Ramey makes some of the best California Cabs that are mass distributed.  That is not to say they are inexpensive but they are made in sufficient qualtities to be generally available.  This one has a light golden color.  The nose is pretty with peaches, cream and slight lemon curd.  Not as much oak as many Ramey wines.  On the palate, this is full bodied with a creamy texture.  The peaches and lemon come thru along with a bit of yeastiness.  Good finish.  This is a robust Chardonnay but has plenty of energy to work with or without food.  It will match up well with salads and heartier seafood

This is in a great place right now.  Mature but still fresh with good fruit.  Purple/ruby  in color.  The nose has chocolate, cherries, raisins and slight alcohol.  On the palate, the chocolate covered cherries predominate but some raisin and a but underneath char.  slight heat but just barely.  Sweet but not a lot.  Long finish.  No hurry on this, it has a while but at a very pretty stage.  Great on its own, it will work with cheese, or chocolate desserts.

This is an artificially frozen dessert wine from the Scorched Earth Vineyard.  It is made from Syrah grapes that were harvested at 37 brix.  The residual sugar 8% and 14.5% ABV.  It has held up quite well and is drinking very well, perhaps, on better now.  Purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, a simple syrup note, plums and chocolate covered raisins.  On the palate, this is drinking well.  Sweet, not cloying.  Very port-like.  Not a ton of complexity.  Goes quite well with a bit of cheese or chocolate.  This was a one off and only made this one time.  

Biased review.  This was the last vintage that we made at SonkinCellars.  While probably not our best, it's a good wine that will continue to improve for the next five or so years.  Purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, slight roasted meat and roasted vegetables and hints of floral.  On the palate, a nice backbone of acidity.  Nice black raspberry fruit with an underlying char and earth.  Good finish.  This might get a bit better.  If drinking now, give it a few hours of air.  It will go well with cassoulet or roasted foods.  

Disclaimer - biased wine review.  This may be the best wine we ever made.  It is still young and tight and should improve over the next five to seven years.  It is made entirely with Halcon fruit.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has boysenberries, black pepper, slight baking spices, slight earthiness and roasted herbs.  On the palate, I love the texture of this wine.  Deep if still tightly layered.  The biggest difference between this and other Halcon based wines, is that this is a bit riper.  Juicy boysenberry fruit over and bit of char and minerals.  Long finish.  Good acidity.  This sho

This vintage seemed so open at first but eventually got tight.  This took some air/time to open up once the cork was popped.  Purple in color.  The nose is nice with boysenberries, charcoal, black pepper and just a bit of tobacco.  On the palate, this has a nice texture.  Lots of boysenberry fruit but tightly packed.  A nice backbone of acidity.  Good finish.  It is a cooler climate Syrah and Halcon takes a while to mature.  It still needs another three to five years and should be good for a decade or  more after that.  Disclaimer, I was part of the team that made this wine so I may be a li

A blend of 43% Grenache, 29% Mourvedre, 18% Syrah and 10% Counoise.  This wine is still on the young side but is open and with a bit of air, was drinking great.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, slight charred wood, black pepper, roasted herbs and roasted meats.  On the palate, what a wonderful texture.  Almost seamless.  Juicy black raspberry fruit.  Underlying char and roasted meats.  Great energy and balance.  This will continue to mature for the next five to ten years and be good for ten to fifteen after that.  The alcohol is high, but there is hint of it although

Sineann sadly no longer utilizes fruit from this vineyard.  Panther Creek does, but I have yet to try one.  Peter Rosback did amazing things with this vineyard back in the day.  At age 10, this is still youthful but drinking wonderfully.  For Oregon, Sineann wines tend to be big at birth, but as they age, they mellow and integrate.  This one is just starting to.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has cherries, slight sour cherries, a slight bit of cedar and a nice earthiness.  On the palate, the sour cherries and slight cherries layer with the clean earthiness.  Great balance and energy.  Deep

This is a great value Rosé from Provence.  It comes in a "flute a corset Provençal" shaped bottle.  This wine is pink/orange in color.  It has a lovely nose of strawberries with some apricots and slight citrus.  On the palate, the strawberries come thru along with a bit of cherries.  This is clean and easy to drink.  very tasty.  It has a nice energy which will fade quickly.  Though this wine may last for a few years, it should be drunk now to best enjoy it.  It will drink well on its own or with lighter fare but will also work with ribs or other grilled foods in a refreshing way.   

This was from Magnum.  Deep purple in color.  The nose is great with black raspberries, black cherries, garrique and char.  On the palate, this is as good as many Chateauneuf du Papes.  Deep black raspberry notes with underlying charred wood.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This is young and has at least a decade left and probably more.  The juiciness and char would make it great with burgers or steaks on the grill.  At $43 for a Magnum, this is a great value.