The nose is lively and fresh with tones of peaches, white fruits, nectarines, almond paste, lemon peels, white flowers, and zesty notes. The nose is fun with the tones working well together. The Medium bodied feel shows off the vibrancy of the nose with zesty, medium+ acidity that is mouthwatering. This is a fun Pet-Nat that accomplishes exactly what it needs to.
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
The nose is lovely, with a savory touch to the dark red-fruited tones of crushed berries, earth notes, spice tones, red cherries, raspberries, roasted herbs, violets, and some licorice notes. There is good balance to the tones as they draw you into the glass. The Medium bodied feel has some robust qualities to them while still possessing a touch of refinement. The Medium+ acidity is crisp and refreshing whilst the medium tannins are refined and rounded. This is a lot of fun and it’s great to see Meunier done in its own as a table wine.
The nose is fragrant and quixotic with tones of poached pears, red apples, Meyer lemons, almond paste, nectarines, elderflower, vanilla beans, and apple blossoms. The skin contact adds a layer of intrigue. The Medium bodied feel is balanced and savory with crisp, medium+ acidity that persists. This is fun and brings its own style and take to the table.
The nose is fresh and complex with tones of raspberries, fresh herbs, nectarines, Bosc pears, quince, spice notes, roses, berries, and some toast notes. There is good balance and fragrance, but this does lack a touch of depth that would really drive it up some levels. The Medium bodied feel is deft and balanced with tart, medium+ acidity that is mouthwatering. This is lovely and drinking great!
The nose is fresh and fragrant with tones of red berries, spice notes, fresh herbs, wild flowers, earth notes, sour red cherries, earth notes, tobacco leaf, and violets. There is good balance and poise. The Medium bodied feel is balanced with crisp, medium+ acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is lovely and as someone who isn’t really a fan of Dolcetto, I dig this.
The nose is balanced and fresh with tones of pears, apples, peaches, saline, white fruits, jasmine, stone fruits, peach blossoms, and a nice dose of perfumes. There is a lovely expression that is vibrant and lifted to the nose, though it does lack a touch of depth. The Medium bodied feel shows off the fresh and vibrant qualities of the nose with crisp, medium+ acidity that makes your mouth water. This is fun and lively with excellent freshness across the nose and palate.
The nose is fresh with tones of stone fruits, red berries, peaches, pears, nectarines, lemon peels, red flowers, and strawberries. There is good balance to the freshness with it showing lovely red fruits. The Medium bodied feel shows off the freshness of the nose with crisp, medium+ acidity that makes your mouth water. This is a fun rose that is easy drinking and crisp.
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
The nose is lifted and balanced either tones of stone fruits, wisps of smoke, flint, spice notes, apples, pears, nectarines, lemon peels, sweet lemons, and orange blossoms. This is fragrant and fresh with good depth. The Medium bodied feel shows off the balance of the nose while the high acidity is sharp and a bit angular. This is an excellent Fiano that takes well to Russian River.
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
The nose is aromatic and very gewurz with some musky notes upfront before pulling back into tones of red apples, vanilla beans, nectarines, lemon meringue, Asian spices, Bosc pears, yellow flowers, and orange peels. The Medium/full bodied feel is robust, but lacks some depth with medium acidity. The nose shows off more quality than the palate. If the palate was fleshed out a bit more it would be really good. As is, it’s a nice gewurztraminer that is pretty accessible.
The nose is intriguing and aromatic with tones of pepper, dark red cherries, raspberries, red currants, spice notes, roses, and violets. This shows a lot of fun and balanced tones that work really well together. The Medium/full bodied feel is balanced, yet robust with medium acidity and chewy, medium+ tannins. This is really enjoyable and a lot of fun to taste. I love the interplay with pepper and dark red-fruited tones.
The nose is quixotic and intriguing as it’s basically a kitchen sink white blend with tones of nectarines, Meyer lemons, red apples, musky notes, vanilla beans, peaches, creams, spice tones, and yellow flowers. The Medium/full bodied feel is textured with tart, medium+ acidity. This is a lot of fun and a lot to think about at the same time. I’m not sure I’d necessarily want an entire bottle for myself as it’s just a lot, but it was fun to sit on and think about a good bit.
