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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 4857 wines in our database currently.

WinerySpecial DesignationVintageVarietalRatingDateTastedNotesBuy Again?
QuiltReserve Napa Valley2018Cabernet Sauvignon956/29/2026Classic flavors of blackberry, raspberry, anise, lilac, dark chocolate, coffee, eucalyptus, cedar and coriander. The palate has silky, high tannin, high concentration, intensity, acid and body. Very nice characteristics. It also has a long finish. And this is a blend of cabs from around napa. For a blend this is very nice wine.y
LiocoMendocino County2022Carignn946/28/2026 y
Monte VolpeMendocino County2019Aglianico936/28/2026 y
Rutherford HillAJT Block 8, Rutherford, Napa Valley2023Cabernet Sauvignon956/28/2026We get notes of cat mint, blackberry, raspberry, burnt sugar, coriander, anise, cardamom, lilac -- a regular spice cupboard. The tannins are high but silky, high concentration, intensity and long finish. This is a real beauty of a wine.y
Witching StickDowsers Cuvee, Mendocino County2023Pinot Noir946/28/2026We get strawberry, cranberry, vineyard dust, dry cherry, dried flowers and rhubarb. The flavors have a great berry intensity on the back palate, long finish, soft tannins, high acid and med+ body. A really cool find here by our friend David who brought this over last night. I called the winemaker today and complimented him on the fine cuvee. Then I ordered 6 bottles at about $50 per bottle.y
Lucia by PisoniGarys Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands2024Pinot Noir956/26/2026Ordered this a week ago. It arrived today. This is Gary`s Vineyard, owned by Pisoni. Almost every winery that has access to this fruit -- that we have tried -- has done amazing things with it. So, how does this stand up? Very well, indeed. It has raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, amaretto icing, brioche, fresh mushroom, dried flowers, fresh anise and baking spices. At first the nose is a little elusive. But this wine is so young that it needs time to catch its breath. UPDATE: 3 hours of breathing and this became a 95 pointer. The palate has lovely med+ tannins that provide great textural mouthfeel -- higher than many pinots. The concentration, intensity and body are all med+, but the finish is long. It has perfect acidity that balances everything out. This wine has everything it needs to age 10+ years. This wine is so robust. It has the intensity of a Cab. It needs time to open. y
De LamotteBrutNVChampaigne936/25/2026 y
DaouMicho, Paso Robles2018Blend (Red Table Wine)936/21/20262018 Daou Micro Paso Robles red blend - brioche, burnt brown sugar, plum, blackberry, black pepper, cinnamon and clove. Very long finish, lovely balance, full body, medium+ concentration and intensity.y
FrequencySanta Barbara County2022GSM936/21/2026This wine reeks of vegetal Grenache, red currant, cassis, lime, peach pit, over ripe plum and strawberry jam. Very nice concentration, intensity, long finish, pungent and full body.y
MelvilleSandys Block, Estate2020Pinot Noir936/21/2026Pungent plum, berry, cedar, tart citrus, berry and cinnamon. The palate is pungent, citrus, tart berry, med body, concentration and tannins.y
Pride Mountain VineyardsNapa Valley2020Cabernet Sauvignon946/21/2026Bright fruit with berry, red plum, tea, baking spice, oak, cedar and vanilla. Great flavors, long finish and great balance.y
RoarRosellas Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands2021Pinot Noir956/21/2026Plum, strawberry, raspberry, baking spice, cedar, earth and lime gelato. The palate is exemplary with perfect balance, med+ concentration and intensity. Nice long finish.y
Rose RockEola-Amity Hills, Drouhin, Oregon2023Pinot Noir946/20/2026Oh jeez, this nose is loaded with brioche, baking spice, black raspberry, cranberry, tart cherry and the kind of berry Jello notes that we have only gotten in Santa Lucia Highlands Pinots. The palate is stunning with long finish, high concentration, intensity, full body, high acid and tons of berry/cherry flavors reminiscent of jam intensity. This was initially a 96 pointer, but oddly, it fades a bit after being open for an hour.y
Turnbull Wine CellarsNapa Valley2023Cabernet Sauvignon966/20/2026We have been waiting for the 2023s to start showing up. It is being called vintage of the century (it is still early). And the other reason we have been waiting for this Turnbull 2023 is because we have tried the 2020-2022 versions. And being that they were all very good, 2023 could take this to the next level. And does it? The nose is rich with graphite, dusky red plum, Ranier cherry, black raspberry, lilac, blackberry and cassis. It has a solid nose and opens up nicely. The flavors are intense, concentrated, full bodied, high acid, firm, young tannins and a long finish. This might be the full package. It is next level. Think about it: we purchased this at Nugget Market for $50. And at 96 pts, it might be the sleeper so far this release!y
Frank Family WineryBlanc de Blanc2020Sparkling Wine946/19/2026 y
Frank Family WineryBrut Rose2020Sparkling Wine926/19/2026 y
Frank Family WineryLewis Vineyard Carneros2023Chardonnay936/19/2026 y
Frank Family WineryReserve Sangiacomo Vineyard, Sonoma County2022Chardonnay946/19/2026 y
Frank Family WineryLewis Vineyard2023Pinot Noir946/19/2026 y
Frank Family WineryWinston Hill Vineyard, Rutherford, Napa Valley2022Sangiovese956/19/2026 y
        
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