Red Fruit Wine Reviews

2017 Ken Brown Wines Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir

A beautiful example of what put Sta. Rita Hills on the map of world’s best Pinot Noir regions.

Tasting notes: red fruit, spice

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 Château Cordet Margaux

On the palate I tasted red fruits, blue fruits, black fruits (all the fruits, no, not really). The tannins were slightly grippy.

Tasting notes: red fruit, leather, grippy tannins, black fruit, blue fruit

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

2019 Penrose Hill Firstleaf Ralí

White pepper and raspberry are common flavors in Pinot Noir, but this one brought pomegranate to the glass, too.

Tasting notes: red fruit, raspberry

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

2019 Weingut Moric Moric Blaufränkisch

A medium-bodied red wine that tastes a bit like Pinot Noir had a love child with Mourvèdre (red fruit forward, especially black cherry, mixed with violets and a little spice), and it tends to be brighter than either of those imaginary progenitors.

Tasting notes: red fruit, bright, black cherry, violets, spice

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 Ana Diogo-Draper Red

Portugal is one of the world’s best wine values right now and food-friendly red wine styles like this one are contributing to its growing popularity.

Tasting notes: red fruit, spice, 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

2020 Quinta Nova Pomares Duoro (Tinto)

This Duoro Tinto is smooth, with subtle fruit and spice. A bright and food-friendly wine that while enjoyable was not necessarily unique.

Tasting notes: smooth tannin, red fruit, spice, bright

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 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

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

2017 COHO Wines COHO Headwaters Napa Valley Red Wine

Perfect medium-bodied, Bordeaux-style red wine to enjoy with any food not requiring a high-acid companion.

Tasting notes: red fruit, cherry, blackberry

2020 Margerum Wine Company Barden Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills

A beautifully-made Pinot Noir from Sta. Rita Hills featuring organic fruit from top vineyards in the region: La Encantada, Sanford & Benedict, and Radian.

Tasting notes: red fruit, spice, earthy, mushroom, dried herbs