2018 Ridge Mataro Gonsalves, USA, California, Contra Costa County, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$36.00USD

Deep ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with raspberries, plums and spice.  Medium bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  Some depth.  Flavors of black raspberries and plums.  Better with food. It went well with roasted veggies.  Drink over the next five to seven years. 

2018 Cline Cellars Zinfandel Ancient Vines, USA, California, Contra Costa County, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$15.00USD

This is always a go to value wine.  Amazing?  No.  But solid, dependable and tasty.  Purple/Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, some black cherries, slight cedar and vanilla.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, cherries with a peppery note.  Moderate finish.  This is easy drinking with no edges.  It works nicely on its own and would work well with burgers off the grill.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

2014 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Evangelho Vineyard, USA, California, Contra Costa County

Vintage: 
2014
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$30.00USD

Evangelho vineyard is a blend featuring mostly Zinfandel.  This vineyard always seems to have a more "claret" or elegant style to it.  That can be a disadvantage at a tasting or with a group of bigger wines.  When consumed on its own, however, it can be charming.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has cherries, raspberries, slight smoke and an interesting bit of mint.  On the palate, the cherries and smoke tend to dominate at the moment.  Some depth.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This drinks well on its own but really begs for pasta, pizza or burgers.  Drink it over the next five years.  

2016 Cline Cellars Zinfandel Ancient Vines, USA, California, Contra Costa Country, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$14.00USD

Another great value from Cline.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has cherries, raspberries, bramble and cedar.  Medium bodied.  Some depth and concentration.  The cherries come thru to the palate along with some black cherries.  Nice texture.  Drinks well on its own right now but will work with pizza or pasta or burgers.  This probably should be consumed in the next year or so.  

2018 Cline Cellars Mourvedre Ancient Vines Rosé, USA, California, Contra Costa County, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+
Current Price: 
$15.00USD

Cline makes some of the best values in wine.  This is certainly one of them.  Pale salmon pink in color.  The nose has nice watermelons and a bit of cranberries.  Light bodied.  Silky texture.  Good acidity.  The palate is more strawberries with cranberries.  Moderate finish.  This is refreshing.  it will go well with lighter foods and drinks fine on its own.  It should be consumed in the next year.  

2015 Three Wine Company Zinfandel Evangelho Vineyard, USA, California, Contra Costa County, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2015
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-

A new wine for me, this was quite good.  From members of the Cline wine family.  Purple/ruby in color.  The nose has black raspberries and some bramble.  On the palate, black cherry, underlying char and slight earth.  Good balance.  More middle of the road on a Zinfandel scale.  Good with a lot of foods.  Seems like it will easily go a decade more.  

2014 Sandlands Carignane, USA, California, Contra Costa County, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2014
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

If you don't know Sandlands, this is a winery you should check into.  The wines are made using grape varietals that are not the usual for California.  Tegan and Olivia Passalacqua are making wines that are a bit lower in alcohol from not the usual locations.  Their pricing is reasonable as well.  This one is around $30.  Ruby in color.  The nose has cherries, slight rhubarb, a hint of barnyard and a bit of bitters.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  Nice cherry fruit with some black raspberries.  The bitters quality is also there which is kind of interesting.  Works well with food.  Ni