Wines (24 View)

#24 On The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines Of 2024!

93 points Wine Spectator
Offers cherry and plum fruit framed by earth, mineral and wild herb flavors. Poised between elegance and power, this red is beautifully balanced. Dusty tannins support the fruit on the long finish. Best from 2026 through 2042.

Lean and restrained, with focused spicy plum and chocolate flavors, gaining some interest in the tension between sweetness and alcohol. - WS78

Could use a little more complexity, but fresh and fruity, with lots of flavors. Medium sweetness. - WS81

Winery Notes:
"Medium light amber colour with pronounced golden highlights. Clean nutty aromas, light complexity and very agreeable. Brilliant wine - a good quality young Madeira in evolution. Medium flavour, nutty and slighty complex, with a good clean finish."

"Firm, fresh and complex, with an array of glazed apricot, ginger, maple and cream flavors. Features notes of truffle and mineral on the crisp finish. Drink now. 200 cases imported." Wine Spectator

"Firm, fresh and complex, with an array of glazed apricot, ginger, maple and cream flavors. Features notes of truffle and mineral on the crisp finish. Drink now. 200 cases imported." Wine Spectator

"Firm, fresh and complex, with an array of glazed apricot, ginger, maple and cream flavors. Features notes of truffle and mineral on the crisp finish. Drink now. 200 cases imported." Wine Spectator

Organic

94 points Wine Advocate
The 2022 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills comes from declassified fruit grown at Domaine de la Côte, plus purchased fruit from three other vineyards, including La Rinconada. It's a particularly complex and expressive iteration of Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir from Sandhi. It has an alluring perfume of raspberry, strawberry, tea leaves, tobacco, potpourri and gravel dust, and it reveals botanical undertones as it spends time in the glass. The light-bodied palate has a deep core of spicy, herbal fruit, a frame of chalky tannins, energetic acidity and a long, layered finish.

Organic / Natural / No Sulfites Added

92 points Wine Advocate
A new "clarete" light red from the "natural" range, the 2022 La Vaquita Natural is the first vintage for this unusual blend of 80% Malbec and 20% Torrontés that fermented together; the Malbec was with full clusters, and they do a semi-carbonic maceration. It has a pale color, with notes from the two varieties, with violets and orange blossom, and it is fine-boned, light and fresh but with clout, with 13.8% alcohol and fine tannins. This is a very gastronomical light red with tasty, clean flavors and aromas and a velvety mouthfeel. Very easy to drink. This is the first vintage from organic grapes and fermented with indigenous yeasts.

Winemaker Notes:
The wine is dry with intense aromas and appealing flavors of Golden Delicious apples and citrus with a long, multi-layered finish. Excellent as an aperitif and with a medium body that makes it versatile to pair with everything from salads to chicken or grilled fish. Wonderful pairing ideas include butter lettuce with apples, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds, pizza topped with prosciutto and arugula, scallops, with tarragon cream, or tagliatelle with Italian olive oil, lemon zest and pine nuts.

70% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Carmenere

Third Place finisher in our 2022 Wine Of The Year Taste-Off!

A sensational California red blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignane and Malbec.Old Soul is a little different with every vintage—translating the story of Mendocino County’s unique terroir straight to your glass. In winemaker Alex’s words, the 2019 vintage was “a dream,” with early replenishing rains and a long, even growing season. Look for savory wild herbs and blackberry cobbler notes on the nose. The palate is rich but not too dense, with ripe tannins that wrap around a core of blue and black fruits which linger on the long, slightly toasty finish.

Saracina is located along the Upper Russian River in northern California's wine country. The 250-acre ranch which includes a winery and sustainably farmed vineyards, is also home to a 140-year-old olive trees, vegetable gardens, beehives, and local birds and wildlife. The handcrafted, limited production Saracina wines reflect a conscious sense of this beautiful place in Mendocino County. Founded by husband and wife team John Fetzer and Patty Rock in 2001, Saracina has always been defined by a strong sense of family. In 2018, Marc Taub took on stewardship of Saracina, upholding the spirit of family ownership that has defined this iconic Mendocino County winery since its inception.

The Zinfandel hails from the certified-organic Chapman Vineyard (head-pruned vines on an alluvial bench in Redwood Valley) and the Sawyer Vineyard (perched at 1,000 feet overlooking Lake Mendocino and planted with head-pruned vines on St. George rootstock). The Malbec is estate grown in vineyards rich in black clay/gravel at the base of the foothills. The Petite Sirah is from our own steep hillside vineyards and the Niemi Vineyard (20 year-old vines which have been dry-farmed for 15 years).

The wine was aged in both Burgundian and American four-year-seasoned oak (10% new) for 18 months, which included five months of native malolactic fermentation.

Organic

The review is on the previous vintage.
92 points Wine Advocate
The 2021 Chardonnay Vino de los Ranchos, matured for 19 months and sulfured only for bottling, takes some time to reveal scents of lemon peel, beeswax, gravel dust and herbal undertones. The light-bodied palate is bursting with crunchy citrus flavors reminiscent of Chablis. It has stony mineral character, a razor-like spine of acidity, and a touch of textural breadth lends an expansive feel that extends the finish.

Organic

Review is on the previous vintage.
94 points Wine Advocate
The 2022 Pinot Noir Vino de los Ranchos comes from two vineyards, one planted in the 1970s and one in the 1990s, and was vinified using 30% whole clusters. Stone and gravel dust give way to raspberry and cranberry on the nose, plus accents of dried herbs and Earl Grey tea leaves. The light-bodied palate is finely chalky and super fresh, with notable concentration, complexity and spiciness, and it has a long, ethereal finish.

A laser show of acidity and focus finishing dry. A food friendly Riesling from one of the best to ever do it.

Winery Notes:
"This fine Riesling wine offers an extraordinary premium wine quality. With forward fruit and floral aromas of apples and peaches with just a hint of citrus, the wine’s natural acidity gives it a perfect balance that is refreshingly crisp and leaves your mouth watering."

93 points James Suckling
Sour cherries with orange peel and hints of vanilla bean. Some bark, too. Medium body, with very fine tannins and a fresh and bright finish. Lean and agile. Drink after 2026