Laurent Montalieu, the French enologist/proprietor at Solena Estate, has long been Oregon's most talented white wine maker. From a 2012 growing season that began with a cold spring, but finished with 110 CONSECUTIVE days without a drop of rain, Montalieu may well have fashioned the richest, most vibrantly mineral Pinot Gris of his 25-year career.

Laurent Montalieu, the French enologist/proprietor at Solena Estate, has long been Oregon's most talented white wine maker. From a 2012 growing season that began with a cold spring, but finished with 110 CONSECUTIVE days without a drop of rain, Montalieu may well have fashioned the richest, most vibrantly mineral Pinot Gris of his 25-year career.

The 2012 Solena Estate Pinot Gris is bright green-gold in color -- absolutely explosive on the nose, featuring ripe melon, white peach and orchard fruits, complicated by white flowers. Wonderfully juicy on the attack, with vibrant golden apple, exotic fruit concentration, it's the gentle kiss of an almost imperceptible sweetness that keeps the bracing, mineral finish in perfect balance.

For those of you who have clamored for under-$20 American whites for summer sipping -- don't let the price tag fool you. Yes, this is one of the most deliciously quaffable whites of the year. But it's also an unusually serious, almost intellectual release that argues as much for a few years in a cool cellar -- as it does for a summer evening by the pool with salmon, ahi, or swordfish sizzling on the grill, drizzled with cold pressed Olive Oil.

Just $16.99/bottle on cases -- and yes, if there was ever a MUST buy, American mineral white bargain, this is it. 112 cases are up for grabs.

Phil Coturri, the viticultural consultant to Napa's stars, is loathe to shine a spotlight on his achievements. Ask the bearded guy in the Grateful Dead t-shirt about his Cabernet accomplishments, and Coturri shifts gears, changing the subject, launching into a riff about Monet or Johnny B. Goode.

Phil Coturri, the viticultural consultant to Napa's stars, is loathe to shine a spotlight on his achievements. Ask the bearded guy in the Grateful Dead t-shirt about his Cabernet accomplishments, and Coturri shifts gears, changing the subject, launching into a riff about Monet or Johnny B. Goode.

But when we called Phil to ask him to explain the startling concentration and primary fruit extravagance of two vintage Mt. Veeder Cabernets, even Coturri couldn't hold back.

Set at 2200 feet, above the Mt. Veeder fog line, the estate is called Korbin Kameron. Remember the name. Coturri described the rare micro-climate -- the cool days, and most importantly, the warm nights -- comparing Korbin Kameron to Pride on Spring Mountain and Dunn, Outpost and O'Shaughnessy on Howell.

Bob Pepi's 2007 Korbin Kameron Cabernet Sauvignon is a stunning reminder of a vintage that may never be forgotten in the valley. Opaque purple to the edge with explosive aromas of boysenberry and mountain blueberry, the attack is deep, dark, dense and polished. Still completely primary, showing no sign whatsoever of its four years in bottle, the voluptuous 2007 finish is braced by fine mountain tannins.

Pepi's 2005 may well be a step above. Purple-black in color, with more compact black fruit aromas, touched with cedar, the attack is deep, dark and rich, a tad more condensed, seemingly younger than its older cousin. Drink now, if you're impatient. Better still, lay this one down until 2020.

Forty cases of each remain and have been assembled into 160 6-pack samplers (three bottles of each). $50 per bottle on release. Just $30 this morning. NOT to be missed by Coturri followers or collectors looking to get in on the ground floor with the most exciting young estate on the western face of Mt. Veeder.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate has called Arnot-Roberts "one of the most exciting young wineries" in the world, publishing jaw-dropping reviews of Nathan Roberts and Duncan Meyers' single-vineyard reds.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate has called Arnot-Roberts "one of the most exciting young wineries" in the world, publishing jaw-dropping reviews of Nathan Roberts and Duncan Meyers' single-vineyard reds.

For years, Arnot-Roberts had released just a few barrels each year of two of the most sleekly defined mountain Cabernets on the coast. The first is drawn from John Bugay's place at the top of Crystal Springs Road; the second from a spectacular 6.9 acre planting that Duncan told us is "the most intriguing Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard" in the Mayacamas.

In 2008, proprietor Peter Boyd finally rolled the dice on his hillside property, making just 420 cases of this powerhouse Clajeux estate Cabernet Sauvignon. But not before he signed up Duncan Meyers to do the winemaking.

