Wines

"Luscious honeysuckle, ripe pear and fresh lemongrass intertwine in this medium-bodied Sauvignon Blanc. Hints of fresh tropical grapefruit complement the subtle mineral quality while added layers of fig and honeysuckle round out this crisp, aromatic wine." Winemaker notes

Lake County, the core of the blend, contributes floral, citrus and lemongrass notes as well as ripe melon, pineapple and grapefruit flavors. Mendocino County adds floral honeysuckle aromas. Sonoma County lends a hint of ripe pear. A touch of Semillon and Chardonnay round out the mouthfeel and provide the delightful fig and perfume tones.

95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Malbec, 2% Petite Sirah, 1% Petit Verdot. Lightly-roasted coffee, graphite and carob aromas pave the path to flavors of rich plum and brambly blackberry. The ripe fruit core remains lively through the gentle midpalate and firmer finish, showing grace and balance. Subtle toasty oak adds a vanilla component and complexity. Aged in 65% French, 15% Hungarian and 20% American oak barrels.

"This has a pale salmon color and aromas like those of Pinot Noir, including the walk-in-the-forest smell. Crisp cherry flavors lead to an intriguing mushroom note on the finish. Nearly dry, the texture is plush and soothing, while the finish is soft and lingering." 90pts WE #55 Best Buy

Soft and refreshing, with apple, lemon, fig and lime flavors that stay lively through the finish. - WS

Soft and straightforward, with a pleasant touch of sweetness to flavors of quince, apple and fig. - WS83

What: Sparkling
Where: California
"Korbel Sweet Rose is made from a complex selection of both red and white grape varietals. The blend is especially designed to have very bright fruit flavors and aromas of raspberry and vanilla. The harvesting of red varietals early in the ripening process helps achieve the desired style for this cuve. The varietal composition of Sweet Rose is Pinot Noir and Zinfandel with a dosage level of 6.0%.

Excellent With:
Fresh fruit or appetizers such as grilled prawns and mango salsa, or with a selection of ripe cheeses."

Toasty, zingy, lemony flavors in this bright, up-front wine wrap the palate in snappy acidity. Try with raw oysters. - WS86

Winemaker Notes:
Round. Light. Balanced.
"APRICOT, Lemon, GALA APPLE, subtle oak and SPICE aromas. Lemon drop, white STONEFRUIT, yellow plum and HONEYDEW melon on the palate. Richly TEXTURED and concentrated with BALANCED acidity that drives a lingering &nish. "

Lava Cap?€?s Cabernet Sauvignon has long been recognized for producing age-worthy wines that showcase vibrant fruit and rich texture. The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon holds true to this, with a dark purple color, and dark black fruit on the nose. On the palate, vibrant fruit mingles with allspice and clove, framed by vibrant acidity and well integrated tannins.

Organic / Natural / No Sulphur

Hand-harvested organic Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from twenty year old vines in Los Carneros California. Fourteen day spontaneous fermentation in neutral oak with indigenous yeasts then aged 24 months in neutral oak, 12 months in bottle. There is no fining nor filtration and zero sulfur is added. Their red blend from Carneros is a knock-out! A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that spent 24 months in neutral oak and 12 months in bottle before release. The wine is deep, but not brooding, with classic cassis, blackberry, tobacco leaf, and allspice notes. Although full-bodied the wine is lively and easy to drink. No gloppy late-harvest fruit put in 200% new oak barrels here, just a beautifully balanced well-made wine. Bravo Les Lunes!

Winery Notes:
Our Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits rich fruit flavors of currant, blackberry and ripe plum with hints of black tea on the palate. The wine finishes with subtle, smooth tannins that don?€?t overpower this easy-to-drink Cab.

Winemaker Notes:
Line 39' fruit-driven Pinot Noir has fresh fruit and herbal with rich flavors of raspberries and black cherries on the palate and soft, supple tannins.
This Pinot Noir pairs well with lamb, pork and pasta dishes.

Winemaker Notes:
Our Sauvignon Blanc opens with vibrant aromas of grapefruit and lemon with subtle grassy characters and a crisp clean finish. This wine is a fine accompaniment to shellfish or on its own after a long day.

A delicious, savory cabernet with aromas and flavors of dried flowers and cherries. Medium body with round, creamy tannins. Savory and flavorful. Supple. Real cabernet character.

