A beautiful Syrah from this Oregon based producer (although the fruit is Californian).  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, char, roasted herbs, gamey meat and black pepper.  Full bodied but not over the top.  14.8% abv.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Black raspberry fruit, ripe, but not sweet with a touch of black pepper.  Lively.  Good energy.  Long finish.  Delicious.  Drinking really well right now, at or close to peak.  This should drink well for another ten to twelve years.  This drinks great on its own and went well with a roasted veggie sandwich

Another great showing for this Chardonnay.  There is a deft use of oak that is noticeable here, but well done and well within reason.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lemon curd, vanilla and hint of grapefruit.  With air a nice minerality emerges.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is still young but drinking well.  It improves in the glass showing lemon curd with slight vanilla and spice.  Nice balance and structure.  Long finish.  This seems like it should easily do another decade or more.  Great on its own, this will work well with duck, salmon or just a s

There are not a lot of great producers of Grenache in California, but there are a few who excel and at the top is Manfred Krankl and his Sine Qua Non wines.  At age 13, this is just hitting its stride and just outstanding.  A blend of 82% Grenache, 14% Syrah, 2% Viognier and 2% Roussanne.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, black raspberries, roasted meats and spices.  Full bodied.  15.8% abv but no heat.  On the palate, black cherries with some black raspberries over a bit of char.  Deep and powerful.  Delicious.  Long finish.  The kind of wine that

This is a Pinot Noir from the new Orin Swift Cellars.  Like many of his wines, there will be a subsection of people who won't like it because it is too big and too ripe.  Those people will also dismiss those who do like it as being "the masses".  The thing is, "the masses" are not buying $50 Pinot Noir's.  It is a matter of style and preference.  Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, baking spices, slight chocolate and figs.  Full bodied.  On the nose, this has raspberries, slight confectionary sugar notes, a hint of black pepper with some cherries on the finish. 

An interesting wine.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has almonds, grapefruits, slight chalk and a hint of salinity.  medium bodied.  On the palate, those qualities came out as well.  Very nice acidity.  Overall, a bit reticent but refreshing.  Perhaps because it came in a 500ml bottle, but I presumed it would be at least semi-sweet.  Not to be, but it did work well with home made vegan ginger snaps.  Well made Vouvray can last a long time as this showed no real signs of age.  I wouldn't worry about another five or ten years.  

This winery really stepped it up after the first couple of vintages and are producing some great wines.  Deep purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, graphite, slight cedar and baking spices.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is juicy with great cassis fruit.  A bit of underlying graphite and char.  Some complexity but more delicious than contemplative.  Nice finish.  This would match well with roasted or grilled meats or veggies but worked great with vegetarian chili.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  

This bottle was bought at auction although there were no overt signs of poor storage.  Tasted over two days.  It was good, but we had hoped for more.  Garnet in color, mostly clear.  The nose has cherries, slight tar and dust.  Not very big on the nose.  Medium bodied.  Tannins mostly resolved although slight tannins remain.  On the palate, there are cherries and slight sour cherries.  One dimensional.  On Day 2 a brown sugar note emerges.  This can often mean heat damage in its life or in this case, maybe just old age.  Moderate finish.  This is drinking fine but was probably better ten ye

My wife's favorite winery!  Hard to argue with her on that.  This was stunning and still young.  Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is great with cassis, graphite, cedar, slight coffee grounds and slight floral notes.  Full bodied with firm tannins.  Deep and complex; it unwinds in the glass.  Delicious.  Wonderful texture.  Cassis with char and slight oak notes.  Long finish.  Just fantastic but another few years of ageing will be even better.  This should drink well for another fifteen to twenty years.  

Wonderful wine.  Finally worth opening after waiting all these years.  Bought on release and cellared.  This was open and decanted for sediment and allowed to breather for an hour or so before trying.  Deep ruby in color, purple at the core, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is classic with cassis, pencil lead, tobacco and a hefty amount of earthy funk.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is complex and layered but still fresh and vibrant.  Cassis with underlying earthiness and a bit of coffee and mushroom.  Long finish.  Contemplative.  This drinks great on its own and will work well with

I just love this vineyard (across multiple producers) and Jamie's take on it is excellent.  Light golden in color.  The nose is beautiful with lemons, vanilla, a noticeable (but not overdone) note of toasty oak and slight almond flour note.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is on the bigger side but no bomb.  Great acidity.  Lively with energy.  It is delicious.  Lemon fruit with a touch of toast and vanilla.  Long finish.  This seems like it should easily go ten to fifteen more years.  It went wonderfully with a chopped veggie salad that included asparagus and drinks great on its own.