“These are consistently solid wines with a lot of expression and soul.” - Wine Advocate

Just Another Manic Monday?

Those massive hits the late Prince wrote for others like Manic Monday for The Bangles, blow my mind.

Like wines made by those inspired and tutored by the greatest winemakers.

Tony Arcudi has the most fascinating background, per Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate he “is the consulting winemaker at Kapscandy but Arcudi is his own project. A middle-aged career-changer and Boston native, Arcudi came to Napa at age 38, determined to become a winemaker after serving in the Navy and working at a technology venture, going on to work with both Michel Chapoutier and Heidi Barrett.” Tony now makes Arcudi at Fantesca side by side with her.

No wonder he has access to RUED Chardonnay! The fruit from this superb single vineyard can be traced to labels by Thomas Rivers Brown (Rivers Marie), Philippe Melka (Château Boswell) and Dan Goldfield (Dutton-Goldfield) all of which sit in the $65-80 range.

Speaking of legacy sites, we also grabbed what was left of his stunning Bacigalupi Rosè that you can find here in the Store while it may not last the day.

In our glasses, this Chardonnay enthralled us with delightful aromas, and flavors of vivid citrus and stone fruits, and minerals, with rich, intensely flavored succulent, pear, fig, mineral, and hazelnut, all wrapped in a robust, creamy mouthfeel, smooth and supple with a finish that goes on and on.

While Jeb Dunnuck rated all other vintages in the 92-94 range, the 2021 didn’t get reviewed for some reason. What stood out for him was “a beautiful wine as well as a great value” that is “well worth seeking out and perfect for enjoying over the coming 2-4 years.”

World-class Russian River Valley juice for a song.

Like I said… not to be Rued, but… you’d be a fool to miss out.