Peppers, cherries, black pepper, star anise.
Tart cherry, light peppercorn, nice front palate tannins. A bit of earth. — 3 months ago
Medium-dark red-purple color, beautiful redfruit aromas and flavors, with medium-toast oak showing as a seasoning the background, pretty sound structure and backbone, solid acidity, long, lingering finish, excellent California mountain Merlot (w/25% Cabernet Sauvignon). The sheer quality and complexity of this bottle is a wonderful tribute to the vision of Barbara and Jim Richards, who I am certain would be very proud, with Paloma now being ably run by their son Sheldon and his family. — 6 months ago
2009 - beautiful velvet smooth and rich CabSav. Great drinking — 3 years ago
Third generation grower Jim Maresh launched his own brand in 2007. Maresh Vineyard was first planted in 1970 by grandparents Jim & Loie. Medium Ruby color with aromas of aa array of red berry fruits with a touch of cooling mint. On the palate cherry and berry fruits, well structured, with a touch of rustic spice. Fine dusty tannins, balanced with acidity, medium-bodied, long finish ending with earthy mineral character. Very Nice! — 9 hours ago
2022 vintage - smooth and delicious — 5 months ago
One of my favorite wines and has stayed good over a number of years — 7 months ago
Plum, oak, vanilla, pepper, cherry. Bold palate with ripe dark fruits. Blackberry, fig, prune. Silky tannins.
— 2 years ago
Notes of Toffee Apple initially - a little reductive to begin with. Pale dirty crimson - transparent in parts - quite Burgundian in colour. A light to medium weight palate but Medium intensity. Like a good Village, verging on Premier Cru. Interesting and tasty but needing about 4 or 5 years more to develop complexity. Jim Chatto is regarded as one of Australia’s best winemakers having been in charge at Mt Pleasant in the Hunter Valley and now running his own show in Tasmania. Had a 2nd bottle 147 weeks later on 9th August 2025 - very pale Ruby in colour. Confectionery red fruit, jubey nose and palate. Sweet and savoury simultaneously. An excellent Tasmanian Pinot Noir. Had the last bottle on 12th April 2026. Very satisfying. — 4 years ago
My Sunday night wine I have gone back to a favorite of mine that is not going to break the bank and is consistently good. I have opened the Jim Clendenon 2018 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County.
On the nose there is raspberry, cranberry, cherry, spice vanilla anise, clove and earthiness.
On the palate I detect good red fruit, raspberry, cherry, cranberry, red currant, anise, clove and earthiness.
The wine is medium bodied with medium + acidity and medium fine tannins that leads into a long fresh red fruit finish. Another well blended wine from Jim Clendenon that i have come to expect. I hope everyone's weekend was a good one and we are all still safe and healthy. Have a great week, Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 6 years ago
Fabulous table wine. The Australian version of The Chocolate Block. Affordable too. From Wine Rack in Belsize. — 6 years ago
An easy favorite. Earthy aroma, with black cherries, figs, coffee and licorice. Tannins are laced with leather, smoke and mild acidity that holds tight. — 3 months ago
1996 vintage. Decent fill. Open with a Durand and, even so, the cork was an absolute mess. Had to dig out the funnel and screen. Light-medium body. Excellent dark color. Started a bit flat but picked up a little steam after 15 minutes. This example was a little long in the tooth. 2.12.26. — 4 months ago

Beautiful Syrah from Spring Mountain, savoury aromas and flavors, very French-like if served blind, still has lots of primary redfruits showing, tannins have largely receded, from a partially-shaded 5-acre portion at the bottom of the Paloma vineyard, long finish, I believe the Syrah vines were planted in 1992 and pulled out after the 2001/2002(?) vintage, Barbara and Jim Richards said the farming was more difficult than the Merlot (and smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon) that Paloma is known for and thus they elected to replant (graft? Not sure) more of the other varieties into that plot. While the first vintage of the Syrah (1995) was never commercially released (12 cases produced from 3 year old vines), Jim was kind enough to send me home with 4 bottles, that wine was the best Syrah to EVER come off that vineyard, I was forever in his debt, it was AMAZING. I miss Barbara and Jim, some of the nicest people I’ve ever met in the wine business (I’m NOT in the business myself)!! — 10 months ago
Thanksgiving 2021 — 5 years ago
Dark, cherry and delicious! See you next time — 6 years ago
Jenn
Delicious, buttery, full bodied without over powering. Memorial Day 2026 — a month ago