Whites*********************************************************

Daou Chardonnay 2015, Paso Robles, CA, $21.99
"The 2015 Chardonnay Reserve opens with ripe apricots, toasty oak and plenty of yeasty/savory notes plus some allspice and ginger hints. Medium-bodied, seamless, silken and rich, it has a solid core of stone fruit flavors and good length." 89pts WA

Gaston Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec "Clos du Bourg" 2015, Loire, France, Reg. $55.99, Sale $42.99
"The 2015 Vouvray Clos du Bourg Demi-Sec displays a well defined and complex bouquet of ripe and concentrated fruits intertwined with chalky flavors. Dense and elegant on the palate, with a mouth-filling fruit and a perfect sweetness that counterbalances the raciness and firm mineral structure, this is a finesse-full and powerful Chenin with lots of salt and tension. A gorgeous, precise and vivacious wine with great aging potential." 95pts WA

Sea Smoke Chardonnay Estate 2014, Santa Rita Hills, CA, $99.99
"A concentrated white peach element plays strongly on the nose of this coveted bottling, with touches of sea salt and a sharp tangerine-like edge. Ripe peach and cherimoya flavors show on the palate, but a crescendoing citrus-driven acidity cuts through the richness and allows more savory components like salt and smoked nut to blossom on the finish." 93pts WE

Drouhin Rully 2015, Burgundy, France, $29.99

Drouhin Meursault 2015, Burgundy, France, $65.99
"The 2015 Meursault was tasted as the final blend from barrel. It has a very aromatic peach and yellow plum scented bouquet with just a faint hint of peppermint adding a soupçon of extravagance. The palate is well balanced with a harmonious, glycerine-tinged opening, the acidity well judged with a touch of stem ginger enlivening the finish. Bon vin!" 90pts WA

Drouhin Vaudon Chablis Vaudesir Grand Cru 2015, France, $87.99
"The 2015 Chablis Grand Cru Vaudesir has a well-defined, vervain tea-tinged bouquet with fine mineralité, although it is more austere than I was anticipating given a vintage with decent focus. The palate is very well balanced with pretty orange zest and marmalade notes that render this Vaudésir quite tangy in the mouth. It appears to have improved in bottle, although I would like to see more complexity develop on the finish. As such, I would keep this in the cellar for another couple of years." 91pts WA

Drouhin Chassagne Montrachet Morgeot 1er Cru "Marquis de Laguiche", $138.99
"Love the density to this with dried-apple, pear and stone character. Full-bodied, layered and beautiful. Very exciting." 94-95pts JS

Reds***********************************************************

Clos la Coutale Cahors 2014, Southwest France, $18.99
This is another favorite from the Kermit Lynch import portfolio. It's a blend of 80% Malbec (or Cot, as it is known locally) and 20% Merlot and is perfect for Duck (and duck fat) that is so popular in the region. Of course, Cassoulet is the signature dish of this corner of France and it too is a great match. It is an intense wine that juggles elegant rusticity with everyday drinkability. Don't be afraid to throw a few bottles of this one in the cellar for 5-8 years, or just pull it out with your next hearty meal.

Stolpman "Para Maria" 2016, Santa Barbara, California, $22.99
"Para Maria embodies the confluence of three separate efforts. The core of the wine (56%) is all about Syrah in the traditional, old world approach - taut, pert grapes picked at the peak of ripeness while retaining acidic verve and savory flavors. 28% of the blend adds higher-toned brightness and freshness, via whole-grape, carbonic (without oxygen in a sealed tank) fermentation. 15% of the wine compliments the blend in the opposite direction as the carbonic portion - giving the blend deep, dark substance and body - in the form of the Petite Verdot addition." -from the winery. This will also be featured as the "Editor's Choice" in an upcoming issue of Wine Enthusiast with a score of 93 points!

Borgogno Barbera d'Alba 2014, Piedmont, Italy, Reg. $29.99 , Sale $24.99
"Tasting the wines of Borgogno can be like stepping into a time machine. There is a purity and focus to them that make modern, processed, silky wines seem far off in the distance. This is classic in its savory, grilled meat aromas and tangy red fruits. It has significant weight for the varietal, and calls out for game or a rich Bolognese sauce." DM

Decoy Zinfandel 2015, Sonoma, CA, $24.99
"Sleek and well-built, with raspberry and pepper aromas and focused cherry, licorice and dusty sage flavors. Drink now through 2023." 90pts WS

