrant, saline, mineral finish. When Robert Parker was visiting, he called this the Bâtard-Montrachet of Napa. CA Market Price $140-$200.

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Taste 2022 Domaine Delaye Saint Veran les Pierres Grises, 2020 Chateau d'Angles La Clape Classique Rouge and 2021 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.

(Limited: We will open two bottles of each wine for this tasting)
Tuesday, October 15th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

2022 Domaine Delaye Saint Veran les Pierres Grises

Winemaker Notes: This bright, refreshing and mineral-accented Chardonnay bursts with flavors of white peach, citrus peel, crushed rock, and jasmine tea. The elegance really comes through on the lacy, sea-spray finish. $22

James Suckling 91 Points
Chateau d'Angles La Clape Classique Rouge 2020

A solid and compact red with notes of blackberries, dark plums, tar, leather, chocolate and hazelnuts. Medium- to- full-bodied with fine, firm tannins. Structured at this stage with volume and texture on the mid-palate. Excellent length in the finish. Best after 2025. $20

Wine Spectator 94 Points
Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2021

Toasty, meaty and inviting, this fresh red shows an understated, savory side, with notes of singed spices, mesquite, wet earth and fresh tobacco leaf flanking a silky range of plum and warm cherry compote flavors. This channels its terroir, with a round feel held in check by refined tannins, while the finish is lined with cool minerality and heavy iron. Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Counoise, Vaccarèse, Terret Blanc, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul de Pinet, Bourboulenc, Picardan and Roussanne. Drink now through 2030. 3,470 cases made. $102

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Taste 2022 Bonterra The Roost Blue Heron Vineyard Mendocino Chardonnay and 2021 Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $35 per person. (Limited: We will open one bottle of each wine for this tasting)
Wednesday, October 16th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

Wine Enthusiast 93
2022 Bonterra The Roost Blue Heron Vineyard Mendocino Chardonnay

This wine is fresh, luscious, youthful stone fruit, citrus blossoms, interlaced baking spices, fried banana, melon, white flowers, zipping into zesty lemon, Kaffir lime, baked apple with a minerally finish. Enjoy with the sunshine and seafood. $30

Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points
2021 Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello is based on 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot that was raised in mostly new American oak. It reminds me of the 2016 with its beautifully balanced, seamless style, and it has a riveting perfume of pure crème de cassis, sweet tobacco, lead pencil shavings, and violet-laced aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, flawlessly balanced, and absolutely seamless, it's a gorgeous Mont Bello that's surprisingly already accessible, yet it won't hit full maturity for 7-8 years but will have 30+ years of longevity. $315

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Taste 2021 Antinori Toscana Villa Antinori, 2019 Rocca di Frassinello Le Sughere di Frassinello and 2021 Antinori Tignanello Toscana at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $20 per person.
Thursday, October 17th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

Wine Spectator 92 Points
Antinori Toscana Villa Antinori 2021

Cherry, pomegranate and plum aromas and flavors are the main themes in this dense red, punctuated with loam, spice, mineral and wild rosemary notes. Harmonious and solidly built, this picks up steam through the long, fruit- and savory-infused aftertaste. Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Best from 2027 through 2043. 130,000 cases made, 37,369 cases imported. $25

James Suckling 92 Points
Rocca di Frassinello Le Sughere di Frassinello 2019

Aromas of plums, black cherries, blackberries, tomato leaf, dried herb and spice box. Medium-to full-bodied with firm, polished tannins. Rich and fleshy on the palate with a lots of black fruit. Flavorful finish. Try from 2023. $26

Wine Advocate 98 Points
2021 Antinori Tignanello Toscana

First made in 1971, this legendary Italian wine now celebrates its 50th birthday. Happy Birthday, Tignanello! The Marchesi Antinori 2021 Tignanello (made with 79% Sangiovese, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc) pulls on all the heartstrings. To be released in May, the wine shows a quintessentially pretty taste profile with tart fruit flavors, redcurrant, tea leaf, heritage rose, crushed white pepper, licorice, nutmeg, clove and chopped mint. It opens slowly to reveal more richness and exuberance with time, becoming downright voluptuous and heady a short while later. The through line, however, remains the bright freshness and minerality of Sangiovese. Compared to the 2018 vintage (which I also loved), this vintage has more overall fruit weight and volume. $180

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Vinous 90 Points
2023 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Blanc

The 2023 Patelin de Tablas Blanc bursts from the glass with a flourish of sweet herbs and spring flowers. It displays a balanced inner sweetness and crisp white pit fruits, coming across juicy yet also full of zesty tension. It finishes refreshing and long, with a sensation of liquid stone that lingers on.$28 Our Price $21.99 (Back in stock GT 10/16/24)

