Spice Wine Reviews

I drank these 11 wines and tasted black cherry, bright, cherry, dark fruit, earthy, mocha, mushroom, red fruit, smooth tannin, spice. The wines are aged, food friendly, my favorites, organically farmed, small production, whole cluster and came from a variety of sources, including wine clubs, wineries, and wine stores.

Wine reviews by: Jessyca Frederick

Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir

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

Talinay Pai

2018 Tabalí Talinay Pai

Talinay is like Bourgogne in Chile, but with a fruit forward, new world sensibility. This is a winery to know if you like Pinot Noir (or Chablis-style Chardonnay)

Tasting notes: black cherry, berry, spice, bright

Inkscape Shiraz

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

Moric Blaufränkisch

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

Ana Diogo-Draper Red

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

Pomares Duoro (Tinto)

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

Old Vines Field Blend

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

Sta. Rita Hills Syrah

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

Hersly Lazare Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

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

Über Cab

2019 Brutocao Cellars Über Cab

Made in a popular style, this Cabernet uses conventional winemaking techniques to achieve a specific flavor profile from medium-quality fruit.

Tasting notes: spice, mocha, cherry

Barden Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills

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

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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