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

2018 Calla Lily Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Ultimate Red, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$70.00USD

A bit surprisingly, while still a nice wine, this lagged a bit behind both the 2017 and the 2019.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, slight cedar, and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this drinks easy but doesn't have the expected depth.  Good finish.  It is a nice wine and will work well with heavier foods.  Beef Ragu would work nicely.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

2010 Saxum Broken Stones, USA, California, Paso Robles,

Vintage: 
2010
Score: 
97
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$150.00USD

This is a blend of 63% Syrah, 19% Mourvedre, 15% Grenache, and 3% Petite Sirah from Paso Robles.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is powerful with black raspberries, black pepper, grilled meats, black cherries, gravel and char.  Full bodied.  Lush texture.  great energy and balance.  On the palate, this is flat out delicious.  Flavors of black raspberries, black cherries, black pepper and char.  Long finish.  Still a big wine but it has calmed down since its youth.  It should drink well for another twenty years.  Great on its own, this will work well with bigger food off

2021 Jaffurs Syrah Santa Barbara County, USA, California, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$24.00USD

This is the basic Syrah bottling which year in and year out is a great value.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, slight roasted meats, black pepper and a bit of roasted herbs.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Open and drinking well.  Flavors of black raspberries with a bit of pepper and char.  Nice finish.  This drinks well on its own and will work well with most foods (not seafood).  A great wine for Burgers.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

2008 Rhys Pinot Noir Skyline Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Cruz, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2008
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$80.00USD

The definition of a "pretty" Pinot Noir.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is feminine/elegant with cherries, slight plums, spices and some minerality.  Medium bodied.  Wispy tannins.  Great energy.  On the palate, cherries, some black cherries and spice with slight char and minerality.  Long finish.  This is lovely on its own, but even better with food.  It went great with Cauliflower steaks but would work well with Salmon steaks as well.  Drink over the next ten years.

2018 Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium, USA, California, Napa, Oakville, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
100
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$370.00USD

Another amazing Materium.  This is arguably the best Cabernet made in Napa (and yes, there are other contenders).  Inky purple in color, shimmering bright and opaque.  The nose is great with cassis, tobacco, sandalwood, baking spice and char.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Lush, lovely texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Every sip gets better.  It is deep but still young and tight.  Flavors of cassis, with some earthy tobacco notes.  Long finish.  This will get better but it is virtually all one could want in a young Cab.  Give it a bit of a decant if drinking soon.  Great on its ow

2018 Francis Ford Coppola Cabernet Sauvignon Archimedes, USA, California, Sonoma, Alexander Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$75.00USD

This is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot 7%, Cabernet Franc, and 6% Malbec.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, char, tobacco, slight graphite and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this drinks well.  Flavors of cassis, plums with some tobacco and char.  Good finish.  This is drinking well on its own and will work nicely with beef dishes.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  

2012 Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Panek Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, St. Helena, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2012
Score: 
97
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$170.00USD

Beautiful showing and yet another example of how "showy" Napa Cabs can age and develop nuances and subtilty although this one still has plenty of life left.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, cedar, slight tobacco, and just a bit of spice.  Full bodied.  Medium to firm tannins.  On the palate, this took about an hour to open and then just kept developing in the glass.  Flavors of cassis, some black cherries, spice, leather and char.  Long finish.  Based on this bottle, this wine has another ten to fifteen years of prime drinking.  Great on its own, t

2019 Becklyn Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$65.00USD

Another great Cab from Becklyn.  This is their entry level and while not inexpensive, it is a great value for a top Napa cab.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, cedar, vanilla and black pepper.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Lively acidity.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Cassis with slight vanilla and char.  Good finish.  This is drinking well if young.  Drink over the next fifteen years.  Great on its own but will work well with roasted meats or veggies.  

2021 Sandlands Zinfandel, USA, California, Lodi, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Grade: 
Current Price: 
$35.00USD

This bottle has some serious Brettanomyces issues.  I am usually pretty tolerant but this was near my limits.  Almost undrinkable on day one, it was allowed to breathe over night and while still present, it was tolerable (for me) on day 2.  Purple in color with some ruby hues, mostly clear and slightly flat.  On the nose, there is a lot of barnyard/band-aid aromas.  There is some fruit underneath but it is hard to get to.  On day two, the barnyard is more in the background and the nose is more about clay and band-aid along with some black cherries.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the pa

2021 Bedrock Wine Co. Sauvignon Blanc Judge Family Vineyard, USA, California, Sonoma, Bennett Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2021
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A

Light green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with honey dew, slight tropical notes, and a bit of sea air.  Nice texture.  Good acidity.  Crisp, yet with rounded edges.  On the palate, this is tasty with honey dew melon and some minerality.  Long finish.  This is delicious on its own and will work well with lighter foods.  Chicken Salad or Tuna Salad would be a great match.  Drink over the next five years.  

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