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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 4721 wines in our database currently.

WinerySpecial DesignationVintageVarietalRatingDateTastedNotesBuy Again?
BacaCats Cradle, Rockpile, Sonoma County2021Zinfandel904/5/2026 y
Nicholson RanchCactua Hill, Sonoma Coast2016Pinot Noir894/5/2026 n
ParadigmOakville, Napa Valley2019Zinfandel894/5/2026 n
Status QuoRussian River Valley2024Pinot Noir904/5/2026 y
Tolenas WineryTotality Suisun Valley2022Pinot Noir914/3/2026 y
Trader JoesGrand Reserve, Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley Lot# 1482022Merlot914/2/2026Notes of med+ intensity raspberry, black cherry, black tea, graphite, cranberry, honeysuckle and pomegranate molasses. This palate is very plush. The tannins are silky/firm. The concentration and intensity of the fruit is fairly high with the fruit predominately acidic pomegranate. It has a lovely sweet/tart mix. This is a TJs release that shouldnt be sniffed at. They dont always release amazing wines, but this one is pretty nice.y
Trader JoesReserve, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, Lot# 2792024Pinot Noir904/2/2026Starts soft but opens over a ten-minute period. We got nice, bright notes of red cherry, strawberry, lilac, brioche, potting soil, hint of sweet milk chocolate and roasted, buttery potato (this is not a negative note). The palate is lovely with strawberry jam notes, medium acidity, body and low tannins. All the flavors are bright, almost sweet like a Carneros Pinot Noir. I would love to know where this fruit came from. It does not have the same darker fruit intensity of other Russian River fruit that we`ve tried. But all in all, the wine is really worth a try.y
Covale CellarsQuintessence Vineyard, Red Mountain2024Cabernet Franc973/28/2026 y
Covale CellarsQuintessence Vineyard, Red Mountain2025Cabernet Franc973/28/2026 y
Covale CellarsQuintessence Vineyard, Red Mountain2025Cabernet Sauvignon973/28/2026 y
Covale CellarsQuintessence Vineyard, Red Mountain2024Cabernet Sauvignon993/28/2026 y
Covale CellarsQuintessence Vineyard, Red Mountain2024Merlot983/28/2026 y
Covale CellarsQuintessence Vineyard, Red Mountain2025Merlot973/28/2026 y
Covale CellarsEagle and Plow, Horse Heaven Hills, Barrel Tastee2024Chardonnay973/28/2026 y
Mark RyanBoard Track Racer, Columbia Valley2023Cabernet Sauvignon913/27/2026 y
Mark RyanBoard Track Racer, Columbia Valley2022GSM933/27/2026 y
Puente AustralPrivada Valle de Colchaqua, Chile2022Carmenere913/27/2026 y
Rush Lattin CellarsColumbia Valley2022GSM953/27/2026 y
Rutherford HillCask Reserve, Napa Valley2013Merlot933/23/2026The nose is rich with tertiary notes, ripe berries spice. Do not walk, run to find some of this wine. For a lamb BBQ, roast chicken or even salmon, this wine is perfect. It really wants food, but can be easily imbibed alone -- as I am now. The palate does not disappoint. The concentrated fruit, bottle aged flavors, lovely, firm tannins and long finish set this above. This is 13 years old and the tannins, acidity and fruit are still going strong. It has another 5-10 years of beauty. This is a lovely wine.y
Rutherford HillClub Cuvee, Napa Valley2013Merlot913/23/2026Not that this is readily available, but my fried David who works for Rutherford Hill brought this over tonight. Oh my, talk about a Merlot based wine that is just ripe and full of balanced bottle age. It is a gentle giant, plush and soft with tertiary notes. A lovely wine to sip for an evening.y
        
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