Organic / Biodynamic

96 points Vinous
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Gala Vineyard is fabulous. It emerges from a terraced vineyard at 1,800 feet in elevation in Napa Valley, just above the Coombsville AVA. Rich, dark and beautifully structured, the 2021 possesses notable pedigree and character. Black cherry, plum, gravel, licorice, bay leaf and espresso all race across the palate. Readers who enjoy old-school Napa Cabernets will adore this. This wine, if sold in Napa Valley, would cost four to five times as much. Don't miss it! I was super impressed with the wines I tasted from Ma??tre de Chai. Marty Winters and Alex Pitts met as young chefs working in some of California?€?s most prestigious kitchens. Over the years, both of their career paths led to wine. Winters and Pitts founded Ma??tre de Chai in 2012 and have quietly built their range since then. The wines draw from a number of sites across several appellations in northern California, all done in a style that emphasizes freshness and verve. As readers will discover, a number of wines in this lineup are truly compelling, most notably the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Gala Vineyard, which may very well be the single best value in Napa Valley Cabernet today.

Third Place finisher in our 2023 Wine Of The Year blind taste off!

Sustainably farmed Grenache 44%, Syrah 42%, Mourvedre 14% from four vineyard sites in Los Olivos and the greater Santa Ynez Valley - Rolling Vines, Bernat, Coteaux de Clair, and TTT Roblar. The Syrah and Grenache are fermented partly with whole clusters, while the Mourvedre is 100% destemmed. Fermentation is with native yeasts in open-top oak tanks. The wine is matured for 14 months in neutral barrique and bottled without fining or filtration.

Mallea is a collaboration between viticulturist Erik Mallea (director of viticulture at Sanford & Benedict and a co-founder of Willett-Mallea Farming) and winemaker Justin Willett (of Tyler Winery and Lieu-Dit Winery). After working together in various capacities for over a decade, Erik and Justin have started this exciting new project to highlight Santa Barbara County?€?s potential with Rh??ne grape varieties. They are farming four small vineyard sites clustered around Los Olivos in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara.

Third place was a nice surprise because it is a brand new wine on the scene, Mallea GSM Santa Barbara County 2021. This is a traditional Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mouvedre (GSM) but from Santa Barbara County California. The pedigree of the guys behind it is first-rate but what impressed us was the juice in the bottle! If you enjoy Cotes du Rhone or Southern French reds you are going to love Mallea. This is a wine of subtlety and not as flamboyant as our number two wine. Clearly, the wine is masterfully blended as each component adds complexity, and yet the wine is seamless on the palate. Fresh jovial fruit dances on the tongue with its lively acidity while pepper and Mediterranean spices come out in the finish. Mallea GSM provides a ton of pleasure for a very reasonable price.

The labels reference Erik Mallea?€?s Basque heritage, depicting 19th & 20th-century aspen tree carvings by Basque shepherds in the American West. Erik?€?s father, Joxe Mallea-Olaetxe, is a respected scholar of this cultural tradition.

The labels reference Erik Mallea?????s Basque heritage, depicting 19th & 20th-century aspen tree carvings by Basque shepherds in the American West. Erik?????s father, Joxe Mallea-Olaetxe, is a respected scholar of this cultural tradition.

93 points Wine Advocate
The 2021 Christo is a blend of 68% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 8% Petite Sirah and 4% Viognier. The nose features fresh blackcurrant and blueberry aromas with tones of cast iron, violet, sagebrush and conifer. The full-bodied palate is chalky and refreshing with restrained, mineral-driven fruit and a long, perfumed finish. Give it 2-3 years in bottle or a couple hours in a decanter.

60% Syrah, 24% Grenache, 12%Petite Sirah, 4% Viognier

96 points Vinous
The 2021 Game Trail exudes finesse from the very first taste. Crushed flowers, dark red-toned fruit, cinnamon, leather, menthol and dried rose petal build effortlessly as the 2021 shows off its undeniable class. Cabernet Sauvignon at 1,400 feet in the Yorkville Highlands is utterly sublime in this bottling from Marietta.

94 points Wine Advocate
The 2021 Game Trail Cabernet Sauvignon is crunchy, refreshing and easy to drink. It's scented of fresh blackcurrants and cherries, plus nuances of garrigue and charcuterie. The full-bodied palate is light on its feet with softly chalky tannins, bursts of mouthwatering acidity and a long, mineral-driven finish. You could drink this on its own or have it with medium-weight dishes at the table.

