Sonoma Coast

Light ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, cola, spice along with a slight earthy funk.  Medium bodied.  Soft texture.  Flavors of cherries, slight root beer and spice.  Light tannins.  Nice finish with a hint of mint.  This is drinking well now although just a bit shy of maturity.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  Better with food, this would be a nice match with Tandoori Chicken.  

Light ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, dust, iodine and slight spice.  Medium bodied.  Tart acidity.  Light tannins.  On the palate cherries with some spice.  A bit of cherry cough drop on the finish.  This seems to be just getting to peak.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  It will work better with food due to the acidity.  It would be a nice match with Roasted Duck.  

One of my favorite Chardonnays (both the winery and this vineyard).  Light golden in color with some green hues, clear and bright.  The nose is smoky with minerality, slight vanilla and grapefruits.  Medium to full bodied.  Slightly oily texture.  Good acidity.  On the palate, minerality and slight grapefruit.  Lemon candy on the long finish.  12.9% abv.  This is still drinking youthfully.  It should drink well for another ten to fifteen more years.  Great on its own, this will work well with lighter foods but also seafood and even fried chicken.  

Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, slight black pepper and a hint of purple flowers.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, nice black raspberry fruit with some char.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This drinks easy and is tasty.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  A nice wine with a really good burger.  

Made in a more classic California Chardonnay style, this Migration offers traditional lemon-lime, apricot, white peach, resin and guava notes along with honeysuckle, pear and a pleasant mouth feel. There is a good balance of oak and non-oak, excellent acidity and a subversive viscosity. Aged 10 months in just 34% new French oak allows the fruit and acidity to shine through. Made of all Chardonnay, the grapes came from five different vineyard sites within the AVA, which helps to provide a more well rounded Chardonnay. ORIGIN: Sonoma Coast. ALCOHOL: 14.2%.

Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with grapefruits, slight lemon, and a hint of vanilla.  Medium bodied.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, this is lean but piercing (in a good way).  Grapefruit notes with just a bit of spice.  Long finish.  Tasty.  This drinks well on its own and would work well with lighter foods but also Salmon or Tuna steaks.  Drink over the next five years.  

This is the basic Pinot Noir from the home winery of winemaker Thomas Rivers-Brown.  An excellent value in Pinot Noir.  Deep garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries and sour cherries with some char and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this is young but delicious.  Some depth.  Lots of cherry and sour cherry notes.  Long finish.  This will improve with a few years in the cellar though it drinks nicely now.  Drink over the next ten years.  Nice on its own, this would work well with Roasted Chicken.  

Beautiful example of a non-full throttle California Pinot Noir.  Purple at its core, ruby toward the edge as it sits in the glass.  The nose takes some time to open up and then cherries, strawberries, black cherries with some herbal notes and slight spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, black cherries, cherries, slight cedar, and a bit of tarragon on the finish.  Great texture.  Long finish.  Intense.  This could use time or a few hours in a decanter but is drinking well with some air.  It should drink well for the next twenty years.  It would work great with roasted fowl.  

There are lots of reviews for Maybach Cabs on this site, but not as many for other varietals so it was nice to get a chance to enjoy this Chardonnay.  At age 5, this is still young, but showing a bit of maturity and very enjoyable.  Golden in color with slight green hues, clear and bright.  On the nose, this is a big wine.  Lots of red apples, some grapefruit, with lots of vanilla and oak and some floral notes.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has a great, viscous texture.  Flavors of lemons, lemon candy and baking spice.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  If you like oak, this is your wine, b

Nice to revisit this (last tasted in 2017) as it showed good if not up to expectations.  This was a much better showing for whatever reason.  Pale golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is smoky with lemons and bigger than expected.  On the palate, this has medium body with good acidity.  Lemons and lemon cream.  Nice minerality.  A long finish.  This is drinking well if fully mature.  It should continue to drink well for another eight to twelve years.  It drinks well on its own and would work well with grilled trout or other fish.