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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 4508 wines in our database currently.

WinerySpecial DesignationVintageVarietalRatingDateTastedNotesBuy Again?
RidgePagani Ranch2022Zinfandel8911/27/2025 n
Whitehall LaneNapa Valley2021Merlot9211/27/2025 y
DaouSoul of a lion -- Paso Robles, Adelaida District2021Cabernet Sauvignon9311/26/2025Blueberry, cream cheese, flint, raspberry danish, lilac, grape sucker and cocoa. The wine is tight at first. It had med+ body, tannins, finish and intensity. The acid it high. The concentration is medium. A bit thinner that we expected from the higher echelons of Daou wine. But all in all, it has very distinct, lovely notes on the nose and firm flavors on the palate.y
TestarossaRosella?s Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands, Single Vineyard Series2023Pinot Noir9111/25/2025The wine has notes of red cherry, unripe strawberries, sour plum, cranberry and lime sherbert. The tannins are firm in this wine, the acid high. The body, intensity and complexity are med+. The finish is medium. This wine has such a tart palate that it overwhelms the fruit. With that said, there is still plenty of fruit. Still, other wineries get Rosellas fruit and it is better than this.n
Trader JoesGrand Reserve, Paso Robles, Lot# 1432023Cabernet Sauvignon9411/24/2025Yah, great nose with blackberry, raspberry, red and black plum, licorice, cocoa, black pepper, green peppers and spice. The concentration of fruit on this palate is very nice. But it took about 10 minutes to open up fully. Then it started giving the dark spice, licorice, lovely berry and cocoa. The acidity is high on this one. The tannins are silky and medium+. The body is medium as well. But the finish, concentration and intensity are all high. Beautiful intensity on this wine. It is rich with robust flavors. A bit reminiscent of the recent Daou wines we have tried.y
Trader JoesPlatinum Reserve, Napa Valley, Lot# 1162023Meritage9311/24/2025Blackberry, stone fruit, graphite, raspberry, red plum, honeysuckle, pepper and clove. The tannins on this thing are giant but silky. The acidity is high and balances all this fruit. But the best thing about the palate on this wine is the concentration and intensity of flavors. It is perfectly balanced and performs perfectly. The finish just goes on and on with intense flavors. Had the nose been more onboard with the same intensity, this would be a killer wine. But the palate is just ripe!y
Trader JoesPlatinum Reserve, Carneros, Lot# 792023Pinot Noir9211/24/2025The nose has raspberry, strawberry, kirsch cherry, cranberry, rhubarb, weediness, lime leaf, cassis and a lactic note like cream cheese. The palate is so fruity and intense that it comes across almost sweet, but it is not. It has a full-bodied feel with all the concentration. The finish is long and the acid high. For Carneros, this is huge. It is bucking the Carneros trend. But this is a 2023 -- supposedly the perfect growing year!y
TestarossaDoctors Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands, Single Vineyard Series2023Pinot Noir9611/23/2025Strawberry, sweet red cherry, raspberry, lime peel, butter icing and warm garden soil. Do not get me wrong, this is not sweet wine. It is concentrated, intense and lovely. Med+ body, long finish, med tannins and high acid. This is a great wine! Testarossa has saved the best wines till last for the year. It has enough intensity on the palate to push this over the top. It does not miss a beat and covers the whole palate with great flavor.y
Trader JoesPlatinum Reserve, Saint-Julien, France, Lot# 1262023Bordeaux8611/23/2025Blackberry and peach are the first nice elements to hit the nos with medium concentration. It has high acidity, medium body and finish. The flavors are med+ concentration. The acidity and deep toast flavors predominate. Just a touch harsh on the palate. But if you have never tried Saint-Julien, this is a great price to start making the Bordeaux wines part of the studies!n
Trader JoesGrand Reserve, Paso Robles, Lot# 1452023Petite Sirah8911/23/2025The acidity is high and nicely balanced with some dark fruit. The finish is long, the body medium, the concentration and intensity med+. This is a complex petite. It has plenty of dark fruit on the palate that makes it interesting to smell and sip. This is a nice wine that would love grilled lamb, hummus and tapenade.n
St Clement VineyardsJohanna Knights Valley2019Cabernet Sauvignon9211/21/2025 y
TestarossaGraham Family, Russian River valley, Single Vineyard Series2023Pinot Noir9411/19/2025Strawberry jam, black cherry, brioche, sweet white nectarine. The wine has a full body, high intensity, long finish, med+ concentration, med tannins, med+ acid. Testarossa has an abundance of pinot. And some of these are exceptional. This one is a vineyard we have not tried before. And it has its own really interesting edges. It greatly deserves a 94 pt rating with its lovely intensity of fruit and lovely balance.y
BeringerBancroft Ranch Vineyrard Howell Mountain Napa Valley2017Merlot9311/17/2025 A bit thin in spotsy
MummReserve Blanc de Blancs, Napa Valley2019Sparkling Wine9111/15/2025 y
MummDevaux Ranch Brut2021Sparkling Wine9311/15/2025 y
MummMusque` Clone, Blanc de Blancs2021Sparkling Wine9111/15/2025 y
MummPinot Meunier2021Sparkling Wine9111/15/2025 y
MummDVX2018Sparkling Wine9411/15/2025Brilliant wine with creamy, tiny bubbles, fine mousse.y
MummDVX Rose2019Sparkling Wine9511/15/2025Brilliant wine with creamy, tiny bubbles, fine mousse. Rich mouth feel, lovely stuff.y
CoppolaDiamond Collection2022Cabernet Sauvignon9111/13/2025We are never sure what to expect with wines that are mass produced. But this one is a pleasant surprise. For starters, you get blackberries, black cherry, toasted oak, warm molasses, allspice, nutmeg, brioche and brown sugar. Part of this nose comes right out of a bakery! The palate shows soft tannins, nearly long finish, nice body, med+ intensity and concentration. It has concentrated dark fruit and toasty flavors. It has a few rough edges and a place or two where it seems disjointed. But in total, this is a great wine for $20 bucks. A firm effort for as large of production as Coppola has.y
        
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