| Winery | Special Designation | Vintage | Varietal | Rating | DateTasted | Notes | Buy Again? |
| Mount Edward | Central Otago, New Zealand | 2022 | Pinot Noir | 90 | 7/6/2026 | Blackberry, sweet black cherry, pungent sage, tarry burnt sugar and spices.
The acidity is high, the flavors have med+ concentration and intensity. It has a medium but flat finish, medium body and tannins. There is a small amount of bitterness on the back palate. | n |
| Alfaro Family Vineyards & Winery | Trout Gulch Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains | 2023 | Pinot Noir | 92 | 7/5/2026 | Strawberry, tart rhubarb, red cherry, cranberry, mint, wet potting soil, lime leaf, spice box and dried flowers. Really intriguing nose! Rather tart.
The palate shows high, tart acid, med intensity and concentration of fruit. The finish and body are med+. The tannins are low.
A fascinating wine. Quite tart on the nose and palate giving a vibrant freshness. It could do with a little more warmth to the fruit to offset the acidity. | n |
| Craggy Range | Martinborough, New Zealand | 2024 | Pinot Noir | 96 | 7/3/2026 | First of all, let`s talk about the color. This is as dark as a Petit Sirah! You can`t see though it when held over a piece of white paper. We are talking EXTENDED maceration. The nose is lush with dusty cupboard raspberry, black cherry, freesia blossom, oak and forest floor.
The acid is high, the palate shows long finish, tart fruit, med+ tannins, concentration and intensity.
We saw this on K&L Wines for $29.99. It is worth every penny of that price and probably twice that. This is wine that west coast USA Pinot drinkers will find different and fascinating. It is a different animal and a lovely one at that! | y |
| Kalm Cellars | Calistoga, Napa Valley | 2025 | Sauvignon Blanc | 90 | 7/2/2026 | A touch of grass, pineapple, passion fruit, honey, nectarine, butter and pear. The nose has med+ intensity and is well balanced.
It has a high acid yogurt tartness on the palate making for a lovely creamy crispness. The fruit concentration is med+. The finish is soft and medium. For being in the warm end of the valley, the alcohol is nicely low. This is a really nice SBlanc with a lot going for it. | y |
| Kalm Cellars | Calistoga, Napa Valley | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 91 | 7/2/2026 | Blackberry, blueberry, white nectarine pit, cocoa, coffee, black pepper, black cherry, pomegranate molasses, dry herbs, madeira richness, lilac and vineyard soil. All these fruit notes are so bright and fresh. It is very young. Give it some time to open after opening.
The palate shows a lot of lovely blueberry/nectarine fruit -- med+ intensity, concentration and body. The acidity is high and the finish is long. The tannins are medium and linger on the teeth nicely.
For a new winery that is just getting on its feet, this is a nice bottle for $40 bucks. We are thinking this is a winery to keep on the radar. It is a nicely fresh, rich wine. | y |
| Trader Joes | Platinum Reserve, Eola Springs Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Willamette Valley Lot #124 | 2024 | Pinot Noir | 91 | 7/2/2026 | Yay, Trader Joes has a new wine out. This pinot has a med+ intensity on the nose. The nose has lovely strawberry, red cherry, mushroom, sage, cranberry and touch of raspberry jam.
The palate shows medium body, high acid, med+ tannins, concentration and intensity. The finish is long.
This is a great example of the Amity Hills AVA. It has a similar feel to Carneros pinots but the fruit here is a little darker. This is a great, smooth, easy drinking pinot with very interesting characteristics. It is worth the price and more. | y |
| Trader Joes | Platinum Reserve, Paso Robles, Lot #112 | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 87 | 7/2/2026 | blackberry, oak, dry dill, dried herbs, cedar, spice box and pomegranate molasses.
The tannins are firm and coat the teeth and tongue. The acid is high. The finish, concentration and body are all medium.
This is a wine that has Paso written all over it. The basic Daou wines are very similar in nose and flavor characteristics. This wine has firm tannins, high acid and good fruit character. | y |
| Quilt | Reserve Napa Valley | 2018 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 95 | 6/29/2026 | Classic flavors of blackberry, raspberry, anise, lilac, dark chocolate, coffee, eucalyptus, cedar and coriander.
