Reviews

Maxem Pinot Noir UV Vineyard

A lot of kick-start-your-heart black cherry fruit gushing out of this Pinot. Unlike the Maxem Chardonnay, which carried some calculated and stately deliberation in its delivery, this Pinot showed…

Maxem Chardonnay UV Vineyard

An ultra clean, highly polished version of the varietal, with the UV site represented with sophisticated and stylish purpose. With a yellow citrus core flanked by a lovely white stone minerality, the…

B Cellars Blend 24

A blend of primarily Petite Sirah and Sangiovese. A wine that seemingly should not work, the Blend 24 surprisingly manages to pull off a decent amount of flavor and body. Dark red core fruit, with a…

B Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Juliana Vineyard

Clean, crisp, and served up nice and cold, this SB kicked out some inviting and energetic notes of lemon, stone, and subtle grass. I was happy to see some of the grass/mineral surface this time…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Kaliholmanok Kicu'me

Surprisingly approachable, but still seems to be finding its way a little bit; showing primarily black cherry and plum notes. PnP was actually the preference for me frame-wise, with just a bit of air…

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

A beautiful and poised example of BTK; medium bodied and seamless (almost gentle) on the finish. Pure fruit flavors of black raspberry, black cherry, cinnamon, and subtle bitter chocolate. A kiss of…

Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Kings Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

Leading with gorgeous baking spice notes and a solid push of black, super dark red, and some purple core fruit flavors, this Three Kings was a healthy glass of youthful flavor fun, with just the…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Empyrean Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Followed over two days, with day one from PnP through the first hour being my favorite window. This is coming into a great drinking window folks, so ya might wanna see what's cookin' under the hood.

Bevan Cellars Pinot Noir Summit 1376'

Notes of earthy black cherry, dried herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary), and bark. I find this 1376 and the 2114 to be Bevan's best works with this varietal. The Petaluma Gap and Rita's can be huge…

Keplinger Mars

A fabulous showing, with totally enthralling garrigue and Herbes de Provence notes that perfectly maneuvered their ways through the earthy black raspberry, kirsch, and red and black cherry core.…

Donelan Chardonnay Genevieve's Block DeVoto Vineyard

Previous notes apply. Given some time to open up in the glass, it exhibited some nice lemon grass and quince notes that added interest. Probably best to continue to hold on this. Certainly more…

Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard Anderson Valley

Much like the 2016 Rivers Marie Joy Road I had the other day, this Bearwallow serves up healthy doses of vanilla oak and glycol before you get any sense of the lemon curd and lemon oil trying its…

Wren Hop Chardonnay Ritchie by Proxy

PnP was all about green apple skin on the front end, but after about 15-20 minutes of air, cinnamon and cardamom flavors peeked out, creating a warm apple crust effect; some vanilla also showed its…

Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Summa Old Vines

Served side-by-side with a 2014 Rivers Marie Kanzler Pinot, which was much fruitier and less complex by comparison. This Summa OV displayed wonderfully complex notes of black cherry, orange rind,…

Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Kanzler Vineyard

Served side-by-side with a 2013 Rivers Marie Summa OV Pinot, which was much more focused and complex by comparison. Beneath the Kanzler's rounded, fruity (but kinda furry) tannins lied a core of…

Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Joy Road Vineyard

Vanilla oak and glycol currently take up the lion's share of the flavor profile on this wine, with some lemony lamp oil and lemon drop martini notes also rushing up to flank the primary attack. At…

Sinegal Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Exact same showing as when I last had this wine in December 2017. Indeed a more shorter term drinker, but delivering a gorgeous exhibition of hedonistic flavors; up front and ready to go, with some…

The Debate Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

A captivating bottle of wine. Balanced and exquisitely focused, while still delivering a beautifully concentrated core of black fruit. Signature To Kalon, with powerfully mouth-couting waves of…

Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Her Majesty's Secret Service Stagecoach Vineyard

Hallmark Pott. Notes of purple-red plum, black cherry, pomegranate, cedar, and earth. It has that old school meets new school vibe, with a good combination of restraint and structure, coupled with…

Hanzell Chardonnay

A pleasant and easygoing Chardonnay, with lovely lemon and yellow/white citrus flavors dominating. An extremely clean entry, with a purity of fruit that was notable. Youthfully linear mid-palate, but…

Realm Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Fidelio

Previous notes apply. A little more yellow fruit, acacia flowers, and grass notes this time around. Subtle white rock, but primarily grass and floral notes. Notable acid and cut. Medium weight and…

Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard

Not as memorable as the last few times I've had it. Medium in drive and length. A bit less intensity than I remember from that beginning of the year. Still a great bottle of Chardonnay, with lovely…

Skipstone Viognier

Medium-to-light all the way around. Light yellow citrus and unripe pear notes dominate. I wasn't mad at it, but it wasn't necessarily a conversation I was excited to continue once my glass was empty.…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Rosé

So you've all been through the drill before... You show up for your tasting all eager-eyed and anxious about trying the winery's newest releases. You're in Sonoma; so naturally you have Pinot and…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Cautionary Tale

Previous notes apply. This showed more upfront hedonism and sappier black and red cherry and raspberry notes than the Shadow Voices or Three Wishes. Darker and a bit richer, the Cautionary Tale's…