The nose is fragrant, but lacks depth with nice tones of red cherries, raspberries, red berries, violets, spice notes, and herbs. The tones are nice, but there is something lacking to them. The Medium bodied feel leans a bit on the lighter side with crisp, medium+ acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is well made, but it just doesn’t have that much depth across the nose and palate. It’s a bit simple and inoffensive, but it works.
The nose is lovely and balanced with tones of almonds, white fruits, nectarines, a touch of flint, vanilla beans, apples, jasmine, and elderflower. There is a spring-like fragrance that is enticing and fresh. The Medium bodied feel is balanced with tart, high acidity that is mouthwatering. This is a lovely Vermentino that shows how good the range of winemaking is from Pax.
The nose is expressive and balanced with lovely tones of black and white pepper, dark red cherries, raspberries, plums, violets, savory notes, crushed rocks, fresh herbs, and tobacco tones. There is good depth and poise to add to the expressive qualities. The Medium bodied feel is poised and balanced with tart, medium+ acidity and youthful, medium+ tannins. While there is youth to the tannins, they aren’t too overpowering even at this stage. I can see a few years adding an extra gear to this that will take it to another level.
There is so much perfume and headiness to the flowing tones of olive tapenade, black cherries, raspberries, white pepper, cranberries, tobacco leaf, violets, fresh herbs, crushed berries, and savory spices. The Medium bodied feel is deft and silky with a real sense of savory refinement along with tart, medium+ acidity and youthful, but not overpowering medium+ tannins. This is wonderful and it really has the ability to kick into a big gear. It could use a few years to fully form, but watch out when it does!
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado County
The nose is fragrant and intriguing with tones of apples, nectarines, quince, pears, peaches, yellow flowers, and nutty tones. There is nice lift and complexity, but it does lack a touch of depth that would really up this. The Medium bodied feel is textured and balanced with crisp, medium+ acidity. This is a fun Vermentino that takes to the skin contact.
The nose is lifted and fragrant with tones of red berries, strawberries, red cherries, some bubblegum notes, red flowers, and spice notes. This is perfumed and lovely with an overall freshness to the tones. The Medium bodied feel is fresh and lively with tart, medium+ acidity and medium tannins. This is fun and fresh. It isn’t meant to be serious or complex and it works perfectly as a friendly wine.
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado County
The nose is balanced and savory with tones of dark red cherries, raspberries, cranberries, spice notes, fresh herbs, licorice, wild flowers, violets, and loads of wild flowers. This is expressive with a dark take the fruit that brings about a touch of mystery. The Medium/full bodied feel is balanced and savory with tart, medium+ acidity that has some lovely persistence and silky, medium tannins. This is really lovely in a more near-term way. This shows excellent expression across the nose and palate with a savory touch that brings just that extra bit of mystery to the table.
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Calaveras County
The nose is giving and open-knot with tones of nectarines, kumqaut, red apples, quince, jasmine, yellow flowers, Bosc pears, some almond paste, and honeysuckle. The Medium bodied feel is deft and textured with tart, medium+ acidity that shows off good persistence. This is excellent and leans into something a bit more savory for semillon. It seems like there may be some skin contact in the process.
The nose is fresh and friendly with a crunchiness to the tones of red berries, red cherries, raspberries, crushed rocks, sour red fruits, violets, fresh herbs, earth notes, and spice tones. The Medium bodied feel shows off the freshness and friendly qualities of the nose with tart, medium+ acidity and rounded, medium tannins. This is a fun mission that brings the red fruits and friendliness in spades. It’s not the most complex wine, but it doesn’t need to be.
The nose is balanced and with a savory touch to the tones of dark red cherries, blueberries, raspberries, herbs, licorice, spice notes, tobacco leaf, and some roses. There is a lovely plush quality to the fruit that accompanies the savory side. The Medium bodied feel is rounded and balanced with crisp, medium+ acidity and silky, medium+ tannins. This is a lovely Syrah that shows off the savory and fruited side well. It likely could benefit from a few heads of aging to round out the rough edges.
The nose is fragrant with balanced tones of quince, red apples, vanilla beans, apple blossoms, pears, Meyer lemons, nectarines, and some toast. This leans well into the yellow spectrum, but with some nice lift and freshness. The Medium bodied feel is textured and balanced with zesty, high acidity that has some excellent cut. This is lovely and one that I’d like to spend some more time with in a different setting.
