Expert articles and wine tasting videos profiling wines from California, California wine regions, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, & more.
Medium to dark ruby in color. The nose has black cherries, very clean. On the palate, this is sweet and jammy cherries. Easy drinking. Very big. A hedonistic style of Pinot Noir. If one likes that style, this should be right up your alley. Drink over the next ten years. This will work well with roasted fowl.
Deep ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose has black cherries and slight menthol. Medium to full bodied. Very smooth drinking. The black cherries come thru to the palate. Very tasty. Nice finish. This is on the lusher style of Pinots. It should be consumed in the next five to ten years. A nice match for roasted duck.
This is an affordable Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara. Light ruby in color. The nose is clean with cherries. On the palate, this is light bodied. Cherry fruit. Mild. Easy drinking. Drink this in the next years or two. Nice on its own or with lighter salads.
Another disappointing wine from this winery that has since changed ownership and winemakers. Medium ruby in color. The nose has cherries and a whiff of bay leaf. On the palate, this is thin and simple. Not much body or depth. Certainly drinkable but for this kind of money (about $50 on release), one expects more. Drink now. It probably should be served with lighter salads and with a chill.
This is a very nice value wine from the Etude Winery. It retails for about $20 (less in some places) and it very good. Light to medium ruby in color. The nose has black cherries with slight saline notes. On the palate, this has juicy cherry fruit. A slight salinity carries thru. Nice finish. It can be easy to dismiss a wine at this price range, but consumed blind among 10 Santa Barbara Pinots, this finished in the middle of the pack. It probably should be consumed over the next three to five years. Nice on its own, it would be a nice match with grilled salmon.
This is a bigger wine. Deep ruby/purple in color. The nose has fresh black cherries. On the palate, cherries and black cherries. Lots of depth. Turns slightly bitter on the finish. Still drinking youthfully. This should continue to drink well for the next decade. It drinks well on its own, and will work with heartier fowl or meat dishes.
The Samsara wines in our tasting did not perform well. I am told that since about 2017, they have new owners and new winemakers, so I look forward to revisiting their wines. Medium ruby in color. The nose has cherries with some cinnamon. On the palate, this has a soft texture. Cherry candy and red licorice notes. Not a lot of depth but a glass is tasty. Shorter finish. This is drinkable and solid, but no more. Drink up. Probably better on its own than with food.
Very impressive showing in a recent tasting. The kind of Pinot that pleased everyone. Deep ruby in color. The nose has black cherries, macerated cherries, slight brine. On the palate, the cherries and black cherries come out. This is big and bold. A bit of sour cherries on the finish. This is drinking well now and should continue for the next five to seven years. It works well on its own and will work well with roasted fowl.
Golden in color, clear. The nose has lemons and slight apple cider. Full bodied. On the palate, the apple cider notes are stronger. Nice texture. Some acid. Mature if a bit past. These should be consumed sooner than later. It will work better with some lighter but rich foods. Crab or lobster would work.
From Magnum. This is a blend of 30% Mourvedre, 22% Zinfandel, 13% Syrah, 13% Tempranillo, 12% Grenache, and 10% Petite Sirah. The bottle was opened for air for around 24 hours prior to serving. Drank over two nights, it was consistent both nights. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black cherries, plums, black raspberries, cherries, gravel, black pepper and floral notes. Crazy good and complex. Full bodied and full throttle. On the palate, all of those purple and red fruits seem to come out with underlying minerality and gravel. Juicy acidity. 15.9% ABV but no s