Jeb Dunnuck 92 Points
2021 Hartford Court Russian River Pinot

A youthful and saturated ruby hue, the 2021 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley is ripe and spicy, with aromas of fresh pine, cherry liqueur, and fresh wildflowers. Medium to full-bodied, with ample richness on the palate, it reveals notes of ripe berries, turned forest floor, and toasted baking spice, and it has a classic feel, with good structure and a long finish. Drink it over the next few years. 15,000 cases were produced. $42 Our Price $33.99 (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)

2022 Broadside Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: Inviting warm aromas featuring notes of violets, pomegranate, herbes de Provence, cedar, and baker’s chocolate. A soft mouthfeel with supple and concentrated flavors of plum, cherry cola and blackberry pie filling, all supported by melting, dusty tannins. Pair with baked feta and plum tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and served over pasta. $20 Our Price $14.99 (Available GT)

Jeb Dunnuck 98+ Points
2019 O'Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is an incredible wine, and it flirts with perfection. Full-bodied and concentrated, it has flawless balance and elegance as well as just textbook Howell Mountain notes of blue fruits, cassis, violets, graphite, and background oak. I love its tannins, it has remarkable purity of fruit, and a great, great finish. It has some appeal today yet deserves 4-5 years of bottle age and should have over two decades of longevity. $110 (Available GT and VRW)

Wine Spectator 96 Points
2022 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills Machado

Offers a beautiful, steady stream of blood orange, bitter cherry and raspberry coulis notes stitched finely with subtle rooibos tea, singed sandalwood, dried anise and savory details. Feels pinpoint in focus, with serious length on the finish thanks to the nicely buried mineral tension. Drink now through 2038. 586 cases made. $85 (Available GT and VRW)

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Taste 2023 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Rosé, 2020 Chateau Buena Vista Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and 2021 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Napa Cabernet Sauvignon at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Friday, October 18th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
2023 Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Rosé

Soft peach, watermelon and rose petal aromas hold their poise for days on the nose of this blend of 71% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 8% Vermentino and 1% Counoise. The palate is energetic and and stony in texture, offering crisp pomegranate and orange peel flavors. $28

James Suckling 94 Points
2020 Chateau Buena Vista Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

Expressive and lush nose of creamy berries, dark cherries, vanilla, cassis and sweet oak spices. Full body with fine, creamy tannins. Rich and full of generous creamy berries and an equally demonstrative and dense finish with excellent length. Better from 2025. $45

Decanter Journal 96 Points
2021 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

A blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc, and half a % each of Malbec and Merlot, aged 15 months in 33% new French oak. The bottling includes the following sources: 51% Atlas Peak District; 14% Battuello Vineyard in St. Helena, 12% Arcadia Vineyard in Coombsville and 5% Twin Creeks Vineyard in Wooden Valley (in Suisun Valley) and from sources in Stags Leap. Super approachable and fairly easy-drinking at the pull of the cork. Youthful blue fruit aromatics mingle with blackberry, graphite, and violet florals. Full-bodied with fine-grained satiny tannins and the same exuberant blue and black fruit, tinged with cinnamon and Mexican mocha through a lengthy slate-stone and cedarwood-rich finish. Drinking Window: 2024-2040. $90

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Taste Avissi Extra Dry Prosecco, DEUTZ Brut Champagne Classic and Vilmart Brut Champagne Grande Réserve at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Saturday, October 19th. Available 12:00 noon -3:45 PM

Avissi Extra Dry Prosecco

Producer Notes: Honeysuckle and gardenia make for sweet and delicate scents. The melting bubbles land gracefully, accentuating flavors of linen and orange cream. White rice and Asian pear dot the mid-palate, leading to a finish redolent of green apple. The liquid is as unique as the memorable packaging. $20

Wine Spectator 92 Points
DEUTZ Brut Champagne Classic NV (Review Published 2024)

Graphite and mineral hints underscore the ripe and appealing notes of white cherry, nectarine, pomelo and pickled ginger on display in this bright, elegant version, with a finely detailed mousse. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Drink now. 166,667 cases made, 5,833 cases imported. —Alison Napjus $59

Wine Spectator 92 Points
Vilmart Brut Champagne Grande Réserve NV (Review Published 9/2/2024)

Vivid acidity creates a mouthwatering frame for the white raspberry, blood orange, salted Marcona almond and star anise flavors carried on the lightly chalky mousse of this sleek and focused Champagne. Lightly briny and lingering on the finish. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Disgorged July 2023. Drink now through 2029. 750 cases imported. Half Bottle $50.

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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