On deck for wine tasting next week at VRW:

Wine Spectator 94 Points
Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec Paraje Altamira Nicasia Vineyard 2021 | $120

Fresh and mineral-driven, this silky red delivers a pure beam of red currant and raspberry flavors, adding loam and tea leaf accents as this unfurls on the well-defined finish around plush tannins and a note of cocoa-dusted raspberry. Drink now through 2036. 1,667 cases made, 200 cases imported. $120

Wine Advocate 98 Points

2021 Peter Michael Au Paradis Cabernet

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Au Paradis is blended with 9% Cabernet Franc and 3% Merlot, and its aromas unfold over several minutes in the glass. Blueberry liqueur and a well of cassis give way to bresaola, grilled meats, bitter chocolate, leather, thyme and sage before a singular crescendo of pure violet perfume. The palate offers a seamless structure defined by smooth, velvety tannins and freshness that highlights its floral top notes; highly concentrated, detailed fruit; herbal, savory and mineral flavors; and fantastic length. Its ripeness is expertly restrained, and this world-class Cabernet, poised for a slow arc of maturation, is a great candidate for the cellar. 1,344 cases were made, and the Au Paradis will be released in July of 2024. $285

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Taste 2023 Merry Edwards Russian River Sauvignon Blanc and 2021 Chappellet Cabernet Franc at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $20 per person. (Limited: We will open one bottle of each wine for this tasting)
Tuesday, October 29th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

2023 Merry Edwards Russian River Sauvignon Blanc

WINEMAKER'S NOTES: We began making our Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc in 2001, and we have lovingly reproduced this delicious wine each vintage since. Winemaker Heidi von der Mehden follows specific protocols, including fermentation in French oak barrels and twice-weekly lees stirring, to craft this aromatic, lush bottling. The nose of the 2023 vintage features fragrant tropical aromas of white pineapple, passionfruit, mango and guava, with subtle hints of plumeria, lemon curd and lime zest. The palate is clean and bright, with accents of ruby red grapefruit, honeysuckle and ripe melon followed by a burst of crisp, refreshing acidity. $45

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

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Taste Ridge Vineyards: 2022 Ridge Three Valleys Sonoma County, 2021 Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel Blend and 2021 Ridge Zinfandel East Bench at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Wednesday, October 30th. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

Decanter Journal 94 Points
2022 Ridge Three Valleys Sonoma County

It is a departure for Ridge, as it's not a single vineyard wine but instead a blend of 10 different sites from throughout Sonoma County. Bright and delightful with savoury herbs, tart early-season blackberries, and muddled mint leaves, all vie for attention in this wine's generous aromatic show. A melange of wild mountain berries, mouthfuls of dried savoury garrigue and lavender, dashes of white pepper and an incredible lift to the finish which lingers for an eternity. Concentrated and refined. $35

Vinous 95 Points
Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel Blend 2021

The 2021 Lytton Springs is fabulous. Bright and vibrant to its core, the 2021 impresses with its poise. Readers will find a Lytton Springs that is very much in reserve, as opposed to the rest of the 2021s in this report, all of which are more approachable. Salivating acids and veins of tannin lend shape and persistence, but the 2021 needs time. Red cherry fruit, blood orange, rose petal and sage are some of the notes that linger on the close. $56

Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
2021 Ridge Zinfandel East Bench

Coming all from the Funsten Ranch in the Dry Creek Valley and 100% Zinfandel, the 2021 Zinfandel East Bench has a rich, more subtle style in its aromatics, with ripe plum, cigar, spice, and earthy nuances, and it certainly plays in the darker, red and black-fruited end of the spectrum. These all carry over to the palate, where the wine is medium to full-bodied, has a deep, expansive, concentrated mouthfeel, velvety tannins, terrific mid-palate density, and a gorgeous finish. This richly textured, incredibly impressive Zinfandel needs 2-3 years to gain additional complexity but will be long-lived, with another 15+ years of prime drinking ahead of it. $40

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Taste Staglin Estate: 2022 Salus Chardonnay, 2019 Salus Cabernet, 2016 Estate Cabernet, 2020 Estate Cabernet and 2019 Resa Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $35 per person. Hollis Nelson, Staglin Family Vineyard West Coast Sales Manager will join us for our Halloween tasting! (Limited: We will open two bottles of each wine for this tasting)
Thursday, October 31st. Available 3:30PM -5:45 PM

2022 Staglin Salus Napa Chardonnay

Winemaker's Tasting Notes: The 2022 Salus Chardonnay marries a complexity and refinement uncommon for the region with a dash of richness. Energetic honeysuckle and lemon zest aromatics open the experience. The first sip bursts with brightness and flavors of quince, grilled peach, lemon verbena, and subtle brioche before tastefully transitioning to a long finish of steadfast texture and composed acidity. This wine shows glimpses of the ripeness that the California sun has to offer and the restraint that we practice in the cellar. $60

2019 RESA Petaluma Gap Sonoma Pinot Noir

Winemaker Notes: The beautifully balanced Pinot Noir offers soft aromatics of cherries, currant and forest floor and that fresh rain feeling. The palate mimics the aromatics with soft tannins and fresh acidity. $100

2019 Staglin Family Salus Napa Cabernet

Winemaker Notes: Welcome to High Definition Cabernet – the 2019 Salus is a generous and deliciously detailed display of exuberant dark fruits dynamically supported by a range of floral, earthy and herbaceous characters. Lifted floral notes slide into resinous rosemary underlain by tilled earth and powdered porcini mushrooms complexed with a puff of gunpowder, graphite and criollo cigar wrapper. Bursting blackcurrant and ripe raspberry deepened by crushed cacao nibs and fresh licorice root envelop the palate before sliding silkily through a delightfully delineated and lengthy exit. The hint of grip and grit on the finish portends a rewarding and delicious life for this wine. $115

