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

2018 Rivers-Marie Chardonnay B. Thieriot Vineyard, USA, California, Sonoma Coast, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
98
Grade: 

Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with vanilla, lemon cream, slight wax note.  Full bodied.  Great acidity.  Deep and complex albeit obviously young.  On the palate, the lemon cream takes the stage with some background vanilla.  Long finish.  This it rich without being overblown.  One of, if not the best RM Chard I have had.  This should drink well for another 15 years.  Great on its own, this will work well with lobster or salmon.  

2018 Gehricke Pinot Noir, USA, California, Sonoma Coast, Wine review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$35.00USD

This is a nice Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast.  Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries and some strawberries.  On the palate, this is a lighter, more elegant styled Pinot.  Nice cherry fruit with a touch of pomegranate.  Dry.  It finishes with tart cherries which wake up the palate.  This drinks well on its own and would work well with roasted (or fried) chicken.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

2018 Ron Rubin Pinot Noir, USA, California, Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$25.00USD

This is an accessible Pinot Noir that has some seriousness to it as well.  More "old world" than a ripe fruit bomb.  Garnet in color with some purple swirls.  On the nose, it has a classic rhubarb, cranberries and cherries.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, rhubarb with some cherries.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This drinks well now on its own but is even better with food.  Lighter foods such as chicken salad are a nice match but this will work well with ribs r a burger off the grill.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

2020 Gehricke Rosé Los Carneros, USA, California, Sonoma, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$29.00USD

At a recent Intowine.com tasting, this proved to be quite popular especially among those who drank a lot of Rosé.  This is made from 100% Pinot Noir.  Pink/orange/amber in color, clear and bright.  The nose has watermelon, cherries and slight chervil notes.  Slightly viscous.  Dry with good acidity.  On the palate, cherries, boysenberries and slight citrus notes.  Clean and long finish.  More understated but delicious.  This drinks great on its own and will work well with all but the heaviest foods, especially on a hot day.  Drink over the next year or two.  

2019 Gehricke Chardonnay, USA, California, Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$32.00USD

This sees 20% new oak.  Light green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has limes, lemons, and intriguing bit of wintergreen.  Clean.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is slightly chalky with lemon cream.  Light tannins.  The wintergreen returns on the finish along with a very slight bitter (lemon peel) note.  Tried again on day 2, it held up great.  This should drink well for five to seven years.  A nice match with seafood or salads but drinks well on its own, too.  

2020 Ron Rubin Winery Pam’s UN-Oaked California Chardonnay, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$14.00USD

This is an affordable, easy drinking white wine from California made win no oak (100% Stainless steel tanks).  Silvery green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is clean with tropical fruits (Some pineapple).  Slightly viscous though light bodied.  Enough residual sugar to taste it but not overtly sweet.  The palate has a "juicy-fruit gum" note along with tropical fruits (maybe some papaya).  It drinks very nicely on its own and would work well with a fruit salad.  Drink over the next year.  This is one of those wines that will have some detractors, but for those looking for a refres

2012 Saxum Bone Rock James Berry Vineyard, USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2012
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$150.00USD

Great showing for this wine as it near maturity.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, slight black olive, white pepper and slight char.  Full bodied.  Great texture.  On the palate, crisp black raspberry fruit with plenty of depth.  Light tannins.  Underlying char and pepper.  Long finish.  A lot of alcohol but not noticeable on the nose or palate.  Delicious and a crowd favorite.  Srink over the next ten to twelve years.  A nice match with roasts or food off the grill.  

2014 Tensley Syrah OGT, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2014
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A

This was the groups favorite at a recent tasting of Central Coast Syrah's and with good reason.  Delicious.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, bacon fat and slight blueberries.  Full bodied.  On the palate, black raspberry fruit with underlying char and slight pepper.  A nice backbone of acidity.  Long finish.  This may yet improve a bit over the next three to five years.  Drink for ten to twelve more after that.  Great on its own.  With time it will work better with food.  Roasted meats or fowl is a nice choice.  

2014 Samsara Syrah Zotovich Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Sta. Rita Hills, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2014
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$50.00USD

Great showing for this wine.  A cooler climate style of Syrah.  Garnet in color, ruby at the rim.  Mostly clear and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, black pepper, black olives and slight char.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, black raspberries, some black cherries with underlying earthiness.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue to do so for another seven to ten years.  Nice on its own,  it should be better with food.  Chili or beef stew would be a nice choice.  

2012 Qupé Syrah Bien Nacido Hillside Estate, USA, California, Sta. Maria Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2012
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$25.00USD

From Magnum.  Garnet/purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, dust, some black cherries and spice.  medium bodied.  Light tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, nice black raspberry fruit.  Good finish.  Drinking well right now.  Drink over the next five years.  Nice on its own, this will work well with roasted or grilled meats and/or veggies.  

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