Expert articles and wine tasting videos profiling wines from California, California wine regions, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, & more.
Purple in color. The nose is nice with cherries and boysenberries. Some apice as well. On the palate, this is easy drinking but there is some complexity. Perhaps that is from the mix of varietals but it is nice. Juicy texture. This is a very good wine. It does taste a bit manipulated but if the final outcome is a tasty wine at a reasonable price, that is fine.
Ruby/purple in color. The nose has nice enough black cherries. On the palate, there is a nice depth here. The fruit is sweet cherries. If you like that style, you will probably like this more than I. The fiish is a bit clipped. Priced around $20.
This is a blend of a lot of different grapes led by Zinfndel. It is quite ripe and has some enjoyment factor. Purple in color. The nose is a bit puney with some raspberries and dark cherries. On the palate, this is slightly sweet/prune with some red fruit. Nice texture. A fun wine.
This is a blend. Purple in color. The nose is very nice with dark cherries, black raspberries, dark chocolate, black pepper and spice. Nice, full bodied texture. Tannic. Tasty on the palate with black raspberries, pepper and black cherries. Some complexity. Nice finish. Outstanding value at $20.
This is there luxury cuvee. It was pop and pour which did this a disservice as it was quite tight. Purple in color. The nose is deep with cassis, coffee and slight peppery notes. On the palate, this is quite tannic and tight. It is delicious. Plenty of cassis fruit. Depth. It slowly unwinds in the glass. The future is very bright for this. Around $125 per bottle is not inexpensive, but it is an excellent wine.
An outstanding Sonoma Cabernet. At $50, this is certainly priced in the ball park. it is very tight right now, so it needs some cellaring or air before serving. Purple in color. The nose has sweet cassis fruit, some dark cherries and tobacco with spice. On the palate, there are firm tannins. Pretty black cherry fruit. Nice finish.
Ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose is nice; earthy with cherries. On the palate, this is bigger in style with cherries and slight sour cherries. Nice texture. Plenty of depth. Should improve with some short term cellaring. Very nice.
Another solid inexpensive wine from Dancing Coyote. Certainly a value pick. Purple in color. The nose has raspberries and bramble. On the palate, it is slightly sweet with jammy black raspberry fruit. A slight bit of heat on the finsish. For $15, this is a nice wine, perfect for casual drinking.
I love Petite but this wasn't really doing it for me. Its only $15 so for them money, it is hard to complain. Unlike many wines in this price category, this has some really good things but then some not so good things. Purple in color The nose has some black raspberry fruit but also some green notes not too unlike bell pepper (which I rarely see in PS). There is also a fair amount of volatile acidity on the nose. On the palate, it is better with black raspberry fruit and underlying graphite. Also very thick tannins. I would suspect this is meant to drink early, but it might develop
Really a great value for a Pinot Noir under $15. Light ruby in color. The nose is a bit earthy with nice cherry fruit. On the palate, nice cherry fruit. Sliky smooth. Tasty. What more can you ask for the money?
