On deck for wine tasting next week at VRW:

JEB DUNNUCK 95 POINTS
2021 Chappellet Cabernet Franc

Looking first at the 2021 Cabernet Franc, this beauty is based on 78% Cabernet Franc, 7% each Merlot and Malbec, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Red and black currants, fresh figs, savory flowers, spicy wood, and some camphor notes all soar from the glass, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a pure, elegant mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and outstanding length. This is a stunning Cabernet Franc to enjoy over the coming 15 years or more. $130

Jeb Dunnuck 96 Points
2022 Paul Lato Pinot Noir Lancelot Pisoni Vineyard

All destemmed and brought up in 65% new barrels, the 2022 Pinot Noir Lancelot Pisoni Vineyard is more closed and reserved yet blossoms with air, revealing high-quality red and blackberry-like fruits, some earthy mineral and floral notes, medium-bodied richness, a pure, focused mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish. This beauty has a terrific sense of elegance, as well as minerality, and it will evolve beautifully over the coming decade. It's an incredibly refined, elegant, seamless expression of this site. $105

Wine Spectator 97 Points
Louis Latour Corton Château Corton Grancey 2022

Rich and spicy, this red features ample cherry, raspberry, rose hip and stony mineral flavors. Silky, yet with a fine underpinning of refined tannins, ending in a resonant aftertaste. The terrific harmony, structure and length signal its future potential. Best from 2027 through 2045. 1,700 cases made, 450 cases imported. $240

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Taste 2021 and 2022 Kongsgaard Chardonnay at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $25 per person. (Limited: We will open one bottle of each wine for this tasting)
Tuesday, October 22nd. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

2021 Kongsgaard Napa Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: Our historic blend of the Hudson and Hyde vineyards shows the classic tangerine oil and crème brûlée richness of aroma over intense marzipan and nectarine flavors. The palate is broad, but still well mannered. The finish is long and positively saline–dare we say “minerality?” Back when Robert Parker was visiting, he called this the Bâtard-Montrachet of Napa. CA Market Price $130-$299

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 $138-$200.

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Taste 2022 Pinot Noir: Admire Sonoma Coast, Merry Edwards Winery Russian River Valley and Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills Machado at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $20 per person.
Wednesday, October 23rd. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

2022 Admire Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

Winemaker Notes: This elegant wine pleases with fresh raspberry aromas accented with vanilla and deepened with a soft earthy tone. The lush palate is round and textured with refreshing acidity and silky tannins. It’s a journey that’s been years in the making, but for Dan Kosta, the love of Pinot Noir is a journey that will never end. $33

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
2022 Merry Edwards Winery Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

Boasting a rich magenta/ruby hue, the 2022 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley is classic and very much in the style lovers of this estate have come to expect. It’s ripe with notes of fresh black cherries, scorched earth, violets, and dark forest earth. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with sweet tannins and is generous without feeling heavy. Long on the finish and fully dry. It’s a very well-styled Pinot Noir from this challenging vintage that’s going to drink well over the next 6-8 years. $60

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

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Taste 2020 Unknown Brother Santa Barbara Syrah, 2022 Linne Calodo The Slacker Computer Geek GSM and 2022 TORBRECK The Struie Barossa at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Thursday, October 24th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

2020 Unknown Brother Santa Barbara Syrah

Winemaker Notes: The wine opens with a bouquet of lavender, wild blueberries, camphor oil, and bergamont. On the palate it is fresh and savory, with black cherry, Herbs de provence, melted licorice, and white pepper. Unique to this vintage are the spice notes of cardamon, cinnamon stick, graham cracker crust, and cloves that add depth and complexity. We held onto this vintage a little longerin bottle to allow all the components to mesh together. The wine gets better with air, so decanting is highly recommended. $60

2022 Linne Calodo The Slacker Computer Geek

Winemaker Notes: The 2022 Computer Geek is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Mourvedre from the Linne Calodo estates. Aromas of strawberry, raspberry, cardamom and wet loam anticipate flavors of black plum, blackberry and mocha. The palate is flush, focused and spicy with energetic textures. Whole-cluster notes of peppercorn and clove linger on a deep, integrated finish. A wine for those in the know. 77% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 8% Carignan, 5% Mourvedre. $55