Hook & Ladder Cabernet Sauvignon "Los Amigos Ranch" 2012, Chalk Hill, California, $31.99
"Our single vineyard Cabernet is aged for up to 17 months in a combination of European and American oak. The wine contains a small amount of Merlot, also from our Los Amigos ranch, to enhance the silky texture of this exquisite Cabernet. This dark maroon Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits bright aromas of blackberry, raspberry, cherry and hints of cinnamon spice. The multi-layered flavors of red and black berries, currants, juicy cherry and spices combine well with a long, lingering finish of mixed berry, cherry and light oak." -from the winemaker

Catena "Agrelo" Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Lujan de Cuyo, Argentina, $25.99
"Ripe yet cool aromas of cassis, licorice and menthol. Supple, spicy and slightly medicinal; in a rather Old World style for a Catena wine but still with lovely fruit sweetness. The deep clay soil stayed cool in 2014 but the fruit was not affected by rot, according to Vigil. Began a bit clenched, with the acids and tannins out of sync, but harmonized nicely as it opened in the glass." 90pts V

Paetra Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills 2016, Willamette Valley, OR, $38.99
"This is the inaugural vintage of our Pinot Noir. It is a mixed block of clones (Wädenswil, 777, 828), was fermented using wild yeasts and aged in neutral barrel for 10 months before release. It is very elegant, aromatic and red-fruited with soft, supple tannins and lowish alcohol. 13% alc. (96 case production)." -from the producer

Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Reserve 2014, California, $49.99
"The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 40th Anniversary is a blend of 17 vineyards, with the dominant part from the Rutherford Estate. The final blend was 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot, Malbec and Petit Syrah. This was aged 19 months in about 30% new French oak and bottled unfiltered. A real beauty, and, for a top Napa Cabernet, an excellent price point. The wine has a dense bluish purple color, a sweet kiss of crème de cassis, licorice, camphor and subtle toast. Relatively opulent on the attack and midpalate, the wine is medium to full-bodied with silky tannin, adequate acidity and impressive purity and length. There are 17,000 cases of this wine, and it is definitely worth taking a serious look at." 93pts WA

Gratavinum Priorat "2pr" 2010, Spain, $44.99
"We tried this at one of the bigger and better tastings that our staff attends each year. For me it was one of the absolute stars of the show. It is decidedly dry and grippy with dusty tannins and a savory mix of red and black fruits as well as hints of charcuterie. The blend is Grenache, Carignan, Cabernet and Syrah." DM

Gilles Troullier "Tandem" 2014, Roussillon, France, $31.99
"A fabulous value, the inky colored 2014 Cotes Catalanes Tandem comes from Maury and offers classic notes of chocolatey dark fruit, licorice, graphite and bouquet garni. Full-bodied, rich and layered, with a big mid-palate and no shortage of texture, it makes the most of this cooler, difficult vintage and will drink well for 5-7 years." 94pts WA

Bila Haut "Occultum Lapidem" 2014 (1.5 Liter Bottle), Roussillon, France, Reg. 79.99, Sale $64.99
"Another terrific vintage for this cuvee, the Syrah and Grenache-dominated 2014 Cotes du Roussillon Villages Latour de France Occultum Lapidem was harvested between the 12th of September and the 3rd of October with miniscule yields of 28 hectoliters per hectare. Completely destemmed and aged all in concrete tanks, its ruby opaque color is followed by complex notes of garrigue, leather, plums and violets. Medium to full-bodied, elegant and layered, with a great texture, this fruit-forward, balanced Roussillon is already hard to resist, but will continue drinking nicely for 6-7 years." 92pts WA

Tempier Bandol 2014, Provence, France, $52.99
"An impressive barrel sample (tasted from barrel May of 2016), the 2014 Bandol Cuvee Classique shows surprising depth and concentration in the vintage. Notes of dark fruits, mineral and peppery, Provencal herbs all emerge from this medium to full-bodied, beautifully pure, elegant 2014 that should drink reasonably well on release." 89-92pts WA

La Gerla Brunello di Montalcino 2010, Tuscany, $69.99
"Dark spice and dried cherry aromas open the bouquet of the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino. This may be the best base Brunello I have tasted from La Gerla. The wine is distinguished by a heightened sense of uniformity, especially where the bouquet is concerned. You can easily identify tones of cherry, spice, leather cola and licorice that are typical of the Sangiovese grape. Wait a few minutes, and the wine begins to shows finely etched tones of grilled Mediterranean herb, ash and dried ginger. The nose is penetrating and deep with etched mineral tones at the back. This lovely wine also exhibits silky, long tannins on the smooth finish." 94+pts WA