93 points Wine Advocate
The 2021 Dry Riesling Wirz Vineyard comes from some of the oldest Riesling vines in California; the head-pruned, dry-farmed vines were planted in 1952 in Cienega Valley on limestone. It's spicy, delicious and hard to put down, opening with gregarious scents of white peach, candle smoke, lime, biscuit and loads of floral perfume. The light-bodied palate is dry and shimmery, balancing racy acidity with creamy citrus fruit and flinty undertones, and it has a long, spicy finish. 800 cases were made.

92 points Vinous
The 2021 Dry Riesling Nadi Wirz Vineyard is, as the name states, dry. It offers terrific tension and plenty of cut. The lack of sweetness results in an especially taut Riesling. Hints of green apple, slate, crushed rocks, petrol and white flowers linger. This is such a vivid and expressive wine."-

93 points Wine Advocate
The NV Old Vine Red Lot 74 is primarily Zinfandel, with some Syrah, Petite Sirah, Carignan, Grenache and Barbera. Spicy and easy to drink, it has aromas of red and black cherries, mint, bitter chocolate and allspice with earthy undertones. The medium-bodied palate is finely chalky and refreshing, with spicy fruit and an easygoing finish. This will be enjoyable with almost any dish at the table and, as always, overdelivers for the price.

Winemaker Notes:
The original. Medium-bodied with black cherry, cola, strawberry, plum, and soft tannins. No wonder this Pinot is a favorite.

Pairs well with pastas with light tomato-based sauces, a juicy cheeseburger, grilled salmon, roasted pork tenderloin, or if you're not a cook, drink it on its own.

Winery Notes:
"Deep garnet color. Luxurious and dynamic aromas of ripe strawberry, bright cherry and faint notes of spicy oak and vanilla. The complexity of the palate smoothly layers rich red currant notes and baking spice flavors with light smoke, earth and leather. A balanced, velvety texture and supple tannins carry the wine through to a lingering, succulent finish."

Winery Notes:
"Deep garnet color. Luxurious and dynamic aromas of ripe strawberry, bright cherry and faint notes of spicy oak and vanilla. The complexity of the palate smoothly layers rich red currant notes and baking spice flavors with light smoke, earth and leather. A balanced, velvety texture and supple tannins carry the wine through to a lingering, succulent finish."

Winery Notes:
"Dare you uncork the art of seduction? Dare you succumb to the temptation of a cab so luxurious, rich, and seductive it would make even Casanova blush? Welcome to the world of Menage a Trois Decadence. Here, inhibitions disappear as we indulge your passions and arouse your senses with kisses of exotic dark chocolate and the flavors and aromas of goose-bump-giving black cherry and blackberry. Then, they all mingle with lavish vanilla spice on your palate before climaxing into a smooth, exquisite finish - leaving you forever wanting more. So, we ask again, dare you desire Decadence?"

Winery Notes:
"Do you like to do it in the dark? You will, after Menage a Trois captivates you with their gorgeous garnet color, and seduce your palate with our bold blackberry and plush spiced plum flavors. But it doesn?€?t stop there. They also bring you joy with hints of mocha, and exotic spiced kisses, which will linger on your lips. The supple, expressive taste with its long, flavorful finish intermingles with blackberry pastilles and hints of violet. Once you embrace the velvety Midnight Red Blend, you?€?ll reveal your deepest, darkest desires."

Winemaker Notes:
"Lose yourself in the sensual pleasures of Menage a Trois Silk - a smooth, seductive red blend that caresses you with every sip. With its bright, red ruby hue in the glass and alluring fragrance of dried violets and berries, Silk beckons, promising an unforgettable experience. Succulent cherry and ripe raspberry flavors mingle with delicate hints of rose petals and toasty spice, and glide gracefully across your palate like liquid silk. Seamless and lustrous, Silk is the lavish, luxurious encounter you?€?ve
been craving."

70% Pinot Noir, 10% Petite Sirah, 20% Malbec.