The nose is lovely and balanced with tones of dark red cherries, sour red berries, plums, crushed berries, violets, sasparilla, earth notes, and some fresh herbs. This is well put together with just the right amount of savory and fruit characteristics to meld it together. The Medium bodied feel is balanced with crisp, medium+ acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is lovely as it shows a bit of a mysterious side that I rather enjoy.
The nose hits leans more bass and savory with flowing tones of red cherries, raspberries, cranberries, violets, roses, crushed rocks, olive tapenade, and some fresh herbs. This is well put together with lovely balance. The Medium/full bodied feel has a few rough edges, but comes off more as a gentle giant with tart, medium+ acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is my kind of Syrah! It leans into the savory style without getting too bloody. Just lovely.
USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi Mokelumne River
The nose is fragrant and poised with creamed peaches, nectarines, toast, red apples, roasted nuts, piney tones, quince, yellow flowers, and vanilla beans. There is good complexity and fragrance, but this lacks some depth that would add much more intrigue. The Medium bodied feel is deft and textured with tart, medium+ acidity that persists. This is fun and shows the range of grapes that California can successfully grow and make!
2024 Donkey and Goat Chardonnay Lily's Pet Nat 87 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
The nose is lively and fresh with tones of peaches, white fruits, nectarines, almond paste, lemon peels, white flowers, and zesty notes. The nose is fun with the tones working well together. The Medium bodied feel shows off the vibrancy of the nose with zesty, medium+ acidity that is mouthwatering. This is a fun Pet-Nat that accomplishes exactly what it needs to.
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2023 Donkey and Goat Pinot Meunier Dommen Vineyard 90 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
The nose is lovely, with a savory touch to the dark red-fruited tones of crushed berries, earth notes, spice tones, red cherries, raspberries, roasted herbs, violets, and some licorice notes. There is good balance to the tones as they draw you into the glass. The Medium bodied feel has some robust qualities to them while still possessing a touch of refinement. The Medium+ acidity is crisp and refreshing whilst the medium tannins are refined and rounded. This is a lot of fun and it’s great to see Meunier done in its own as a table wine.
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2019 Idlewild Cortese Lost Hills Ranch 89 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County
The nose is fragrant and quixotic with tones of poached pears, red apples, Meyer lemons, almond paste, nectarines, elderflower, vanilla beans, and apple blossoms. The skin contact adds a layer of intrigue. The Medium bodied feel is balanced and savory with crisp, medium+ acidity that persists. This is fun and brings its own style and take to the table.
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2023 Idlewild Flora & Fauna Rosé 89 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County
The nose is fresh and complex with tones of raspberries, fresh herbs, nectarines, Bosc pears, quince, spice notes, roses, berries, and some toast notes. There is good balance and fragrance, but this does lack a touch of depth that would really drive it up some levels. The Medium bodied feel is deft and balanced with tart, medium+ acidity that is mouthwatering. This is lovely and drinking great!
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2019 Idlewild Dolcetto Lost Hills Ranch 90 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Yorkville Highlands
The nose is fresh and fragrant with tones of red berries, spice notes, fresh herbs, wild flowers, earth notes, sour red cherries, earth notes, tobacco leaf, and violets. There is good balance and poise. The Medium bodied feel is balanced with crisp, medium+ acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is lovely and as someone who isn’t really a fan of Dolcetto, I dig this.
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2024 Terah Wine Co. Vermentino 89 Points
USA, California, Central Valley, Clements Hills
The nose is balanced and fresh with tones of pears, apples, peaches, saline, white fruits, jasmine, stone fruits, peach blossoms, and a nice dose of perfumes. There is a lovely expression that is vibrant and lifted to the nose, though it does lack a touch of depth. The Medium bodied feel shows off the fresh and vibrant qualities of the nose with crisp, medium+ acidity that makes your mouth water. This is fun and lively with excellent freshness across the nose and palate.
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2024 Terah Wine Co. Rosé Paicines Ranch Vineyard 88 Points
USA, California, Central Coast
The nose is fresh with tones of stone fruits, red berries, peaches, pears, nectarines, lemon peels, red flowers, and strawberries. There is good balance to the freshness with it showing lovely red fruits. The Medium bodied feel shows off the freshness of the nose with crisp, medium+ acidity that makes your mouth water. This is a fun rose that is easy drinking and crisp.
