June 14th 2022 Newsletter - The Grape Tray

June 14th 2022 Newsletter

Taste the following Rose all day and every day this week at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $10 per glass.

DOMAINE DU FIGUEIRASSE 2021 Vin des Sables ‘Gris de Gris’

For more than a century, the Saumade family has cared for vines on the shores of the Camargue delta in France. ‘Gris de Gris des Sables’ is a rosé de pressurage and blend of Grenache (gris, noir and blanc) and Cinsault grapes. Vineyards are 200 yards from the sea. Grapes are harvested at night when temperatures are coolest. All tank made. Certified organic. $15 Our Price $11.99

DOMAINE DU DRAGON 2021 Côtes de Provence Rosé ‘Grande Cuvée’

The estate’s high-altitude vineyards, in the hills above the Côte d’Azur in Provence, are rich in limestone, like Burgundy. A blend of Grenache, Mourvédre, Syrah and Cinsault. Rosé de pressurage; fermented in tank. $22 Our Price $16.99

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Taste 2018 Aston Estate Sonoma Coast Pinot and 2019 Hartford Court Russian River Pinot at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Tuesday, 6/14 and Wednesday, 6/15. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
2018 Aston Estate Pinot Noir White Label Sonoma Coast

The 2018 Pinot Noir White Label shows a much more feminine, pretty, fruit-driven style carrying lots of red berries intermixed with peppery herbs, violets, and spicy nuances. Medium-bodied on the palate, it has a wonderfully polished, seamless mouthfeel, light tannins, and nicely integrated acidity. Enjoy this beautiful Pinot Noir over the coming 5-7 years. $45

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
2019 Hartford Court Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

Readers looking for an incredibly charming, delicious Pinot Noir that’s going to deliver the goods should check out the 2019 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley from Hartford Court. Revealing a translucent ruby/plum color, it has a wonderful nose of spiced red and black fruits, candied violets, orange blossom, and incense. Medium-bodied on the palate, it’s wonderfully balanced, with soft, supple tannins, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish. Drink this beauty any time over the coming 5-6 years. $40 Our Price $32.99

(You can also purchase a glass of the featured Pinots for $15)

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Taste 2019 Amici Napa Cabernet and 2017 The Setting Oakville Cabernet at Vintage Reserve Wine (VRW) for $15 per person.
Thursday, 6/16. Available 12:00 noon -5:45 PM

Jeb Dunnuck 92 Points
2019 Amici Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Made with the goal of great Napa Cabernet at $50 bucks, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley succeeds admirably, offering gorgeous cassis, violet, and chocolaty aromatics as well as medium to full-bodied richness, a balanced, layered mouthfeel, and silky tannins. It competes with wines at three times the cost. The blend is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% each of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, aged 20 months in 75% new barrels. $45 Our Price $39.99

Wine Advocate 95 Points
2017 The Setting Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville

Fruit for the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville was picked two days before the fires in 2017—a prescient choice that resulted in a beautiful wine. The nose offers Morello cherries and bright pops of red berry fruit with notes of graphite, cedar and violets. The full-bodied palate is lushly fruited, ripe and finely grained, with fantastic juicy character and a finish that continues to blossom for some time. This is appealing now but will age well in bottle. $125

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WOW-57% Off!
Josh Raynolds, Vinous 91 Points
2020 Château de l'Escarelle Coteaux Varois En
Provence Rose

Vivid onion skin. Incisive red berry and orange zest scents are complemented by emerging floral and herb nuances. Fleshy and dry, showing good heft to the strawberry and blood orange flavors, which are braced by a core of juicy acidity. Smoothly blends depth and energy and finishes long and gently spicy, with lingering florality and a hint of chalky minerals. - Josh Raynolds. $20 Our Price $8.69 (Arrives GT this afternoon)

Wine Spectator 90 Points
LUCY Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands Rosé 2021

A lovely blush, crisp yet richly fruity version, with floral raspberry and peach flavors that linger. Drink now. 2,527 cases made. — TF $22 Our Price $18.99 (Available GT and VRW)

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
2019 La Colline Aux Fossiles Chardonnay

All Chardonnay brought up in used demi-muids, the 2019 La Colline Aux Fossiles sports a medium gold hue to go with terrific stone fruits, caramelized citrus, white flowers, and honeysuckle-like aroma and flavors as well as a beautiful sense of minerality that emerges with time in the glass. Medium to full-bodied and beautifully textured, with a layered mouthfeel and a great finish, it's another knockout Chardonnay from the team of Eric Solomon and Jean-Marc Lafage. $17 Our Price $13.99 (Available GT)

2020 Ken Wright Cellars Yamhill Carlton Pinot Noir

Winemaker Notes: Notes of red plum, fresh fig and marionberry fruits with hints of magnolia blossom and graham cracker. Balanced but vibrant acidity. $45 Our Price $37.99 (Available GT)

James Suckling 92 Points
2019 Ken Wright Cellars Savoya Vineyard Pinot Noir

Sweet raspberries and dark strawberries with black-earth and stone character. It’s full-bodied and very firm with fine tannins and a pretty finish. Chewy at the end. Citrusy, too. Drink in 2024. $67 Our Price $59.99 (Available GT and VRW)

