| Winery | Special Designation | Vintage | Varietal | Rating | DateTasted | Notes | Buy Again? |
| Hollys Hill | El Dorado | 2024 | Counoise | 95 | 5/18/2026 | What did they do to this wine?! Wow. It is exceptional, especially compared to last year. It has so much rich fruit on the nose. Cocoa, raspberry, strawberry and red cherry. But these sound like Pinot characteristics ? and believe me, this is not anything like a pinot. And yet, you get all these lovely fruit notes. But there is also a floral note like dianthus. And there is rose as well.
The tannins are med+, the finish is huge. The acidity is high, the fruit simple intense and concentrated. This is exceptional wine. It is a treat. But it also is a very California version of this old Rhone varietal. It is so worth trying. | y |
| Hollys Hill | El Dorado | 2024 | Cinsaut | 94 | 5/18/2026 | Think berry Danish. Oh, boy. What the hell are they doing with these wines. See below. It has brioche in it. It has stony minerals, tart and peach cobbler. Great big berry notes as well!
The palate has medium tannins, high acid, long finish, beautiful dark fruit, but bright as well. The concentration and intensity are incredible. It has a nice balance between the ripe fruit and tartness.
Once again, like the wine below, this is a wonderful character. It is a minor Rhone varietal that is usually used for blending. But Hollys Hill does a California version that is so drinkable. It goes with spicy food like buffalo wines or teriyaki. Lovely wine. | y |
| Piaugier | Sablet Cotes du Rhone Villages | 2022 | Rhone Blend | 93 | 5/18/2026 | Red currant, black raspberry, strawberry and red cherry. But there is tart cranberry, classic garrigue spice, Rhone earth and baking spice. The nose is really concentrated.
The palate has just intense cherry/cranberry, fresh tartness. The acid it high, yes, but the fruit is exceptional. Everything is in balance. The finish is long, the body medium and the intensity med+. The tannins are ripe with berry flavors.
This is a treat at a great price from the village of Sablet. It is really nice to get some of these south Rhone village releases. This is one we would buy more of. | y |
| Lucia by Pisoni | Estate Cuvee | 2023 | Pinot Noir | 96 | 5/4/2026 | Black cherry, plum, black raspberry, cranberry, vanilla, lime leaf and peach pit. The nose is very intense.
But the palate is even more. It is just like heaven. So much raspberry, strawberry fruit in the finish. Very concentrated, just tart enough balancing with the intense fruit. Great body and medium tannins that hang around.
Im going to buy more of this. It is very lovely. | y |
| Paul Hobbs | West Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County | 2022 | Pinot Noir | 94 | 5/4/2026 | Notes of firm cranberry, bright cherry, raspberry, minerality and lime.
The palate is really elevated with the mineral and tart citrus acidity. But fruit keeps up with it. It has a candied raspberry loveliness. The finish goes on a while and the body is med+ with good intensity and concentration.
For a regional blend this is excellent. Theyre growing some great fruit and making some even better wine. | y |
| Domaine de la Janasse | Vieilles Vignes | 2021 | Chateauneuf-du-Pape | 96 | 5/3/2026 | This has every berry you can imagine on the nose plus some cocoa, bramble, Rhone dust, garrigue and some meatiness.
The palate is lovely. We love Domaine de la Janasse. It has high acid, long finish, full body, sticky tannins full of berry fruit. Concentration and intensity up the wazzu.
So, yah, this one is a keeper. | y |
| Domaine de la Janasse | Vieilles Vignes | 2021 | Chateauneuf-du-Pape | 98 | 5/3/2026 | This has every berry you can imagine on the nose plus some cocoa, bramble, Rhone dust, garrigue and some meatiness.
The palate is lovely. We love Domaine de la Janasse. It has high acid, long finish, full body, sticky tannins full of berry fruit. Concentration and intensity up the wazzu.
So, yah, this one is a keeper. | y |
| Lucia by Pisoni | Estate Cuvee | 2023 | Pinot Noir | 96 | 5/3/2026 | Black cherry, plum, black raspberry, cranberry, vanilla, lime leaf and peach pit. The nose is very intense.
But the palate is even more. It is just like heaven. So much raspberry, strawberry fruit in the finish. Very concentrated, just tart enough balancing with the intense fruit. Great body and medium tannins that hang around.
Im going to buy more of this. It is very lovely. | y |
| Jean-Luc Colombo | Les Forots Cotes du Rhone | 2017 | Rhone Blend | 93 | 5/2/2026 | | y |
| Modus Operandi Cellars | Gaps Crown Vineyard | 2024 | Pinot Noir | 96 | 5/2/2026 | A very dark wine. Maybe extended maceration? It has a great nose of blackberry, cranberry, black cherry, spicy soil, tropical fruit.
It has medium tannins, a massive finish, great concentration and intensity. High acid and full body. The flavors are insane! I got this on Last Bottle! It was a silly price. And its lovely! | y |
| Perinet | Merit Priorat DOQ | 2018 | Grenache/Carignan | 93 | 5/2/2026 | | y |
| Trader Joes | Trading Post Napa Valley | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 93 | 5/1/2026 | So, I do not know where this fruit came from, but it is a 2023 and it is rather lovely. The nose shows blackberry, black cherry, anise, cocoa, leather, vanilla and coffee. But the main note is black plum.
A lovely palate with sizzling tannins on the teeth. The body is full, the intensity is incredible. It has great concentration and a long finish. Acid is medium, but the wine is not flabby. The flavors of cocoa, berry and plum are very intense. A slight roughness and bitterness on the back of the tongue is all that we can pull out negative on this one.
The nose leads one to believe that this wine will not be very intense, but the palate proves otherwise. And this wine can be consumed now, but the elements are there to let this age 5 years. There have not been too many wines hitting the shelf for TJs, but this one a breath of fresh air. Very pretty wine. Great price! | y |
| Beaulieu Vineyard | St Helena, Napa Valley | 2017 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 94 | 4/30/2026 | When I worked at BV, I saw that there were a couple bottles of this left. I bought one and tasted it. Then I went back and bought all of them. | y |
| Darling Wines | Mariah Vineyard Mendocino Ridge | 2023 | Chardonnay | 94 | 4/30/2026 | | y |
| Darling Wines | Petaluma Gap | 2023 | Chardonnay | 95 | 4/30/2026 | | y |
| Darling Wines | Sexton Valley Vineyard Sebastopol Hills Sonoma Coast | 2024 | Pinot Noir | 93 | 4/30/2026 | | y |
| Darling Wines | Azaya Ranch Vineyard Petaluma Gap | 2024 | Pinot Noir | 92 | 4/30/2026 | | y |
| Darling Wines | Den Chosta | 2023 | Pinot Noir | 94 | 4/30/2026 | | y |
| Darling Wines | Petaluma Gap Sonoma Coast | 2023 | Pinot Noir | 94 | 4/30/2026 | | y |
| Elizabeth Spencer | Mendocino Rose of Grenache Special Cuvee | 2025 | Rose of Grenache | 94 | 4/30/2026 | | y |
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