Wine Advocate 97
2016 Staglin Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate bursts out of the glass with beautiful black cherry compote, warm cassis and freshly crushed blackberries scents plus touches of chargrill, violets, dark chocolate and pencil shavings and a waft of English lavender. Full-bodied, the palate features great intensity combined with fantastic freshness, textured by soft, finely grained tannins and lifted by the most gorgeous floral perfume, finishing long and layered. Beautiful wine. $300

Karen MacNeil 95 Points
2020 Staglin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Staglin has long been one of Napa Valley’s A+++ wines, and a winery that hits homeruns year after year. 2020 was perhaps the most challenging year the Napa Valley has ever seen. Those wineries affected by smoke made no wine (for the most part). But the vineyards that were already harvested (or by luck of site and orientation were not affected), made stellar wine. This is one of those incredible wines. It’s an exquisite Cabernet with long swaths of blackberry and incense aromas and flavors. For this vintage, Staglin also used less new oak than it usually does, which has given the wine an extra lift of energy and vitality. Farmed organically. $325

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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 Our Price $44.95 (Available GT and VRW)

Wine Enthusiast 92 Points
2023 Morgan Metallico SLH Chardonnay

The unoaked Chardonnay trend is abating, but versions like this one make a strong case for keeping at least a few examples in play. Sharp aromas of citrus, honeydew, guava and jasmine touch on tropicality without going overboard. The palate is remarkably fresh, offering citrus, melon and plumeria flavors $25 Our Price $19.99 (Back in stock GT 10/30/24)

2019 Saddleback Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: On the nose, pleasing aromas of cassis, blackberry, bay leaf, cocoa, light oak and Earl Grey leaves. On the palate, it approaches with a velvety, silky tannins with a full mouthfeel. The well balanced minerality ends with a highly structured, but soft, strawberry, pomegranate and coffee finish. The tannins smoothly grip you on the first taste, but pleasantly soften into a gracefully spectacular wine. $80 (Back in stock GT 10/30/24)

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
2017 Michel Gonet Champagne Les Hautes Mottes Brut Nature

A collaboration with rockstar sommeliers Rajat Parr and Marco Pelletier, the 2017 Champagne Les Hautes Mottes Brut Nature lends a reflective straw appearance and is inflected with a fresh, floral perfume of fresh linen, candied lime, green apple, and shortbread. Linear and chalky, it has a pinpoint mousse that accents and complements its mineral-focused texture, with notes of crushed shells as well as a delicate floral and saline flourish. It’s long on the palate and very appealing. Drink 2024-2034. $150 Our Price $131.99 (Available GT and VRW)

Wine Spectator 94 Points
VILMART Brut Champagne Grand Cellier NV

A sculpted Champagne, rich but still elegant, with well-honed acidity and a panoply of flavors set on the raw silklike mousse. Delivers grilled macadamia nut and biscuit, white cherry and nectarine fruit, crystallized honey, lime blossom, star anise and smoke accents. Long, salty finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Disgorged January 2023. Drink now through 2033. 700 cases imported. —Alison Napjus. $89 Our Price $69.95 (Available GT and VRW)

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Taste Napa Cabernet Sauvignon: 2022 The Vice The House, 2021 Turnbull and 2021 Spottswoode Lyndenhurst at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $20 per person.
Friday, November 1st. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

James Sucking 92 Points
The Vice Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley The House 2022

Crushed blackcurrants and blackberries with notes of sweet spices and wet stones. Full and creamy with fine tannins and a deep core of fruit. Velvety and succulent. Try from 2026. $35

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
2021 Turnbull Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

The appellation 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is a killer value that should be snatched up by readers. Ripe black fruits, roasted herbs, chocolate, and some spicy wood define the bouquet and it s full-bodied, has fine tannins, a glossy, layered texture, and outstanding length. It certainly has a modern edge, but is impeccably made. Enjoy bottles over the coming decade. $50

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
2021 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Lyndenhurst

The second wine of this incredible estate, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Lyndenhurst reveals a deep purple hue as well as a great nose of assorted currants, black cherries, tobacco, and lead pencil. It's beautifully concentrated, has medium to full-bodied richness, and ripe tannins, all making for an undeniably delicious, classic, balanced Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon to drink over the coming 10-15 years. $110

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Taste 2022 Talbott Sleepy Hollow Chardonnay, 2017 Siduri Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard and 2022 Paul Lato Pinot Noir Lancelot Pisoni Vineyard at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person
Saturday, November 2nd. Available 12:00 noon -3:45 PM

Vinous Media 92 Points
2022 Talbott Sleepy Hollow Chardonnay

The 2022 Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard is a richer, more forward style of Chardonnay. A lovely hug of spicy French oak wraps around a sweet, ripe pear fruit core. Textural intensity is the order of the day-this wine spent much of its maturation period on the lees, which softened its edges in a really pleasant fashion. A forgivable tick of heat emerges on the finish, but this is attractive enough to look past that. $35

Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
2017 Siduri Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard

From a site just beside Gary's, yet planted in 2008 and 2009, the 2017 Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard was completely destemmed (Adam doesn't like the stems from younger vines) and spent 11 months in 40% French. It offers plenty of black cherry, scorched earth, black raspberry, and forest floor notes as well as a medium to full-bodied, rounded, nicely textured, layered style on the palate. $55

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

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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