Josh Armenta

8.9

Nice wine, good balance, red fruit in your face, and needs time to open and shine. — 2 days ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.4

This was a very fun experiment. I bought this for 149€ due to the 2013 vintage being terrible. Would this be a waste of money or a bargin? It was a bargin. Classic high end Bordeaux nose with complexity and flavour. Lots of mint. Tailed off quite quickly but still so much to enjoy. The art of wine making should shine through on "off" years as all of the producers make excellent wines in a 09 or 10 vintage. Will definately buy more!
Paired with cod, beans and chorizo — 5 months ago

romo

9.3

Balanced herbs and fruit shine with bay leaf. Still a lot of power. — 9 months ago

Jenn Ingle

9.5

Wow! Delicate bubbles let the chard and Pinot noir shine through. A bit of vanilla and bright lemon and brioche. Not too dry and a lovely bright mouth feel. Fantastic! — 2 years ago

Jan A

9.4

The Mascot is made from the young vines of Harlan, Promitory and Bond and you can really taste the royal pedigree here. Still in the fruit/primary phase with drying tannins. Very singular palate with a lot of concentration. Give these some additional cellar time to really shine. 95/96 potential — 3 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.4

The 2004 Barolo (magnum) is soft and silky, but it is also more forward than I expect, or want, to be honest. Dried flowers, leather, spice, game and dark-fleshed fruit fill out the layers. Vertical tastings serve, among other things, to shine a bright light on a single wine over many vintages. In this context, the 2004 does not live up to my original enthusiasm. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, July 2023) — 3 years ago

Audrey Irvine

9.2

Wine Shoe favorite — 5 years ago

Aaron Hamrock

9.8

A true California Cabernet staple and cult wine. I love this winery. After a couple of hours in the decanter this wine began to shine. On the nose a lot of blue fruit followed by perfect acidity, tannins and fruit on the palate. Maybe I should have given this wine a perfect score? — 5 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.2

The Calling “Dutton Ranch” Chardonnay 2023
Russian River Valley AVA, Sonoma County, California – USA 🇺🇸

Overview
A very expressive and generously styled Chardonnay sourced from the legendary Dutton Ranch vineyards, one of Sonoma’s most respected grower sites. The Calling crafts this bottling with a fruit-driven and naturally energetic personality, allowing the vineyard character to shine through without excessive winemaking manipulation. A Russian River Chardonnay that leans vibrant and mouthwatering rather than overly buttery or heavy.

Aromas & Flavors
Juicy tangerine, lemon curd, Honeycrisp apple, and ripe pear immediately jump from the glass. As the wine opens, layers of lemon verbena, ginger, citrus zest, jasmine, and subtle green tea nuances begin to unfold, adding complexity and freshness to the profile.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied with a rounded yet energetic texture. Bright acidity keeps the wine lively and refreshing while the fruit concentration gives it a generous California richness. The finish is persistent, citrus-driven, and beautifully mouthwatering.

Food Pairings
Excellent with roasted chicken, buttery seafood dishes, crab cakes, grilled salmon, creamy risotto, or triple cream cheeses.

Verdict
A compelling Russian River Chardonnay that balances generosity and freshness extremely well. The Dutton Ranch fruit gives this wine a very polished and expressive character while still maintaining tension and precision. Rich enough for California Chardonnay lovers, yet vibrant enough to remain highly approachable.

Did You Know?
Dutton Ranch is one of Sonoma’s most iconic multigenerational vineyard sources, supplying grapes to numerous top-tier California producers. Their cool-climate Russian River fruit is especially prized for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir thanks to the region’s fog influence and long growing season.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is the type of Chardonnay that reminds you why Russian River Valley became world famous for the style in the first place. Expressive, mouthwatering, and dangerously easy to revisit glass after glass. Cheers! — a month ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Happy Heavenly Birthday Sofia! Love & Miss You Like Air! 😇 All Souls Day as well.

Williams Selyem if not her favorite producer, one of her top two.

I don’t believe I have opened a bad bottle of this producer, not even corked. I guess it’s because I wait ten yrs or longer to open. These shine later in their evolution.

