California

• Amador County
  • Shenandoah Valley
• Carmel Valley
• Carneros
• Central Coast
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• Contra Costa County
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• Lake County
• Lodi
• Mendocino
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• Napa Valley
  • Atlas Peak
  • Best of Napa
  • Calistoga
  • Conn Valley
  • Diamond Mountain
  • Howell Mountain
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  • Oakville
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• 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

One of my favorite wines anywhere.  I suppose at some time, this will be out of my price range, but for now, I always buy.  This seems to be a bit tighter than the 2015 at a similar stage but will no doubt someday flirt with a 100 point score.  Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose, after an hour or so of air, show cassis, coffee grounds, slight chocolate and spice.  Full bodied.  What a wonderful, almost seamless texture.  On the palate, cassis, blueberries, dark chocolate with underlying roasted herbs.  Maybe some floral qualities too.  Long finish.  This is deep and co

One of my favorite Syrahs in the world right now.  A blend of 90% Syrah, 6% Viognier, and 4% Mourvèdre.  These are big Syrahs that need a lot of time (depending how you like them) to hit peak.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black leather, roasted meats and herbs, and slight floral notes.  Full bodied.  Exuberant.  On the palate, black raspberries, blueberries, with underlying smoke and pepper.  Great texture.  Long finish.  This needs another five to seven years until peak and should be good for another ten to twelve after that.  It is delicious n

This is a blend of 40% Syrah, 22% Grenache, 21% Mourvedre, 3% Counoise, and 3% Terret Noir checking in at 13% abv.  Screw capped.  This is a nice value play in easy to drink, Cal Rhone styled wines.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, black cherries, slight pepper and an herbal note (chervil?).  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  Little tannins.  Nice black cherry fruit with a touch of black pepper.  Good acidity.  Moderate finish.  This will work well with most meats, fowl or veggies.  Drink over the next five to seven years.

This is a very nice Syrah from California's Central Coast.  It is a big, fruit forward Syrah.  Alc. 15%  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, black pepper, roasted meats and herbs.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is is juicy with big black raspberry fruit.  Delicious.  Some depth and complexity.  Long finish.  It could use a few more years to sort itself out, but is very tasty right now.  This drinks great on its own and will work great with chili, stews or a burger.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

This is a solid Napa Cab for "reasonable" Napa prices.  Purple in color, garnet at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, baking spices and a touch of graphite.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, nice cassis fruit.  Medium tannins.  This won't get better but should continue to mature for a few years.  Drink over the next ten to twelve.  This drinks well on its own and will work well with a burger or roast.  

This is a big-ish Zin in style especially for Sonoma.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is nice with black raspberries, black cherries and slight bramble.  A bit of pepper, too.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, there is nice black raspberry fruit with some cherries.  Underlying spices.  Pepper on the finish.  It worked well with Thai food but will drink well on its own too.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

My first time trying this particular vineyard although Torrin is a favorite.  100% Syrah.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with boysenberries and some black pepper.  On the palate, medium tannins.  Nice black raspberry fruit.  Some depth.  Good finish.  An outstanding wine, but not up to the rarefied air of other vineyards in the Torrin lineup.  It should still improve a bit as it continues to mature over the next five years and drink well for ten more after that.  This probably would be helped by some fatty fried foods or meats.

This is from grapes that are grown 63% IN Napa and 37% in Sonoma.  It also contains 7% Cabernet Sauvignon.  This was a difficult vintage, yet this is a nice wine.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries and coffee.  Also a hint of clove.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, black cherries and cherries with some underlying spice.  A slight green note on the finish.  Nice acidity.  The fruit is not under ripe but just barely.  This drinks well but will work better with food.  Fried chicken might be nice.  Drink over the next few years. 

This is a Zinfandel made from younger vines that have been replanted in 24 different vineyards.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty with black cherry fruit and spice.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the black cherry fruit and spices come thru.  There is some heat on the mid-palate.  Very tasty.  Drink over the next five years.  This drinks well on its own and will work well with barbecue or foods off the grill.  

This bottle was singing with a little air.  Inky purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, a touch of char with an earthy note and a slight menthol note on the back end.  Full bodied with a great texture.  The palate has boysenberry fruit and black pepper with underlying char.  deep yet already accessible.  This is a big hearty wine but compared to prior vintages this seems to be maturing, or at least opening, a bit faster.  Nothing wrong with that especially for Petite.  Delicious.  This should continue to open and mature and drink well for the next ten to fif