Quickly becoming one of Michael David?€?s most sought-after wines, this brute of a Cab is midnight in color and medium in body. A myriad of French oak influenced aromas fill your glass, accompanied by toasted hazelnuts and blackberry cobbler. Flavors of ripe Mission figs and hints of clove and cinnamon give way to velvety tannins, balanced acidity and dark ripe fruits.

"Offering a joyous explosion of color and fun, it is a substantial, dense, full-bodied, whopper style of wine loaded with pure black fruit and vanilla flavors that coat the palate. It reveals remarkable richness with a finish that is slightly dry and seems to linger." Winemaker notes

Like elephants whose size is imposing, Petite Petit is large! A blend of 85% Petite Sirah and 15% Petit Verdot.

Aged 16 months in French oak, our memorable blend of Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot definitely steals the show! Our trunks detect blueberry, violet and plum. Chalky tannins give a smooth and seamless finish to this jumbo sized offering, leaving you wanting more.

92 points Wine Enthusiast
This is a smashing deal every vintage, and this year's blend of 58% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 4% Mourv??dre and 3% Tempranillo doesn't disappoint. Fresh but savory aromas of roasted red fruit and baking spice drop into a tightly wound palate of snappy red currant and light pepper that rides a zippy acidity through the finish.

95 points Wine Enthusiast
The wines of Mount Eden frequently show unique profiles. This Chardonnay exemplifies that, with aromas of trampled lemons on orchard floor, wild mint and verbena on the earthy nose. The palate combines a tremendously firm grip with a buttery warmth, offering a shiso-like minty sensation across flavors of melon and toasted nut.

90pts Wine Enthusiast:
"This is a delicious brut-style wine, based on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It's very rich in strawberry, raspberry and lime flavors, with vanilla and toast complexities, and the finish is honey-sweet and spicy. Great price for a bubbly this elegant." -

91pts-Wine Spectatore: #54 TOP 100
"Packs in a lot of complexity, with aromas of apple, fresh ginger and rubber that lead to crisp and layered flavors of raspberry and spice. Drink now."

45% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, 10% Pinot Gris /Pinot Meunier. Dosage of 1.08%.

Winemaker Notes:
"Brut Prestige is Mumm Napa?€?s signature sparkling wine. It is a relaxed, yet elegant, wine that earns sparkling accolades from consumers and critics alike. Brut Prestige features fine bright citrus, red apple, stone fruit and creamy vanilla aromas, with hints of toast, honey and gingerbread spice. Its vibrant flavors are balanced by fine acidity and a rich, lingering finish."

The Brut Prestige grapes are harvested by hand during the crisp morning hours to ensure they arrive at the winery in pristine condition. Fermentation is conducted at cool temperatures, mainly in stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness and fruit intensity. A few selected lots are aged in French oak barrels to add depth, complexity and spiciness to the final blend. After initial fermentation, the art of the blending begins. Our winemakers find the perfect blend of wines to create our signature taste. Then the finished blend is bottled for the second fermentation. An average of 18 months?€? yeast aging adds complexity, contributing subtle bread dough flavors and layers of creaminess. The wine is disgorged as a brut style and a dosage is added back to balance the wine?€?s acidity. Brut Prestige then ages another 3 months on the cork to fully marry the dosage to the base wine.

91pts Wine Enthusiast:
"A blend of 80% Pinot Noir with 20% Chardonnay, this rose sparkles in well-hewn acidity, a dry mix of white peach that's fruity and decadent in creamy waves of soft texture and yeasty bubbles. It finishes with length and breadth, an ideal match for the table."

Brut Rose grapes are harvested by hand during the cool morning hours to ensure they arrive at the winery in pristine condition. Fermentation is conducted at cool temperatures, mainly in stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness and fruit intensity. A few selected lots are aged in French oak barrels to add depth, complexity and spiciness to the final blend. A small amount of red Pinot Noir is added to the blend before bottling to create the beautiful pink coral color. An average of 18 months?€? yeast aging adds complexity, contributing subtle bread dough flavors and layers of creaminess. The wine is then disgorged and a dosage added back to balance the wine?€?s acidity. The dosage includes a Pinot Noir fermented in traditional Burgundian fashion, which contributes an extra measure of depth, color and robust fruitiness.

Skyside Central Coast Pinot Noir boasts an intoxicating nose with bright fruit including cherry, rhubarb and raspberry, beautiful lilac, and subtle hints of forest floor and fresh mushrooms. The wine has a silky entry expanding with rose, berry and baking spices. The finish brings hints of minerality with milk chocolate and nice structure from the tannins and oak to build a lengthy finish.

