Specials

99 Points! Black cherries, lavender, black mushrooms, lead pencil and violets on the nose. Full-bodied with a powerful and polished tannin structure that follows through to the very end. Pure, silky texture. Fascinating aftertaste of ripe fruit, yet it’s fresh and tense. Some orange peel, too. Glorious at the end. So well crafted and pointed. This needs another three to five years to integrate but already extremely impressive. - JamesSuckling.com

Made with yeast extracted from the Sanuki olive native to the region, this hyperlocal sake showcases the best of Kagawa in a one-of-a-kind bottling.

Juicy notes of musk melon, white flowers and green pear with hints of starfruit, grass and salinity.

Region: Kagawa

Grade: Junmai Ginjo

Seimaibuai: 55%

Nihonshu-Do: N/A

ABV: 14%

Rice: Sanukiyoimai

94+ Points! Disgorged in May 2022, the Paillard NV Extra-Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru is superbly fresh, offering up aromas of orchard fruit, lemon, spring flowers and menthol touches. Medium to full-bodied, expressive and precise with a delicate mousse, it’s seamless, vinous, chalky and harmonious with a clean and precise finish. - Yohan Castaing, robertparker.com

94 Points! Freshly squeezed lemon, green apples, oyster shell and white apricots with subtle brioche and exquisite yeastiness. A fruity entry followed by a medium to full body where you find the fine perlage carrying the intense chalky flavors to a nicely dry but approachable finish. Lovely length with spot-on balance between chalky fruit and autolysis. Disgorged in March 2022. Drink or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

94 Points! The 2016 Pinot Noir Yamhill Cuvée aged 14 months in 44% new French oak. It has a medium ruby-purple color and explosive aromas of warm cranberry sauce, cinnamon stick, clove, forest floor and tar notes with red currants, black cherries, crushed blackberries, tree bark and dried flowers plus an orange peel hint. Medium-bodied and silky, it explodes with ripe fruits, earthy nuances and spices, softly framed and fresh with a long, layered finish. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

This Junmai sake from Banshu Ikkon is a beautifully lean structured sake, light bodied and linear, with the distinctive bright and spicy finish unique to brewmaster Yuichi Tsubosaka. While Kita Nishiki is a rice developed locally in Hyogo it is more characteristic of rice grown in the far north, with a firm grain that dissolves more slowly, producing sake of tight structure and clean flavors as opposed to the luscious rice types that made the area famous. It does retain a brightness of character unique to the region, and typical of all Banshu Ikkon sake.

Region: Hyogo

Grade: Junmai

Seimaibuai: 60%

Nihonshu-Do: +10

ABV: 15%

Rice: Kita Nishiki

No, the Seven Angels Cellar Paso Robles Red Wine Chosen One 2014 isn’t supposed to taste like Hermitage or Chateauneuf. This is and always has been a super-pleasing, porch-pounder red wine and that extra decade in the bottle has made the wine even MORE seamless, MORE shameless, MORE drinkable. In 2014 the Martins settled on a blend of 42% Grenache, 42% Mourvèdre and 16% Syrah from ‘secret’ vineyards in the Paso area. It’s juicy and cut from the same cloth as many of our Paso faves. If you dig Rhone-style blends for the likes of Saxum, Justin, Caliza, Booker, McPrice Myers, Onx and so on, you will absolutely adore this wine!

From the winery: 44% Petite Sirah, 27% Zinfandel, 19% Carignan, 10% Mataro. This bold, complex, and distinctive red blend is produced from vinesplanted in the 1880’s to the dry farmed and windswept vineyard of Sandy Lane. Rooted to sandy soil in the town of Oakley, this extraordinary sitehas been farmed by the Gonsalves family since the 1930’s, and produces vibrant wines with tremendous complexity and stunning purity of fruit. This is a gorgeous red blend that is brimming with ripe berry fruit, savory complexity, silky texture, and refreshing acidity. It displays the unique characteristics of this sun-soaked old vine vineyard and is utterly delicious.

94 Points! The 2021 Game Trail Cabernet Sauvignon is crunchy, refreshing and easy to drink. It's scented of fresh blackcurrants and cherries, plus nuances of garrigue and charcuterie. The full-bodied palate is light on its feet with softly chalky tannins, bursts of mouthwatering acidity and a long, mineral-driven finish. You could drink this on its own or have it with medium-weight dishes at the table. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

99 Points! Super smooth and mouth-filling but also lacy and filigreed, the wine combines powerful, broad and ripe strawberries, red plums and cedar on a full body blanketed in soft tannins but with fresh acidity. Aged 18 months on the lees in neutral, large-format barrels. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! It’s really hard to believe that this is a 2020, such is the youthful energy of this extraordinary wine. I love the intense lemon blossom aroma in the nose. Concentrated, creamy and very elegant, this high-end Savennieres isn’t difficult to understand. Less fundamentally mineral than the very best, but still plenty of wet stone at the long silky finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.- JamesSuckling.com

