Tag Archives: california

Justice Pinot Noir 2024, Sonoma Coast, California

15 Wednesday Apr 2026

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,


Pale ruby colored, with medium viscosity (13.4% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of red cherry, strawberry, cranberry, pomegranate, red licorice, and orange blossom.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium (-) body, and medium tannins.  Medium intensity flavors of red fruit, with rhubarb interjecting its sour note, along with some crunchy tannins.  I doubt this wine has seen any oak, purity of fruit is what’s on offer here.  The finish is medium (+) in length, garnering some points.  It’s a decent drop overall, but it lacks much depth and complexity.  I paid $10, reduced from $15 at Costco.  I would say it gets 89 points and for that price- 4 stars.  I am planning to pair it with Cod, and soft shelled crabs- I know…. not typical.  Drink now.  Salut….

Justice Pinot Noir

Precision Wine Co. Method Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Napa Valley, California

07 Tuesday Apr 2026

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,


Deep ruby colored, with slight staining, and a high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of blackberry, bramble berry, cassis, smoke, coffee, blueberry, vanilla bean, baking spices, and cocoa powder.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a medium body, and medium tannins that are ripe and pleasing.  Medium (+) intensity flavors enforce the aromas that I got and the wine finishes medium in length.  I’m not sure if I am sensing a touch of residual sugar or if the grapes are super ripe.  Either way, it’s delicious and smooth.  I don’t think it has much cellaring capacity, but when a bottle is this ready to be drunk, no need killing time.  Regularly priced at $20 at my local Costco, I got it for half that on sale, which is a steal since I think this is a 90 point wine, making it a 5 star effort.  Salut….

Precision Wine Co. Method Cabernet Sauvignon

Saxum Vineyards Broken 2016, Stones Paso Robles, California

05 Sunday Apr 2026

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,


Deep ruby colored, with moderate staining, and a medium viscosity (15.9% ABV).  On the nose I get medium (+) intensity aromas of ripe black plum, blackberry, purple licorice, vanilla, baking spice, coffee, eucalyptus, black pepper, game, and alcohol.  It’s hard to hide the whopping near-16%, but they did the best they could.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a full body, and medium (+) tannins that are silky and powdery.  Medium (+) intensity flavors caress my mouth- rich, ripe and smooth, with deft oak.  The ten years of aging this wine has received has really smoothed it out.  The tannins are noteworthy.   The evolution has just begin as the fruit softens and tertiary development begins.  It’s a young wine with another two decades of cellaring capacity.  The finish is long, black fruit-driven and delicious.  The alcohol is not noticeable on the palate strangely enough, just of the initial whiff.  An amazing blend of Syrah, Mataro, Grenache, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah with a touch of Roussane.  95 points from me for this $150 effort, which has to get 5 stars.  Salut….

Saxum Vineyards Broken Stones

Beaulieu Vineyard BV Reserve Tapestry 2016, Napa Valley, California

12 Monday Jan 2026

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,


If you read my blog posts regularly you will notice that my wine reviews follow a formula.  I look at the wine, I smell the wine and then I dissect the structural components before naming the flavors.  I end the review with the length of the finish, perhaps a pairing suggestion, and a cellaring window.  It’s a way for me to remain consistent, albeit boring, while still covering all the parts that make a tasting as complete as possible.  I have been to blind tastings with fellow somms and they do talk some shite, mentioning 15 or more descriptors in rapid fire succession.  Either they are far better or they are full of it.  My taste buds and nose only catch 5-10 aromas and flavors at best, but I like to concentrate on the structure of the wine more so.  It’s the one thing that everyone can agree on, versus “I get yada, yada, don’t you?”.

When I decided on this bottle of wine, I was cooking Sunday Roast, actually it had been in the slow cooker all day, so I was hovering every so often to taste the jus and make sure the veggies were not overly cooked.  I decided that watching the football and not sitting at a computer was probably a treat I should allow myself, so I opened the bottle and just enjoyed it without much thought about tannins, body, acid and flavors.

I enjoyed it, but was a little disappointed in its overall structure and concentration.  I have cellared this bottle for a few years in hopes of a gentle evolution, but it was not meant to be.  Barely an 86 point wine, it’s certainly not worth the $60+ I paid for it.  Back in the day it got 91 points and a beautiful writeup.  I can only think that time was not kind.

Anyway- thanks for reading my notes!  Salut….

Beaulieu Vineyard BV Reserve Tapestry

F Stephen Miller Black Label Old Vine Zinfandel, 2021, Lodi, California

29 Saturday Nov 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,


Medium garnet colored, with high viscosity (15.9% ABV) !  The nose has medium intensity aromas of black cherry, black plum, anise, blackberry, black raspberry, green herbs, and cracked pepper.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a full body, and medium (+) tannins that are chalky.  Medium (+) intensity flavors of blackberry, black cherry, black plum, iron, cracked pepper, and dark purple twizlers but no green herbs.  The wine turns a bit juicy and the finish is medium (+) in length.  The high alcohol is pretty well hidden but it finally sneaks up on the back end.  This is a pretty silky wine, once the chalky tannins dissolve.  The ripeness of the fruit is evident.  I like it, but buyer beware, this one has a kick!  I’m pairing it with smoked Duck breast.  89 points  for this $14 wine makes it a 5 star effort.  Drink till 2030.   Salut….

