| Winery | Special Designation | Vintage | Varietal | Rating | DateTasted | Notes | Buy Again? |
| Alpha Omega | Stagecoach, Atlas Peak | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 96 | 9/14/2026 | | y |
| Alpha Omega | ERA | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 99 | 9/14/2026 | | y |
| Alpha Omega | ERA | 2024 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 99 | 9/14/2026 | | y |
| Alpha Omega | Cordes Vineyard, Atlas Peak, Napa Valley | 2021 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 97 | 9/14/2026 | | y |
| Alpha Omega | Paratus Vineyard, Mount Veeder, Napa Valley | 2022 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 97 | 9/14/2026 | | y |
| Beaulieu Vineyard | Rutherford Reserve, Napa Valley | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 93 | 9/14/2026 | Blackberry, leather, tar, tobacco, anise, cocoa, bell pepper, black plum and black cherry.
The palate has a long finish of dark berry fruit that clings to the tongue. The acidity is high, the tannins are med+ and firm. It has pleasing berry/cocoa intensity and concentration at a med+ level.
All in all, this is a superbly drinkable wine with a ton of concentration of flavors and scents. Have it with a steak, lamb or a smash burger with simple toppings. | y |
| Beaulieu Vineyard | Tapestry, Napa Valley | 2023 | Blend (Red Table Wine) | 95 | 9/14/2026 | A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Touriga Nacional and Petit Verdot. The nose has blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, vanilla, sage, bay leaf, Rutherford dust, anise, cocoa, coffee, leather and biscuit.
The palate is firm with med+ dry tannins. The finish is long with black fruit, vanilla and plum. The acid/fruit balance is very pretty. But it is the concentration and intensity that make this wine. It is well rounded and firm with no holes anywhere in the palate.
The herbs on the palate make this a perfect pairing for roast duck confit, turkey dinner, stuffing, potatoes and fatty gravy. Ideal for savory rich foods. | y |
| Beaulieu Vineyard | Reserve, Ranch 2, Rutherford, Napa Valley | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 96 | 9/13/2026 | As opposed to Ranch 1 below, this one is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. It has raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, sage, thyme, cedar, cocoa, cinnamon carnation pinks, graphite, plum, anise and vanilla.
The palate has brighter fruit than the nose. It is perfectly balanced. High acid, full concentration, gorgeous strawberry, raspberry, fruity finish that last for over and minute. The body is full, the tannins are med+ and silky.
So, this is a stunner of a wine, especially on the palate. | y |
| Beaulieu Vineyard | Reserve, Napa Valley | 2023 | Cabernet Franc | 97 | 9/10/2026 | Blackberry, blueberry, coffee, vanilla, ripe raspberry, baking spice, black cherry, anise, toasted bread and mocha.
The tannins on this thing are full, sizzling but not tight. The body is full. The concentration and finish are all full and long. The fruit on the palate is intense, lush and rustically alluring.
Wow, that an effort from BV. Their Cab Francs have always been good, but this is better than the stellar 2020. This wine is a tour de force. Talk about a massive palate with richness, complexity and amazing approachability. Do not miss this one. | y |
| Beaulieu Vineyard | Reserve, Ranch 1, Rutherford, Napa Valley | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 94 | 9/9/2026 | Blueberry, boysenberry, clay minerality, vanilla, cocoa, lilac, a touch of anise, Rutherford dust sage notes.
This wine is 19% Petit Verdot and shows it with floral perfume, but the rest is very attractive, dark fruit. The tannins are dry med+, the finish is long with a lot of dark berries and minerality. The concentration and intensity are very nice and high. It is only missing some bright notes on the palate. But for acid/fruit balance this wine has it all. | y |
| Beaulieu Vineyard | Reserve, Napa Valley | 2023 | Merlot | 94 | 9/9/2026 | This was just released from BV. The nose has blackberry, black plum, cocoa, coffee, leather, salted pretzel, sage, bay leaf, tar and burnt sugar. It is a very dark fruit nose.
The palate is very intense with black fruit, high acid, med+ body and concentration. The finish is long and the tannins are high and sizzling.
This is the most intense BV Reserve Merlot of the 2020-2022 mix. It is dark as night and very intense. Drink it with Greek food -- Tzatziki, hummus, spanakopita, grilled chicken or salmon. | y |
| Hollys Hill | Patriache El Dorado | 2024 | Rhone Blend | 93 | 9/9/2026 | The wine has an intense nose full of blackberry pie, black cherry, plum, damp spring flowers, baked biscuit, cranberry, pomegranate and vineyard soil.
The palate has high acid, tart fruit with med+ concentration, tannins, intensity and body. It has a long cranberry finish -- plenty of balance between fruit and acid.
The components of this blend are 49% Mourvedre, 22% Grenache, 17% Syrah, 12% Counoise. The Mourvedre definitely dominates with the rich dark fruit that this wine portrays. | y |
| Hollys Hill | El Dorado | 2024 | Grenache Noir | 96 | 9/9/2026 | From the first sniff this wine is fruit-filled and alluring. One does not even need to be near the glass to smell these lovely notes. We got cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, red cherry, carnation pinks, vanilla, nutmeg, sweet paprika, vineyard dust, dill and sage.
