Expert articles and wine tasting videos profiling wines from California, California wine regions, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, & more.

2001 Carver-Sutro Petite Sirah Palisades Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2001
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

Due to a heavy amount of Brettanomyces, this is a love it or hate it wine.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has a ton of barnyard along with boysenberries and char.  Full bodied.  Mature.  On the palate, a few people that tasted this called it "chunky".  Not sure what that means but it is very earthy with some black raspberry fruit.  Good balance.  Having had three bottles now, the cleaner the bottle the better the wine, but I enjoyed them all.  Complex.  Deep.  Drink over the next five to ten years maybe longer for well stored bottles.  It does work well with heavier dishes s

2007 Terry Hoage Vineyards Syrah The Hedge, USA, California, Paso Robles, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2007
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A

Nice to revisit this wine from an excellent vintage.  Still drinking well for those, like me, that enjoy a full throttle Syrah once in a while.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, slight bacon fat, and roasted herbs.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has juicy black raspberry fruit with lots of depth.  Good lively acidity.  Long finish.  This is full mature but should continue to drink well for another five to ten years.  It works better on its own but will work with big foods.  Spicy Indian foods are a good match.  

2020 Jaffurs Syrah, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$30.00USD

I tend to buy a case of these every year and drink them all young.  They would last longer, but at least it helps me keep my hands off of the single vineyard wines.  There has been a change in the ownership of the winery but the wines seem to be consistent.  Purple in color opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, cedar, black pepper, slight black olive and char.  Full bodied.  Good balance.  This is a riper style of Syrah but not over the top.  On the palate, lots of black raspberry fruit with some char and black pepper.  Nice finish.  Drinks great on its own and would

2017 Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$129.00USD

Beautiful wine!  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is expressive with cassis, slight coffee, plums, spice and a slight floral note.  Full bodied.  Silky but firm tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Drinking great.  Loads of plums and cassis with underlying spice and some chocolate.  Long finish.  This is great on its own and will work well with roasted vegetables or meats.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  

2018 Scherrer Winery Zinfandel Old and Mature Vines Scherrer Vineyard Alexander Valley, USA, California, Sonoma, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$40.00USD

Love these wines.  They deserve more attention.  A middle of the road Zinfandel in style.  Garnet in color, clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, char, slight bramble and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Cherries, some black cherries with underlying char.  Great balance.  Long finish.  This is drinking great now and should continue to for seven to ten more years.  It drinks well on its own and would work great with a burger and roasted corn.  

2018 Newton Cabernet Sauvignon Unfiltered, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$50.00USD

Very nice vintage for this perennial favorite.  Purple in color with some Ruby swirls.  Mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, cassis, spice and slight chocolate.  Full bodied.  On the palate, there is plenty of depth.  Lots of cassis and some black cherry fruit.  Good finish.  This is a delicious wine.  Light tannins.  It drinks great on its own and will work well with food.  Raosted turkey would be a nice match.  Drink over the next ten years.  

2017 Jordan Vineyard & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley, USA, California, Sonoma, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$70.00USD

A nice Cab from California from this old school producer.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is classic with cassis, slight saddle leather, baking spices and slight cedar.  Medium to full bodied,  On the palate, cassis, some spice with underlying char and a slight herbal note.  Some depth and complexity.  Medium tannins.  Nice finish.  This will continue to age and mature for another seven to ten years.  Great on its own and will work well with a burger or a steak.  

2013 Saxum Paderewski Vineyard, USA, California, Paso Robles, Willow Creek, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2013
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$145.00USD

This is a blend of 34% Mourvedre, 33% Zinfandel, 13% Petite Sirah, 12% Syrah, and 8% Tempranillo.  Purple with a few garnet swirls. The nose is great with plums, black cherries, gravel, leather, black pepper, char and cedar.  Some alcohol showing on the nose.  Full bodied. Some tannins.  Deep.  On the palate, plums, black cherries, black pepper, spice and char.  No alcohol showing on the palate but it does have 15.9% abv.  Long finish.  This is delicious.  It drinks great on its own after about twenty minutes.

2020 Sean Minor Pinot Noir, USA, California

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
86
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$15.00USD

This is a solid Pinot and very reasonably priced.  Unfortunately, there does seem to be some smokiness to it. Is this related to the fires that ravaged California in 2020? Unknown.  It is a light ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has smoke and some nice strawberries with a touch of cranberries.  light bodied.  The palate seems cleaner wit cherries and strawberries.  Moderate finish.  This drinks well on its own and would work well with salmon.  Drink over the next couple of years. 

2021 Lieu Dit Melon, USA, California, Santa Maria Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$24.00USD

My first time trying this and what a delightful wine.  11.7% abv.  Light yellow/silvery gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is clean with minerality and slight citrus.  light bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is about minerality.  A Californian version of Muscadet.  Good finish.  This drinks well on its own and would be great with oysters or other shellfish.  Drink over the next few years.

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