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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 4470 wines in our database currently.

WinerySpecial DesignationVintageVarietalRatingDateTastedNotesBuy Again?
Siduri WinesVan der Camp Vineyard Sonoma Mountain2023Pinot Noir9310/25/2025 y
Siduri WinesZena Crown Vineyard Willamette Valley2023Pinot Noir9310/25/2025 y
Siduri WinesJohn Sebastiano Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills2021Pinot Noir9510/25/2025 y
Siduri WinesSkycrest Vineyard Anderson Valley2023Pinot Noir9410/25/2025 y
Siduri WinesGran Moraine Vineyards, Yamhill-Carlton, Oregon2018Pinot Noir9510/25/2025 y
Siduri WinesHapgood Vineyard Santa Rita highlands2022Pinot Noir9710/25/2025 y
Siduri WinesVan Der Kamp Vineyard, Sonoma Mountain2018Pinot Noir9310/25/2025 y
Siduri WinesWillamette Valley2022Chardonnay9310/25/2025 y
Hall WinesExzellenz Napa Valley2022Cabernet Sauvignon9710/23/2025100% Sacrashe Vineyardy
Hall WinesBergfeld Vineyard St Helena2019Cabernet Sauvignon9610/23/2025 y
Walt WinesGaps Crown Sonoma Coast2022Pinot Noir9610/23/2025 y
Walt WinesShea Vineyard Oregon2023Pinot Noir9410/23/2025 y
Walt WinesClos Pepe Santa Rita Hills2022Pinot Noir9210/23/2025 y
Walt WinesLa Brisa Sonoma County2023Pinot Noir9410/23/2025 y
Sobon EstateFiddletown Amador County2022Zinfandel9210/20/2025These are old vines. They have such quality. This wine has meat to it. Blackberry, pepper, raisin, strawberry, black plum, red cherry, vanilla, and baking spice. The finish on this wine is huge. The intensity and concentration and acid are high. The body is full, and the fruit/acid balance is great. Just get some of this. It is worth every penny.y
Black Stallion Estate WinerySanta Lucia Highlands2023Pinot Noir8510/19/2025This pinot steps outside even the broad definition of Pinot Noir, especially for Santa Lucia Highlands. This wine offers you sweet black plum, candied kirsch cherry, burnt brown sugar. The palate is off dry, almost sweet. It did not get fermented dry, and this might have been a conscious choice by the winemaker. It does have med+ acid, med body, finish, concentration and light tannins. We just cannot get around the sweet, burnt brown sugar on the palate. This might be your jam, however. In that case, if you want a rich, dessert style, off-dry pinot with unique notes, this might be for you.n
J. Lohr WineryPaso Robles, Los Osos2022Merlot8910/19/2025Blackberry, rich raspberry, anise, currant, black cherry and toast. The palate is rich with berry flavors. However, the medium acid leaves it feeling a little flabby on the palate. The tannins are light, the body medium+, the concentration high. The finish is medum+. You can easily bypass the plump texture of the wine and just enjoy the richness. It does have a nice concentration of fruit. A little more acid to give this beast balance and this would be a firecracker of a wine!n
Sobon EstateCougar Hill Vineyard, Amador County2022Zinfandel9010/19/2025This thing has a nose that will not stop! It oozes raspberry jam, blackberry, black pepper, black plum, dried date and raisins. Thanks to the tart palate, you get balance with the rich fruit. The finish on this wine goes very long. The body is med+, the tannins medium, the concentration and intensity high. We have been drinking Sobon Zins since the early 2000s. We try their trifecta of Cougar Hill, Fiddletown and Rocky Top every year. They are always consistent, and also available at Total Wine all over the country. We have seen this wine in a London England wine shop before. It seems to be everywhere. It maybe mass produced, but it is consistent every year.y
Castle Rock WineryMendocino County2023Pinot Noir8910/17/2025The nose has med+ intensity with strawberry, sour cherry, cranberry, mushroom, pepper corn and honeysuckle. Really good med+ concentration of balanced fruit on the palate. The intensity is also med+. The acidity is balanced with the fruit. The body is med, tanning med- and the finish is medium. All in all, a smashing wine for $7.99. Sure, it is missing a few things. A little more polish, concentration and intensity would help. But seriously, if you need a go-to pinot to just have around when you do not want to open something special/expensive. This is a deal at this price.n
Fransic CoppolaDiamond Collection, Black Label, (1910 Type)2021Claret9110/17/2025Coppola is everywhere. There were three bottlings at the store I purchased this from alone. This one seemed like a good place to start. The nose on this is kinda plush. It has blackberry, anise, cassis, cocoa, black pepper, mint, burnt brown sugar and molasses. The tannins are high but silky, the acid high, the finish long, the concentration and intensity are med+. It has a bit of a lightness on the back of the palate. But overall, there is the nice texture. This wine is an enigma. It is powerful in spots and not in others. It just lacks cohesion. Overall, a pleasure to sip.y
        
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