The 2008 Creō Clajeux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is deepest purple to the edge, infused with explosive aromas of crushed black fruits, violets, anise and mountain graphite. Powerfully concentrated on the attack, loaded with blackberry and black cherry, the finish is long and complex, braced by the fine, dusty tannins of the Mayacamas.

$75/bottle on release -- and worth every penny. Just $39.99 this morning for one of the most irresistible mountain Cabernet bargains of the last three years. Shipping included on 4.

420 cases produced, only 40 of which are up for grabs this morning. Please limit purchases to no more than one case per member. We're trying to spread this one around.

In 1984, Australian David Hohnen made a daring bet on Marlborough that would spearhead a winegrowing revolution in New Zealand. At a time when the government was PAYING winegrowers to rip out their vines...

In 1984, Australian David Hohnen made a daring bet on Marlborough that would spearhead a winegrowing revolution in New Zealand. At a time when the government was PAYING winegrowers to rip out their vines, Hohnen borrowed a million bucks at an interest rate of 23.5%. Then he called 25-year-old Kevin Judd and convinced the most-talented young winemaker on the island to jump on board.

Kevin Judd's Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs would set the bar by which all New Zealand wines are measured. But in 2010, after 25 years at Cloudy Bay -- in the teeth of a calamitous Kiwi wine recession -- Judd felt antsy. Kevin's decision to leave a cushy, corporate job to start a new winemaking venture left his accountants scratching their heads. Just three years later, some are calling Judd's Greywacke the second coming of Cloudy Bay.

Judd's luscious 2011 Greywacke Pinot Noir is drawn entirely from the poor, gravel/loam soils of Yarrum Vineyard between the Brancott and Ben Morven ranges. Deep ruby in color, the nose is of crushed red berry preserves, laced with sweet spices. Rich, vibrant and marvelously concentrated on the attack, featuring a plush mix of dark plum, boysenberry and red currant, all braced by superb Marlborough acidity. Precisely 14% in alcohol (though it doesn't show it), the pH is an electrifying 3.55, keeping Judd's textbook red-berry opulence in perfect balance.

$43 on release. Just $33.99 today on WineAccess. 600 bottles are up for grabs -- all we could eke out after the 93pt Wine Spectator rave. Sorry in advance.

In August 2008, we called Harry Peterson-Nedry, seeking an update on what we'd been told was an Oregon growing season poised for disaster. The vines were weeks behind. Harry was beginning to pull his hair out.

In August 2008, we called Harry Peterson-Nedry, seeking an update on what we'd been told was an Oregon growing season poised for disaster. The vines were weeks behind. Harry was beginning to pull his hair out.

Four months later, reporter Tom Fish alerted the world to the first 100pt vintage rating in Wine Spectator history. Harvey Steiman's vintage report would ignite a Pinot Noir sales bonanza unlike anything Oregon has ever known.

The beauty of the greatest 2008 Pinot Noirs was their rare combination of lush, New World concentration and electrifying Burgundian cut. At Chehalem, Peterson-Nedry would turn out the single-vineyard Pinots of his two-decade career, none juicier, none more lavishly structured than the 2008 "Ridgecrest."

Like the other great estates in Oregon, Chehalem sold most of their 2008s on release, holding back a couple dozen cases for the tasting room library. Last week, while cellar hopping in the valley (tasting some stunning 2012s), we stopped in to see Harry. Once there, we pried open the library doors.

These 240 bottles of the 2008 Ridgecrest Pinot Noir are Chehalem's last of the vintage, not one of which has moved from the tasting room cellar since bottling. 92pts from the toughest and most trusted Pinot Noir critic in the world, Stephen Tanzer.

$54 at Chehalem. Just $39.99 this morning. Strict limit of one case per member.

Fifteen years ago, we were treated to lunch at Sparks Steak House by our buddies from Phelps. That afternoon, Pat Cetta, the most charming restaurateur in town, first tasted the 1995 Phelps "Insignia." When he ordered "a hundred," we thought he meant bottles. But, Pat was talking CASES!

Fifteen years ago, we were treated to lunch at Sparks Steak House by our buddies from Phelps. That afternoon, Pat Cetta, the most charming restaurateur in town, first tasted the 1995 Phelps "Insignia." When he ordered "a hundred," we thought he meant bottles. But, Pat was talking CASES!

