| Winery | Special Designation | Vintage | Varietal | Rating | DateTasted | Notes | Buy Again? |
| Beringer | Bancroft Ranch Vineyrard Howell Mountain Napa Valley | 2017 | Merlot | 93 | 11/17/2025 |
A bit thin in spots | y |
| Mumm | Reserve Blanc de Blancs, Napa Valley | 2019 | Sparkling Wine | 91 | 11/15/2025 | | y |
| Mumm | Devaux Ranch Brut | 2021 | Sparkling Wine | 93 | 11/15/2025 | | y |
| Mumm | Musque` Clone, Blanc de Blancs | 2021 | Sparkling Wine | 91 | 11/15/2025 | | y |
| Mumm | Pinot Meunier | 2021 | Sparkling Wine | 91 | 11/15/2025 | | y |
| Mumm | DVX | 2018 | Sparkling Wine | 94 | 11/15/2025 | Brilliant wine with creamy, tiny bubbles, fine mousse. | y |
| Mumm | DVX Rose | 2019 | Sparkling Wine | 95 | 11/15/2025 | Brilliant wine with creamy, tiny bubbles, fine mousse. Rich mouth feel, lovely stuff. | y |
| Coppola | Diamond Collection | 2022 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 91 | 11/13/2025 | We are never sure what to expect with wines that are mass produced. But this one is a pleasant surprise. For starters, you get blackberries, black cherry, toasted oak, warm molasses, allspice, nutmeg, brioche and brown sugar. Part of this nose comes right out of a bakery!
The palate shows soft tannins, nearly long finish, nice body, med+ intensity and concentration. It has concentrated dark fruit and toasty flavors. It has a few rough edges and a place or two where it seems disjointed. But in total, this is a great wine for $20 bucks. A firm effort for as large of production as Coppola has. | y |
| Decoy | Duckhorn Portfolio | 2022 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 90 | 11/13/2025 | Starts with the blackest of blackberries, burnt sugar, dried herbs, black cherry, black plum, cassis, black currants and, oddly, stone fruit pit.
The palate has a touch of bitterness mid-tongue, such black fruits and nothing brighter to balance that out. The tannins are a bit grippy, the body medium, the finish long. The acidity is high, makes the mouth water.
Made us curious where this fruit came from. It has a note that makes us think coastal. Cool climate. But it has a good concentration and intensity. The Duckhorn folks know how to make an approachable, high-volume wine with good flavors and intensity. | y |
| Trader Joes | Platinum Reserve Paso Robles Lot# 118 | 2024 | Zinfandel | 93 | 11/13/2025 | What is up with this streak at TJs? The intensity on the nose is medium+ with notes of blueberry, black pepper, lilac, dried fig, wet soil, light raspberry and some cocoa.
Like the last few, the wine really shines on the palate. It has a nice fruit concentration, high acid, high alcohol, med+ body, tannins and finish.
This wine had such a perfect balance of mouth filling flavors, solid acid and intensity, you cannot say no to it. It has some nice, grippy tannins and so much interesting complexity of flavors -- this is not a "take a bottle to a party" kind of wine. I mean, you could. But this one wants to be the center of attention as your do some analysis on it. It is an education in Zin making. | y |
| Hewitt vineyard | Rutherford Napa valley | 2007 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 97 | 11/12/2025 | | y |
| Hewitt vineyard | Rutherford Napa valley | 2009 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 97 | 11/12/2025 | | y |
| Chateau Ste Michelle | Indian Wells, Columbia Valley | 2020 | Chardonnay | 87 | 11/10/2025 | The nose shows grass (as in Sauv Blanc grassiness), caramel, sour lemon, toasted oak, green apple and melon.
High acid helps to balance out the oaky caramel on the palate. The wine is fairly simple but has some great flavors. The finish, intensity, body are all in the medium range. Where is has some muscle is in the concentration of fruit.
Yah, a nice Chardonnay for under $30 bucks. And this should be widely available. | n |
| Omnia | Rotem & Mounir Saouma | 2018 | Chateauneuf-du-Pape | 96 | 11/10/2025 | At 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre, and having never been racked, pumped, fined or filtered, this whole cluster wine is really juicy and rich. And it has a thick, dirtiness to it. It is rough, unhewn and super intense.
The nose and flavors are rich, dried plum, raspberry, wet soil, dried herbs, peach pits, cinnamon and a touch of Brettanomyces.