Nose of; red & slightly candied florals, strawberries, dark cherries blackberries, raspberries and haunting blueberries. Lightly grilled meats, cola, sandalwood, baking spices and very soft herbaceous notes.

This in typical WS fashion shows ripe & lush; slightly sour, dark cherries, blackberries, plum, poached strawberries, raspberries, pomegranate and circling blueberries. Excellent mid, dark spices, clove, some nutmeg, cinnamon & vanillin, light dryish tobacco, lightly grilled, smoked meats, dry crushed rocks, limestone marl, dry river stone, underbrush, mix of some fresh but mostly dry herbs, eucalyptus/mint, fresh to withering dark, red flowers framed in liquid violets, near perfect acidity with a well balanced, nicely structured, good tensioned finish that lasts nearly two-minutes and lands on spice & dry earthiness. — 8 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

Is there a better SJ on the planet? This had a shoe polish, glycerin note with a silky, elegant texture showing black cherry, raspberry, black olive, sweet & savory spices, graphite & violets. — 3 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.3

LC18. Needed some air to really shine, and when it did… gosh, was it delish! Epitomises intensity without weight. — 3 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

8.9

Pale lemon with pronounced stone fruit and citrus aromas with floral blossoms. On the palate flavors of apricot, peach and lime citrus with vivid acidity, minerality and spice. Medium finish ending dry with fresh fruit and smoky mineral notes. — 4 years ago

Wulf Losee

9.0

Shoe leather on the nose. Red fruit on the front. Light tannic structure. Not much body. What body there is fades on the end. Short finish. Except for the slight scent of mouldy shoe leather on the nose, there’s nothing objectionable about this wine, but it’s weak and watery and without much character. Meh. But wait!…

I left the remainder in the bottle, and 24 hours later it had developed quite nicely. The nose had developed into unripe cherries—losing the moldy leather smell. Red fruit developed on the front, and the tannic structure improved. And it developed a longer finish. I upped my rating from an 8.6 to 9.0.

— 2 months ago

Steven Heydemann

9.2

2016. Delicious. Needs a good decant to shine. — 6 months ago

David Koenen

9.5

Liquorice, shoe polish, black cherry, ripe, dark fruit, tannins are fresh with citrus acid and bitters, clean and in the prime of its life. Rich, wide, balanced and deliciously a point. — 6 months ago

Audrey Irvine

9.3

Wine Shoe 2025 May — a year ago

Ken Venezio

9.1

Medium to full bodied Pinot from Sta. Rita Hills. Medium weight in the glass with notes of red berries, cinnamon, damp earth and spice. Decent length in the finish. This could use another 2-3 yrs and really shine. — 3 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I get why people who generally always review this producer as just good consuming it young. This is ten years from birth, eight years in bottle and it is still not at its peak. it has ten years and perhaps more properly stored. Very good tonight but better things ahead. It takes this long and longer for WS Pinots to shine.

The palate is, juicy, ripe, rich, a bit lush; blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, purple fruits, hues of blueberries, plum and ripe to dry strawberries with a pomegranate overlay. Then, dry earthiness, top soil, crushed rocks & powdery limestone & chalkiness, dark spices, some black pepper, dry brush, eucalyptus, tree sap, sun tea, black and red cola/licorice, drier tobacco, barrel dust to shavings, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, vanilla, touch of dry herbs-bay leaves & sage, bright red, pink, blue, purple florals framed in dark slightly withering florals, rain shower acidity, the finish is; well structured & balanced in fruit, earth & flowers, some more tension than I like but will soften & fade nicely in 3-5 years. But, wire to wire really even and stunning. Evolution & integration is good but needs 3-5 years to be its best. Coravin glass.

IMHO, one of the outstanding CA Pinot producers. Walter Hansel gives them a run for the money at their fantastic price point. — 3 years ago

Daniel Bloom

9.4

N:OLD Apples, spicy! Cinnamon and nutmeg. Old boats. The wharf. Shoe leather.smoke.( How is this possible?)
P: Old dessicated oranges , wood, chocolate,really pleasant bitter finish.
I could go on and on...
Oh my! — 5 years ago