| Winery | Special Designation | Vintage | Varietal | Rating | DateTasted | Notes | Buy Again? |
| Beaulieu Vineyard | Napa Valley | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 93 | 8/7/2026 | First, this is an unreleased wine. The BV 2023s will emerge in early September. And secondly, they asked me not to say where I got it. This is the BV store front Cab that sells for just over $40. And it has already received 91,92 and 94 points. But again, this is a 2023!
So here we go: let is breath. It is tight at first. It has bright red fruit, blackberry, plum, brioche, cocoa, sage, baking spice and light floral notes.
The palate is amazing with high acid, long finish, med+ concentration, intensity and soft tannins. But it is a full-bodied wine. This wine has lovely balance.
For the price, this is a stunning wine. 2022 was a great wine to take to parties. This one is one you might want to hold onto selfishly. Take something else to the damn party! Enjoy this one with the family. It has the polish of a much more expensive BV wine such as Ranch 1 or 2. | y |
| B Cellars Winery | Calesa Vineyard, Petaluma Gap, Sonoma County | 2023 | Chardonnay | 93 | 8/6/2026 | | y |
| B Cellars Winery | Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County | 2023 | Zinfandel | 97 | 8/6/2026 | | y |
| B Cellars Winery | Blend 23 | 2024 | Blend (White Table Wine) | 95 | 8/6/2026 | | y |
| B Cellars Winery | Oakville | 2022 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 96 | 8/6/2026 | | y |
| B Cellars Winery | Rutherford | 2022 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 97 | 8/6/2026 | | y |
| B Cellars Winery | Blend 24 | 2023 | Blend (Red Table Wine) | 94 | 8/6/2026 | | y |
| B Cellars Winery | To Kalon, Beckstoffer, Napa Valley | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 97 | 8/6/2026 | Our first To Kalon | y |
| B Cellars Winery | Petaluma Gap Sonoma County | 2025 | Sparkling Albarino | 93 | 8/6/2026 | This is a really cool wine. We bought it untasted. But it had great recommendations. This wine has some lovely notes on the nose of pear, apricot, honeysuckle, honey and nectarine.
The palate has very nice acid, big bubbles, rich texture, pleasurable fruit flavors of apricot, green melon, pear, apple cider and honey. But it is not sweat at all. It just appears sweet because of the huge fruit.
At $45 bucks, this is a real winner of a sparkling wine. And if you are the kind of person who finds many sparkling wines too austere, this is the wine for you. | y |
| Aubaine Wines | Anahata Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley | 2022 | Pinot Noir | 92 | 8/1/2026 | Nice notes of cherry, strawberry, dried herbs and flowers, cranberry, baking spice and vineyard dust.
The palate is full of mineral goodness, long finish, med+ concentration and intensity. The tannins are medium and dusty. It has tart fruit from the high acid and minerals.
Both on the nose and palate this wine has fresh, crisp fruit, earthy notes and textures provided by the granular tannins -- reminiscent of vineyard dust. | y |
| Calafia Wines | La Reina, Napa Valley, St Helena | 2022 | Blend (Red Table Wine) | 96 | 7/31/2026 | We usually start with the nose. But this wine is such a palate pleaser that we are going to start there. This wine has big (but) silky tannins that provide so much structure. The finish is long. The concentration and intensity are big and full. Nice acidity keeps this wine perfectly balanced. The flavors are crisp, lush, concentrated and beautifully structured.
And now for the nose: dense scents of florals that remind us of the flowers you would put into a potpourri before you dried them. And it has about every berry flavor in the book. There are raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, pomegranate, potting soil, leather, hazelnut and sweet tobacco.
This is really, really great wine. Get some! | y |
| Calafia Wines | Sisney Vineyard, Amador County | 2025 | Verdelho | 96 | 7/30/2026 | This is a stunning Verdelho. The nose has such lush fruit concentration. It has lovely green melon, citrus notes, tropical fruits, honeysuckle, pear, lake water, soft minerality and a hint of white nectarine.
It is a wonderfully balanced wine on the palate with high acid, long finish, rich concentration and intensity of fruit. Highly concentrated fruit and crisp acidity.
Goodness in a bottle. I`m not sure where I can get more of this yet, but I want more. This is a finely crafted wine just makes you want another sip, and another . . . | y |
| Tongue Dancer | Vineyard Eleven Russian River Valley | 2024 | Pinot Noir | 94 | 7/30/2026 | | y |
| Tongue Dancer | Vineyard Eleven Russian River Valley | 2023 | Pinot Noir | 94 | 7/30/2026 | The nose has strawberry jam, mineral, nori, soft graphite, savory broth, raspberry, tart cranberry and lilac.
The palate is rich with fruit flavors that balance nicely with the high acidity. It has nice fully bodied texture with a long, mouth-filling finish. The balance between minerals, acid and fruit is so pleasant.
A darn fine effort. This wine will go great with foods like baked chicken, mac and cheese, grilled sandwiches -- anything that matches the umami savory notes in the wine. | y |
| Tongue Dancer | Sonoma Coast | 2024 | Pinot Noir | 94 | 7/30/2026 | | y |
| Tongue Dancer | Pinot de Ville, Sonoma Coast | 2022 | Pinot Noir | 94 | 7/30/2026 | | y |
| Trader Joes | Napa Valley Lot #257 | 2025 | Sauvignon Blanc | 92 | 7/30/2026 | Bright citrus, pear, green melon, minerality, red apple, honey, stone fruit pit and dried herbs.
The palate is firm, concentrated and lush. The finish is long, acid high and med+ intensity.
This is a stunner for less than $10. It has really nice fruit, concentrated flavors and great balance. Whoever made this got some stunning fruit and did magic with it! As a summer sipper, this is a perfect choice! | y |
| Testarossa | Garys Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County | 2024 | Pinot Noir | 94 | 7/28/2026 | We get red cherry, strawberry and sour blackberry on the nose. There is what we can only describe as warm dust, and then mushroom, mint, toasted wood and tart lime Jello. Weird and cool!
The palate has high acid, medium tannins, long finish, med+ concentration and intensity. But the finish is long. There is a lovely thickness on the palate of dark berry fruit mixed with a tart Kaffir lime note.
Garys is one of our favs. When we see this from any of the other producers, we do not hesitate -- we buy it. It is hard to go wrong. | y |
| Mangels Vineyards | Suisun Valley | 2021 | Syrah | 90 | 7/27/2026 | On the nose you get black cherry, forest floor, black plum, currant, raspberry, dried flowers, rose petals and graphite.
The palate has sizzling, full tannins, high acid, med+ concentration and intensity. The body is full and the finish is long with berry flavors that glide down the center of the tongue.
This wine has a great balance between high acidy, dark fruit flavors and bright berries. It is a solid sipper but would be great with grilled chicken, salmon or buttery crab/lobster. A nicely solid wine at a phenomenal price! | y |
| Testarossa | Sierra Mar Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands | 2022 | Pinot Noir | 95 | 7/27/2026 | Black cherry, raspberry, strawberry, dried sage plant/wood, peach, pungent earth, baking spices and dried flowers.
The palate is very rich with high acid, long finish, high concentration of intense fruit and full body. It is very well balanced.
This is just a stunning wine. I would go back for more on this one. | y |
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