12 Picks

• One case (12 bottles) every quarter
• Mix of red and white wines - focusing on the unique and little-known
• $300 to $325 per shipment (plus shipping)

September 2022 12-Picks Club

 

Red Wines

 

2019 Washington Street Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 92+ Points

With airing this lovely Cab unfolds to reveal classic Napa Cabernet aromas. The nose is an elegant, focused perfume of sweet black cherry, dark sour cherry, black raspberry, pomegranate sorbet, dry dark rose, clove, cedar, vanilla, toffee, baking spice and star anise. As it airs the texture grows racy, as mineral notes, tannic grip and piquant zest create a supple firmness. The finish is sleek and lingering, with focused flavors of cherry, pomegranate, raspberry coulis, clove, cedar, mace and star anise. A delicious dinner wine now, it will grow ever more so for the next two years and beyond. Blended with 7% Merlot, 4% Syrah and 3% Cabernet Franc. 560 cases made.

 

2020 Trig Point Merlot Diamond Dust Vineyard Alexander Valley

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 91 Points

Forthcoming and fruit-centric, the nose of this fine Merlot focuses on scents of sour red cherry, blackberry, dark rose, star anise, mace and a hint of peppercorn. Those flavors prove as bright on the palate, where firming tannins join to frame-in flavors that closely mirror the aromas. The finish is a lingering balanced mélange with cherry and licorice notes at center-stage and a balance built for food service.

 

2020 RouteStock Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 91 Points

This Pinot Noir opens with a genteel, intriguing harmony of fruity and savory scents, as dark cherry and dark boysenberry counterpoint notes of baking spice, black tea leaf, forest earth and mushroom. It is both firmer and more savory than expected on the palate where bittersweet notes of hazelnut husk and star anise join with tannin to create a gripping feel to brace the core of cherry fruit. That harmony carries through a balanced and lingering finish and this already well evolved bottling should pair nicely with veal scaloppini, roast duck and the like.

 

2019 Odonata Malbec Pedrigal Vineyard San Benito County

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 91 Points

Odonata’s new Malbec opens with bright, focused, forthright aromas of red plum, blueberry, raspberry cobbler and mocha. It is medium-bodied and gently zesty on the palate where cranberry, red plum and red currant flavors dominate. The finish is lingering, food balanced and sweet-natured, with mace, mocha, licorice root and red fruit flavors in fine harmony. It is ready to enjoy. 350 cases produced.

 

2020 Sextant Zinfandel “Wheelhouse” Paso Robles

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 91 Points

This is a ripe and ready Zin with juicy aromas of black raspberry, blackberry, dark cherry, pomegranate molasses, black peppercorn and dark forest floor spice. It is medium-bodied and delivers the same impression of juicy brightness on the mid-palate. The finish is very long and the wines zest frames-in flavors of dark berry, peppercorn, toffee, bouillon and earthy spice. It should prove a worthy companion to fall barbecues, steaks and tomato sauce based entrees. Blended with Syrah & Petite Sirah. 1100 cases produced.

 

2018 NUMERaTA “ATRaMENT” Proprietary Red Wine Solono County

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 91 Points

If initially a bit reticent, the nose of this complex and dinner worthy red blend gradually rolls out scents of dark cherry, dark boysenberry, peppercorn, dried herbs and forest floor spice. It is medium-bodied, slightly gutsy and attractively zesty on the palate and through a long, food worthy finish where flavors of dark cherry, dark berry, dried herbs and peppercorn create an easy going medley. This is not by any means a powerfully tannic wine, but it repays decanting. A blend of 38% Malbec, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 14% Syrah. 200 cases produced.

 

White Wines

 

2018 Eden Rift Chardonnay “Valiant”“ Central Coast

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 92 Points

This is a rich Chardonnay with aromas of baked apple, white peach, lemon peel and hazelnut. These elements follow through on the mid-palate with soft edged generosity, quiet zest and hints of earthy minerality. Texturally plump and built for lemon-garlic roast chicken and the like, it finishes with lingering flavors centered on baked apple, dried peach, preserved lemon and hazelnut nougat. 976 Cases produced.

