Chris Zitzman

9.2

I’m a huge fan of Matt Dees; the wine-maker of the Paring wines. The 2023 Pinot Noir sourced from Santa Barbara County fruit, is in the running for ‘best under $30’ that I’ve come across. Its color is a remarkably deep crimson and its nose is stuffed with smoked cherries and raspberries. The body is rich, smooth, and silky, and the finish (while mildly abbreviated) reminds you to get back to it. — 2 months ago

with Beth

Bob McDonald

9.2

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

Jason Budd

9.1

Burly dark fruit with notes of earth/tar. Savory with a trace of dry granite running through the finish. Nice grippy tannins. Really enjoyed it. — 5 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.2

Still up and running
The comparison with a Cornas makes sense
I trust other vintages are even better
Quite dark fruit like blueberry
White pepper and coriander
Velvety fee
Long and intriguing

I have a feeling that my grey mood is making me underrate some wines as if i can't enjoy them fully😑 — 5 years ago

Ryan Guy

9.3

Day 2: earth driven nose higjligthwd with dusty cherry and cranberry fruit. A puff of smoke too. Lighter, but balanced on the palate. Getting into cherry pit, tart rasberry and cranberry here. There a touch of minerality running through as well. Pretty tannin. Appreciable length. Drink now. Solid QPR from the Côte de Beaune. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.6

Finally getting around to posting wines from my annual Napa trip from two weeks ago. Always goes by quick! Lots of fun new stops this year.

Theorem was one of our highlights last year, so we made sure a return visit was lined up this year. Base of Diamond Mtn with one of the most beautiful properties I’ve seen. Over the last 12 months, they’ve added a couple new wines (with more to come from Moon Mountain). TRB is the winemaker.

In the running for red wine of the trip. When visiting last year, I preferred the ‘14 (ripe, balanced, savory) over the ‘15 (more acidity, touch lighter, high toned)...this ‘13 takes the best of each and marries them. This is a classic high end TRB Cabernet from a stellar vintage. Truffles raspberries, candied black cherries, cocoa dusted mixed berry pie and graphite aromatics accompanied by sweet blueberries, freshly squeezed blackberries, toffee and espresso, baking spices, and fine grained tannins. Built like a tank. Superb. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.6

WNH event number 4. Perfect Pizza Pairing bottles. Not a bad bottle in the bunch!

Another bottle in the running for WOTW (weekend) so far. Blueberries, graham cracker and fresh squeezed blackberries in the nose. Rich and full bodied on the palate with silky structure. Milk chocolate covered dates, and baked mixed berry pie. Hedonistic and wonderful. Killer bottle @Eric LaMasters ! — 8 years ago

with Mike, David and 5 others

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.0

2023 vintage. Light-medium body with a consistent palate presence. No über-demonstrative characteristics but no gaping holes either. Pleasant, pretty and unafraid to converse throughout. At $15.10 resto cost a bottle, beyond decent value with most red Bourgogne efforts running me $35-$50 these days. Picked up two cases. The proverbial cheap chicken and the nice price. 03.28.25. — a year ago

Brad Jensen

9.4

A bold nose of apricot pastry, maybe sweet apple tart, with notes of cinnamon, pineapple and subtle sweet lemon. Medium to heavy body, beautiful deep golden color inside, with lighter gold on the edges. The palate explodes with delicate oak, orange peel, roasted pineapple, lemon peel, bright acidity, slightly burnt brioche crust, apricot and a long lingering finish of tingly acid, with a slight dryness, but it goes running forever and it’s beautiful. Maybe even a slight wet-slate minerality at the verryyyy end. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.1

This wine must be the best value red in Coonawarra and also from the great 2018 vintage. Excellent value at $17.50 per bottle. Initial aromas of mint and blackberry. Excellent structure for such an inexpensive red. Bought this at the Cellar Door exactly a year ago when we were in Coonawarra doing vintage at Bellwether. Around 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Shiraz. Weirdly, another thing I liked was the really light empty glass bottle. Had my last bottle of a dozen 170 weeks later on 7th July 2025 with consistent notes. Must be in the running for best value red wine in Australia. — 4 years ago

