Prie Vineyards Carignane Ancient Vine Spenker Ranch 2016
From 100+-year-old vines aged for 18 months in neutral and new French oak, Prie Vineyards 2016 Carignane is ruby-hued, and from its appearance, unfiltered. Fresh notes of brambly berries, raspberry coulis, spice, white pepper, dried hay anoint the nose. It’s medium-bodied silky, deliciously pillowy tannins. Bright acidity terminates softly in a finish of vanillin and […]
M2 Vermentino Mokelumne River 2018
The color of sun-bleached straw, the 2018 M2 Mokelumne River Vermentino is etched in dewy Comice pear, yellow apple, almond biscotti, and wild iris. A textural band gathers at the mid-palate, bisecting this lithe white as bright acidity surges across the palate. The finish is decidedly mineral, with accents of dried thyme, miner’s lettuce, and […]
Michael David Winery Inkblot Cabernet Franc 2015
David Michael Winery’s first Cabernet Franc, the 2015 Inkblot bears, and nose that is reminiscent of Loire Cab Franc, though the body is much richer and concentrated. It fairly bursts with aromas of juicy boysenberries, blueberry buckle, violets, cinnamon stick, and cigar box. The aromatic profile reverberates across the palate with bright perfumy fruit that […]
Emiliana Natura Carménère 2015
Owned by Italian conglomerate Banfi, Emiliana ‘Natura’ is composed of 100% organically farmed grapes. True to the profile I tend to find in Chilean Carménère, the 2015 vintage is brimming with plums, black cherries, wood spice, earth, baking spice, and milk chocolate. In the mouth, it’s full-bodied, and framed in ripe tannins with juicy fruit […]
Edna Valley Vineyard Chardonnay 2016
A veritable fruit salad, Edna Valley Vineyard’s 2016 Chardonnay is loaded with apricots, Bosc pear, yellow peaches, banana chips, vanilla, and toast. Full-bodied and fleshy, orchard fruit and tropical fruit commingle on the palate, as spiced pear, yellow apple, and papaya vie for center stage. Nice acid lift at the mid-palate lends brightness to this […]
LXV Secret Craving 2016
LXV’s 2016 Secret Craving is nimble and nuanced, and a departure from the 2015 in that the blend is Cabernet Franc dominant—at 59%, with Cabernet Sauvignon and a splash of Petit Verdot playing supportive roles. Dried violets, sweet tobacco, balsam wood, and bay laurel are embroidered against a backdrop of Rainier cherry, red currants, and […]
Domaine Bousquet Orgánic Grape Rosé 2018
A blend 50% Malbec and 50% Cabernet crafted from organically farmed grapes in Mendoza’s Uco Valley. The winery is owned by the Bousquet family, fourth-generation winemakers from France’s city of Carcassone—the wines are always well crafted, as is the case with their 2018 rosé, grown at an elevation of 4,000 feet, it’s bright and fresh […]
Brochelle Vineyards Zinfandel 2016
Thickset and baritone, the 2016 Brochelle Paso Robles Zinfandel offers up densely packed aromas of figs, plums, wood spice, anise, and balsamico. A fleshy mid-palate is neatly bisected by coiled acidity that parries and thrusts, ’till it unwinds, leaving behind a streak of prune and sweet tobacco. 15.8% ABV | Sample Brochelle Vineyards 88 Points
Eberle Côtes-du-Rôbles Rouge 2016
A pretty Côtes-du-Rhône inspired blend from Eberle, the 2016 Côtes-du-Rôbles Rouge 2016 expresses heady notes of macerated strawberries and pie cherries, along with vanilla, and woody and warm spice. Medium-bodied on entry, and round with ripe tannins serving as a graceful bridge to tart red fruit—rhubarb and choke cherry that gives way to white pepper, […]
Grizzly Peak Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Beautifully developed and opaque as a starless night, the 2013 Grizzly Peak Syrah offers up cascading layers of blackberries, marionberries, and dusty plums that rest beneath lighter notes of violets, preserved meat, and freshly turned tilth. In the mouth, it’s round and fleshy, with velvety tannins lending structure to a baritone and black-fruited core, leaving […]