 

2020 Whitehall Lane Sauvignon Blanc Rutherford, Napa Valley

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 92 Points

Scents of honeydew melon, stone fruit, lychee, grapefruit pith and preserved lemon create a rich harmony in the nose of this well crafted bottling. It is gently palate-coating and attractively zesty in the mouth, where the same mix of melon, stone fruit and citrus carries through a lingering finish. It is ready to enjoy and will be a versatile companion to fish or fowl or easygoing summer and fall picnics.

 

2021 Skinner Grenache Blanc El Dorado

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 92 Points

If shy at opening, the aromas of this refreshing wine gradually fan out as a bright mix of tangerine and key lime scents underpinned by hard-edged minerality. On the palate there is a racy texture and delightfully zesty tangerine, lime, nectarine and slate flavors that find a zesty harmony. All of these elements combine to create an ideally food worthy combination that ends with a lingering finish that is the wines hallmark. It is ready to enjoy and should prove an ideal companion to raw oysters, sashimi, Crab Louis or seared scallops. Blended with 13% Roussanne. 385 cases made.

 

2021 Shypoke Chenin Blanc Estate St Helena

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 91+ Points

Genteel aromas of poached pear, fresh applesauce, honeydew melon and Meyer lemon are highlights of this bottling. It is rounded and supple on the palate where zesty flavors of pear, baked apple, Meyer lemon and key lime rise above subtle mineral notes to create a lingering and very appealing dinner balance. It is ready to enjoy and should prove an especially fine companion to roast lemon chicken or halibut in a butter sauce. 140 cases produced.

 

2018 Terragena Riesling Wiley’s Vineyard Anderson Valley

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 92 Points

Delicious already, this Riesling is both dinner worthy and a very satisfying sipper. The aromas are zesty yet rich and forthcoming, as scents of ripe peach, poached pear, lychee, jasmine, mock orange and apricot pit rise above an undercurrent of saline minerality. The flavors prove even more generous than the aromas as peach, pear, lychee, orange, chamomile apricot and mineral notes hold focus through a lingering, unexpectedly dry finish. It is ready to enjoy. Blended with 8% Muscat, with 214 cases produced. 214 Cases produced.

 

2021 Morgan Rosé of Grenache Arroyo Seco, Monterey

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 92+ Points

This is a fresh and delightfully forthcoming Rosé that delivers aromas of watermelon, pomegranate, grenadine, whortleberry, pink and Schezuan peppercorn and subtle mineral scents the moment the cork is pulled. It is sleek in texture and as fruit-centric as hoped on the palate, where the aromatic promise is well realized. The finish is dinner balanced and very long and an undercurrent of slate-like minerality brings an attractive edge in counterpoint to all the pretty red fruit.  300 cases produced.

 

High Rollers Cabernet

• Six bottles every quarter
• All high end Cabernet - focusing on the rare and new
• $350 to $500 per shipment (plus shipping)

September 2022 High Rollers Cabernet Club

 

2018 Anthem Cabernet Sauvignon Las Piedras Beckstoffer Vineyard St Helena, Napa Valley

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 99+ PointsA vintage star that beautifully illustrates the character of its fabled vineyard, this wine captivates from the first sip. The nose is a layered medley of red and dark cherry, black raspberry, black fig, licorice root, coffee bean, toffee, baking spice, dry sage, laurel and graphite scents. It proves as plush and sweet-natured as hoped on the palate, where its impressive tannins are almost entirely suppressed by luxurious flavors of dark cherry, cherry pit, dark boysenberry, black fig, star anise, dried herbs and forest earth. The lingering finish delivers everything the aromas promise and despite being four to six years from its maturity the whole package is almost irresistible right now. 270 cases made.

