This dessert wine is a 50/50 blend of Moscato and Vidal Blanc from Virginia.  Deep golden/amber in color, clear and bright.  The nose is honeyed with peach.  Viscous texture.  Nice acidity.  Sweet but not cloying.  On the palate, canned peaches with a touch of honey.  A bit of sour citrus candy on the finish which is nice.  A little goes a long way.  This is a very nice dessert wine that is great on its own and would work with a not too sweet cookie, perhaps short bread.  Drink over the next ten years.  It comes in a 375ml bottle.  

This is an interesting blend of 50% Tannat, 33% Merlot, and 17% Malbec from Virginia.  The name, L.

This is a Bordeaux blend of 48% Merlot, 28% Petit Verdot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Malbec from Virginia.  It is a winner of the 2024 Virginia Governor's Cup award.  By the way, the word Meritage means a blend and rhymes with the word heritage.  Garnet/purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is yeasty (in a good way) with black cherries and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, black cherries with some char.  Some mint notes on the long finish.  This is still developing but has a classic right bank profile.  It will show better with food.  Roaste

This is a Bordeaux blend of 46% Cabernet Franc, 30%Merlot, and 24% Petit Verdot from Virginia.  Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty, a slight aquarium note which blew off after about twenty minutes, boysenberry, and graphite.  Medium to full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Well balanced.  On the palate, black cherries, fresh tobacco with a slight green bell pepper note especially on the finish.  Good finish.  This drinks like a classic cooler vintage Bordeaux.  It is nice on its own but better with food.  It would be great with stuffed peppers.  Dirnk over the next five to

This is a Bodeaux blend from Virginia which is 42% Merlot, 29% Petit Verdot, and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Garnet in color with some purple swirls, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has dusty attic with sour cherries, char and gravel.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Nicely balanced.  On the palate, cherries, slight bitter cherry pit, and a fresh herb note.  Long finish.  This is has some complexity.  Certainly ripe but not over ripe.  It is nice on its own but better with food.  Anything that would work with classic Bordeaux would work.  Lamb chops would be great.  Drink over the

Flying Goat has been making wine in Santa Barbara for nearly 25 years. Best known for his various expressions of Pinot Noir, winemaker Norm Yost also produces sparkling wine and Pinot Gris. This is the first time Norm has used Gris fruit from the Shoestring Vineyard and the result is a bright, expressive, tasty Pinot Gris that will make you rethink just how good Pinot Gris can be. This has it all: citrus fruit, proper acidity, smooth on the palate and a wonderful finish.

12.5% abv.  A 2024 Governor's Cup winner.  Pale silvery/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is flinty with some oak/spice.  With air a bit of citrus shows.  Medium bodied.  Slightly viscous/creamy texture.  On the palate, lemons with some minerality.  The midpalate had green apples.  An interesting menthol note on the finish that turns chalky.  Overall, a slightly oaked, crisp Chardonnay that is nice on its own and even better with food.  It would work well with broiled or grilled scallops.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

Santa Barbara is Pinot Noir country, and the range of expressions in this county are varied. One of the stalwarts, having first started in 1975, is Lucas & Lewellen. For an inexpensive Pinot Noir, L&L does an admirable job of crafting a tightly wound Pinot with excellent fruit, good acidity, and oak influence (a mere 10 months in oak, only a small portion of which was new French) which doesn’t break the bank.

This estate provides some real value  in Bordeaux especially in the good (expensive) vintages.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, cassis, cigar box and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is showing a nice complexity.  It should still develop more but is getting closer to peak.  Cassis with spice and char.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own but better with food.  It would work well with Lamb Stew.  Drink over the next eight to ten years.

Some of the best Chardonnay for my tastes comes from Santa Cruz, California.  The wines tend to be crisp but full and age quite well.  A new one recently tried is the Shawn Walker McBride Maeve Vineyard.  I am not sure why this carries that label as other varietal wines carry a Crosby Roamann designation as the producer with a very similar label.  In any event this one is also very good.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has red apples with a touch of lemon and a nice minerality.  Medium to full bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is crisp with flavors or apples an