This was a wine that came highly recommended.  It was great to be able to try a new wine that live up to the hype.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is big but nice with lemons, buttered popcorn, slight pineapple and white flowers.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this was tight and needed some air to open.  Lemon, lemon peel, crushed rocks with light tannins.  Moderate acidity.  The finish turns slightly  bitter/lemon pith.  This is young and seems like it will develop for another seven to ten years.  After that, it should drink well for another ten to twelve.  If drinking n

This is a nice, inexpensive, middle of the road in style, Lodi zinfandel.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, raspberries, slight bramble and spice.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, nice black cherry fruit.  Easy drinking.  Drinks well on its own and will work great with a burger off the grill.  Drink over the next couple of years.  

What a great vintage 2016 ha turned out to be for Chianti in general and this one in particular.  Not the cheapest Chianti, but this is outstanding.  Deep ruby/purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cherries, black cherries, sandalwood and tea leaves.  Medium bodied.  Great balance.  Lovely acidity.  Spry.  On the palate, lots of lush black cherry fruit with underlying forest floor.  Clean.  Deep.  Long finish.  This will continue to mature for another five to eight years and drink well for a decade after that.  A nice match for pasts of all kinds.  

Another new winery for me.  This was quite good.  A blend of 75% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre.  Deep ruby in color with purple swirls.  Great nose of cherries, black cherries, floral notes, and spice.  Clean.  On the palate, this is medium bodied and quite concentrated.  Black cherries and cherries over a clean spice and earth.  Nice balance.  Good finish.  This still needs three to five years to maturity and should be good for ten after that.  It worked well with vegetarian chili.  

This drinks like a cooler climate Cab.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, dark chocolate, slight rosemary and spice.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, black cherry fruit with a bit of chocolate.  This drinks easy.  it is young and may improve a bit with time.  It should drink well for ten to twelve years.  A nice wine with roast beef.  

This is a nice value in Napa Cabernet.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, black cherries, spice and dust.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, nice cassis fruit with underlying spice.  Solid finish.  This is easy to drink on its own but will b a nice wine with a burger.  Drink over the next five to seven years. 

I am a huge fan of Ceritas, but sadly, this one was not up to the usual standards.  It was my first time trying this vineyard so perhaps that was it.  Light golden in color.  Clear and bright.  The nose has some minerality to it.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, there isn't much going on.  Nothing bad, but just a bit of minerality.  A little bitter on the finish.  With air, some lemon came out.  Certainly drinkable and without an obvious fault.  Perhaps a victim of high expectations.  It probably is best to drink with food.  Perhaps a grilled chicken sandwich would work well.  Drink over the

One of my favorite producers of Sonoma Chardonnay, this is their base wine.  It may be a step behind the single vineyard offerings, but it is still outstanding.  Light golden/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great.  They do use noticeable oak.  There is a nice lemon curd, along with a bit of vanilla and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is crisp with lemons, minerals and spice.  Nice finish.  Obviously young, this drinks great now but will continue to mature.  It should drink well for the next ten years.  Great on its own, this will work well with salmon or chicken dis

My current favorite in value wines.  Even better than the 2017.  And, under $20!  Purple in color.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black pepper, slight bacon fat, and slight roasted meats.  Great texture.  On the palate, lots of concentrated black raspberries over char and  clean earth.  Light tannins.  Nice finish.  This has some complexity and might still get better.  It should drink well for seven to ten years.  Great on its own, it will work well with fatty fried foods.  

This is drinking great right now.  Everything one could want in a Santa Cruz Pinot Noir.  Deep ruby in color with purple swirls.  The nose has cherries, candied cherries and slight cherry cough drops with just a hint of clean earthiness.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has layers of cherry fruits with underlying earthiness.  Lovely, slightly lush texture with a slickness that makes it so drinkable.  Nice finish.  This seems to be closing in on peak but may still develop more.  Either way, it should easily do ten to twelve more years.