The best Quality-Price-Ratio (QPR) California Pinot Noir we’ve tasted in years! It’s from one of the Central Coast’s very first Pinot Noir vineyards, Mission Ranch in the Salinas Valley planted in 1961. Fifty-five... Read More
New Zealand native Angela Osborne moved to California in 2006 with a simple dream: to make Grenache. Over the years, she's established herself as one of the few masters of crafting Grenache that's bursting with fruit but... Read More
A classic rich and buttery (but not too much!) Russian River Chardonnay with enough oak for spice. Big, ripe, aromas and flavors of yellow pear, apple, almond and more coat the palate nicely before cleaning up with a squirt of... Read More
As the winery writes, Andrew Murray has been singularly and nearly maniacally focused on crafting Syrah for 25 years. His Everyday (in French Syrah “Tous les Jours”) Syrah from Santa Ynez gives you a good idea of how... Read More
Rich and creamy Russian River Chardonnay with spiced pear fruit and juicy accents of fresh butter and cream. Hard to resist for fans of more full-bodied Chardonnay!
Jim Clendenen is sadly gone, but his legacy lives on at the winery that more or less put Santa Barbara on the wine map. This is fully ripe at 13.5 alcohol, shaped (but not overwhelmed) by malolactic fermentation and time in French... Read More
No ratings or prizes, not a famous sparkling wine house, not much visibility even since Doug Margerum sells all of the tiny amount of this he makes at the winery. Only reason to buy this is that it tastes so good! Barrel fermented... Read More
Lower ABV Absurdly delicious cool-climate, California, Syrah that delivers layers of savory complexity, whole cluster (50%) grip, and still has enough fruit to just drink sexy. Double 95 point reviews for the 2019 will be repreated... Read More
Although the winery doesn’t get specific, their everyday pizza, pasta, burger, party red is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet, Primitivo, Petite Syrah and Merlot. We think. What we know is that it’s a ton of fun. It’s... Read More
One of the longest-running high-quality “value” Pinots we know of. As Robert Parker said of the 2013 edition: An authentic tasting Pinot Noir that sells for a song...Aromas of sweet red and black cherry fruit intermixed... Read More
From a California Sparkling wine specialist, this is elegant, nicely textured, Chardonnay of fine freshness and length. In 2022, it’s all Russian River fruit from a vineyard next door to Kistler and Ritchie Vineyards and... Read More
Made by multiple 100 point Cab winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, this is a big, bold, wine that will benefit from a little time in glass or decanter or cellar to really show its class. As Vinous said a few years ago, “The Caterwaul... Read More
Can’t tell you which vineyards contributed grapes, how they were farmed, exactly how much Cabernet is in the bottle (although, by law, it’s at least 75%), what kind of fermentation yeast were used or how it was aged... Read More
Stags Leap is the smallest AVA in Napa but has loomed large in wine-lovers’ minds ever since Warren Winiarski’s Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon Cask 23 1973 shocked the wine world by beating out the best of Bordeaux... Read More
Dave Phinney and his long-time winemaking partner Kevin Fox created to showcase some of Napa’s oldest vines and heritage vineyards in an deeply rich and fruit-filled style. And, in 2019, with the perfect complement of focus... Read More
Seeing this on the shelf, a great Chardonnay customer reminisced that she and her husband first visited Cuvaison in the 1970s. Through the boom in super-butter Chard in the '80s and '90s and the reactionary trend towards... Read More
“Delta” stands for “change” here at a winery that contributes $1 per bottle sold to environmental groups. Their 2021 Cabernet is a refreshing change of pace, too, delivering authentic Cali-Cab aromas, flavors... Read More
Not your typical California Chardonnay, here Greg Brewer picks very ripe fruit, blocks malolactic fermentation, and ages the wine in steel on the lees. There's amazing texture here and loads of fruit in a wine that's at... Read More
This Napa/Sonoma specialist has extended their reach into Mendocino to craft a rich and fleshy, good-value, Cabernet that just happens to be organic, too! It's 100% Cabernet Sauvignon picked ripe and aged in used... Read More
While brother Tim has gone the artisanal route with his Continuum project, Michael Mondavi has focused more on making plenty of good-drinking, well-made, Napa-typical selections. Like this which showcases plenty of deep Napa Cab... Read More
Powerful enough to benefit from a decant today, this is Napa steak wine par excellence. Deep red currant and raspberry fruit with hints of violets, mocha and smoke, it unfurls in the glass nicely and has the firm grip to match... Read More
It takes a certain amount of artistry to craft what used to be called a “Meritage” blend, and Girard has been showcasing their craft with this wine for years now. Fully flavored, classy and pure, with plenty of power... Read More
Since she and her husband, Craig, acquired St. Helena Bergfeld Winery in 2003 and re-opened as HALL St. Helena in July of that year, Kathryn Hall has emerged as a true force in Napa Valley Cabernet. Today they operate one of Napa’s... Read More
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