 

2019 Aubry Cabernet Sauvignon Les Belles Filles Vineyard Coombsville, Napa Valley

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 96+ PointsElegant and beautifully focused, the nose of this fine debut Cabernet melds scents of dark red cherry, pomegranate, dark boysenberry, red plum, cedar, clove, baking spice and a hint of dark rose into graceful, slightly old fashioned harmony. It is racy and as focused on the palate, where tannin and zest join notes of cherry pit, mace, cedar and hazelnut to stiffen the texture and counterpoint the delicious flavor. Beautifully food-balanced and lingering, if finishes with lots of cherry-berry fruit and spice. Expect several years of steady improvement. 100 cases produced.

 

2020 Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon “The Haze” Oakville, Napa Valley

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 94+ PointsBright and forthcoming, the nose of this already satisfying Cabernet is centered on red currant, sour red cherry, red plum and blueberry, enhanced by suggestions of violet, rose and hazelnut above a mineral background. It is sleek and fresh  on the palate where violet, rose, blueberry, red currant, red plum, baked red cherry and nougat flavors create an elegant, lingering, dinner-balanced wine perhaps two years from full readiness. 90% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from younger vines in the Fortuna Vineyard blended with 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot from Sugarloaf Vineyard. 320 6-packs made.

 

2018 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 98 PointsOne of the stars of its great vintage, this is the best Forman Cab in recent memory. Ripe and deeply layered, the nose delivers forthcoming aromas of dark cherry, cassis, mulberry, cedar, clove, dark pipe tobacco, graphite and forest floor scents in chiseled focus. It is structured and gripping on the palate, with great intensity and richness to flavors that never seem to fade. The captivating memory is of plush dark fruits and earthy spice. Expect this terrific Cab to grow ever finer over the next six to twelve years and be long lived. It will be outstanding at this point with Prime Rib. Blended with 15% Cabernet Franc; 6% Petite Verdot and 3% Merlot.  2196 cases produced.

 

2018 Hamel “Isthmus” Proprietary Red Wine Sonoma

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 97+ PointsAromatically generous, with fruit and barrel aromas in flashy harmony, this is an especially impressive Sonoma Cabernet. The nose is a complex melange of mulberry, dark plum cobbler, pomegranate molasses, hazelnut tart, peppercorn, dark pipe tobacco and pencil shaving scents. It is structured, quietly zesty and focused on the palate, where mulberry, plum jam, pomegranate molasses, dark toffee, pipe tobacco, bitter chocolate and hazelnut husk flavors create a lingering, food balanced harmony. If altogether a delicious already, it is likely three years or more from its maturity. 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petite Verdot. 2600 6-packs produced. 2600 6-packs produced.

 

2018 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon Millennium MM    Vineyard Rutherford, Napa Valley

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 97 PointsWinemaker Jason Moulton has raised Whitehalll’s Cabernets to new heights and this 2018 is impressively rich and notably pretty. The aromas center on dark cherry, black raspberry, dark boysenberry and dry dark rose, with harmonious counterpoints of baking spice, sweet pipe tobacco and oolong tea. It proves gutsier and more structured on the palate where tannin, zest and bittersweet notes of hazelnut husk tighten the mouth-feel. There is fruit aplenty in the lingering finish, with cherry and berry notes dominant. A fine dinner wine now it is certain to show steady improvement for four years and beyond. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. 311 cases produced. NVWE remains the only source - beyond the winery - for Whitehall’s vineyard-designated wines.

Club Chardonnay

• Six bottles every quarter
• All high end Chardonnay - focusing on the rare and new
• $300 to $400 per shipment (plus shipping)

September 2022 Chardonnay Club

 

2018 Addax Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 96 Points

This is a beautifully ripe, gently zesty Chardonnay with extravagant notes of baking spice, honey-drenched hazelnut, mace, nutmeg, and nougat in support of plush core aromas of baked apple, yellow peach, quince paste and Meyer lemon. It proves as palate-coating as expected in the mouth where honey, nougat, meringue and nutmeg find rich harmony with peach and apple tart flavors. Lingering and flavor-packed, the finish suggests service with richly sauced fish and fowl entrees, sweetbreads and the like. 190 cases produced. Fruit sourced from Kent Ritchie vineyard.

