Featured Wines - July 2021

Almarada is one of our newest discoveries and one of the much needed bright spots of 2020. “At last, a high quality Malbec with panache at a price that won’t break the bank,” we quipped upon tasting the 2017 Almarada Malbec, the winery’s first North American release. Guess what? The 2018 Almarada Uco Valley Malbec (this month’s feature) is even better than the 2017. The scion of the finest vintage in Argentina in years, the 2018 Almarada Uco...

The 2020 Casas del Bosque Reserva Sauvignon Blanc continues Casas del Bosque’s tremendous success with Sauvignon Blanc and adds further testimony to the superiority of Chile’s Casablanca Valley for growing world-class Sauvignon Blanc. Casas del Bosque fashions Sauvignon Blancs that rival those of Bordeaux and the Loire Valley, France’s centuries-old bastions of Sauvignon Blanc. The 2020 Casas del Bosque Casablanca Reserva Sauvignon Blanc...

David Finlayson’s 2018 Pepper Pot (90 Points – Tim Atkin, MW) is a delicious Rhône style blend (57% Shiraz, 24% Mourvèdre, 10% Tannat, 5% Cinsault, 3% Grenache, 1% Carignane) that emanates from Paarl and Stellenbosch, South Africa’s two most renowned appellations. David has always had a knack for producing pure, delicious Rhône style wines, but his 2018 Pepper Pot truly hits the mark. Savory notes of blackberry, mulberry, and exotic spices...

David Finlayson’s 2019 Stellenbosch Chardonnay (90 Points – Tim Atkin, MW) is a smooth, delightfully balanced Chardonnay that offers elegance, complexity, and plenty of delicious flavors reminiscent of Meursault, France’s quintessential Burgundian Chardonnay. Sourced from four distinct vineyard sites comprised of both French and California Chardonnay clones, the 2019 David Finlayson Chardonnay delights the nose and palate with a mouthwatering...

The 2018 vintage was fantastic throughout Santa Barbara County and especially in Santa Ynez Valley, which enjoyed near perfect ripening and abundant yields of the highest quality Cabernet Sauvignon. “The greatest SYV Cabernet we have yet to produce, the 2018 balances its power and intensity with great texture and structure,” declared Steve Beckmen. And not only do we agree with that assessment, we would go several steps further. The 2018 Beckmen...

Inama’s 2018 Vigneti di Foscarino Soave Classico is not your grandparents Soave, nor has Inama’s Vigneti di Foscarino ever been anything but complex, unique, and age-worthy, all of which has earned it countless 90+ ratings. The Inama 2018 Vigneti di Foscarino Soave Classico (94 Points – James Suckling) is the ultimate Soave Classico and Inama’s tribute to the heirloom Garganega grape and the venerable style of wine Garganega produced centuries...

Crafted from 3 separate, old, dry grown, bush trained vineyards in McLaren Vale’s Blewitt Springs, the 2018 Thistledown The Vagabond Grenache (96 Points – Decanter; 96 Points – James Suckling; 95 Points – James Halliday) is highly aromatic, superbly textured, and remarkably complex. Infused with tantalizing scents of wild cherry, woodland violets, and Herbes de Provence, the 2018 Thistledown The Vagabond Grenache immediately...