KA

9.3

United Polaris Class — 6 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Amici Cellars — Napa County Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 — Napa Valley, California. United States 🇺🇸

Overview:
An approachable, fruit-forward expression of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon crafted predominantly from Cabernet Sauvignon, positioned as the entry tier of Amici’s luxury portfolio. The 2022 vintage shows a deliberate stylistic shift toward earlier accessibility, emphasizing plush fruit, polished texture, and immediate drinkability while maintaining Napa depth and structure.

Aromas & Flavors:
Dark cherry, ripe plum, blackberry, cocoa, dark chocolate, and well-integrated toasty oak.

Mouthfeel:
Silky tannins, rounded structure, and a creamy, open-knit texture deliver generous mid-palate richness with a long, lingering finish. Fuller and more expressive than the 2021, this vintage is truly cork-and-pour with no decanting required.

Food Pairings:
Grilled steak, burgers, roast chicken, barbecue ribs, mushroom pasta, aged cheddar or gouda.

Personal Pick:
I genuinely appreciate the 2022 shift, this drinks beautifully straight out of the bottle and makes Napa Cabernet feel effortless and inviting. It’s a great example of luxury sensibility without luxury fuss.

Verdict:
A polished, crowd-pleasing Napa Cabernet offering immediate gratification with enough structure to age short- to mid-term. Ideal for weeknight indulgence or casual entertaining.

🍷 Did You Know?:
Many Napa producers fine-tune vintage expression based on growing conditions and market preferences, sometimes intentionally crafting certain releases for earlier drinkability rather than extended cellaring.
— a year ago

Ryan Caperton

9.0

Good Cab, drank at Banner Christmas. bought at United would buy again. Good cork — 3 years ago

Vanessa

9.0

Happy National Red Wine Day!! 🙌🙌

We’re excited to celebrate with this Columbia Valley Syrah blend from the family-owned L’Ecole No. 41 winery in Washington State. 🇺🇸 @lecole41

Washington State is an important region for Syrah within the United States; however, this grape variety finds its true home in northern Rhône Valley, France. 🇫🇷

Syrah can fare well in warmer (e.g., Hunter Valley or Barossa Valley, Australia) and/or cooler (e.g., northern Rhône) climates. The climate has a pretty big impact on the style and expression of the resulting wine. Try tasting a Barossa Valley Shiraz next to a Syrah from Cornas, Rhône Valley and you may see (and taste) what I mean. 🤔 🧐 😆

The Columbia Valley region benefits from what’s called a “rain shadow” effect thanks to its location to the east of the Cascade mountains. 🏔 🏔The Cascades shield the region from the wet, intense weather coming in from the coast. As a result, the climate is warmer, drier, and sunnier, which supports the ripening process and stresses the vines, enhancing concentration of the fruit. 👍👍

This wine is a blend of 77% Syrah, 21% Grenache, and 2% Mourvedre varieties hailing from the vineyards of Candy Mountain, Stone Tree, Estate Seven Hills, Bacchus, and Summitville. It was fermented in stainless steel and was then racked in small, mostly neutral oak barrels over the course of 18 months.🍷🍷🍷

This wine is medium purple with heavy tearing; it’s full-bodied and jam-packed with ripe blueberry, black cherry, blackberry, and black currant notes, also black pepper, licorice, and leather. 💕💕We’re pairing it, initially, with a bite of Gruyère, Manchego, and fig, followed by grilled brats, portabellas, and zucchinis. It stands up well to the intensity of flavors. — 5 years ago

