Expert articles and wine tasting videos profiling wines from California, California wine regions, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, & more.
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
Another delicious wine from SQN. It is a blend of 84% Syrah, 7% Grenache, 6% Petite Sirah, 1% Mourvèdre and 2% Viognier. Inky purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black raspberries, roasted meats, slight black olives and spice. Full bodied. Serious, fruit forward and intense wine. On the palate, there are some tannins left. Lots of black raspberry fruit over an earthy, meaty base. Juicy acidity. 15.5% ABV but no heat. Long finish. In short, everything you could expect from this winery. It is still young and should evolve over the next decade and drink well for ten mo
Classic Napa Cabernet from a very good vintage. This is a Cab that takes a while to mature and at age 15, it is just hitting that sweet spot. Purple in color. The nose is great with cassis, cedar, a bit of funk, leather and camphor. Complex and enticing. Full bodied but not a bomb at all. The palate is complex and deep without being over done. Cassis layered with earth and leather. Energy and balance. Long finish. Drink this over the next ten to fifteen years. It drinks well on its own but is probably better with food. From a steak to a roast, this would work great.
