California

• Amador County
  • Shenandoah Valley
• Carmel Valley
• Carneros
• Central Coast
  • Edna Valley
  • Mt. Harlan
  • Paso Robles
• Contra Costa County
• El Dorado County
• Lake County
• Lodi
• Mendocino
  • Anderson Valley
  • Yorkville Highlands
• Monterey
• Napa Valley
  • Atlas Peak
  • Best of Napa
  • Calistoga
  • Conn Valley
  • Diamond Mountain
  • Howell Mountain
  • Mt. Veeder
  • Oak Knoll
  • Oakville
  • Pope Valley
  • Rutherford
  • Spring Mountain
  • St. Helena
  • Stags Leap
  • Yountville
• North Coast
• Santa Barbara
  • Santa Lucia Highlands
  • Santa Rita Hills
  • Santa Ynez Valley
• Santa Cruz
• Santa Maria Valley
• Sierra Foothills
• Sonoma County
  • Alexander Valley
  • Bennett Valley
  • Best of Sonoma
  • Dry Creek Valley
  • Fort Ross/Seaview
  • Moon Mountain
  • Pine Mountain - Cloverdale Peak
  • Russian River Valley
  • Sonoma Coast
  • Sonoma Mountain
  • Sonoma Valley
  • Knights Valley

This is their "Flagship" wine.  In this vintage it is a blend of all five of their single vineyard sites.  The bottle had been open for a few hours and then splash decanted before serving.  This needs time but was quite good.  A separate bottle opened but not decanted and then consumed the following evening was even better.  I score wines as they show, but no doubt, this will hit triple digits as it matures.  Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is deep.  Big but concentrated.  Aromas of cassis, espresso, black cherries, cedar and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.

It’s not that Malbec is a forgotten grape, it’s that it doesn’t get the love it deserves, and too often wineries seem to want it to taste like Cabernet. Enter Whitehall Lane, who makes this impressive Malbec that you will love - a Malbec that tastes like a Malbec should. The fruit is supported by a tannic structure that provides an earthiness and rusticity to it. Blackberry brambleberry, huckleberry and boysenberry all work together to create a rich wine that’s not over the top but not subdued either. The mid-palate reveals the wines’ acidity with notes of sandalwood and cocoa powder.

From Terry Hoage, this is a blend of 66% Syrah, 23% Mourvèdre and 11% Grenache.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is deep with black raspberries, roasted meats, black pepper, black cherries and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has big fruit; black raspberries, black cherries, black pepper and char.  Good energy.  Long finish.  This is drinking well on its own and will work with bigger food flavors.  It went well with spicy Indian style food.  Drink over the next ten 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.

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

This is a really enjoyable Pinot Noir.  It is big in style and filled with fruit and deliciousness.  Purple in color with some ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, cherries, and black raspberries along with a bit of dark chocolate and black olives.  Full bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, loads of red and purple fruits with some spice and just a bit of earthiness.  Long finish.  This is great on its own but will be a bit non-traditional when matching with foods.  It would go great with Pork Chops.  Drink over the next ten to twelve

Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries and some black cherries along with a touch of spice.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is middle of the Zin Road in terms of style.  Cherries and black cherries with some char.  Some depth.  It drinks easily on its own and will work well with many foods.  A nice choice for Pizza night.  

Rhys makes some of the best Pinot Noirs anywhere.  This one is one of their best.  Medium ruby in color. The nose has cherries, soy and baking spices. Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is complex and concentrated. Layers of cherries and black cherries along with spice and char.  Long finish.  This is great on its own but would work with many foods.  Roasted duck or chicken would be perfect.  At age 10, just starting to show some maturity.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

This is a 50/50 blend of Grenache and Syrah from one of the truly great vineyards in California.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, some black cherries, black pepper, spice, roasted meats and herbs.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great energy and acidity.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Not quite at peak but mature.  Flavors of black raspberries and black cherries with some spice, minerality and char.  Long finish.  Drink over the next ten years.  Great on its own, this went well with a bowl of vegetarian Chili.  

This Syrah was co-fermented with 2% Viognier.  Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is expressive with black raspberries, roasted meats, black pepper, and slight floral notes.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great energy.  On the palate, this is still primary.  Big black raspberry fruit.  With air some black pepper and meaty notes come out.  Also a touch of char.  Good finish.  This needs a few more years and could handle much more.  It should drink well for another 15 years.  Very nice on its own, this will need big meaty/roasted flavors for now.  Plenty of upside