California

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This is a blend of 57% Syrah, 24% grenache, and 19% Mourvedre from Paso Robles.  It lists 15.9%abv.   Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose is deep with black raspberries, char, roasted meats and "purple" flowers.  Full bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  Great energy.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is almost seamless with a plush texture but enough acidity to keep it lively.  Flavors of black raspberries, some black cherries with char and a bit of earthiness.  Long finish.  Despite the high alcohol, it is not evident on the nose or palate.  At age 10, this is ju

One of our favorite Chardonnay producers.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has great minerality along with a bit of lemons, spice and char.  Full  bodied.  Crisp acidity.  Slightly creamy texture.  On the palate, this has great lemon notes with underlying minerality and a touch of char.  Long finish.  This is great on its own, but there is a strong backbone of acidity that will make it better with food.  It would be a good wine to have with lobster.  Drink over the next ten years.  

This is their basic wine but it less expensive and almost as good as their single vineyard designate Cabs.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, cedar, sandalwood, char, and sour cherries.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Great acidity.  Crisp yet creamy texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Cassis, black cherries with spice and char.  Long finish.  This is young and should improve with another five to ten years of cellaring.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  It would be a nice wine with a hearty eggplant or vegetarian lasagna.  

We recently tried the EABA from 2019, so wanted to compare it to the regular Syrah.  For now anyways, this one is a bit better and more open.  Experience suggests that this may switch (back and forth) and these wines age.  More importantly, however, is how good they both are.  Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, some roasted meats and herbs, and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Great acidity.  On the palate, plush texture.  Not as over the top as the EABA seemed, but loads of black raspberries with some meaty notes and gre

SQN's Grenache are some of the most unique expressions of the varietal anywhere.  They are big and fruit forward, but they have depth and energy as well.  And, they can age better than most.

Purple in color with some ruby hues and ruby at the rim.  Mostly opaque if a bit flat.  The nose has some funk on it (more than just bottle age) along with cassis and leather.  Full bodied.  On the palate, sweet cassis fruit with underlying earthiness.  Mature but still offering up a lot.  Nice finish.  This is probably better with some food at this point.  Goulash would work well.  Drink over the next few years.  

This was really special.  One of the best Pinot Noir's I have had in a long time.  Purple in color with some ruby hues, mostly clear and a bit on the flat side.  The nose has sour cherries, cherries, spice with loads of minerality.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this has layers of complexity.  Black cherries, sour cherries, minerals and earthiness.  Delicious.  Lively acidity.  Long finish.  At age 15, it still has some youth but starting to show good development.  This would be great with a bean casserole.  Drink over the next ten years.  This bottle was bought on

One of our go to value wines (especially when buying on futures), this continues to impress even after the sale of the winery.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, roasted meats and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is tasty with some complexity.  No doubt, this could last fifteen years, but we tend to drink these young and age the single vineyard wines.  Great on its own, this went well with a Butternut squash curry.

If you look around, this varies in price from $35 to $70 typically.  At the former, that is a tremendous value in California Cab.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has spice, cassis, black cherries, slight chocolate and char.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, ripe cassis (not over ripe) with some underlying char.  Long finish.  Very tasty on its own and makes a great wine with burgers or meatloaf (or a steak).  Drink over the next ten years.  

From what used to be known as Terry Hoage Vineyards.  It is 96% Syrah and 4% Mourvedre.  Inky purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, blueberries, plums, spice, black pepper and Roasted herbs.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Concentrated.  On the palate, this is big and slightly jammy, but so delicious.  Deep.  Flavors of black raspberries, black pepper and spices.  Long finish.  Great on its own.  Foods will need to be able to stand up to it.  Roasted Lam Chops would work.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.