with Deked1

Connor Smith

9.5

#Nebbiolo is a surprisingly rare grape. Even in its native Piedmont, it accounts for only 8% of vineyard land. There are fewer than 100 hectares planted in the United States. 🕵️‍♂️🍇
Over 80% of prewar Italian immigrants came from Sicily and Southern Italy. Piedmont was the wealthiest and most politically dominant region. But if fortunes were reversed, could Nebbiolo have taken Primitivo/Zinfandel’s place as a grape relatively uncommon on the boot but dominant in California? 🤔🇮🇹🇺🇸
Probably not. The Nebbiolo vine is *not* for beginners. It flowers early and ripens late, making it susceptible to both spring and autumn frosts. It loves the occasional fog bath (some say the name is derived from ‘nebbia’, Italian for fog ☁️☁️☁️) but is prone to the mildew that may result from such humid conditions. Its fussiness would make Pinot Noir blush: it demands southwesterly exposure, a proper gradient, constant sun above, and fog licking at its toes. #diva
Sound anything like California’s Central Coast? 🌅
In the Santa Maria Valley, where the East-West Transverse Range bends back into the North-South Coastal Range, it’s possible. Vineyard selection still requires extreme discretion - an eye like @JimClendenen’s, perhaps.
Jim began the Nebbiolo program at the legendary #BienNacido vineyard in 1994. Production is small, but if you track down his “The Pip” Nebbiolo, it will only run you about $30. You’ll believe anything is possible when you have real California Nebbiolo of this quality come wafting out of the glass at you! 🙌🙌
🏞.“The Pip” is named after Jim’s old cellar dog Pip, a border collie. So it only seemed right to include one of our own pips! 🐈 — 7 years ago

Amanda Gillie

9.2

United Vein! — 8 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; crushed in under and hour. The 2024 Sandlands "Kirschenbloom" pours a striking cerise with a transparent core; medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with beautiful notes of ripe and tart fruits: watermelon, strawberry, raspberry, red plum, fresh herbs, pink and red flowers, dry earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with low tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and saline. I needed a case of this...but grateful for what I got. Might be the best rosé made in the United States. Drink now through 2033. — a year ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

8.9

The quality and sustainable packaging of this sparkling white wine on a United domestic flight wine me over. Delicious, dry and refreshing - color me impressed for an economy seat offering. — a year ago

Ryan Caperton

9.2

One of the best Cabs I’ve had in a while. Bold wood flavor. Great finish. Would definitely buy again. Bought at United for $22 — 2 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.1

1982 vintage. Jekel vineyards Monterey Cabernet Sauvignon. Not my first positive surprise with an old inexpensive California cab. Solid colour for a 40 years old wine. It still has fruit, amazingly fresh, delicious. Fun fact: the back label states " it may be enjoyed now and will continue to develop ageing nuances for the next five years"! Abv. 13% — 4 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.4

Blend of Grenache blanc, Rousanne & Viognier
Jeb 92 and states it taste like a bottle 3 times the price looked up my cost, $14.99. I can definitely see this at $30.00-$40.00
K&L notes,

The highly talented Joey Tensley has crafted an outstanding white wine inspired by the amazing value-driven whites he’s long cherished from the south of France. At first you’re greeted with hints of honey and cinnamon poured over freshly cut seasonal peaches. The aromatics are exotic and wild with plenty of orchard fruit, orange water, and middle-eastern spice. There’s plenty of bracing acidity to keep the wine fresh and bright on the palate with a solid fruit core. This Rhone-style white is arguably the best version at this price I’ve come across in quite awhile — 6 years ago

Scott Cowan

8.9

Cherry jam nose. The heat wafts up with the vanilla scented jam too, and remains in nice, not over-powering, ways through first sip - mid-palate - finish such that I think the stated 14.1% alcohol under-states the actual case. I’m drinking this 2017 vintage Feb 12-13 2019 and it tastes good now with promise of tasting very good, with some potential complexity in a few years. Just now, this wine packs a punch well above it’s weight class: $18 at Berkeley Bowl. It’s far below the quality of top Paso cabs but it’s far below their sticker prices too... so, hey, why not enjoy this as a more than serviceable table wine for hearty and even some spicy fare now, cellar several bottles to taste 1-5(+ ?) later as a cheap investment that could pay off huge? One can always pull out the Justin Isosceles Reserve and Tablas Creek bad boys for special Paso-wine occasions. I do miss a longer finish ... but tiny hints of licorice, shiitake+hedgehog and maybe also portobello mushrooms, and slightly larger suggestions of smoke plus some leather lead me to believe The Fableist is working on some delicious stories to tell in coming years — and will then, perhaps, linger longer on the finish. Yeah, I do think the yummy plummy jam will give way to more flavors in time — and if this hunch/hope/faith proves true, Ill increase the rating a fair amount over 9.0 for some tip-top QPR. — 7 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.7

