Expert articles and wine tasting videos profiling wines from California, California wine regions, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, & more.
These are some of the slowest to come around wines in Napa. They act very similar to a Frist Growth Bordeaux. It was with some trepidation that we opened this at age 9. 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot. Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright. The nose is classic. Cassis, pencil lead, spice, chocolate and char. Full bodied. Firm tannins. Great texture. On the palate, this took a couple of hours to open and unwind, then it was stunning. Cassis, some chocolate and underlying char. Long finish. This is drinking well but may still earn that 100 point moniker. Eighte
Harvested from five different vineyard sources, winemaker Bibiana Gonzalez Rave says her goal is to define “the specificity of a dry, beautifully intense wine, yet with volume and texture.” And this she does quite well. Her 2022 Sauvignon Blanc is a little softer than past vintages but nonetheless offers bright, expressive fruit – lemongrass, lime zest, guava, apricot Asian pair, and Green Apple. The acidity is fairly mild, and this proves to be a very drinkable wine with enough to use it for different types of food. 3,400 cases. ORIGIN: Sonoma County. ALCOHOL: 13.7%.
This 2014 Blanc de Blanc is a sparkling wine with a brisk acidity and a hint of chalky minerality. Hand harvested and whole cluster pressed, there’s a lovely creaminess to this wine with very mild carbonation, allowing more of the fruit to come through. It offers lemon-lime notes, guava, red delicious apple and grannie smith green apple, light unsweetened honeysuckle, Asian pear, a hint of baked brioche. The balance of the flavors makes this easy to pair with a diversity of foods. 178 cases. ORIGIN: Alexander Valley, Sonoma. ALCOHOL: 12.5%
Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose has cherries, spice and slight bramble. Light to medium bodied. Light tannins. On the palate, this has cherries with some underlying char. Moderate finish. Nice to have something a bit different every now and then. Drink over the next five years. A nice wine with pizza.
There are at least four other Kirkland wines reviewed on this site quite positively. There is nothing to complain about for the money, but I had hoped for better. $15. No sign of smoke taint (that was a year with fires). Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has black cherries and a bit of spice. Medium bodied. Light tannins. On the palate, there is some black cherry fruit. Not much in the way of nuance, but certainly drinkable. Slightly bitter on the finish. This would be a nice mid-week wine with a burger or meatloaf.
Alban wines typically take some time to come around, but at age 7, this was drinking quite well. Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright. The nose is great with black raspberries, roasted meats and roasted herbs, slight dark chocolate and black pepper. Full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, this is delicious. It is on the bigger side but not a monster. Black raspberry fruit with some black pepper and a bit of roasted herbs. Long finish.
My first time trying the white from this top producer of Rhone varietals based in Ventura. This is a blend of 41% Roussanne, 36% Chardonnay, 15% Viognier, and 8% Marsanne. Deep golden in color, clear and bright. The nose has lots of smoke/char along with wax, oranges, peaches and minerals. Full bodied. Slight tannins. On the palate, the smoke notes are a bit more like gun powder. Plenty of peach and slight citrus with a bit of "bitter wax" on the finish. This is young and in need of time. Consumed over two days, it really didn't change much at all. Perhaps on day 2, a bit less Ch
