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Welcome to the wine notes page. The idea here is very simple. We have over 5000 ratings in our wine tasting database that we'd like to share with anyone who might find these opinions useful. The number of ratings grows weekly.

Our primary focus is on the wineries of the Sacramento region. We spend our time tasting in Lodi, Amador County, El Dorado County, the valley and the Gold Country. Of course, we attend the weekly tastings at BevMo as well, so we get a good selection of California and world-wide wines in our database as well.

Below you'll find a list of our 20 most recent ratings. But to search the whole database for what you're looking for please visit the search page. We have a total of 7381 wines in our database currently.

WinerySpecial DesignationVintageVarietalRatingDateTastedNotesBuy Again?
EtudeTemblor Vineyard, Grace Benoist Ranch, Carneros2020Pinot Noir891/12/2025Notes of cranberrys, blackberry, mushroom earth, toast, baked sugar, wet sand. The acidity is high, the body medium, the finish medium, the concentration medium, the intensity medium. Tannins are soft. This wine got better ratings than this from others. We find it a bit washy, missing notes on the palate. It doesnt ever resolve into a coherent whole. The palate concentration is lacking competely. As a wine, it has enough flavor to rate an 89.n
EtudeDeer Camp Vineyard, Grace Benoist Ranch, Carneros2020Pinot Noir941/11/2025Notes of dark cherry, black raspberry, burnt sugar, lake water, mushroom and rose. The body is full, the finish long, the acidity high, the tannins med+, the concentration high. The alcohol is high, 14.4%. If you can find this, it is really worth the try. For a Carneros pinot, this one has a much darker profile than the usual strawberry/red cherry Carneros offerings. This wine is in a series we will be trying over the next few nights. Check back for the others.y
EtudeNorth Canyon Vineyard Santa Maria Valley2020Pinot Noir911/10/2025 y
Kosta BrownSonoma Coast2015Pinot Noir931/10/2025Great pinot. A friend brought this over, but we did not get much chance to review it.y
MelvilleTerraces, Santa Rita Hills2021Pinot Noir921/10/2025 y
Il PoggioneBrunello di Montalcino2018Blend (Red Table Wine)921/3/2025Notes of black cherry, red and black berries, smoke, meat, bay leaf, tar, dried herbs and flowers. The acidity is high, the tannins med+, intensity med+, concentration med+, full bodied with a long finish. Unlike many of the Brunellos we have tried, this one does not need much time to breathe. We did give it a couple hours to see if it would change, but it remained solid, firm flavored and flinty. We hoped it would soften a bit with oxygen. But all in all, this is a study in Brunello art. On its own, it feels rough and begs for some smoked meat. This was a Costco find at around $56.n
Beaulieu VineyardRanch 1, Napa Valley2021Cabernet Sauvignon921/2/2025So tightly wound up. We let this wine open up for hours. And after about three hours it finally started giving us a peek at what it really wants to be. It has some red licorice, blackberry, cocoa, bright raspberry, lilac and Rutherford earth. Andre would have been proud. But this wine isnt like the 2020 Ranch 1. That wine is ready to drink the second you open the bottle. But this wine is a teaser. You have to give it time, be patient with it. And it will reward you. The concentration grows at it breathes. The finish is long, the body full, the tannins high, the acidity high and intensity impressive. This is a wine to lay down. The 2020 is so expressive, demands nothing but your taste buds to enjoy it. We think this wine is going to need years to get to that point.y
Beaulieu VineyardRanch 2, Napa Valley2021Cabernet Sauvignon931/2/2025Notes of licorice and cocoa, Rutherford Dust earthiness, blackberry, baking spice, burnt brown sugar and baked goods nose. The acidity is high, tannins high, body full, concentration high, intensity med+ and finish long. This wine needs a good two hours to breathe (see the Ranch 1 below. These reviews go hand in hand). This was really closed up at first. Compared to 2020 Ranch 2, this is an elusive ghost. Ranch 2 2020 is ready out of the gate and is gorgeous. This wine is going to be interesting to watch over the years -- and it might take years before it gets to the point where it is like the 2020. So, for my money Ill be picking up 2020s for now. Keep this review in your back pocket for the years to come.y
Beaulieu VineyardClone 6, Napa Valley2015Cabernet Sauvignon9612/31/2024 y
Chateau Sociando-MalletSylvie Gautreau2020Bordeaux9312/31/2024 y
FlowersRussian River Valley2021Pinot Noir9412/31/2024 y
Tardieu-LaurentGigondas Vieilles Vignes2018Gigondas9212/31/2024 y
Trader Joes 2018Gigondas9212/31/2024 y
Trader JoesLussac Saint-Emilion, Grand Vine De Bordeaux, Lot# 2472022Bordeaux Blend8412/31/2024 n
Fulcrum WinesWinemakers Selection2023Pinot Noir9312/26/2024Delicious, impressively affordable pinot.y
Fulcrum WinesBrousseau Vineyard, Chalone, Monterey2022Pinot Noir9312/26/2024 y
Fulcrum WinesWildcat Mountain, Sonoma Coast2022Pinot Noir9212/26/2024 y
Fulcrum WinesGaps Crown, Petaluma Gap2022Pinot Noir9412/26/2024This is a real hit.y
Fulcrum WinesNapa Valley2022cabernet Franc9312/26/2024Bright and fruity, not like other Napa Cabs.y
Beaulieu VineyardGoerge de Latour Private Reserve2006Cabernet Sauvignon9612/24/2024A friend brought this to a christmas party. It was stellar. Still very vibrant with aged notes.y
        
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