The best Quality-Price-Ratio (QPR) California Pinot Noir we’ve tasted in years! It’s from one of the Central Coast’s very first Pinot Noir vineyards, Mission Ranch in the Salinas Valley planted in 1961. Fifty-five... Read More
Just what you'd hope for in a top California Merlot, including ripe currant and berry fruit, a whiff of wild herb and a soft, supple, finish. Wine Enthusiast describes it well in their 90 point review, Lively lavender aromas... Read More
As the winery writes, Andrew Murray has been singularly and nearly maniacally focused on crafting Syrah for 25 years. His Everyday (in French Syrah “Tous les Jours”) Syrah from Santa Ynez gives you a good idea of how... Read More
Organic/Bio Ah-so THIS is what Willamette Valley Pinot Gris is supposed to taste like! From an organically farmed vineyard south of Salem, it's fermented and aged 50/50 in stainless steel and older French oak with 5 months... Read More
Organic/Bio While Stephen Hagen and his team are fine winemakers, the real story here is winegrowing. Stephen’s unique “grazing based viticulture” replaces herbicides, mowing, plowing and fertilizers with something... Read More
Organic/Bio There’s something wild going on in Stephen Hagen’s Willamette Valley vineyard, and the 2023 Juel Pinot Noir is a great way to get a taste of what grazing based viticulture delivers. Stephen replaces herbicides,... Read More
Organic/Bio There’s something joyfully incongruous about a bearded outdoors guy who wears flannel, farms his vineyard with horses, chickens, sheep, geese and (his own) children, and waxes on passionately about the quality... Read More
Organic/Bio The edges of Antiquum Farm’s “Big Field” vineyard are kind of the far edge of what Pinot Noir can do. The winemaking is simple enough – fully de-stemmed fruit, open top fermenters, a bit of... Read More
Easy drinking, check. Sophisticated, check. Wines that hold to the French dogma of site-specific, nuanced wines, check. 80% Pinot Gris and 20% Pinot Blanc, the wines expressive fruit and subtle minerality is a testament to the... Read More
As always, a benchmark interpretation of Virginia's most prominent red wine grape made in a rich but balanced and highly drinkable style. The 92 point review of the 2020 gives you a great idea of what to expect: Charming aromas... Read More
As always, a benchmark in Virginia wine for both immediate enjoyment with food and many years in cellar to come. In 2020, a blend of Merlot 62%, Cabernet Franc 34%, Petit Verdot 4% with the Cab Franc giving extra lift.... Read More
Lower ABV Absurdly delicious cool-climate, California, Syrah that delivers layers of savory complexity, whole cluster (50%) grip, and still has enough fruit to just drink sexy. Double 95 point reviews for the 2019 will be repreated... Read More
Probably one of the finest value Cabs in the shop right now, this straight-ahead blend of mainly Cab plus dollops of Malbec and Merlot and a few drops of Muscat Canelli and Riesling really over-delivers. Dark chocolate, black... Read More
Morgan Twain-Peterson crafts this bold, gutsy, California red from a mixture of vines growing in some of the country's most famed old-vine sites. The base is Bedrock Vineyard (planted 1888), Nervo (1896), and Sodini (1905)... Read More
A big snoot- and mouth-ful of crushed berries and cherries with some cocoa dust, a touch of acidic/tannic bite, and a “I dare you to stop drinking me” finish that keeps you coming back for more. Like an Italian Chianti... Read More
At once rich and juicy, this is a terrifically drinkable Russian River Chardonnay with a definite luxury feel. Barrel fermented and aged (33% new oak), it delivers intense peach, apricot and tropical fruit aromas and flavors with... Read More
Organic/BioLower ABV
Ben Casteel's top Estate Chardonnay was a stunner on release in 2020 and is even better with four years in bottle. This is rich and creamy enough for California Chardonnay fans, mineral and vibrant enough... Read More
Organic/BioLower ABV
If you think this is impressive right now (and it is!), just wait until you give it some time in decanter or a year or two in cellar. Plenty of succulent fruit but also amazing old-vine intensity from a large... Read More
Organic/Bio Always one of Oregon's finest, the 2022 Casteel Pinot is also remarkably open, delicious and ready to enjoy. As Wine Advocate says in the 96 point rave, intoxicating scents of pomegranate liqueur, blackberry jam,... Read More
There aren’t a lot of “great” California Pinot Noirs at this price point; this is one of them. From a vineyard at the foot of the Santa Cruz Mountains first planted in 1910 and then replanted with cuttings from... Read More
One of the longest-running high-quality “value” Pinots we know of. As Robert Parker said of the 2013 edition: An authentic tasting Pinot Noir that sells for a song. Aromas of sweet red and black cherry fruit intermixed... Read More
Pinot from Carneros, at the southern end of Napa/Sonoma, gives a distinctive blend of freshness (from the cold bay nearby) and heft (from the clay-rich soils). This is a great example, serving up bold black cherry and blackberry... Read More
Howell Mountain specialist Bravante makes tiny quantities of powerful, deep, mountain structured wines. Here roughly one-third each Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot get extra perfume from 24% Cabernet Franc and lift from 7% Malbec.... Read More
From a California Sparkling wine specialist, this is elegant, nicely textured, Chardonnay of fine freshness and length. In 2023, it’s all Russian River fruit from a vineyard next door to Kistler and Ritchie Vineyards and... Read More
The race for best value California Cabernet Sauvignon of the year is over: this is the winner going away. If you love California Cab’s rich blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, dash of chocolate, sweet spice, full body and... Read More
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