 

2018 Ancillary Chardonnay El Diablo Vineyard Russian River Valley

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 95 Points

This is a richly oaky and complex wine with elegant, persistent fruit. The nose offers generous aromas of baked apple, guava and pineapple in lovely harmony with others of toasted meringue, nougat, nutmeg, baking spice and honeyed nuts. On the palate it proves as creamy-rich as the aromas promise and flavors of dried yellow peach and chamomile join with the apple and tropical fruits and loads of sweet, savory spice to ornament a suave, lingering finish. Worthy of service with richly sauced entrees, it is delicious all by itself and ready to enjoy. 115 cases produced.

 

2020 Robert Craig Chardonnay Gap’s Crown Petaluma Gap, Sonoma

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 96 Points

Elegant and distinctive, the nose of this wine fans out scents of baked apple, lemon curd, chamomile, toasted grain, baking spice and rattan in a focused array. It is both ripe and piquantly fruity on the palate as flavors of apple, preserved lemon, stone fruit pit, chamomile, baking spice and toasted grain come forth with a lingering intensity. It is ready to enjoy now with fish, fowl, veal or pork yet will grow in dimension over the next eighteen months. 247 cases produced.

 

2019 Hilt Chardonnay Bentrock Vineyard Santa Rita Hills

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 96 Points

Clearly very rich yet offering a starkly dry impression, the nose of this wine fans out as a focused medly of white peach, apricot pit and lemon zest poised above contrasting notes of mace, white pepper, chalk and sea shell. Fresh lemon, peach pit, crunchy fresh apple and sea shell flavors dominate on the mid-palate where there is an impression of scale and richness despite the wines intrinsic firmness. The finish is quite long and the wines combination of opulence and hard edged minerality suggests service with the more extravagant fish and fowl entrees. It should enjoy an intriguing evolution over the next eighteen months. 294 6-packs produced.

 

2021 Stars & Dust Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyards Santa Maria Valley

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 95+ Points

This fine Chardonnay is both full and elegant, if a trifle reserved at opening. The nose offers scents of fresh apple skin, baked green apple and quince along with emerging hints of nectarine, chamomile, honey, nutmeg and hazelnut nougat. Zest and minerality bring a racy feel on the palate where graceful yet tongue-coating flavors fan out in a supple display. The finish is lingering and builds with airing to unfold a more plush replica of the aromatic profile. Likely to grow in dimension over the next year or two, it will become a generous companion to the richer fish, fowl and white meat entrees. 80 cases produced.

 

2018 Trombetta Chardonnay Four Brothers Vineyard Sonoma Mountain

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 94+ Points

Complex and distinctive, the nose of this elegantly rich bottling melds scents of chestnut honey, toasted grain, preserved lemon, white peach, baked green apple, and chamomile into a creamy melange. It is more subtle yet richer on the mid-palate, where baked peach, chestnut honey and toasted grain flavors dominate. The finish is a lingering, soft-edged mirror of the aromatic profile. It is built for service with roast fowl, stuffed pork chops and the like and is ready to enjoy. 132 cases produced.

Pinot Noir Club

 

• Six bottles every quarter
• All Pinot Noir - focusing on single vineyard and small-production gems
• $350 to $450 per shipment (plus shipping)

July 2022 Pinot Noir Club

 

2018 Bernardus Pinot Noir Rosella’s Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 98+ PointsThis is a lovely Pinot that is as deep, dark, lush and intense as it’s great vintage promises. The aromas are a focused medley of black cherry, red plum, red boysenberry, pink peppercorn, dark pipe tobacco, clove, dried herb, oolong tea leaf and forest earth scents. It is grandly ripe on the palate yet full of youthfully vibrant fruit to counterpoint its layering of savory spice. A lingering finish brings harmony and elegance to the wine’s wide variety of fruity-savory flavors while its generosity guarantees that the tannins are never intrusive. The wine ends with a big push of red and blue fruits, tobacco and star anise. Buyers can expect three years of steady improvement, but they will find it enchanting right now. 1000 cases Produced.