F. Stephen Millier old vine zinfandel

Black Box Pinot Noir NV, California

21 Friday Nov 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,


Medium ruby colored, with medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  Medium intensity aromas of black cherry, baking spice, strawberry coulis, and some toasted oak.  It’s not overly complex, but typical for the variety.  The palate is slightly off-dry, with medium acidity, a medium (-) body, and low tannins.  Medium (-) intensity flavors of cherry, strawberry, baking spice, and chocolate powder lead to a medium (-) length finish.  There are times I would attribute sweetness to ripe fruit, but I somehow doubt this to be the case here.  I originally wanted to purchase this box, yes box wine, to use in cooking Coq Au Vin but I forgot my drivers license and had to come home empty handed, opting to pour a bottle of Bojo into the recipe instead.  Either way, I decided to try this box, on sale for $18 (that’s 4 bottles of wine inside!).  It’s a very serviceable weekday quaffer if you can deal with the residual sugar.   Alternatively- a very reasonably priced cooking red that will go nicely in any braise you could imagine, or even a gravy reduction.  In fact, that’s next, Sunday roast with a red wine sauce.  83 points is the best I can go, but for the price- 3 stars!  Drink immediately.  Salut….

black box pinot noir

Reputation Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, Napa Valley, California

15 Saturday Nov 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,


Deep ruby colored with an inky core, moderate staining, and a high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of cassis, blackberry jam, black plum, mint, eucalyptus, coffee, blueberry, and a hint of oak.  The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a full body, and high tannins.  The fruit is ripe indeed, with cassis running the show.  Blackberry coulis, blueberry pie, some herbal notes and a trace of oak.  The tannins really grip on the mid palate and stay there for a prolonged period, the finish itself is medium in length and delicious.  This wine is a bit young, but could be decanted or aerated for immediate pleasure or cellared for a few years. Drink by 2035, with a juicy steak or lamb chops.  93 points from me for this $30 bottle that’s on sale at Costco for $15 makes it a no brainer 5 star effort.  Salut….

reputation cabernet sauvignon

 

Precision Wine Co. Cabernet Sauvignon Method 2022, California

30 Thursday Oct 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,


Deep ruby colored with medium staining, and a high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (-) intensity aromas of blackberry, black plum, charcoal, oak, dark chocolate, anise, orange peel, blueberry, and acai berry. The palate is dry, with medium acidity, a full body, and medium tannins.  The flavors are more pronounced and offer black/blue fruit along with some oak influence.  You can tell the grapes were very ripe at harvest, there’s a California sweetness to the wine and not from residual sugar (I don’t think).  The finish is medium in length and the whole package fades gently, making me reach for another sip.  It’s really tasty and won’t break the bank.  This is my second tasting of this wine and I am surprised at how it showed last year versus now.  It’s morphed and I get different attributes, plus I did not care for it back then as much as I like it now.  It runs about $25 but I got a steal on this bottle at Costco for a tenner.  It gets 90 points from me and ranks 5 stars.  Drink till 2030, Salut…..

Precision Wine Co. Cabernet Sauvignon

ZD Wines Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Napa Valley, California

21 Sunday Sep 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,


I’m a little concerned about this bottle, the cork is showing signs of seepage, but here goes.  Deep ruby colored, slight staining, and high viscosity (14.5% ABV).  The nose has medium (+) intensity aromas of blackberry coulis, vanilla, baking spice, black plum reduction, a hint of eucalyptus, toasted oak, cedar lined cigar box, acai berry, a trace of toasted coconut, and a touch of cassis.  There’s obvious ripeness in this Napa Cabernet- the sun was definitely shining!  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a full body, and medium (+) tannins- but there’s also a definitive sourness to the wine.  Is it seepage from the cork?  The fruit is slightly muted, but still showing ripeness and structure.  The tannins smooth out nicely and the finish is long with dark fruit dominating, yet there’s something slightly out of balance.  For such a rich and ripe wine, the tartness is quite obvious.  I wonder if the bottle is flawed?  Tertiary development is forthcoming as the primary fruit is still the driving force, I would imagine a long lived wine if stored correctly and a cork that was intact.  I can only go 92 points on this award winning wine which runs $257 ex-chateau.  3 stars- pairing with grilled tri-tip.  Salut….

ZD Wines Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Patz & Hall Little Boot Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017, Russian River Valley, California

18 Friday Jul 2025

Posted by in Wine reviews

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,


Medium ruby colored with charcoal highlights, and medium viscosity (13.5% ABV).  The nose has medium intensity aromas of red raspberry, pomegranate, rhubarb, spice box, vanilla bean, coffee, red plum, and bramble berry.  The palate is dry, with medium (+) acidity, a medium body, and medium tannins that are nicely integrated.  Red fruits dominate the flavors with a hint of oak influence- vanilla, coffee, spice box.  Red raspberry and rhubarb are the dominant players here.  The acidity kicks it up a notch on the back end where the finish is quite long and slightly tart.  I can feel a touch of heat, which is surprising for me.  I like this wine, it’s not exactly my style of Pinot, but it has the right level of extraction and has a lovely mouthfeel with layered fruit being supported by nice structure.  It should cellar nicely and drink well until 2035.  92 points from me for this $65 bottling gets it 4 stars.  I’m pairing it with Pork Tomahawk chops.  Salut….

Patz & Hall Little Boot Vineyard pinot noir