“Always a strong value.” – Jonathan Cristaldi

Anyone who’s tasted any of Hook & Ladder’s wines knows the value is INSANE! Just all around, off-the-hook (and the ladder!) QPR. No wonder they are a longstanding favorite, year after year.

After an exact HALF OFF just $19 for this stuff?! With 92 affirming points? Fuhgeddaboudit. Throw a few in your Locker now and thank us later.

Need more convincing? Keep reading…

Some old-timer Operatives will recognize the DeLoach name. They sold their winery years ago. But they still had 148 acres of land and couldn’t shake that winemaking itch. So, they started a label named after the fire station where Cecil DeLoach spent 17 years stationed in San Francisco.

Sonoma Magazine has the story, “The DeLoaches San Francisco firefighter Cecil DeLoach and his wife, Christine, purchased the Barbieri Ranch and its vineyards in the Olivet District in 1970. After selling their DeLoach Vineyards to Jean-Charles Boisset in 2003, they moved their winery operations to the Barbieri site (planted in 1905) and named it Hook & Ladder. Their grandson, Jason DeLoach, is the winemaker. A benefit to visiting Hook & Ladder is that Jason produces Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and red blends from the family’s Chalk Hill vineyard.”

And we’re in Chalk Hill! The home of notable wineries, such as Chalk Hill Estate, Rodney Strong, and Trinité Estate. The appellation that’s carved out of Russian River Valley, for its valuable microclimate ideally suited for Bordeaux varietals, the one that Press Democrat calls “a hidden gem for lovers of Sonoma County wine.”

For $19?? This hits like that 45-minute mark of your first magic mushroom microdose, sending you reeling into a crazy, pleasurable realm of previously unexplored, unimaginable value. Diving into layers of grandma’s blackberry pie, or a jar of that mixed berry jam from Bonne Maman. Full-bodied, rich and fruity, with structure, and a pleasantly pronounced, albeit well-integrated mix of sweet oak. Pair it with spaghetti, bagel bites, spreadable cheese, or a fat rib eye. You’ll win in any of those situations.

We mentioned $19? C’mon! Doesn’t 👏 get 👏 any 👏 better 👏 !!

Buy, buy, BUY…

92 Points – Cristaldi & Co. “Aged 18 months in a mix of new and used Hungarian oak, this 2021 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon in the Chalk Hill AVA is dark, muscular, and brooding. It boasts notes of black mulberry and dried violet, with black olive and rich cassis and cherry fruit building on the palate. Velvety, well-framed tannins form a plush carpet across the mid-palate. Always a strong value Cabernet Sauvignon, it is especially well-suited to weeknight drinking.”