 

2018 Eden Rift Pinot Noir “Landsdale” Cienega Valley

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 96 PointsThis is an impressively aromatic bottling and scents of raspberry coulis, sour red cherry, black raspberry, sarsaparilla, sumac berry, pink peppercorn and dark toffee fan out as soon as the cork is pulled. On the palate polished grip and a weighty, supple texture allow the wine’s vibrant zest and focused core flavors of raspberry, pomegranate and sarsaparilla to spring to the forefront. The finish is palate-coating, lingering and fruit forward, as its flavors of cherry cream sicle, raspberry coulis, wild strawberry, and pomegranate dominate its dark mineral undercurrents. If likely in need of another two or three years to fully reveal itself, it is a bit of hedonistic joy already. 234 cases made.

 

2020 El Lugar Pinot Noir Spanish Springs Vineyard San Luis Obispo Coast Appellation

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 94 PointsAt once forthcoming, fruity, focused and elegantly balanced, the nose of this pretty Pinot offers scents of red cherry, red raspberry, red plum, strawberry cream sicle, pink rose, hazelnut, baking spice and hints of nutmeg and star anise.  On the palate it shows fine structure and pretty spice notes of canela, sandalwood and star anise in support of focused, lingering fruit that is a forthcoming if clearly less evolved mirror of the aromas. A delightful dinner wine already, it should grow more graceful and elegant over the next two years. 132 cases produced.

 

2018 Freeman Pinot Noir “Yu-Ki” Sonoma Coast

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 95 PointsThis is a ripe, complex Pinot Noir with fine aromatics and a weighty mouth-feel. The nose delivers well evolved scents of dark cherry, dark boysenberry, plum compote, dark toffee, Boston Brown Bread, baking spice and nutmeg scents. It proves as plush as expected in the mouth, where notes of five spice and mocha support core flavors of dark cherry and Santa Rosa plum galette. The finish is generous and quite long, and it delivers a seamless medley of ripe fruit and sweet, savory spice. It should show even more beautifully in another twelve to eighteen months. 440 cases produced.

 

2020 Ojai Pinot Noir Fe Ciega Vineyard Santa Rita Hills

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 94+ PointsBeautifully made and a pleasure from start to finish despite its youth, this bottling fully captures the intrinsic elegance of Fe Ciega vineyard. The nose delivers a pretty melange of red boysenberry, Bing cherry, black raspberry, pink rose, sandalwood, sumac berry, and star anise. It proves as elegant, focused and texturally supple as hoped on the palate, where notes of hazelnut, baking spice and mace counterpoint the wines dominant core of raspberry, boysenberry and grenadine. The tannins are shadowed by the wave of flavor, yet a racy structure carries everything through it’s lingering, already dinner-worthy finish. As fine as it is now, it will be lovelier still in another two to three years. 207 cases made.

 

2019 Wren Hop Pinot Noir “Fight Club” Russian River Valley

San Francisco Wine Panel Score 95+ PointsThis is a big, flashy young wine with lots of current appeal and a bigger future. The nose is a rich melange of sour dark cherry, black raspberry, red boysenberry, coriander seed, star anise and sweet tobacco scents. It is both fuller and zestier than expected on the palate where bright flavors of fresh red cherry, cherry pit and red boysenberry find harmony with others of sweet tobacco, baking spice, coriander seed, hazelnut and star anise. The finish is full and lingering and has the structure and zesty balance to made food pairing a big success already. Expect at least three years of steady evolution.

 

Monthly Marvels Club

Small production, newly-released wines. Two bottles/mo. shipped every other month

Gift a Club!

Give the wine lover’s gift that keeps on giving, with a Gift Wine Club Membership! You can choose the term for the gift shipment, and pay for the gift club shipment.  Every time we issue a wine club shipment, your guest will receive one.