The palate is dry and yet full of intense, concentrated fruit that leaves the tongue thinking it might be sweet! The medium tannins stick to the teeth with thick berry confit. The finish is thing of luxury. What an incredible performance. | y |
| Beringer | Steinhauer Ranch Vineyard, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley | 2021 | Cabernet Franc | 96 | 9/7/2026 | Blueberry, plush blackberry, Gravenstein apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, pie crust, vineyard soil, nori, leather, burnt sugar and black currant.
The palate is plush. I mean, it is fully bodied, concentrated, intense and high acid. It has a long, beautiful finish, silky, sizzling tannins and full bodied. Cab Francs do not get much better. It is balanced but nuanced enough to be very interesting. Acid, tannins and fruit are just magnificent!!
Final word: magnificent! | y |
| Beringer | Knights Valley Expressions, Mallacomes | 2023 | Petit Verdot | 92 | 9/6/2026 | Blackberry, blueberry, bay leaf, dried herbs, coffee, cocoa, black cherry, black plum, bright florals and black tea.
The palate shows high acid, firm tannins, long finish of intense dark fruit, black tea and bitter herbs. The body is med+, as is the concentration.
A friend told me about this series of KV Expressions. She said they were a must-try. So, for the first offering we get a very rare Petit Verdot -- you don`t see a single varietal PV ever. This is a Bordeaux blending wine! It has some very nice concentration both on the nose and the palate. | y |
| Beringer | Knights Valley Expressions, Mallacomes | 2023 | Cabernet Franc | 94 | 9/6/2026 | Boysenberry, blueberry, white peach flesh, leather, coffee, pine, juniper, honeysuckle, cherry, graphite, anise and black plum.
It has firm tannins, concentrated finish of dark fruit, earth and coffee. The body is full, the acid high and high intensity.
The wine is intense with a weighted concentration at the bottom end of the fruit scale. But thankfully, after breathing a bit, the raspberry pops up. Give it a sec or you get the raspberry in the last glass! | y |
| Beringer | Knights Valley Expressions, Mallacomes | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 95 | 9/6/2026 | Blackberry, black raspberry, cherry, black plum, coffee, lilac, earth, dried herbs, stone fruit pit, nutmeg and sweet paprika.
The palate is concentrated, intense, full bodied, long finishing with firm tannins that stick to the teeth. The acidity balances the tannins and concentration. It has much bright/dark fruit balance. It is a mighty wine that rivals some of the much higher priced Beringer releases. This is what you get from 2023. | y |
| Beringer | Rhine House Reserve | 2016 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 94 | 9/5/2026 | We picked this up at the TWE store where they have a lot of great deals on damaged labels. This 10-year-old is kickin it!
It has so much fruit, and it is getting some nice bottle age notes as well. We get blackberry, dried black cherry, raisin, raspberry, cooked oats, leather, black plum, dark earth, coffee and dried herbs.
The palate is lush, fully concentrated, firm tannins, med+ acid, long finish, high intensity and full body. Bottle age is more prevalent on the palate. Black plum, tart, dried cherry and cranberry predominate.
I hope folks realize how many great single vineyard cabs, merlots and cab francs Beringer puts out. This is just one of many we have tried that are showstoppers. Try this, marinate a couple steaks or lamb chops overnight in a rich vinaigrette, grill them and this wine will accompany them like the instrument you were missing in a song. But this wine has enough port qualities that it would be great with charcuterie. | y |
| Trader Joes | Reserve, Sonoma Coast, Lot #278 | 2025 | Chardonnay | 93 | 9/3/2026 | Ummmm, what is going on here? This is delicious. We have tasted dozens of Sonoma Coast Chardonnays in the last few years. This is right up there with the best of them. It has green apple, caramel, pear, sweet, cantaloup melon, stone fruit, baking spices and great minerals.
The palate is very concentrated with all of the fruit notes above. The texture is amazing. The finish is med+, but the initial flavors are powerful, rich and alluring. The thick fruit tricks the tongue into thinking this might be mildly off dry, but it`s just the insane fruit!
This is a chardonnay that should be consumed by itself. You are not going to get oak or butter -- just a ton of great fruit!! But you also get great acidity, minerality and balance. Ok, if you want food -- consider it with triple cream cheese, nuts, olives and charcuterie. It is the perfect appetizer wine. Baked Brie!!! | y |
| Trader Joes | Reserve, Santa Barbara County, Lot #241 | 2024 | Pinot Noir | 91 | 9/3/2026 | Raspberry, black cherry, vanilla, brown sugar, strawberry, graphite and honeysuckle.
The palate has med+ intensity, concentration and body. The tannins are light; the acidity is high. The finish is medium.
The wine is nice, has plenty of fruit and would be great with grilled chicken and rice. It would pair nicely with gentle Mediterranean foods. | y |
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