| Winery | Special Designation | Vintage | Varietal | Rating | DateTasted | Notes | Buy Again? |
| Fulcrum Wines | Cloisonne Sonoma Coast | 2023 | Sauvignon Blanc | 92 | 1/4/2026 | | y |
| Fulcrum Wines | Brousseau Vineyard, Chalone Monterey | 2023 | Pinot Noir | 93 | 1/4/2026 | | y |
| Fulcrum Wines | Leveroni Vineyard Sonoma Coast | 2023 | Pinot Noir | 94 | 1/4/2026 | Pommard and 114 clones | y |
| Fulcrum Wines | Gaps Crown Petaluma Gap | 2023 | Pinot Noir | 94 | 1/4/2026 | Clone 828 and 667 | y |
| Fulcrum Wines | Alexander Valley | 2023 | Zinfandel | 93 | 1/4/2026 | | y |
| Fulcrum Wines | Dry Creek Valley | 2023 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 95 | 1/4/2026 | Very pretty wine with bright fruit | y |
| Chateau Cambon | Brouilly Beaujolais | 2023 | Gamay | 92 | 1/3/2026 | Very cherry, strawberry, floral wine with medium body, long finish, medium intensity, high acid and light tannins.
Got this at the Napa Valley Wine Merchant just before they shut down and moved back to the Ferry Terminal in SF. It ran $37 bucks. It is a nice Brouilly AOC example. Very light, easy drinking wine. | y |
| Giacomo Fenocchio | Langhe DOC | 2023 | Nebbiolo | 90 | 1/3/2026 | Very floral, dried herbs, cherry and red plum notes. Medium+ tannins, high acid, med+ concentration, intensity and finish.
Another great wine selected by the Oxbow Wine Merchant in Napa. A very nice Nebbiolo from a region that is not Barolo, nor the Barolo prices. A really nice wine to try if you want to experience Nebbiolo. Very nice for just sipping and watching football! | y |
| Beaulieu Vineyard | George de Latour Private Reserve Rutherford, Napa Valley | 2021 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 97 | 12/27/2025 | | y |
| Markham Vineyards | YountRanch Vineyard, Napa Valley | 2018 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 92 | 12/27/2025 | | y |
| Ryan Darrall Wine | | 2024 | Sauvignon Blanc | 90 | 12/20/2025 | | y |
| Ryan Darrall Wine | | 2022 | Rose of Grenache | 88 | 12/20/2025 | | y |
| Ryan Darrall Wine | Small Talk Santa Lucia Highlands | 2024 | Riesling | 91 | 12/20/2025 | | y |
| Ryan Darrall Wine | Road 139 | 2024 | Grenache | 90 | 12/20/2025 | | y |
| Ryan Darrall Wine | Red Blend | 2022 | Blend (Red Table Wine) | 93 | 12/20/2025 | | y |
| Ryan Darrall Wine | Suisun Valley | 2021 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 93 | 12/20/2025 | These wines are nothing like the Cabs of Napa Valley. They still have delicious tannins that sizzle on the palate. They have great concentration, lovely intensity and long finish. But what you dont get with Napa Cabs is really vibrant, ripe fruits that fill every corner of your mouth. These wines have fascinating edges that demand attention.
Suisun Valley, located just east of Napa Valley, might be the next destination for wine tasting in California with 15 or more wineries already in operation -- and more coming. Might be a good idea to get in now and try them all out -- especially the consistently amazing Ryan Darrall wines. | y |
| Ryan Darrall Wine | Suisun Valley | 2022 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 93 | 12/20/2025 | These wines are nothing like the Cabs of Napa Valley. They still have delicious tannins that sizzle on the palate. They have great concentration, lovely intensity and long finish. But what you dont get with Napa Cabs is really vibrant, ripe fruits that fill every corner of your mouth. These wines have fascinating edges that demand attention.
Suisun Valley, located just east of Napa Valley, might be the next destination for wine tasting in California with 15 or more wineries already in operation -- and more coming. Might be a good idea to get in now and try them all out -- especially the consistently amazing Ryan Darrall wines. | y |
| Auteur | Russian River Valley | 2021 | Pinot Noir | 92 | 12/16/2025 | Classic red cherry, raspberry, cranberry notes with wet soil, biscuit, soft oak and baking spice.
Nice long finish, med body, high acid, med+ intensity and concentration. Overall, for a regional blend, this rocks. Auteur always puts out great Pinot Noir, but it is always prudent to try their regional blends. We have found that they can be the slow burning winners as opposed to the single vineyard vines. | y |
| Beringer | Single Vineyard, Marston Vineyard, Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley | 2018 | Cabernet Sauvignon | 94 | 12/15/2025 | This is a great single vineyard wine from Marston Vineyard up on Spring Mountain. It has lovely notes of blackberry, nectarine pit, raspberry, brioche, black plum, cocoa, cranberry and pomegranate.
The tannins are big but silky. The acid is high, concentration, body, intensity and finish are all high.
For a 7 year old Cabernet Sauv, this is showing no age. The tannins are still firm, there is very little bottle aged tertiary notes. This wine is going to hold for a long time. It is a wine to try for sure if you can get a hold of a bottle. It is an education. | y |
| Trader Joes | Grand Reserve, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County Lot# 144 | 2023 | Cabernet Franc | 91 | 12/15/2025 | Back from a short trip and ready to get back to tastings. This wine from Sonoma Valley has some nice components. It has a medium+ intensity nose of blackberry, blueberry, cocoa, coffee, honeysuckle and red plum.
The acidity is nicely high, the tannins almost sizzle, the body is med+ as is the intensity, concentration and finish. It has a nice fullness in the mouth with plenty of flavor. | y |
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