Category: United States

Butternut Chardonnay 2017

93
Butternut
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2017
Country of Origin: California
Retail Price: $15.99

Tasting Notes: Apple, pear and buttercream on the nose lead to a creamy, buttery finish. The oak seems to be dialed back a touch this year and it really lets the fruit shine through.
Butternut Chardonnay 2017

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Averaen Pinot Noir 2017

93
Averaen
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2017
Country of Origin: Oregon
Appellation: Willamette Valley
Retail Price: $19.99

Tasting Notes: This wine is loaded with dark cherry and earthy spice. Loads of acidity bring this insane value of a wine full circle and checks all the boxes.
Averaen Pinot Noir 2017

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Vista Red Blend Red

94
Vista Red Blend
Varietal: Blend
Vintage: 2017
Country of Origin: California
Appellation: Atlas Peak Napa Valley
Retail Price: $12.99

Tasting Notes: The nose screams dark chocolate and fresh blue fruits. The palate coats your mouth with black and blue fruits. The dusty minerality rounds out the medium finish on the wine. I don’t know how a $12.99 wine from Atlas Peak AVA exist, but I’m glad it does. This is hands down the deal of the year.
Vista Red Blend Red

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Malleolus Tempranillo Red 2014

94
Malleolus Tempranillo
Varietal: Blend
Vintage: 2014
Country of Origin: Spain
Retail Price: $46

Tasting Notes: Emilio Moro Bodegas has been around a long time. Still family owned, it generates some of the best tinto fino in Spain. Light earth, dark berries and perfectly integrated tannins carry this jewel to a long, lingering finish. Think clams and chorizo.
Malleolus Tempranillo Red 2014

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Daou Chardonnay 2015

94
Daou
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2015
Country of Origin: California
Appellation: Paso Robles
Retail Price: $20.99

Tasting Notes: A beautifully balanced chardonnay from Paso Robles. It has a rich mouthfeel of butter and a hint of caramel with pops of tropical fruit and acidity. An amazing wine for dishes with butter as a theme. 
Daou Chardonnay 2015

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Blackbird Paramor Red 2007

94
Blackbird
Fanciful Name: Paramor
Varietal: Blend
Vintage: 2007
Country of Origin: California
Appellation: Napa Valley
Retail Price: $90

Tasting Notes: A wonderful red blend with nuance of spice, red pepper, cassis and oak on the nose. The palate showcases the rich plums, blackberries and graphite with a finish of beautiful, dense, yet smooth tannins, with slight basil and dried fruit lingering minutes later.
Blackbird Paramor Red 2007

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Aperture Sauvignon Blanc 2016

94
Aperture
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2016
Country of Origin: California
Appellation: Alexander Valley
Retail Price: $46.99

Tasting Notes: This barrel-fermented white is blended with 5% sauvignon musqué for an interesting twist on this variety. The wine has light, inviting apple blossom aromas. It demonstrates a refreshing complex arrangement of hay, honey, apple, savory fig and lemon curd. A chardonnay-lover’s sauvignon blanc.
Aperture Sauvignon Blanc 2016

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Aubry Brut Premier Cru Champagne NV Champagne

94
Aubry Brut Premier Cru Champagne NV
Varietal: Champagne
Country of Origin: California
Appellation: Champagne
Retail Price: $48.99

Tasting Notes: This is not your typical non-vintage brut. A blend of ancient indigenous varieties, which make up 5% of the blend; pinot meunier accounts for 45%, the balance in equal parts pinot noir and chardonnay. The taste is like an essential champagne, with scents of chalk, mushroom, pear and lemon curd creating a bold surround sound of flavor. There's purity to the expression and a healthy weight to the wine. 
Aubry Brut Premier Cru Champagne NV Champagne

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Sonoma Loeb Pinot Noir 2016

94
Sonoma Loeb
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2016
Country of Origin: California
Appellation: Sonoma Coast
Retail Price: $34.99

Tasting Notes: This is bright, intense, red fruit-dominated pinot noir is stunning with more than enough fresh acidity and beautiful texture to make this a standout. The elegance is striking and plentiful because of the lengthy finish.
Sonoma Loeb Pinot Noir 2016

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Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

94
Keenan
Varietal: Cabernet
Vintage: 2014
Country of Origin: California
Appellation: Napa Valley
Retail Price: $55

Tasting Notes: This complex Napa cabernet sauvignon offers extracted rich fruit flavors of currant, cassis, black cherry and blackberry. There is a hefty mouthfeel mid-palate giving way to some rustic flavors, black licorice, kirsch and spice. The finish lingers with a fair amount of tannins. Ready to drink now, but will age well for another seven years.
Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

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Hagen’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

95
Hagen’s Reserve
Varietal: Cabernet
Vintage: 2015
Country of Origin: California
Appellation: Napa Valley
Retail Price: $79.99

Tasting Notes: This stunning cabernet is a packed with power and elegance, with notes of raspberry and dark cherry, all held up with tannic backbone. With all its youth and power this is sure to age beautifully and will improve — but the wine is showing fantastically today.
Hagen’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

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The Mascot Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

95
The Mascot
Varietal: Cabernet
Vintage: 2012
Country of Origin: California
Appellation: Napa Valley
Retail Price: $130

Tasting Notes: Wonderful aromas on the nose of raspberries, currants, spice and vanilla, with subtle hints of stone and graphite. On the palate this wine opens up to blackberries, slight herbal notes of tarragon, with gripping-yet- elegant tannins and a balanced acid that creates an amazing long finish.
The Mascot Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

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