California Wine Reviews
I drank these 30 wines and tasted apple, black fruit, bright, cherry, dark fruit, fruity, red fruit, smoky, smooth tannin, spice. The wines are aged, biodynamic, food friendly, food-friendly, my favorites, small production, unoaked and came from a variety of sources, including wine clubs, wineries, and wine stores.
Wine reviews by: Jessyca Frederick |
2019 Stag’s Leap Winery Oakville Cabernet Sauvingon
The nose was classic blackberry and graphite, with a hint of pyrazine. It was fairly bright for a Napa Cab, and lighter bodied than I expected, too. I tasted cedar and clove, blackcurrant, and some plum.
Tasting notes: bright, black fruit
2019 Stag’s Leap Winery Block 20 Merlot
Among the three wines I tried from Stag’s Leap Winery in April, this was my favorite. I like Merlot and I’m not ashamed to say so.
Tasting notes: smooth tannins, bright, black fruit, blue fruit
2020 Titus Wines Titus Andronicus
Great crowd-pleasing Bordeaux-style blend. Fruit-forward but balanced with smooth tannins, great acidity, and just a touch of vanilla from the oak.
Tasting notes: red fruit, vanilla, bright, smooth tannin
2018 Penrose Hill Firstleaf Swirl Petite Sirah
People who like a sweeter red wine, like a jammy Syrah, would enjoy this bottle. The sweetness was balanced with strong tannins in this full-bodied red wine.
Tasting notes: jammy, slightly sweet, red fruit, bold tannins
2018 Penrose Hill Firstleaf Inkscape Shiraz
A subtle version of what this grape can produce, but a great introduction to it if you’re not familiar and looking for an alternative bold red wine to Cabernet Sauvignon.
Tasting notes: dark fruit, tobacco, spice, subtle
2017 Dani Gold Wines Cabernet Sauvignon
Easy-drinking, well-made California Cabernet Sauvignon featuring cherry, cassis, and soft tannins. Quite enjoyable.
Tasting notes: cherry, cassis, smooth tannin
2017 Ken Brown Wines Envision Pinot Noir
The 2017 Envision, a blend of some of SYV’s best vineyards, represented a classic style of Pinot Noir common to the area.
Tasting notes: smoky, red fruit, bright
NV Laetitia Winery Sweet Sparkling Rosé
This was fruity and balanced and seemed more Demi-Sec than straight up sweet as the label suggests, but that could be because the wine had enough acid.
Tasting notes: balanced, red fruit, sweet
2021 Tablas Creek Vineyards Patelin de Tablas Blanc
I smelled white fruit and enjoyed an appley mid-palate (the Grenache Blanc), a hint of Meyer lemon, and a nice minerality supported by mild acidity.
Tasting notes: apple, low acid, mineral
2018 Dragonette Cellars Vogelzang Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc
It is a medium-bodied, medium-acidity Sauv Blanc with Meyer lemon and grapefruit on the palate, more muted butterscotch than the nose, and at five years old, just a hint of oak.
Tasting notes: citrus, butterscotch, oak, tropical fruit
2018 Lone Madrone Chenin Blanc
With 4+ years of age on it, this Chenin was not especially fruity, but still aromatic and honeyed. The acidity and body were beautiful, offering interesting textures as the wine moved across my palate.
Tasting notes: bright, honey, apple
I enjoyed: white fruit cocktail, banana, lychee, something like Petrol (from the Picpoul), and mandarin. Still food-friendly, after all those years.
Tasting notes: bright, stone fruit
Strawberry was dominant on both the nose and the palate. This medium-body rosé has a round mouthfeel (due largely to the sur lies aging), is bright. But not too bright.
Tasting notes: strawberry, bright, round, jolly rancher
2021 Stolpman Vineyards Estate Rosé
This particular vintage was never especially fruity — sometimes the strawberry and watermelon leap make your mouth water, but in this vintage the fruit was way more subtle than that.
Tasting notes: bright, strawberry, watermelon
2017 Thacher Winery New Routine
Big, mouth-coating red wine featuring dark red fruits, black fruits, and a host of other savory flavors.
Tasting notes: dark red fruit, black fruit, pepper
2019 Dragonette Cellars Happy Canyon Sauvignon Blanc
Magic in a bottle. Bright, caramel, bruléed pineapple, guava, and a viscosity that coats your tongue making it all last even longer.
Tasting notes: caramel, pineapple, creme brulée, tropical fruit
2019 Story of Soil Duvarita Vineyard Pinot Noir
A complex, red-fruit forward, slightly smoky Pinot Noir that typifies the Sta. Rita Hills appellation and showcases winemaker Jessica Gasca’s love of letting the grapes shine.
