Butte County, Central Valley
Tensley
Colson Canyon Vineyard Syrah 2023
2023 vintage. From Coravin. Syrah for Cabernet drinkers. Massive, smooth body and currently without any of the quirky, bretty Syrah flavors that can pull a full frontal assault on the palate. Delicious. Would love to taste in a decade to see what weightiness has left the building and how it has been replaced by the wine nature abhors a vacuum flavors. 10.23.24. — a month ago
Margerum
M5 Santa Barbara County Red Rhone Blend 2022
Visited this winery and found this nice value 5 grape blend. Mostly grenache, syrah, mourvedre, and tad of cinsault and counoise. The wine offers a slight acidity with ample red berry and moderate tannins. After a much needed 30 min decant the wine will open up and expose the finish. Very drinkable. Makes for a great food pairing wine. — 15 days ago
A Tribute to Grace Wines
Santa Barbara Highlands Grenache 2021
Nose: elegantly herbal.
Palate : delicious. Sweet cherry. Some spice. Salivatory.
Long finish.
47% stem. — 24 days ago
A Tribute to Grace Wines
Santa Barbara Highlands Rosé of Grenache 2023
Nose: rose. Perfumed. Elegant. Intense in a pretty way.
Palate : mineral. Bright cherry. — 24 days ago
La Marea
Kristy Vineyard Albariño 2015
Surprise. Wilson Mabel paella dinner and didn’t realize this was CA Alberino! Nose of white flowers laced with minerals lemons. Firm acidic palate with biting finish. 580 cases total! Brand and Family produced it. — a month ago
Au Bon Climat
Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir 2014
2014 drunk in 2024. I kept a bottle of this $14(!!) wine—2015 price—for 8 years on a hunch that it would hold up, and it did. I don’t know what it costs now, but back then it was head and shoulders the best American supermarket wine. — 19 days ago
Boen Wines
'Tri Appellation' Santa Barbara, Monterey, Sonoma County Pinot Noir 2022
I have previously rated this, but this is a different vintage so I’m rating it again. I consumed this in July 2024. 70% Monterey County, 19% Santa Barbara County, 11% Sonoma County. I think this is in the $25 range. Went really well with steak.  — a month ago
Poppy
Monterey County Pinot Noir 2023
Elegant floral bouquet reminiscent of a good Gevrey-Chambertin … maybe even a little too flowery.
On second thought .. nah, just right.
— a month ago
Brandon Boesch
This is very nice. Velvety mouthfeel, a lot of fruit, berry jam, some herbs and pepper, not much tannin. I’d definitely buy again. This is a crowd pleaser bigger red. — 2 days ago