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2021 Cruess Fiano 90 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
The nose is lifted and balanced either tones of stone fruits, wisps of smoke, flint, spice notes, apples, pears, nectarines, lemon peels, sweet lemons, and orange blossoms. This is fragrant and fresh with good depth. The Medium bodied feel shows off the balance of the nose while the high acidity is sharp and a bit angular. This is an excellent Fiano that takes well to Russian River.
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2024 Cruess Gewürztraminer 88 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
The nose is aromatic and very gewurz with some musky notes upfront before pulling back into tones of red apples, vanilla beans, nectarines, lemon meringue, Asian spices, Bosc pears, yellow flowers, and orange peels. The Medium/full bodied feel is robust, but lacks some depth with medium acidity. The nose shows off more quality than the palate. If the palate was fleshed out a bit more it would be really good. As is, it’s a nice gewurztraminer that is pretty accessible.
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2019 Cruess Rock Smash Red June Mountain 90 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
The nose is intriguing and aromatic with tones of pepper, dark red cherries, raspberries, red currants, spice notes, roses, and violets. This shows a lot of fun and balanced tones that work really well together. The Medium/full bodied feel is balanced, yet robust with medium acidity and chewy, medium+ tannins. This is really enjoyable and a lot of fun to taste. I love the interplay with pepper and dark red-fruited tones.
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NV Wachira Wines Black Label 89 Points
USA, California
The nose is quixotic and intriguing as it’s basically a kitchen sink white blend with tones of nectarines, Meyer lemons, red apples, musky notes, vanilla beans, peaches, creams, spice tones, and yellow flowers. The Medium/full bodied feel is textured with tart, medium+ acidity. This is a lot of fun and a lot to think about at the same time. I’m not sure I’d necessarily want an entire bottle for myself as it’s just a lot, but it was fun to sit on and think about a good bit.
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2019 Wachira Wines Pinot Noir Queens Collection 1949 86 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County
The nose is fragrant, but lacks depth with nice tones of red cherries, raspberries, red berries, violets, spice notes, and herbs. The tones are nice, but there is something lacking to them. The Medium bodied feel leans a bit on the lighter side with crisp, medium+ acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is well made, but it just doesn’t have that much depth across the nose and palate. It’s a bit simple and inoffensive, but it works.
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2024 Pax Vermentino The Bench Vineyard 89 Points
USA, California, Central Valley, Clements Hills
The nose is lovely and balanced with tones of almonds, white fruits, nectarines, a touch of flint, vanilla beans, apples, jasmine, and elderflower. There is a spring-like fragrance that is enticing and fresh. The Medium bodied feel is balanced with tart, high acidity that is mouthwatering. This is a lovely Vermentino that shows how good the range of winemaking is from Pax.
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2022 Pax Syrah Nellessen Vineyard Sonoma Coast 92 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
The nose is expressive and balanced with lovely tones of black and white pepper, dark red cherries, raspberries, plums, violets, savory notes, crushed rocks, fresh herbs, and tobacco tones. There is good depth and poise to add to the expressive qualities. The Medium bodied feel is poised and balanced with tart, medium+ acidity and youthful, medium+ tannins. While there is youth to the tannins, they aren’t too overpowering even at this stage. I can see a few years adding an extra gear to this that will take it to another level.
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2023 Pax Syrah Sonoma-Hillsides 94 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County
There is so much perfume and headiness to the flowing tones of olive tapenade, black cherries, raspberries, white pepper, cranberries, tobacco leaf, violets, fresh herbs, crushed berries, and savory spices. The Medium bodied feel is deft and silky with a real sense of savory refinement along with tart, medium+ acidity and youthful, but not overpowering medium+ tannins. This is wonderful and it really has the ability to kick into a big gear. It could use a few years to fully form, but watch out when it does!
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2024 Belong Wine Company Vermentino Grand Prismatic Carbonic White 89 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado County
The nose is fragrant and intriguing with tones of apples, nectarines, quince, pears, peaches, yellow flowers, and nutty tones. There is nice lift and complexity, but it does lack a touch of depth that would really up this. The Medium bodied feel is textured and balanced with crisp, medium+ acidity. This is a fun Vermentino that takes to the skin contact.
