Sonoma County, California

Kosta Browne

Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2021

2021 vintage. Pleasant throughout and hit plenty of notes without screeching. The KB style has changed in the last few years. Gone are the mega-extracted pinots altho those are still around and holding up in the cellars/secondary market. Those older wines were a 10 on the volume scale. The last few vintages are closer to a 5. That said, this should hold up and develop nicely for a decade+ without issues. Those that don't think you can drink CA pinot noir over 4-5 years old are in for quite the surprise with quality producers. 04.18.25. — 24 days ago

Ted, David and 12 others liked this

Hirsch Vineyards

San Andreas Fault Pinot Noir 2011

Late release from the winery. Showing great! — a month ago

Joe liked this

Kosta Browne

Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2021

Delicious, creamy, medium body, long finish, rich and. smoky, paired perfectly with lamb and roasted vegetable dish. — a month ago

David, Tom and 1 other liked this

Beaulieu Vineyard

Private Reserve Georges de Latour Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Somm David T
9.3

93-95+ with proper aging.

This paired well with the flank steak w/ mash potato purée prepared by the Wynn Hotel.

A very solid & consistent producer of Napa Cabernet. I do enjoy the Napa 21 reds. High quality vintage.

WS Grand Tour Las Vegas 2025.
— a day ago

Juan, Paul and 9 others liked this

Seghesio Family Vineyards

Sonoma County Zinfandel 2013

Great as usual. Cherry, strawberry, wood — 16 days ago

Steve liked this

Ridge Vineyards

Lytton Springs Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Blend 2006

Cork giving out but why not after 19 years! Wine is escaping to fresh beauty with a little wet dog age that I like.
Holding her space in 2025
80% Zin, 16% Petite Syrah, 4% Carignane
14.7% is reigning it in on this varietal and well done! Doesn’t feel fire breathing at all 👏
— 19 days ago

See TaleggioErika Turner
with See and Erika
Joe and Laura liked this

Ridge Vineyards

Three Valleys Sonoma County Zinfandel Blend 2019

Ruby in color with a wide reddish/brick rim.

Fruit forward on the nose and medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing sweet cherries, raspberries, blueberries, black currants, plums, chocolates, light oak, earth, cola, herbs, spices, light vanilla, licorice, peppercorn and tobacco leaf.

Nice tangy finish with soft tannins.

This 6-year-old Zinfandel blend from Sonoma County is drinking at its peak. Spicy and fruit forward. Elegant and juicy.

Great right out of the bottle, but even better after a few hours of air, when the complexity really comes to life.

The alcohol is very nicely integrated by now. Easy drinking and nicely balanced. A great sipping wine.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$35.
— a month ago

Paul, Doug and 16 others liked this

Jordan Vineyard & Winery

Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

After breathing, smooth with some body but a little more tart than we prefer for a cab. — 8 days ago

Silver Oak

Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Ron R
8.9

I can’t remember the last time I tasted this brand, and while it’s very approachable, it’s a total construction site. Vanilla and over-sweet brown sugar with resolved tannins. Not my cup-of-tea, but will be enjoyed by others. — a month ago

Andrew MooreRick K
with Andrew and Rick
Tom, Jay and 22 others liked this
Jay Kline

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🇺🇸 🪵 💣
Ron R

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@Jay Kline, I have older vintages of Napa and Alexander Valley, and they are nothing like what I tasted here. Just so you know, the 94 Silver Oak Napa cab was the wine that actually helped to create my current, measly credit score… Silver Oak has certainly sh!t the bed (in my opinion) since the late 90’s.
Jay Kline

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@Ron R I agree. I’ve had some vintages from the early 80’s that were really good but man…the oak has been overbearing for probably 20 years

Cakebread Cellars

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1988

Presented to me double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine appears a garnet color with a near opaque core with significant rim variation; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and significant signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of desiccated and ripe dark and red fruits: currants, plums, brambles, old leather, cigar box, and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin (integrated) and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium.

Initial conclusions: this could be Cabernet Sauvignon (or based blend), Tempranillo, Grenache-based blend from the United States, Spain, France or Italy. I felt like this leaned more towards the fruit than the non-fruit character and/or structure. Additionally, the color and desiccated nature of the fruit leads me to believe this bottle has significant age. So, my final conclusion: this is a Cabernet Sauvignon (or based blend), from the United States, California, Napa Valley with 30+ years of age. We’ll call it 1985. Awfully close! Drink now.
— 14 days ago

Tom, Douglas and 9 others liked this
Jay Kline

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@Somm David T I think I know what you mean by more about the head…certainly once you’ve had enough of them. Did you see the ABV? This was from a different time in Napa.
Somm David T

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I do not see it but imagine it’s 12-13%. I would prefer that percentage had never changed. That style aged is beautiful. When I drink wines this old, I think about the cycle of its evolution, time period, history of the region, winemaking practices and the people who made them. I generally read the “about of” the wine & its maker when I drink them. A habit I developed from studying with 6 or 7 different Master Somm’s 5 days a week over 3-4 months.
Jay Kline

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@Somm David T that’s the whole reason I got into wine: sharing the story of the farmer and their relationship with the land and Mother Nature.