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Welcome to the wine notes page. The idea here is very simple. We have over 5000 ratings in our wine tasting database that we'd like to share with anyone who might find these opinions useful. The number of ratings grows weekly.

Our primary focus is on the wineries of the Sacramento region. We spend our time tasting in Lodi, Amador County, El Dorado County, the valley and the Gold Country. Of course, we attend the weekly tastings at BevMo as well, so we get a good selection of California and world-wide wines in our database as well.

Below you'll find a list of our 20 most recent ratings. But to search the whole database for what you're looking for please visit the search page. We have a total of 4927 wines in our database currently.

WinerySpecial DesignationVintageVarietalRatingDateTastedNotesBuy Again?
Black KiteAngel Hawk, Sonoma Coast2022Chardonnay938/22/2026 y
Black KiteWendling Vineyard Anderson Valley2024Pinot Noir968/22/2026 y
Black KiteFerrington Vineyard Anderson Valley2024Pinot Noir948/22/2026 y
Black KiteGaps Crown Sonoma Coast2024Pinot Noir978/22/2026 y
Black KiteRoberts Road Vineyard, Sonoma Coast2024Pinot Noir938/22/2026 y
Black KiteJasper Freestone Vineyard, Sonoma Caost2024Pinot Noir968/22/2026 y
Black KiteSOAR Sonoma Coast2024Pinot Noir978/22/2026 y
Joseph JewellRaymond Burr Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County2025Vermentino928/22/2026 y
Joseph JewellElk Prairie Vineyard, Humboldt County2023Pinot Noir938/22/2026 y
Joseph JewellEmerald, Humboldt County2021Pinot Noir948/22/2026 y
Joseph JewellOld Girls, Martini Clone, Russian River Valley2020Pinot Noir948/22/2026 y
Joseph JewellOld Girls, Martini Clone, Russian River Valley2022Pinot Noir978/22/2026 y
Joseph JewellRubies Russian River Valley2023Pinot Noir968/22/2026 y
SignorelloNapa Valley2022Cabernet Sauvignon958/22/2026We get blackberry, black cherry and gobs of leather and tobacco. There is black plum, baking spice and graphite. The palate is lush with fruit and coats the tongue with blackberry and dark chocolate. The tannins are med+, the finish is medium. The body is full, the concentration and intensity are med+. But that tongue coating of lovely fruit is amazing. This was a $30 dollar purchase at Costco. A real winner.y
Trader JoesReserve, Paso Robles, Lot #2812025Grenache Blanc918/21/2026The nose is a little closed up. It has green melon, sweet Myer lemon peel, pear, sour gooseberry juice, loquat, mountain herbal notes. The palate is very round, rich, pleasantly tart and mineral. The acid it high, the melon fruit finish is long. The concentration and intensity are med+. The fruit balances the acidity well. Hey, you dont run into grenache blanc very often from TJs. And this is a very nice effort. It has lovely fruit and just enough Rhone Valley character that makes us smile. It is an absolute party pleaser. Chill it, serve it and it will beat the pants off pinot grigio or sauv blanc with its rounder, richer fruit. This will be great served with cheese boards, sliced meats, hummus, tzatziki, tapenade, etc . . .y
EtudeFiddlestix Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills2022Pinot Noir2948/16/2026This has a lovely dusty berry nose with raspberry, strawberry, cherry, tart pomegranate and cranberry. oak, baking spice, spearmint. The finish is tart and long, the body, concentration and intensity are med+. The tannins are medium. The acidity is high. It makes for a pleasurable experience. It has a thickness of berry fruit mixed with tart, heavy pomegranate. n
BeringerKnights Valley Reserve2022Blend (Red Table Wine)948/15/2026The nose has blackberry, biscuit, cocoa frosting, raspberry, lilac, mushroom, leather, black pepper, a touch of anise, clove and pomegranate. The palate has high acid, med+ intensity and concentration of fruit. The tannins, finish and body are medium. It has a lovely flavor that melded wonderfully with shawarma, naan, tamarind sauce and hummus. It has the spice content to match well with spice Mexican enchilada sauce or even chicken tikka masala.y
EtudeGrace Benoist Ranch, Carneros2022Pinot Noir948/15/2026Strawberry, black cherry, spicy pomegranate, raspberry, wet soil, lime curd, carnation, turmeric and cardamom. What a nose!!!! This thing is stunning. The palate is full body, high acid, high concentration, med+ intensity and medium tannins. The color is dark, much darker than many Carneros pinots we have tried. This is a pinot to look into. It has great concentration on the nose and palate. The fruit notes are quite amazing, balanced and very interesting in a wide range of scents. We tried this with chicken shawarma and it was stellar!y
SauvigioCalifornia2025Blend (White Table Wine)898/10/2026Sauvignon Blanc/Pinot Grigio I picked this up at TJs last week. There are still very few releases coming out from them. This one came highly recommended from the staff. The wine has a soft nose of lemon peel, honeydew melon, green apple, pear and loquat. The palate is tart with high acid, apple/loquat fruit, med concentration and a med+ finish. It is a wine that screams for seafood. Crab, oysters, fried white fish. This would also accompany soft cheeses very well.n
Beaulieu VineyardMaestro Collection, Ranch No 2, Rutherford, Napa Valley2014Cabernet Sauvignon948/8/2026This is a blend of four Cab clones: 4, 6, 169 and 5197y
        
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