Wine Spectator 94 Points
TORBRECK The Struie Barossa 2022

Dense and powerful, featuring a concentrated mix of blackberry, huckleberry and blueberry syrup flavors on a velvety frame, with details of Pu'er tea, dark chocolate, singed palo santo, candied walnut, black pepper and toffee that linger. Despite all the concentration, there's a lovely sense of elegance, with an open-knit frame and a long, lingering finish. Shiraz. Drink now through 2037. —M.W. $55

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2020 Thread Feathers Stags Leap Cabernet

Winemaker Notes: This 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is a stunning expression of the Stags Leap District growing region. Grown on an eastern facing hillside on the west side of Silverado Trail, this wine is bright and opulent with dark fruit notes of dark cherry and blueberry compote and hints of baking spice, cedar, violet and crushed stone. This wine is rich with beautiful structure, balance and polished tannins. 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. $40 Our Price $34.99 (Back in stock GT this afternoon)

2023 Domaine de la Solitude Cotes du Rhone Blanc

Winemaker Notes: This wine is a blend of three varietals. The Clairette brings the freshness and zest of citrus, the Viognier the aromatic depth and roundness, and the Grenache the notes of white flowers. The grapes are harvested early in the morning and completely destemmed. The fermentation in stainless-steel vats preserves the full aromatic freshness. The wine has a nose of citrus and apricots, a round and generous mouthfeel, and a fresh and flavorful finish. $19 Our Price $14.99 (Back in stock tomorrow GT and VRW)

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 Our Price $54.99 (Available GT and VRW)

2023 Mary Taylor Bordeaux Blanc

Producer Notes: Sourced from vineyards that surround the winery and fermented without oak to preserve the underlying expression of its classic terroir, this is Sauvignon Blanc as channeled through the unique prism of Bordeaux, offering the enhanced texture, elegance, and richness of body that are the region’s hallmarks. According to Jean Marc, part of that depth also results from the small touch of Sémillon (the region’s “other” white grape) he includes in the blend, which imparts a certain “je ne sais quoi” that immediately conjures white Bordeaux. With its cleansing freshness and acidity and flavors of citrus and melon, it’s a quintessential oyster wine, but has all the necessary structure to stand up to richer fish and shellfish dishes. $15 Our Price $13.39 (Back in stock GT 10/23/24)

Wine Spectator 97 Points
Louis Latour Corton Château Corton Grancey 2022

Rich and spicy, this red features ample cherry, raspberry, rose hip and stony mineral flavors. Silky, yet with a fine underpinning of refined tannins, ending in a resonant aftertaste. The terrific harmony, structure and length signal its future potential. Best from 2027 through 2045. 1,700 cases made, 450 cases imported. $240 (Available 10/23/24)

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Taste 2020 Thread Feathers Stags Leap Cabernet, 2018 Laird Family Jillian's Blend Napa Valley and 2021 Laird Family Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Friday, October 25th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

2020 Thread Feathers Stags Leap Cabernet

Winemaker Notes: This 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is a stunning expression of the Stags Leap District growing region. Grown on an eastern facing hillside on the west side of Silverado Trail, this wine is bright and opulent with dark fruit notes of dark cherry and blueberry compote and hints of baking spice, cedar, violet and crushed stone. This wine is rich with beautiful structure, balance and polished tannins. 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. $40

Wine Spectator 93 Points
Laird Family Jillian's Blend Napa Valley 2018

On the slightly rugged, old-school style of the spectrum, with a core of steeped red and black currant fruit backed by a burly structure and notes of chestnut, sage and bay leaf. Shows singed cedar and alder notes that thread up the finish, with nice latent energy. For fans of the gutsy style. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2036. 2,380 cases made. $58

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

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Taste three vintages of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Napa Cabernet Sauvignon at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $20 per person. (Limited: We will open 2 bottles for this tasting)
Saturday, October 26th. Available 12:00 noon -3:45 PM

James Suckling 93 Points
2018 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

A chewy red with blackberry, blackcurrant and dark-chocolate character. Full-bodied with polished tannins and a savory finish. Drink or hold. $80

James Suckling 93 Points
2019 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

Cassis, dried blueberries, violets, ink, graphite, dried leaves and cigar box on the nose. Full-bodied with firm, polished tannins. Smooth and supple with excellent balance and length. Drink from 2023. $80

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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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