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 […]
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, […]
Talbott Kali Hart Chardonnay 2016
Smoky baked yellow apple, yellow peach, and clementine grace the nose of this well-priced Monterey Chardonnay. Talbott’s 2016 Kali Hart is made from Corton-Charlemagne Chardonnay clone vines from the winery’s Sleepy Hollow estate vineyard, a hillside parcel that is a stone’s throw from the Pacific Ocean. On the palate there is creaminess, yet there is […]
LXV Crimson Jewel 2015
LXV’s 2015 Crimson Jewel is a poetic blend of 80% Brunello clone Sangiovese with 20% Petit Verdot all from the Hearthstone Vineyard—located in the heart of Paso Robles Adelaida District, the blocks are seated on limestone soils and benefit from both high elevation and unique microclimate. The nose is a twiggy garland of black cherries, […]
LXV Heart Note Rosé of Sangiovese 2018
Conch shell pink, LXV’s 2018 Heart Note Rosé of Sangiovese is imbued with pretty aromas of tart pie cherry, pomegranate, melon, line-dried linen, white flowers, and chalk. Tasted blind, it could easily be mistaken for a Provençal pink—minerality shines through, giving it a nimble if porous armature, a feather-light structure that gently terminates in pink […]
Carmel Road Monterey Pinot Noir 2016
I was pleased to have toured Carmel Road’s stunning Panorama vineyard on the day they had a falconer out to deter starlings just ahead of harvest and equally pleased to meet their capable winemaker. The 2016 Carmel Road Monterey Pinot Noir is loaded with briary fruit anchored by aromas of earthy substrata. Sous bois, dried […]
Prophecy Wines California Pinot Noir 2016
Aside from beautiful packaging, Prophecy features varieties from regions across the globe. I’ve much preferred their whites over the reds, especially their Italian Pinot Grigio. That said, the 2016 Prophecy California Pinot Noir is loaded with dusty cherries, plums, macerated strawberries, and vanilla. It’s plush in the mouth, and soft, as one might expect—it’s meant […]
Exitus Red 2016
A blend of Zinfandel, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Merlot, the 2016 Exitus is aged for three months in Kentucky Bourbon barrels. It opens with unapologetic, strapping aromas of dark cherries, plums, dark chocolate shavings, mocha, allspice, and, of course, toast. In the mouth, plush round fruit, with just a touch of discernible […]