Expert articles and wine tasting videos profiling wines from California, California wine regions, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, & more.

2014 MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Napa, Oakville, Wine review

Vintage: 
2014
Score: 
100
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$850.00USD

It was great to try this bottle at age 10.  The grapes are grown in the heart of the historic To Kalon vineyard although for legal reasons, they can't put that on the label.  Just gorgeous!  The bottle was opened and allowed to breather for 13 hours prior to serving but not decanted.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is deep and complex with cassis, cigar box, dust, spice and warm earth.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great energy and balance.  On the palate, this is young but open (the advantage of old vines on the valley floor).  Complex and layered.  Cassis, spice, ear

2021 Vida Valiente Cabernet Sauvignon The Movement, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$250.00USD

This is a blend of the three single vineyard wines that Vida Valiente releases.  The winery was formed with a charitable arm and its Foundation supports lower income students going to Stanford who lack the financial resources.  One hundred dollars from every bottle sold goes to support this Foundation.  The winemaker, Sam Kaplan, identifies particular barrels to achieve his goal for this wine.  This is the first vintage and like all of their wines, it lists 14.8% abv on the label.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is tight but opens to cassis, dark chocolate, s

2021 Vida Valiente Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
98
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$325.00USD

Decanted for about four hours prior to serving.  Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is quite tight.  Over the evening it opened a bit, but the bottle got drained, so nothing left on Day 2.  It happens.  Some cassis, slight graphite, baking spice and char.  Full bodied.  Very, very firm tannins.  That said, what a wonderful plush but silky texture.  Great energy and acidity.  Balanced.  The palate is a bit more opened.  Cassis, slight graphite, a bit earthy and char.  Deep.  Long finish.  If drinking now, give it an eight hour decant but this really needs five year

2021 Vida Valiente Cabernet Sauvignon High Ranch, USA, California, Napa, Coombsville, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$275.00USD

This is grown at a high elevation.  This is the first vintage as the vines are only three years old (planted in 2018).  14.8% abv.Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is very nice.  Cassis, saddle leather, and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Plush texture.  On the palate, this is very accessible.  I suspect subsequent vintages will be tighter on release.  Lots of concentrated cassis notes with some earthiness and char.  A bit of a saline note on the finish.  This is not an opulent wine (which I was expecting) but still has power.  Cellaring for a few years should be rewar

2022 Maxem Chardonnay UV Vineyard, USA, California, Sonoma Coast, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2022
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$90.00USD

First time trying this Chard.  Yellow/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is pretty with nice minerality along with lemons and a bit of peach.  Lovely oily texture.  Good acidity.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this is deep.  It is very young of course, but should really develop over time.  Lemon cream notes.  Very long finish.  This is a rounder wine (in a good way) than I had been expecting and seems of California.  There is some oak but seems in balance.  Probably worth holding for a year or two and then drink for seven to ten after that.  This would be nice with sea food

2019 Fingers Crossed Two Become One White, USA, California, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$245.00USD

This is a 60/40 blend of Chardonnay and Roussanne from California.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is lovely with lemon rind, shite flowers, slight almond notes and chalk.  Full bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  On the palate, this is big and round but enough acidity to work well.  Still young, this should continue to mature and get better but is already drinking well.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  Maybe better on its own right now as this is a big wine, but it would work with shrimp and pasta for example.  

2017 Booker Vineyard Vertigo, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A

This is a blend of 65% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre, and 5% Grenache.  I am a big fan of these wines and this one was no exception.  This is a big wine but it is starting to shed some of its youth.  Inky purple, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, plums, roasted meats, spice and slight chocolate note.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Deep.  Flavors of black raspberries, black cherries, slight chocolate and spice.  Great lush texture.  Long finish.  This drinks great on its own and will work with some foods.  Cassoulet

Bouchaine 2022 Vin Gris of Pinot Noir

Vintage: 
2022
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$29.00USD

Bouchaine has consistently made this wine and has consistently made it well. What sets this apart from many California rosé is that it straddles the line between fruit and acidity, allowing the wine to be a part of any meal. It offers strawberry, lemon-lime, resin, light apricot and loquat. There is also a slight tartness to it, a hint of green apple that helps define this as a multi layered wine. Since the wine sees no oak at all, the freshness, the brightness and the clean fruit shines through. 1,500 cases. ORIGIN: Napa Valley, Carneros. ALCOHOL: 13.5%

Acumen 2021 Mountainside Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$85.00USD

Most wineries, like Acumen, love fruit grown on hilly terrain. The grapes have proper drainage, the addition of breezes keeps the leafy vines healthier and soils are richer in nutrients. Therefore, this Mountainside Cabernet has everything going for it. This wine requires a little bit of patience however, and decanting this for a few hours will be well worth your time. This shows the obvious black cherry, blueberry, boysenberry, and huckleberry notes that Cabernet typically has.

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