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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 7194 wines in our database currently.

WinerySpecial DesignationVintageVarietalRatingDateTastedNotesBuy Again?
Raul PerezLa Vizcaina Vitoriana2021Mencia919/29/2024 y
EtudeCoombsville, Napa Valley2017Cabernet Sauvignon959/28/2024Right out of the gate, this wine needs no breathing. It is immediately powerful and concentrated with aromas of black currant, black cherry, cocoa, black pepper, black plum, leather, warm oak. The wine is as full bodied as you can get. The finish is long. The acidity is high, the tannins high but ripe. The alcohol is on the high end. And the flavors are very concentrated. The texture of this wine is what stands out. Once you get a mouthful, youll be loving it. Its got a feel like cocoa on the palate, thick and rich. Usually, at a pinot shop, we give the Cabernet a miss, but this one is surprisingly delightful.y
ClockwiseYountville, Napa Valley2016Cabernet Sauvignon939/27/2024Velvet, rich, licorice, cocoay
Frank Family VineyardsCarneros2022Pinot Noir909/27/2024Comes across flabby till it opens up and lets out its fruity
N.D.P.Pays d`Oc, France2022Viognier929/26/2024The wine has medium concentration on the nose with aromas of green melon, lemon drop, spiced apple, pear, stone fruit, cream, baking spice and fig. The wine has medium alcohol, med+ body, high acid, concentrated flavors, med+ finish. A very approachable viognier with a bit of baking spice, sweet citrus and lovely, warm, green fruits. The concentration in this wine is on the palate rather than the nose. The light nose concentration left us shocked at how much concentration there was on the palate. Great wine to have with appetizers before dinner or just cold on a warm autumn day.y
Stags` LeapThe Investor Stags Leap District2020Blend (Red Table Wine)949/26/2024A really dark wine with dusky character and rich flavors, but could benefit with a little more lighter red fruit to balance it out.y
TruffautPays d`Oc, France2022Cabernet Franc919/26/2024The wine has an interesting, vegetal nose matched with blackberry, kirsch, black cherry, plum, fig, meat, oyster shell calcium notes and earth. The palate has a medium body, long finish, medium tannins, high acid, med+ concentration of flavors, medium alcohol. Needs a little time to breathe. There is an initial bitterness on the palate that fades after 15 minutes. The fruit emerges after this time as well. It started as an 88 point wine and emerged in time as a 91 pointer.y
Heitz CellarNapa Valley2018Cabernet Sauvignon949/23/2024Concentrated nose of Blackberry, black currant, cassis, fennel, cocoa, leather, brioche. The wine has full body, high acid, ripe, full tannins, long finish, concentrated flavors. This is the Heitz base model and can be found on Wine.com for $85 bucks. It has lovely, ripe tannins. The acid balances out the fruit perfectly. We loved the luxurious texture of the cocoa/licorice on the palate. If you can find this cheaper, its worth it.y
PenfoldsBin 3892019Cabernet-Shiraz909/21/2024Took ages to breathe out. It had a weedy nose and bitterness on the palate. But after being sealed for three days it opened up.n
Stags` LeapBlock 20 Stags Leap District2020Merlot889/21/2024This wine has potential, but it is full of holes in the flavor profile.n
EtudeNorth Canyon Vineyard Santa Maria Valley2020Pinot Noir899/20/2024A bit tart, good fruit, but thin.n
PenfoldsBin 407 South Australia2019Cabernet Sauvignon929/18/2024Rich blackberry with mint, cocoa and cassis. Sort loses cohesiveness at the end of the bottle.y
Sojourn CellarsRodgers Creek Vineyard Sonoma Coast2021Pinot Noir939/18/2024Tart acidity, great red fruit and mineralityy
Trader JoesReserve Paso Robles Lot# 2492021Meritage939/13/2024This wine has a pronounced nose with fruit launching itself out of the glass at your nose. You get black cherry, black raspberry, black plums, bakers cocoa, red currants, sweet Bada-Bing cherry, leather, cream and toast. The wine has long finish, full body, concentrated flavors, med+ acid, med tannins, and high alcohol. This is a right bank blend from Paso with 80% Merlot, 16% Cab, 4% Cab Franc. And it surprised the heck out of us when we took our first sniff. This wine is not hiding anything. Nor is it missing anything on the nose or the palate. There are no missing holes or off flavors. This could be the biggest sleeper on the shelves right now.y
Patz & HallRose2022Rose of Pinot939/12/2024 y
Patz & HallSoberanes Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County2021Chardonnay949/12/2024 y
Patz & HallHyde Valley Carneros Napa Valley2020Pinot Noir959/12/2024Seriously massive and concentrated fruity
Patz & HallGaps Crown Vineyard Sonoma Coast2020Pinot Noir959/12/2024Seriously massive and concentrated fruity
Patz & HallPisoni Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands2021Pinot Noir969/12/2024Enormous wine with so much going for it.y
Patz & HallCattalini Vineyard Russian River Valley2020Pinot Noir949/12/2024 y
        
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