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

2017 Krutz Family Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$150.00USD

My first time trying this winery.  It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has cassis, dust, cedar and mint.  Full bodied.  Soft and accessible texture.  Delicious.  On the palate lots of cassis with underlying char.  Firm tannins.  A bit of dark chocolate on the long finish.  This is drinking well but will undoubtedly mature and improve a bit.  Great on its own, it needs bigger food such as a steak or rib roast.  Drink over the next twelve to fifteen years.  

2010 Sine Qua Non The Monkey, USA, California, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2010
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$195.00USD

This is a blend of 53% Roussanne, 23% Viognier and 19% Chardonnay.  At age 12, this took only a few minutes to open and then was drinking well.  Deep golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has wax lemons, and some gunpowder.  Full bodied.  Showing just as slight touch of oxidation as older white Rhone varietals often do.  The palate has lemons, pith and vanilla.  Long finish.  This is very tasty and quite complex.  There is some serious weight to this wine.  It drinks great on its own but will work even better with food.  Its hard to put a drinking window on white Rhone varietals but

2019 Gentleman Farmer Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Napa, Oak Knoll, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2022
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$105.00USD

This is a new winery for Intowine.com.  Vintner Joe Wolosz, along with his husband and partner Jeff Durham are making some exceptional wines in Napa.  This one is quite good, but it is very tight and needs some cellaring to really hit its peaks.  Purple in color with the thin ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has loads of cassis, cedar and fresh cut oak note.  It is very rich.

2019 Gentleman Farmer Napa Valley Red Wine, USA, California, Napa, Oak Knoll, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$67.00USD

This is a Merlot dominant Napa Red proprietary blend from Oak Knoll.  Really an impressive wine.  Inky purple in color with a thin ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is tight (it is young) but with some air, black cherries, cherries, and milk chocolate emerge.  With a bit more air, there is also cedar, cassis and slight sandalwood and dust.  It took a few hours to full open up without any decanting.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherries, cassis, plums, over a char and slight tobacco.  Long finish.  This is delicious and has a nice complexity.  If drinking soon, giv

2020 Gentleman Farmer Napa Valley Rosé, USA, California, Oak Knoll, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$35.00USD

This is made from 100% Pinot Noir.  It has a deep ruby/orange color, clear and bright.  A bit darker than typical roses.  On the palate, there are strawberries, cherry powdered candy (li-a-maid?), with a slight tea and gravel.  Medium bodied.  Lovely texture.  On the palate, the strawberries come thru with some red apple notes and underlying gravel.  A bit of orange candy on the finish along with a slightly bitter orange pith note.  Tasted over two nights, it was better on night two which is rare for a Rose.  This is concentrated.  It drinks great on its own and will work well with lighter

2019 The Vice Cabernet Sauvignon Los Carneros "The Ram", USA, California, Napa, Carneros, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$69.00USD

This was bottled and released to celebrate the Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl appearance (and victory).  Los Carneros is Spanish for The Ram.  This is a cooler climate than much of Napa and while the area is not know for Cabernet, this one is a very nice example of a cooler climate Cab.  Unfiltered and unfined.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  Ruby at the rim.  The nose is dusty with black cherries, cassis, slight rhubarb and sandalwood.  Medium to full  bodied.  Lovely sinewy texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, nice black cherries, plums with a chalky/chocolate note.  Long finish. 

2019 Wente Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Southern Hills, USA, California, Livermore Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$20.00USD

Wente Vineyards was founded in 1883.  This Cab is from an estate owned vineyard in the southern part of Livermore Valley.  A somewhat unique blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, 9% Petite Sirah, and 4% Barbara.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is interesting with cassis, black cherries, pomegranate, and some light chocolate and spice.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  Nice texture.  Juicy acidity.  On the palate, cassis and blueberries with some underlying spice.  Long finish with a slight warmth to it.  This is drinking well now and shoul

2020 Wente Vineyards Chardonnay Single Vineyard Riva Ranch, USA, California, Monterey, Arroyo Secco, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$22.00USD

This is a very nice Chardonnay from Wente, a long time producer in California (founded in 1883).  This particular Chardonnay is grown from a single vineyard, Riva Ranch, in Arroyo Grande.  Yellow gold in color, clear and shimmering bright.  The nose is a bit chalky with grapefruit and slight baking spice.  With air, a bit of pineapple comes out.  It has a really nice voluptuous texture.  On the palate, more lemon chiffon with nice underlying minerality and some spice.  Moderate acidity.  Good finish.  This is tasty and drinks nicely on its own but will work well with all but the heaviest of

2019 Flora Springs Trilogy, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$85.00USD

Trilogy is one of the more famous blends made in Napa and this represents the 35th vintage!  This vintage is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Malbec.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, cassis, char, and slight milk chocolate and spices.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium plus tannins.  Tingly acidity.  On the palate, raspberries, cassis and some underlying char.  Long finish with some chocolate notes.  This is still young but should be good drinking over the next fifteen to twenty years.  Nice on its own,

2020 Flora Springs Sauvignon Blanc Soliloquy, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$50.00USD

This is one of the best Sauvignon Blancs made in Napa.  Luckily, the grapes for this were made before the smoke from the fires tainted the grapes.  In fact, this may be the best Soliloquy yet!  It is a blend based on their proprietary clone of Sauvignon Blanc with some Chardonnay and Malvasia.  Silvery green-gold in color, clear and bright.  A very expressive nose.  Slightly grassy with spice and a ton of tropical fruits (papaya, guava, some pineapple), and some orange zest.  Light to medium bodied.  Smooth and silky texture.  Good acidity.  On the palate, plenty of grapefruit, a slight cha

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