James Suckling 92 Points
2021 Bodegas La Cana Albariño

Fresh, bright and zesty with lime, nectarine and green apple. Some stones and green herbs, too. It shows excellent texture with lots of vibe coming from the tense and high-pitched acidity. Pure and pristine. Drink now. $20 Our Price $16.95 (Available GT and VRW)

Wine Spectator 92 Points
RIDGE Geyserville Alexander Valley 2020

Deeply structured and briary, with a mix of red and black fruit accented by licorice, dill and savory underbrush flavors. Finishes with medium-grained tannins. Zinfandel, Carignan, Petite Syrah, Alicante Bouschet and Mataro. Drink now through 2030. 8,900 cases made. — TF $50. Internet Price $44.99 (Available GT and VRW)

Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
2018 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon

Lots of cassis and black raspberry fruits as well as classic Mount Veeder notes of lavender, violets, bouquet garni, and rocky, mineral-like notes emerge from the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon. A deep, full-bodied mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, it has a plush, layered texture, beautiful tannins, a deep, concentrated mid-palate, and a great finish. Another head-turning wine from this label, it’s a candidate for the best Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon out there at the price point. $100 (Arrives GT 6/15/22)

Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
La Cabanne 2018 Pomerol

The 2018 Château La Cabanne is another pretty, perfumed, incredibly pure Pomerol with loads of blueberry and cherry fruit as well candied violets, spice, and leafy herbs. I love its purity, it has great tannins, a layered, deep mid-palate, and an outstanding finish. It's great today, in a youthful, vibrant fashion, yet will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for 10-15 years. It's a gorgeous wine and one of the finest I've tasted from this address, surpassing even the 2016. $47 (Available GT and VRW)

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
2017 Domenico Clerico Barolo

The 2017 Barolo has perfumed aromas of fennel, cranberry, fresh tobacco, and dried roses. Revealing a refined yet angular structure, with notes of ripe cherry, orange zest, and mineral-rich earth., this is a great entry wine from Clerico, delicering balanced structure and a polished finish. Drink 2022-2040. $60 Our Price $51.99 (Available GT)

Wine Spectator 92 Points
ARGIANO Toscana NC 2019

Vibrant yet silky, boasting black cherry, blackberry, violet and iron flavors. The iron fist emerges by way of the firm tannins, and this finishes with a long aftertaste of fruit and dried herbs. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Sangiovese. Drink now through 2030. 7,920 cases made.—B.S. $23. Our Price $18.99 (Available GT and VRW)

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Friday Wine Tasting at VRW, 6/17/22 (Available 12:00 Noon-5:45 PM) $20 per person and must be 21 or older to attend.

Wine Spectator 95 Points
BODEGAS Y VIÑEDOS VALDERIZ
Ribera del Duero 2018

This velvety red offers generous layers of cherry reduction, espresso, clove and loamy earth notes that are flanked with licorice, graphite and floral hints. Shows freshness and concentration. Drink now through 2039. 5,000 cases made. — GS $40

Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
2019 Chappellet Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Signature

Always a smoking value that readers shouldn't miss, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Signature sports a dense purple color to go with beautiful cassis and blueberry-like fruits as well as bouquet garni, spice, and obvious, rocky mineral-like aromas and flavors. Rich and medium to full-bodied, with notable structure and good acidity, it's going to keep for two decades in cold cellars. It's a candidate for the best Napa Cabernet under $100. 18,000 cases. $95

Jeb Dunnuck 97-99 Points
2019 Force Majeure Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain Estate

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain Estate is a stunner, and Cabernet lovers are advised to jump on this beauty. Lots of cassis, graphite, chalky minerality, and lead pencil notes soar from the glass, and it's full-bodied, with a dense, concentrated mid-palate, ripe tannins, and a great, great finish. It's a ripe, polished Cabernet that shows classic Red Mountain minerality and structure. $170

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Saturday Wine Tasting at VRW, 6/18/22 (Available 12:00 Noon-3:45 PM) $15 per person and must be 21 or older to attend.

2021 Rochioli Russian River Sauvignon Blanc

Winemaker Notes: This wine is a blend of three vineyard sites including our rare and special clone of Old Vine Sauvignon Blanc. With aromas of passion fruit, melon, and citrus tones this is a light and sophisticated Sauvignon Blanc. $50

James Suckling 94 Points
2018 Etude Carneros Estate Pinot Noir

Vivid strawberry and dried-flower aromas here with hints of sandalwood. Medium to full body with firm, creamy tannins and a tangy finish. Opulent. Tight and focused. Pumice and black and white-pepper notes. A pretty wine already, but give it a year or two to open and soften. $43

2019 The Setting Oakville
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker Notes: Beautiful red and black fruits morph into a silky, rich texture that seamlessly glides across your palate. The natural bright acidity leaves you with mouthwatering memories of berries, dark chocolate, and black cherries. Skellenger Vineyard. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. 245 cases produced. $135

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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
Monday-Friday 10:30 AM-5:30 PM
Saturday 10:30 AM-4:00 PM


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