This is a blend of 87% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah, 2% Carignane, 1% Alicante Bouschet from vines averaging 75 years old.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, brambles, gravel and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is a middle of the road Zin.  Not a monster, but not a claret either.  It has depth and some complexity.  Flavors of black cherries, slight cherries, spice and slight bramble.  Long finish.  This is great on its own and would be great with a burger off the grill.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

For nearly 25 years, Rhys has been quietly making wine out of the underappreciated Santa Cruz Mountains. There is a delightful, earthy quality to this Pinot suggesting subdued fruit, green and black tealeaf and pomegranate. The acidity is spot on supporting the fruit along with the mild use of oak and the wines’ inherent tannic structure. However, this deviates from a lot of traditional bright-fruit-dominate California Pinot Noir because the Santa Cruz Mountains brings forth a brambly, earth equality that most other regions cannot attain. Their Mt.

One of the better Argentinian Malbecs that I have had.  Made from very old vines and brought up in concrete eggs.  Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has plums, boysenberries and slight strawberries along with a nice minerality.  Great plush texture.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate black raspberries, with a tart acidity.  Long finish.  This is a big wine but also delicious.  Great on its own, it will need bigger foods to work with.  A great choice with a grilled steak.  Drink over the next ten years.  

This is from the country of Georgia and made from the Saperavi grape.  The grapes are fermented in Kvevri (amphorae) and then matured in French barrels.  The result is an interesting and fantastic wine.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is earthy with black cherries and black raspberries.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is deep and complex with black raspberries, spices and slight char.  Long finish.  This wine demonstrates what a quality wine can be utilizing both ancient and modern techniques.  It is great on its own, but also very fo

This is a fun wine from a "pirate" themed bottle.  It is a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Grenache, Petite Sirah and Cab Franc.  Purple/ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, black raspberries, some plums, gravel, vanilla and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Plush texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has some varietal complexity.  Some depth.  Easy drinking.  Flavors of black cherries, black raspberries and plums.  Good finish.  A nice wine on its own, this worked well with a variety of home made pizzas.  Seems at peak right now

Light golden in color with slight green hues, clear and bright.  The nose has grapefruit, slight chamomile and slight spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Tart acidity.  Light tannins.  On the palate, grapefruit and granny smith apples.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own but better with food.  Seafood would work but so would fried chicken.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.

This is a Pinot Noir from Argentina.  Pale Ruby in color, clear at the rim, clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, slight blueberries and a bit of dried herbal notes.  Medium bodied.  Nice texture.  On the palate, cherries with a touch of sandalwood.  Light tannins.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own but would be even better with food.  A nice wine to serve with roasted duck or chicken.  Drink over the next five years.  

This is the inaugural vintage of this wine which tries to offer a bit of price relief while producing a quality Pinot Noir.  For the most part, they succeed.  It is a lighter in style Pinot.  Pale ruby  in color with slight blue hues, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, cinnamon, spice and just a slight menthol note.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, cherries, bitter cherries and slight spice.  Moderate finish.  It lists 13.8%abv on the label.  This is nice but better with a bit of food.  It should work nicely with fried appetizers.  Drink over the next five yea

Prosecco has a long and varied history, originally made as a still wine it eventually morphed into the world’s most popular sparkling wine. And now Voga has decided to take Prosecco back to its roots, and is making a “still Prosecco,” specifically without bubbles. Comprised entirely of Glera (the grape name which was also called Prosecco at one point) this offers softer notes of apricot, resin, and light guava, but this is not a fruity wine – there are more stone fruit characteristics – white peach, quince and loquat.

A blast from the past.  100% Grenache made into a full throttle dessert wine.  This spend a long time in barrel prior to bottling.  18.5% abv and NOT fortified.  At age 21, this was singing.  Mostly brown but with some red hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has raspberries, dark chocolate and a bit of spice.  Full bodied.  Viscous.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet.  Deep and complex.  Contemplative.  This seems like its at peak but should have some time left.  Really a special wine.  Congrats to Tim Spear.