Thankfully, this has high acid and the rich fruit balances well with the acidity. It keeps the wine from feeling like a dessert wine on the palate. The aged notes are lovely. This is a very fine, juice-forward Chateauneuf. | y |
| Cline Family Cellars | Mendocino County, Sonoma County | 2023 | Chardonnay | 88 | 11/9/2025 | I love these wineries that seem to be everywhere. They seem to be producing so many varietals. Cline has surprised us in the past with some great Zins, Syrahs and Pinots.
This chardonnay has the minerality of Mendocino, tart lemon curd, a touch of butter and oak, pear, green melon and all spice.
The body is medium, along with intensity and finish. But the concentration of fruit and lemon curd is almost high, and the balance is well done. And it just brings this wine along for a flavorful ride. And it is perfect for a quick stop at the store to grab a decent bottle to take along to a party. | n |
| Failla | Sonoma Coast | 2023 | Pinot Noir | 92 | 11/9/2025 | This wine is a bit tight. It has strawberry and cherry notes, classic for Sonoma Coast. It has a tart cranberry nose as well. But the scent is only available on a narrow band until it has time to get some air.
The palate is medium bodied, full of tart berry. It has high acid, medium concentration, intensity and finish.
The wine is curious. It needs time to breathe. And after 45 minutes it really opens up. The palate notes expand to completely fill the mouth. It becomes very pleasant. But it seems like a lot of work! | n |
| Oyster Bay | Marlborough, New Zealand | 2024 | Sauvignon Blanc | 89 | 11/9/2025 | We were looking at what to try next, stopped by Raleys and took one look at the white wine selection. Oyster Bay stood out like a sore thumb. This wine finds its way into all the store here in California.
And of course, you hear about NZ Sauv Blanc. And this one is textbook. Think unripe pineapple, grass, lemon curd, green apple, pear, tropical fruit and stony flint.
The acidity is high, of course, due to the cool climate in which it is produced. The intensity is med+, the alcohol is low, the body medium and the pineapple finish goes on for a good 30 seconds. It has great intensity of fruit notes.
And dang it, this is a really nice wine. If you have only had US made sauv blancs, open up your horizons with this gem. Whether you get it for your wine education or you need a great white for seafood, youll not feel disappointed. Really, well done, Oyster Bay! | n |
| Trader Joes | Reserve Paso Robles Lot# 276 | 2023 | Meritage | 93 | 11/9/2025 | Ok, TJs has been putting out some pretty nice stuff lately. So, we are thinking, can they continue their streak!? Check it out . . .
Overview: this is a nice Bordeaux blend from Paso. 56% Cab Sauv, 28% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 4% Cab Franc, 2% Carmenere, 2% Malbec. Give this some time to open up. The nose is peevish at first but starts to give it up after about a half hour.
Starts out with rose floral notes, and then you get this crazy cocoa flavored brioche bun with a raspberry filling. You get cassis, anise, burnt brown sugar and lime leaf. The intensity is med+ after it opens up.
So, on to the palate. High acidity, med+ body, long finish, high alcohol, firm tannins, high concentration of flavors. The tannins are super. They are not overly firm leaving socks on your teeth, but they add to the body. This wine fills your mouth with rich cocoa and berry notes. No off notes here. Another win for TJs! We gave it a 92 on the nose and 94 on the palate. | y |
| Franciscan Estate | California | 2022 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 89 | 11/3/2025 | A California cab. These grapes could come from anywhere in the state. But they put together a pretty nice wine! It has notes of warm blackberry, blueberry, cinnamon, clove and red plum. It has medium intensity on the nose.
The palate is soft with tannins, medium body, finish and concentration. But the intensity on the palate is nice, lifting this wine up. It has a high acidity that freshens the flavors.
Franciscan is one of those labels you see all the time at the big stores. And due to its wide-reaching availability, this would be a great wine to grab if youre out of town and need a few glasses in the evening. Keep this one in your back pocket. | n |
| Trader Joes | Reserve, Brut Rose, Sparkling Wine, North Coast, Methode Champenoise | NV | Sparkling Wine | 88 | 11/2/2025 | If you are looking for a crowd pleaser on Thanksgiving Day or New Years, this is a great wine. It has finer bubbles than some inexpensive sparkling wines. It will pair well with things that are salty. Think charcuterie board, crackers and cheese, salty nuts. Perfect with appetizers.
This wine is made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Blanc. It isnt overly acidic but has a lot of fruit on the nose and the palate. There is a touch sweet on the palate with strawberry and raspberry notes. And it has nice minerality. If you like a touch of sweet (and just a touch) with lots of fruit, youll be in heaven. | n |
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