Emily Gross

10

In the running for favorite wine, neck and neck with Stony Run Riesling. Yum! — 5 years ago

Willie Carter

8.9

Medium ruby with a wide brim and a slight lavender tinge. If you don’t like funk, don’t even step to this. Smoked tobacco, mint, leather, and dark berries initially on the nose. Funky barnyard starts to creep in and it never really leaves. Thankfully. This is big and quite bold Grenache, but it still maintains a freshness and effervescent essence. Plenty dense with a nice streak of acidity running throughout, this is super dry and a little tart. Blackberries and dried cherries show up on the palate but the star of the show is that barnyard with all the earthiness and funk you could want. This is a gorgeous Grenache, a beautiful wine. This guy just knows what the hell he’s doing. — 6 years ago

Rubychick

9.0

Gosh it’s floral and beautiful with a delicate passionfruit line running through. Sancerresational 💕 — 7 years ago

with See and Erika

Pablo Garcia

9.1

Good Brunello.. subdued acidity...crisp minerality running through a compote of maraschino cherries... beautiful ruby red color.....it wasn’t as good as when I tasted it in 2015 but with air it opened up quite a bit — 7 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.5

Blue-red berries layered with a pervasive malty sweetness and cocoa-accented depths. Red jolly ranchers rolled in iron and mineral dust. Robust; a bit inky, but light-footed; lively acids running through. Classy bottle; aging beautifully with a long way to go. — 2 years ago

Bruce Dunbar

8.9

Another newbie out recently from Turley. Made from “young vines” (under 50 years old I believe is the Turley definition), the wine is opaque, unctuous and mouth coating, loaded with boysenberry and kirsch. Perhaps not as complex as some of the Old Vine blends or single vineyards and running a bit hot on its 15%+ abv at the moment, this is still a great drinking, bargain of a wine. — 4 years ago

Mike R

9.4

First time trying and wow - nicely woven integrated wine but my friend and fellow wine nerd @Shay A says it best so borrowing his comments from 2018 and I quote

“Jarvis winery is one of my all time favorite winery visits in Napa. Their caves are the most impressive I've seen, along with their natural springs running through the tunnels. Their merlot is my favorite out of Napa, and their
Cab Franc is a close second. This is 95% CF, 5% merlot. It balances ripe Napa CF and Loire Valley CF. Streak of green bell pepper down the middle with herbal spice, ripe
blackberry and stemmy dark fruits. There is plum, and spice cake on the finish. This needed an hour+ for the mid palate to beefen up and match the entry and finish”

Bravo and well said Shay - glad I found my patience with this wine bud — 5 years ago

Willie Carter

9.3

Dealing with one of the masters of Meunier here and it is positively gorgeous. Medium gold color with tiny bubbles and wonderful creaminess. The nose is harmonious, as is the entire package, showcasing chamomile, white flowers, and tea. Citrus rind and brioche explode from the glass, with spice and a rather decadent streak of honey running throughout.

Already set apart from other Growers, Mignon’s winemaking is about as natural as you can get and dictated by the lunar cycle. 100% Pinot Meunier, this is a blend of the 2014 and 15 vintages, it was disgorged in August of 19. Low dosage at between 2 and 5 g/l and you definitely feel it. Strikingly and gloriously bitter, this is just a joy to drink.

Dry with very crisp acidity, this has amazing texture and structure. The palate shows orchard fruits, plums, and rose petals up front with more drizzled honey and pears. Apricots and toasty biscuits abound. The finish is long and pure. This could certainly benefit from a few more years on the shelf but it’s fun right now. Pure elegance. — 5 years ago

Carter White

9.5

Great wine. Big and powerful, favoring acidity but balanced. Complex with a range of flavor, running the gambit of red and black fruit, some candied, some tart, along with spice, especially black pepper. Crazy value for $19. — 6 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.6

The freshness
The fullness
The complexity
U couldn't name a scent it was in there
Absolutely mind blowing
Give it another 10 years easy
This wine is for rebels
Picture some well educated guy running away from a castle and knights going after him that disappear the wood
Elegance with wilderness
Visions — 7 years ago

with Mauro