Tasting notes: red fruit, smoky, smooth, cherry, cranberry
2020 Naked Wines Camille Benitah Volute
When I taste wines like this one, I’m reminded that Napa Valley wines are mostly overpriced and overhyped. It showcases Napa’s red wine grapes and terroir without breaking the bank.
Tasting notes: black fruit, graphite, chocolate, oaky, smooth tannin
2021 Naked Wines F. Stephen Millier Legend Series Santa Barbara Pinot Noir
For $15.99 this Pinot Noir was an impressive doppelganger for Santa Barbara’s more premium product, but the complexity and depth was missing.
Tasting notes: red fruit, earthy
2021 Naked Wines Derek Rohlffs Pinot Gris
Fruity and bright, light white wine that tasted a little bit hot to me (the taste of alcohol). As with most Naked Wines whites, a great price for an easy drinking wine.
Tasting notes: apple, baked pear, bright, lemon
2021 Naked Wines Franc Dušak Viognier
A very subtle viognier offering typical varietal flavors like jasmine and honey, but the fruit profile was apple, not the usual stone fruits like apricot.
Tasting notes: floral, honey, apple
2021 Naked Wines Rick Boyer Unoaked Chardonnay
A beautiful expression of Central Coast Chardonnay which went easy on the winemaking to let the Chardonnay’s bright fruitiness shine on its own.
Tasting notes: creamy, fruity, bright
2021 Martelloto Wines “Special Club” White Wine Blend
The drier, lemony flavors of the Sauvignon Blanc sort of pushed and pulled on the fruitier, more aromatic Riesling and Chenin Blanc. Lacked expected brightness.
Tasting notes: lemon, fruity
2021 Martelloto Wines “M” Chardonnay
Barrel fermented for eight months, this Chardonnay was not super oaky. Signature apple and pear flavors harmonized with a touch of creaminess.
Tasting notes: apple, pear, creamy, light oak
2018 Brander Vineyard and Winery Brander Merlot, Los Olivos District
I really enjoyed this Merlot which we paired with my spicy Turkey Chili. Flavors of dark red fruit, soft tannins, and a medium body made it quite enjoyable.
Tasting notes: red fruit, dark fruit, smooth tannin
2018 Courtney Benham Wines Cabernet Sauvignon
It had all the hallmarks of a classic Napa Cab — blackberry, cassis, and pretty smooth tannins for a young wine. And it retails for $20!
Tasting notes: blackberry, cassis, smooth tannin
2018 Three Wine Company Old Vines Field Blend
This red blend embodies all of the best qualities of its grapes — a bit of spice, a bit of oak, some red fruit, some black fruit, a touch of smokiness… without being a punch in the mouth.
Tasting notes: spice, oak, red fruit, black fruit, smoky
2017 Piedrasassi Sta. Rita Hills Syrah
There’s nothing subtle about a Moorman Syrah and the complex flavors of cherry, plum, and spice are what keep critics and wine lovers delighted.
Tasting notes: cherry, plum, spice
2019 Bernardus Winery Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands
A red-fruit forward Pinot Noir, well-balanced and bright but not overpowering acidity — all the things that make Pinot from Santa Lucia Highlands sought after.
Tasting notes: red fruit, bright
2015 Hersly Wines Hersly Lazare Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
A true Napa Cab somewhere in the middle of its transformation from young and chewy to smooth and supple. Fruit flavors are fading faster than the tannins are integrating.
Tasting notes: spice, chocolate, dark fruit, grippy tannin
Notice: I hold no formal wine credentials. I am a wine geek who has consumed 1000+ of bottles from 100+ different wine clubs and 1000s more bottles that didn’t come from those wine clubs. I do not accept payment for wine reviews, and I do not accept payments to influence my opinions. I happily accept free wine (and I buy wine).
Why read my wine reviews: Wine taste is subjective. What I like may not be what you like. I try to leave room for you to form your own opinions, so I don’t provide a score or a rating. I do point out wines that are an incredible value or truly not worth the money. I note flaws, wines that don’t have typicity (because this matters if you are buying wine without having tasted it yourself), when wines are out of balance, and when wines lack appropriate body.
I don’t like wasting money (or anything for that matter). I’m careful about where I spend my money and my mindset as a reviewer is to be careful about where you spend yours. I don’t believe a high price tag equals quality and I know for sure there are wines of very good quality that are also a great value.
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