Winery Collective

I had never been to this little tasting room right on the water in Fisherman's Wharf. I'm glad I stopped by. They focus on small production California wines, not the biggest collection, but I like the focus on a few specific producers. The staff was helpful and seemed genuinely excited to pour wines and talk about them. (Steve is the man). I'll definitely be back next time I'm in San Fran.

• 2009 VIE Winery Roussanne Round River Farm 90 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Lake County

  Damn this is good. Aromas of butter, candle wax and rich apricot. Full-bodied for sure, with a waxy, creamy mouthfeel, but the acid still manages to shine through. Unashamedly bold, with pineapple, apricot and white tea flavors. Big but finishes clean. Can't help but love this stuff.

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• 2007 VIE Winery L'Intruse 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Even at six years old, this is a dense wine. A punch of fruit on the nose, black cherry, saucy plums, mixed in with some smoke and charcoal notes. Full and velvety on the palate with fine tannins and gobs of plum and currant fruit. I love the notes of chestnut and truffle. High on the deliciousness scale, and this is capable of aging for a few more years at least.

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• NV VIE Winery Mélange Maison I 89 Points

  USA, California

  Pure and sexy on the nose, with mixed red fruit, red licorice, spicy pepper, smoke and a hint of olive. Full, but silky on the palate, the texture is just great. I like the mix of fresh red and juicy black fruit. The toasty oak is evident, yet integrated. A rich blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Grenache. Long, spicy finish. For a non-vintage, statewide blend, this is impressive stuff.

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• 2007 VIE Winery Syrah Les Amours 90 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  Age does wonderful things for Vie's wines. The purity of fruit on the nose is impressive, plums, black cherries, mixed in with rose petals. Firm tannins on the palate, fresh acid, the combination is really silky. Lots of plums, black cherries, along with smoke, pepper, potting soil and rose petal notes. Long finish. Seems to be in a great place right now, and seems like it could easily improve for three or for more years.

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• 2010 Twisted Oak Mourvèdre River of Skulls Dalton Vineyard 86 Points

  USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Calaveras County

  A Halloween wine if there ever was one. This Mourvedre is simply massive, like a boot to the teeth. On the nose, a compact ball of berry compote. Hugely extracted and dense on the palate. Oily, toasty, dense and violent. I'm sure this would win over a lot of fans, but it's a bit overblown for me. The label kicks ass. The wine itself will kick your ass to the floor if you have more than a glass.

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• 2010 Howell Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

  The black cherries and currant aromas blend nicely with green pepper and spicy tobacco. I love the tangy acid on the palate, which matches so well with the fine-grained tannins. Cherries, plums, bright currants, wrapped together with tobacco and a mix of green and black pepper. Delicious, and it will only get better over the next year or two... or four.

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