97 Points! Aromas of bark, dark cherries and flowers, too. It’s medium- to full-bodied with purity of fruit that runs the length of the wine. It goes on for minutes. Very fine tannins. From organically grown grapes. Needs three or four years to completely come together, but gorgeous. Drink after 2026. - JamesSuckling.com

95 Points! There's a fruity side to this red as well as a spicy side, with cherry, strawberry and black pepper flavors throughout. Floral, iron and underbrush accents add depth, yet it's the beam of pure cherry that prevails. Shows prodigious length on the finish. - Wine Spectator

A flurry of fruit and spice, the 2020 Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon is a wonderful snapshot of what Paso Robles has to offer. Before diving into the glass, you will notice the rich color this wine exudes, then aromas of blueberry, cocoa, and toasted coconut. Bright, red cherry-like acidity awakes the palate and transitions to a juicy and elegantly tannic mid body. Flavors of blackberry and blueberry carry all the way through to a lingering finish of toasty oak and cocoa powder. A Cab lover’s dream!

For fans of the fruit-forward, richly-appointed style of the Chardonnays from Robert Talbott! Less oak here, but all the joy. A couple select sites throughout Monterey County. 2021 was a pretty normal year down there. Regardless of where you are the wind and mild, steady coastal temps make for wonderfully balanced Chardonnay. Harvest September 4th-17th. 20% new French oak aging.

From the winery: Our CRU Cabernet is deeply rooted in the vineyards of St. Helena that surround our estate, with about 60% of the fruit coming from neighboring growers. Each year, we hand-select the balance of the blend from different parts of the valley to layer together a delicious, well-rounded and beautifully balanced wine that expresses the nuance and character of the Napa Valley. Fourteen vineyards play a role in the CRU bottling, including valley floor and mountain Cabernet and Malbec, valley floor Petit Verdot and Merlot, and bench land Cabernet Franc blocks, which all contribute to the juicy approachability and great structure of CRU Cabernet. 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 1% Petite Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec.

94 Points! Mostly Chardonnay, the 2020 Limoux Blanc is a terrific white that has real class in its aromatics as well as texture. Light gold-hued, with a great nose of poached pears, honeyed citrus, crushed stone, toasted hazelnuts, and white flowers, it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness that carries terrific mid-palate depth, bright, racy, yet brilliantly integrated acidity, and a crisp, clean, lengthy finish that brings an undeniable sense of salinity. A seriously good white, it deserves 2-3 years of bottle age (it needs a decant if drinking any time soon) and will evolve for over a decade. Bravo. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! This has very pretty energy and focus with sliced melon, pears, stone and fresh ginger. Dried flowers. Citrus, too. Medium-bodied with a solid density of fruit with white peaches and honey. Tangy and flavorful. Drink or hold. - James Suckling.com

From the winery: I selected clone 548 Chardonnay from Peake Ranch for its tendency towards focused citrus flavors and distinctive minerality. After hand picking at night, the fruit was gently pressed as whole clusters, the juice was settled overnight, then transferred to barrels for a native fermentation. The slow conversion of grape sugars gives complexity and increased mouthfeel. A lengthy primary and secondary ferment was encouraged by occasional stirring of the yeast lees. Like an “old world” Chardonnay from an esteemed vineyard, this wine hid its true qualities for months in the barrel. Allowing the wine to develop gradually before bottling in the spring, after the next vintage, let this late bloomer shine.

From the lieu-dits Paton, Lys de Volan, la Bonnette, Rochecourbe, Les Rivoires, Merlant

93 Points! Ripe tangerines, honeyed flowers, spice, and a kiss of minerality all define the 2022 Condrieu, an elegant, incredibly pure Condrieu delivering classic richness and depth while staying pure, focused, and elegant. - Jeb Dunnuck

90 Points! Aromatic nose with baked lemons, spiced apples, dried herbs, dried leaves and mild spices. Medium body with texture and volume on the mid-palate. Ripe lemons and a positive bitterness dominate in the finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink now. - James Suckling

94 Points! A brilliant expression of the variety, the 2022 Viognier Art Den Hoed Vineyard has tight, almost reductive aromatics of tart apricots, bananas, and salted citrus. It’s pure, medium to full-bodied, has a gorgeous texture, and outstanding length. Coming all from a site in the Yakima Valley and aged in equal parts concrete and used barrels, it will have 2-4 years of prime drinking. It’s one of the finest Viognier outside of Condrieu. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! Moving to the Chardonnay, the 2018 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast is a terrific appellation wine that does everything right. Buttered stone fruits, toasted almonds, brioche, and honeysuckle notes all emerge from the glass, and this puppy is medium to full-bodied, has bright yet integrated acidity, and delivers a clean, lengthy finish. Drink it over the coming 4-5 years. These are terrific wines are now made by Joe Nielsen, who previously made the wines for Donelan. - Jeb Dunnuck