Expert articles and wine tasting videos profiling wines from California, California wine regions, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, & more.
Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, black pepper and slight bacon fat. On the palate, this is mature. Some amount of depth with layers of earth, black raspberries and bacon fat. Nice acidity. Very food friendly. Good finish. Very good wine. Drink in the next five to seven years.
This is an under $20 bottle of California Cab. Well worth the price in the grand scheme of things. Purple/ruby in color. The nose has some cassis, dust and cedar. On the palate, this is easy drinking. Not complex but tasty and works with food. Probably needs to be drunk in the next few years.
This wine has taken a long time to come around but it is now in a great drinking window. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, roasted meats, leather, slight floral notes and black pepper. On the palate, this is complex with juicy acidity. Black raspberries, charcoal, black pepper and slight roasted meats. Great texture. Long finish. Very food friendly especially spicy foods. It is close to peak and should stay here for 5 to 8 years or more.
I love Saxum, they are certainly one of my top favorite wineries. But, over the years, their styles have changed. Presumably, that has been consistent with owner/winemaker Justin Smith's preferences changing. For my tastes, 2012 was another year of change in styles. The wines became a bit more intense and need a decade to really strut their stuff. That said, with a bit of air, this one was delicious at six years from vintage. Deep purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, leather, roasted meat and black pepper. On the palate, this has a great texture. It is packed with delic
Light pink/orange in color. The nose has some slight watermelon and a bit of grapefruits. This is an easy, light rose on the palate. Refreshing notes of cherries and some cinnamon. Around $16, this is nice for a party.
Kendall Jackson makes a lot of wine at all price levels. One of the more remarkable things is how consistent they are on their value wines. To make wine in that kind of quantity and be that consistent shows a great attention to detail. This wine retails for around $16. 75% Pinot Noir, 23% Syrah, 2% Grenache. Light salmon in color. The nose is really nice. Expressive and enjoyable notes of watermelon with slight strawberries. With air a slight minty scent is there. On the palate, this is more about cherries and "red berries". Not as pronounced as the nose. It does have good acidit
This is a project from former baseball manager Tommy Lasorda. I was a bit skeptical about it but this is good. It retails for around $20 which makes this a great bargain in the world of California Chardonnay as well. Pop and pour, it drank well although did improve for the first 30 minutes or so before plateauing until the bottle was emptied. Light gold/green in color. The nose is nice with grapefruit and slight vanilla. Neutral oak barrels were used but there are some very pleasant oak remnants if light. With air some green apples pop out as well. On the palate, this has nice acid
Pink grapefruit in color. The nose is nice with some strawberries, watery cherry juice, slight rhubarb and herbal notes. On the palate, this is refreshing. While it is open, it did continue to improve for the few hours it was open. Perhaps that is a function of the serving temp or maybe the air. Still, I would tend to drink these up in the first couple of years. Flavors of strawberries and light cherries. Nice mouthfeel. Works well on its own or with food. At around $25 all in, this is fairly priced.
This is excellent. From a winery who will undoubtedly raise their prices once the critics start scoring their wines. This is a GSM blend. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has cherries, black raspberries, char, leather and spice. On the palate, this has a great texture. Firm yet sinewy. Great black raspberry and cherry fruit with some spice. Deep and will undoubtedly age well. Good finish. Works great on its own or with food. A winery to follow.
From the heart of the historic To Kalon vineyard on the Napa Valley floor. This is made in limited quantities although they also make an even more limited version. This is $80 which is pretty fair for one of the best Cab Francs that Napa produces. Purple in color. The nose has black cherries, slight cigar box, and some anise. On the palate, this is young but drinking well. Black cherries, some cherries, forest floor and spice layered in the glass. Medium tannins. Good balance. Nice finish. Certainly some upside to this as this should mature and age for another decade or more.