Well structured and balanced, this full-bodied wine fills the palate with ripe but not jammy plum and black-cherry flavors backed by moderate tannins. It's a very good, substantial wine to pair with red meat.

90 points Wine Enthusiast
This well-balanced wine is medium in weight, lively in texture and offers spicy white-pepper and toast accents along with fresh citrus and crisp apple notes. It's fun, refreshing and won't fatigue the taste buds.

The review is on the previous vintage.

92 points Wine Enthusiast
#4 Top 100 Best Buys of 2023
Currently showing oak-forward notes of fresh cedar, vanilla and toasted wood. This is followed by earthy tones of capsicum, black currant, bramble, fresh black cherry and boysenberry. Elevated acidity keeps the wine alive from start to finish; chalky tannins coat the palate.

Grenache, Petite Sirah, Syrah

Dave Phinney's new red blend! If you like the Prisoner you are going to love this!!!

A mix of Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah and Grenache. Mixed raspberries, blackberries and blueberries appear on the nose, while the palate is full-bodied, ripe and supple, yet with just enough softly dusty tannins, a velvety texture and no suggestion of raisined fruit. With its amiable nature and fresh, lingering finish, it should win lots of fans.

Organic

91% Cabernet Sauvignon 6% Petite Verdot, 3% Cab Franc. Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from 3 vineyards: the 60yr old Brigantino Vineyard, the 45yr old Wheeler Ranch, and the 75yr old Tres Pinos Creek Vineyard. The Petite Verdot and Cabernet Franc come from Paicines AVA, rocky alluvial deposits above the Tres Pinos arroyo. All vineyards experience warm days, cold nights typical of the Central Coast, allowing these late ripening Bordeaux varieties to be picked at high acidity and moderate sugars. Fermented whole berry with a very light crush in open top fermenters, allowing slower extraction, of tannins into the must and lots of oxygen into the fermentation for polymerization of tannins. Pressed after approximately 20 days. Aged for 11 months on lees in mostly neutral barrels with a couple of active oak barrels sprinkled in. 13.2% abv

This blend exhibits classic Chenin Blanc character with ripe melon and creamy pear on the nose. The Viognier adds aromas of ripe white stone fruits, tropical fruit and blooming flowers. The palate is off dry, but the small amount of residual sugar helps add body and it also rounds out the wine's crispy acidity. The peach and melon flavors in the mid-palate are very pronounced. Balanced and smooth, this white is delightfully well rounded and finishes clean with the suggestion of citrus zest. With it's off dry notes, great acidity and round clean flavors this wine will pair beautifully with turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and other holiday fare. - PJ

This wine presents abundant aromas of dark cherry and strawberry jam, brown sugar, dark chocolate and cola with hints of cardamom, black pepper, sandalwood and licorice. The bright and vibrant entry accentuates flavors of fresh blueberries and allspice that linger into a creamy, rich mid palate and ends with a luxurious finish. Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah.

Winemaker Notes:
Robert Mondavi crafts this richly textured Cabernet Sauvignon with Monterey County fruit, picked at the peak of ripeness in their coastal vineyards. In a truly original alternative to traditional aging, they set aside a portion of the blend to age in a mix of new and used bourbon barrels. The new barrels give the wine its deep undertones of toasted oak. The used barrels-selected from a renowned Kentucky distillery-exude notes of vanilla and dried herbs, hinting at the fine bourbon that once graced these casks. The result is a bold, flavorful wine, unlike any other Cabernet.
Layered and complex, their Bourbon Barrel-aged Cabernet Sauvignon leaps from the glass with aromas of blackberry cobbler, graham cracker, brown sugar, milk chocolate, coffee and smoke. A palate of blueberry pie, praline, sweet vanilla custard, caramel and mocha is framed by soft, chewy tannins and a hint of toasted oak on the lingering finish.

Winery Notes:
"There's 20 degrees difference between our northern and southern vineyards, though it's only 40 miles. So, whether grapes like it cool or warm, like our Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon, they all grow up delicious. Color: Deep cherry red. Smell: Red berry and spice. Taste: Cherry, blueberry, vanilla. Pair: Grilled steak, pasta."