As black as any Cabernet, I was expecting something light & tight, but not the case. No wonder Jeb at WA said this could be the greatest expression of Tempranillo in the states. He gave it 97-99 points. I should of bought more of my allocation 😩
15% abv $85.00 on release — 9 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

8.9

Cambria Estate Winery — Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 — Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara County, California. United States 🇺🇸

Overview:
An estate-grown Pinot Noir crafted entirely from estate fruit at Cambria’s Julia’s Vineyard, delivering a fresh, approachable expression of cool-climate California Pinot with bright fruit purity and everyday elegance.

Aromas & Flavors:
Red plum, strawberry, cranberry, cherry compote, hints of sage, lavender, rose petal, and light leather.

Mouthfeel:
Medium-bodied with smooth tannins, lively acidity, and gentle spice through the finish. Bright red fruit keeps the palate energetic and easy-drinking while maintaining enough structure to feel polished.

Food Pairings:
Roast chicken, salmon, mushroom pasta, grilled vegetables, pizza with prosciutto or mushrooms, soft cheeses.

Personal Pick:
This is my kind of reliable weeknight Pinot — easy to love, versatile at the table, and always satisfying without demanding too much attention. A bottle I happily keep in regular rotation.

Verdict:
A charming, estate-driven Pinot Noir offering freshness, balance, and excellent everyday value. Perfect for casual dinners and relaxed enjoyment.

🍷 Did You Know?:
Santa Maria Valley’s east–west orientation funnels cool Pacific winds deep into the valley, extending hang time and preserving natural acidity — a key reason the region excels with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Presented double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine presents a deep ruby/purple color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with significant staining of the tears and no signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of blue, black and red fruits: blueberries, blackberries and Marionberries, olives, roasted meat, black pepper, purple flowers and rocky earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and the texture seems a touch thin. Initial conclusions: this could be Syrah, Malbec, Gamay or Cabernet Franc from France or the United States. Because I felt the non-fruits leaned a bit more heavily, my final conclusion was Syrah from France, Northern Rhône, Côte Rôtie with a little age in a cooler vintage like 2014. Wow! This is really tasty stuff and so varietally correct. I shouldn’t be surprised. It seems like every time I taste Arnot Roberts, the quality is high. Already quite the charmer in its youth, the 2020 “Que Syrah” should drink well through 2035. — 2 years ago

Ryan Caperton

8.9

Good smooth Cab from Paso. Would buy again. Good cork $15 @ United — 3 years ago

Ryan Caperton

9.0

United, great tasting Cab. — 6 years ago

R. Dan Reid

9.5

Great flavor and texture. Only ships to 5 states currently. — 7 years ago

D Scher

9.1

2006 vintage. Lovely late harvest dessert wine. Violets, juicy, sweet with no jarring notes. Label states 19.6% ABV but no evidence of heat on the palate. Smooth. — 8 years ago

Martin Mills

8.9

Nothing special to begin with but it grew on me with a bit of aeration. Still young and shy, not giving up a whole lot on the nose but a hint of chocolate and dark fruit, maybe a little sea air at a stretch. The palate is mid weight, plums, black cherry, blue fruit into strawberry, all very varietally true. But overpriced at $59 - blame the LCBO, for what I’m sure you pay for this in the States, it’s probably decent value. — 8 years ago