The palate has silky, high tannin, high concentration, intensity, acid and body. Very nice characteristics. It also has a long finish. And this is a blend of cabs from around napa. For a blend this is very nice wine. | y |
| Lioco | Mendocino County | 2022 | Carignn | 94 | 6/28/2026 | | y |
| Monte Volpe | Mendocino County | 2019 | Aglianico | 93 | 6/28/2026 | | y |
| Rutherford Hill | AJT Block 8, Rutherford, Napa Valley | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 95 | 6/28/2026 | We get notes of cat mint, blackberry, raspberry, burnt sugar, coriander, anise, cardamom, lilac -- a regular spice cupboard.
The tannins are high but silky, high concentration, intensity and long finish. This is a real beauty of a wine. | y |
| Witching Stick | Dowsers Cuvee, Mendocino County | 2023 | Pinot Noir | 94 | 6/28/2026 | We get strawberry, cranberry, vineyard dust, dry cherry, dried flowers and rhubarb.
The flavors have a great berry intensity on the back palate, long finish, soft tannins, high acid and med+ body.
A really cool find here by our friend David who brought this over last night. I called the winemaker today and complimented him on the fine cuvee. Then I ordered 6 bottles at about $50 per bottle. | y |
| Lucia by Pisoni | Garys Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands | 2024 | Pinot Noir | 95 | 6/26/2026 | Ordered this a week ago. It arrived today. This is Gary`s Vineyard, owned by Pisoni. Almost every winery that has access to this fruit -- that we have tried -- has done amazing things with it. So, how does this stand up? Very well, indeed. It has raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, amaretto icing, brioche, fresh mushroom, dried flowers, fresh anise and baking spices. At first the nose is a little elusive. But this wine is so young that it needs time to catch its breath. UPDATE: 3 hours of breathing and this became a 95 pointer.
The palate has lovely med+ tannins that provide great textural mouthfeel -- higher than many pinots. The concentration, intensity and body are all med+, but the finish is long. It has perfect acidity that balances everything out.
This wine has everything it needs to age 10+ years. This wine is so robust. It has the intensity of a Cab. It needs time to open. | y |
| De Lamotte | Brut | NV | Champaigne | 93 | 6/25/2026 | | y |
| Daou | Micho, Paso Robles | 2018 | Blend (Red Table Wine) | 93 | 6/21/2026 | 2018 Daou Micro Paso Robles red blend - brioche, burnt brown sugar, plum, blackberry, black pepper, cinnamon and clove. Very long finish, lovely balance, full body, medium+ concentration and intensity. | y |
| Frequency | Santa Barbara County | 2022 | GSM | 93 | 6/21/2026 | This wine reeks of vegetal Grenache, red currant, cassis, lime, peach pit, over ripe plum and strawberry jam. Very nice concentration, intensity, long finish, pungent and full body. | y |
| Melville | Sandys Block, Estate | 2020 | Pinot Noir | 93 | 6/21/2026 | Pungent plum, berry, cedar, tart citrus, berry and cinnamon. The palate is pungent, citrus, tart berry, med body, concentration and tannins. | y |
| Pride Mountain Vineyards | Napa Valley | 2020 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 94 | 6/21/2026 | Bright fruit with berry, red plum, tea, baking spice, oak, cedar and vanilla. Great flavors, long finish and great balance. | y |
| Roar | Rosellas Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands | 2021 | Pinot Noir | 95 | 6/21/2026 | Plum, strawberry, raspberry, baking spice, cedar, earth and lime gelato. The palate is exemplary with perfect balance, med+ concentration and intensity. Nice long finish. | y |
| Rose Rock | Eola-Amity Hills, Drouhin, Oregon | 2023 | Pinot Noir | 94 | 6/20/2026 | Oh jeez, this nose is loaded with brioche, baking spice, black raspberry, cranberry, tart cherry and the kind of berry Jello notes that we have only gotten in Santa Lucia Highlands Pinots.
The palate is stunning with long finish, high concentration, intensity, full body, high acid and tons of berry/cherry flavors reminiscent of jam intensity.
This was initially a 96 pointer, but oddly, it fades a bit after being open for an hour. | y |
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