Cetta proved clairvoyant when he described "Insignia" as Napa's "First Growth" -- positioning it just below Lafite and above Mouton-Rothschild -- on the Sparks wine list. When Cetta passed away a few years back, there were a dozen vintages on the list, and "Insignia" had indeed established itself as Napa's greatest call brand collectable.

Parker's Wine Advocate called the 2010 Insignia "striking...cool mineral notes frame a core of blue and black fruit, licorice, spices, smoke...hints of menthol, violets and crushed rocks all flow through to the incisive, vibrant finish." All that before the 93-95pt rating that sent wholesalers scrambling.

Last year, Napa Valley buzzed when we convinced Phelps to dip its toes into WineAccess waters. Our allocations of the 2006 and 2008 "Insignia" disappeared in just a few hours. This time around, with the impending September release of the monumental 2010 "Insignia," WineAccess comes first!

480 bottles are up for grabs. $225/bottle on the September 1st release. Just $179.95 this morning -- shipping included on two -- the best price in America -- on this exclusive WineAccess pre-release offer.

In early 2012, we cut a deal with Tom Eddy. At the time, it seemed perfectly fair. Eddy's 2009 Elodian Cabernet Sauvignon was an absolute powerhouse, drawn from three blue-chip mountain vineyards -- but the wheels were still wobbly on Napa's economy. Eddy was stuck. WineAccess members took full advantage.

In early 2012, we cut a deal with Tom Eddy. At the time, it seemed perfectly fair. Eddy's 2009 Elodian Cabernet Sauvignon was an absolute powerhouse, drawn from three blue-chip mountain vineyards -- but the wheels were still wobbly on Napa's economy. Eddy was stuck. WineAccess members took full advantage.

Brandlin Ranch, situated high up on Mt. Veeder, provided the sleek black fruit core. Bella Vista (Diamond Mountain) offered the explosive black cherry/raspberry aromatics. Jan Krupp's prized Stagecoach Vineyard, on Atlas Peak, furnished the Cabernet's broad shoulders, sumptuous concentration, and fine, tannic backbone.

That January, with three-hundred cases of the 2009 Elodian unspoken for, we locked into two offers. The first went off without a hitch, garnering sixty-one 4- and 5-star ratings and rave reviews. A year later -- with the Cabernet market suddenly piping hot -- Eddy honored his commitment Redux, though he was far less enthusiastic than before.

Opaque purple, with explosive aromas of blackberry preserves, black cherry and raspberry, Eddy's 2009 Elodian is gently dusted with new wood cedar. Rich and powerful on the attack, silken in texture, after 30 months in French cooperage (and another year in bottle), even the Stagecoach tannins have melted away, gently bracketing all the black fruit mountain opulence with supple tannin backbone.

Should we have agreed to pay more given the sudden shift in the market? Maybe. Should we have asked you to do the same, just to be 'fair?' We considered it.

But then, we thought otherwise.

$46 on release. Still $25.99 this morning, in keeping with the Rules of Redux. The last 900 bottles are up for grabs. NOT to be missed.

If you don't live in the state of New York, you probably didn't read about the ruling. A couple of months ago, the state liquor authority rendered a decision that more or less prohibits the direct shipping of imported wine to consumers in the state.

If you don't live in the state of New York, you probably didn't read about the ruling. A couple of months ago, the state liquor authority rendered a decision that more or less prohibits the direct shipping of imported wine to consumers in the state.

And so it seems, just as more and more states are opening their doors to direct shippers, at least for the moment, New York has taken a step backwards.

While some marketers may choose to ignore the authority's decision, WineAccess will not. Instead, we licked our wounds and did what we had to do -- apologizing to some very disappointed members, while making arrangements for unshipped inventories to be returned to our West Coast distribution center.

Over the next few weeks, we will be quietly liquidating the 'leftovers.' As quantities are small, and as the warehouse manager (AKA "Biceps") hates bits and pieces, all such offers will be accompanied by a 5% "Bits and Pieces" coupon.

Here's the first of several -- 137 bottles of what many believe to be the most surprising Chateauneuf-du-Pape from a 2007 vintage that Robert Parker, Jr. would call "the greatest in 30 years."

Parker called Xavier Vignon's 2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Anonyme, "full, thick, unctuously textured and even flamboyant," adding that "this stunning 2007 should drink well for another 15-20 years", before lobbing on the 96-point score that rocked the southern Rhone.

$90 on release. Just $44.99 (minus 5%) this morning. 11 cases and 5 bottles are up for grabs. Shipping included on 4.