| Winery | Special Designation | Vintage | Varietal | Rating | DateTasted | Notes | Buy Again? |
| Tolenas Vineyards and Winery | Suisun Valley | 2024 | Pinot Noir | 94 | 11/2/2026 | Lisa Howard has been doing pinot for a few years now. The grapes are grown along the I-80 corridor where the wind howls east toward Sacramento all summer long. And the nighttime temps stay cool enough ripen pinot correctly. And these seem to keep getting better every year.
The nose has dusty, ripe plum, raspberry and vineyard soil. Sour pomegranate and freesia notes join the berries for a deep nose.
The palate is very rich. Thankfully, the acidity is high and balances out the very intense, concentrated berry/cherry/plum fruit. Tannins are medium and the finish is long. This is a wine all the pinot lovers should try. The price point is insane. | y |
| Tolenas Vineyards and Winery | Suisun Valley Eclipse | 2024 | Sparkling Wine | 92 | 11/1/2026 | | y |
| Tolenas Vineyards and Winery | Suisun Valley | 2024 | Albarino | 91 | 11/1/2026 | | y |
| Tolenas Vineyards and Winery | Suisun Valley | 2023 | Grenache | 90 | 11/1/2026 | | y |
| Tolenas Vineyards and Winery | Suisun Valley | 2023 | Zinfandel | 93 | 11/1/2026 | | y |
| Domaine de Saint Dominique | France IGP | 2009 | Blend (Red Table Wine) | 93 | 10/31/2026 | | y |
| Silenus | Napa Valley | 2014 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 94 | 10/31/2026 | | y |
| Gray | Sonoma County | 2024 | Pinot Noir | 96 | 10/26/2026 | Strawberry, black cherry, raspberry, cranberry, pomegranate syrup, black tea, wet soil, nutmeg, cardamom and pot pourri.
The palate is high in acid, has juicy, med+ tannins and concentrated fruit. The intensity of the fruit is lovely. It creates a finish that ends up flavorful and long.
Seriously, this is amazing wine for the $35 price point. | y |
| Gray Pez | Sonoma County | 2019 | Pinot Noir | 95 | 10/26/2026 | The nose has rich raspberry, kirsch black cherry, pomegranate, cranberry, coffee, raisin, dried date and toasted grain.
The palate shows an amazing richness covering the tongue with berries and cherries. Great acidity balances the intense fruit keeping the wine from being too flabby. Berries and toasted grain linger on the finish with tannins that swell with fruit on the front teeth. Yah, good stuff.
Well, these guys went out of business right around Covid. They did pinot from Sonoma and oddly, El Dorado Hills. We had one bottle of the Sonoma left. It is a pleasure to meet this wine at 7 years of bottle age. There are very few tertiaries in this wines profile except that touch of raisin and date. It is really well made, and I wish I had a few more bottles of it. | y |
| Hall Wines | Napa Valley | 2017 | Merlot | 94 | 10/26/2026 | This is a massive wine. We grabbed a bottle at Walt in Oxbox Market in Napa yesterday. They were selling the magnums for ungodly price of $100. A lot of Napa wineries are offloading older vintages these days.
The nose has red plum, bright cherry and dark blackberry. There is some green melon, cocoa, leather and burnt sugar pie crust as well.
The palate shows bright acid, med tannins, lovely dark flavors of plum and berry and a long, lingering finish. This is a 17 merlot that is holding its own. It only shows the first beginnings of tertiary bottle characteristics.
It has a mouthful of flavor with almost no missing gaps in flavor. The burnt sugar note on the nose comes through on the palate luxuriously. | y |
| Hall Wines | Eighteen Seventy-three, Napa Valley | 2020 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 96 | 10/26/2026 | Oh jeez, the nose on this wine is ridiculous with fun. It is almost sweet with Kirsch cherry, blackberry, a hint of candied lemon, cocoa, leather, coffee and lilac.
The palate is rich of black cherry, berries, cocoa and brioche bun. There is nothing left to say about this. It is fully concentrated, intense, long finish, high, silky tannins and high acid. And it has so much fruit the palate feels like is is viscous.
Hall was one of a few wineries that had valley floor fruit that was ready to pick before the 2020 fires. And thanks to an early budbreak, warm and dry season, the Glass fire did not impact this wine. Good thing! It is really a richly intense pleasure to taste. | y |
| Rivers-Marie | Sonoma County | 2024 | Pinot Noir | 96 | 10/26/2026 | Strawberry, black cherry, raspberry, cranberry, pomegranate syrup, black tea, wet soil, nutmeg, cardamom and pot pourri.
The palate is high in acid, has juicy, med+ tannins and concentrated fruit. The intensity of the fruit is lovely. It creates a finish that ends up flavorful and long.
Seriously, this is amazing wine for the $35 price point. | y |
| Markham Vineyards | Oak Knoll | 2023 | Cabernet Franc | 93 | 10/25/2026 | | y |
| Markham Vineyards | Oakville Blue Boots | 2023 | Blend (Red Table Wine) | 94 | 10/25/2026 | 53% Cab, 43% Merlot | y |
| Markham Vineyards | Yountville AVA | 2018 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 94 | 10/25/2026 | Clone 169 | y |
| Markham Vineyards | Brians Block, Yountville Ranch Vineyard | 2021 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 95 | 10/25/2026 | Clone 191 | y |
| Markham Vineyards | Napa Valley | 2013 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 94 | 10/25/2026 | This does not taste like a 13 year old at all. More like an 18 | y |
| Markham Vineyards | Yountville Ranch Vineyard, Napa Valley | 2021 | Malbed | 93 | 10/25/2026 | | y |
| Silverado Vineyards | ABEL Stags Leap District Napa Valley | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 95 | 10/25/2026 | | y |
| Silverado Vineyards | SOLO Stags Leap District Napa Valley | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 97 | 10/25/2026 | | y |
| | | | | | | | |
| << Prev Next >> |
|