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2024 Belong Wine Company Sunshower Carbonic 88 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado
The nose is lifted and fragrant with tones of red berries, strawberries, red cherries, some bubblegum notes, red flowers, and spice notes. This is perfumed and lovely with an overall freshness to the tones. The Medium bodied feel is fresh and lively with tart, medium+ acidity and medium tannins. This is fun and fresh. It isn’t meant to be serious or complex and it works perfectly as a friendly wine.
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2023 Belong Wine Company Mourvèdre Sierra Soul 92 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado County
The nose is balanced and savory with tones of dark red cherries, raspberries, cranberries, spice notes, fresh herbs, licorice, wild flowers, violets, and loads of wild flowers. This is expressive with a dark take the fruit that brings about a touch of mystery. The Medium/full bodied feel is balanced and savory with tart, medium+ acidity that has some lovely persistence and silky, medium tannins. This is really lovely in a more near-term way. This shows excellent expression across the nose and palate with a savory touch that brings just that extra bit of mystery to the table.
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2023 Osa Major Sémillon Gold in the Hills Chatom Vineyard 90 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Calaveras County
The nose is giving and open-knot with tones of nectarines, kumqaut, red apples, quince, jasmine, yellow flowers, Bosc pears, some almond paste, and honeysuckle. The Medium bodied feel is deft and textured with tart, medium+ acidity that shows off good persistence. This is excellent and leans into something a bit more savory for semillon. It seems like there may be some skin contact in the process.
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2023 Osa Major Mission Somer's Vineyard 88 Points
USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi
The nose is fresh and friendly with a crunchiness to the tones of red berries, red cherries, raspberries, crushed rocks, sour red fruits, violets, fresh herbs, earth notes, and spice tones. The Medium bodied feel shows off the freshness and friendly qualities of the nose with tart, medium+ acidity and rounded, medium tannins. This is a fun mission that brings the red fruits and friendliness in spades. It’s not the most complex wine, but it doesn’t need to be.
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2023 Osa Major Syrah Poor Ranch Vineyard 90 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino
The nose is balanced and with a savory touch to the tones of dark red cherries, blueberries, raspberries, herbs, licorice, spice notes, tobacco leaf, and some roses. There is a lovely plush quality to the fruit that accompanies the savory side. The Medium bodied feel is rounded and balanced with crisp, medium+ acidity and silky, medium+ tannins. This is a lovely Syrah that shows off the savory and fruited side well. It likely could benefit from a few heads of aging to round out the rough edges.
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2022 Outis Chenin Blanc 89 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Chalone
The nose is fragrant with balanced tones of quince, red apples, vanilla beans, apple blossoms, pears, Meyer lemons, nectarines, and some toast. This leans well into the yellow spectrum, but with some nice lift and freshness. The Medium bodied feel is textured and balanced with zesty, high acidity that has some excellent cut. This is lovely and one that I’d like to spend some more time with in a different setting.
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2023 Outis Pinot Noir 90 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, San Benito County
The nose is lovely and balanced with tones of dark red cherries, sour red berries, plums, crushed berries, violets, sasparilla, earth notes, and some fresh herbs. This is well put together with just the right amount of savory and fruit characteristics to meld it together. The Medium bodied feel is balanced with crisp, medium+ acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is lovely as it shows a bit of a mysterious side that I rather enjoy.
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2020 Outis Syrah Viognier 91 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Chalone
The nose hits leans more bass and savory with flowing tones of red cherries, raspberries, cranberries, violets, roses, crushed rocks, olive tapenade, and some fresh herbs. This is well put together with lovely balance. The Medium/full bodied feel has a few rough edges, but comes off more as a gentle giant with tart, medium+ acidity and silky, medium tannins. This is my kind of Syrah! It leans into the savory style without getting too bloody. Just lovely.
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2023 Donkey and Goat Greco Bianco Fernow Ranch 88 Points
USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi Mokelumne River
The nose is fragrant and poised with creamed peaches, nectarines, toast, red apples, roasted nuts, piney tones, quince, yellow flowers, and vanilla beans. There is good complexity and fragrance, but this lacks some depth that would add much more intrigue. The Medium bodied feel is deft and textured with tart, medium+ acidity that persists. This is fun and shows the range of grapes that California can successfully grow and make!
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