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Cristaldi Scores

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Vintage

Wine

Color

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2023

Arroyo Cellars

Sauvignon Blanc

This 100% Sauvignon Blanc sourced from the Nella Terra and Sunol Highlands Vineyards was barrel-fermented in American oak, then aged in stainless steel barrels. And wow—this is something else. Supercharged aromatics leap from the glass: toasty oak, slivered dried coconut, and sugar-dusted lemon bar meet lemon curd. On the palate, the wine shifts into sport mode, revealing refined apricot and white peach notes, lemon oil, and crunchy kumquat skin. Bold, burly, and full of personality, it’s highly recommended for camping trips, backyard BBQs, or anytime you want to pour something that feels profound without breaking the bank. Go for gold.

2023

Arroyo Cellars

White Wine

This 51% Sémillon / 49% Sauvignon Blanc blend, sourced from Bodegas Aguirre’s vineyard, was barrel-fermented in American oak and aged in stainless steel barrels. It’s not as bold as the pure Sauvignon Blanc, but offers similarly rich aromatics—think toasty oak, slivered coconut, butterscotch, and toffee, with maybe a hint of incense. On the palate, the wine becomes more refined, with lemon, lime, and Granny Smith apple acidity, plus a green apple skin grip. The finish is medium in length, with good tension and mineral drive.

2023

Au Bon Climat

Bien Nacido White Blend Hildegard

Bold notes of yellow apple, quince, and apricot lead the charge in this expressive white, lifted by white flowers and honeysuckle aromatics. Medium-bodied, with crunchy apple-driven acidity and a core of crushed salty Marcona almonds, the palate delivers impressive length. Subtle layers of fresh ginger, lemon peel, and chalky minerality emerge on the finish, framed by just a whisper of toasty oak.

2023

Au Bon Climat

Los Alamos Vineyard Chardonnay

Totally captivating from the first sniff to the last sip, this Chardonnay opens with a burst of bright oyster shell minerality, layered with lemon zest and yellow apple that evolve into quince and ginger on the palate. Apple skin tannins lend texture and tension to this electric, acid-driven wine. Rich tangerine oil is beautifully balanced by Sta. Rita Hills’ signature lemon-lime brightness and sea spray salinity. A masterful wine—bracing yet rich, structured yet giving. Subtle hints of honeydew and honeycomb emerge on an almost everlasting finish. This should continue to develop wonderfully over the next decade, making it one to savor now or cellar with confidence.

2023

Augusta Vin

Sirens Brut Estate Sparkling Wine

Produced in the traditional method, with grapes picked around 19 brix. The base wine spent 18 months in neutral French oak barrels, then three months en tirage, with a dosage of 12g/L. Composed entirely of Counoise from the 2023 vintage. Aromas of toasty French pastry, grapefruit zest, and flinty minerality lead into a palate marked by vibrant grapefruit oil notes. The mousse is focused, building richness from the generous dosage, yet the wine remains nicely balanced with a bracing mineral finish.

2023

Auteur

Bacigalupi Vineyard Chardonnay

The Bacigalupi Vineyard is planted entirely to Old Wente clone, making it an easy sourcing choice for Kenneth. He notes that the site is warmer and typically the first fruit to come in—sometimes as early as late August. In 2023, he was especially pleased with the results, having picked a bit earlier. The fruit was pressed in the crush, using whole clusters with multiple press cycles, followed by a barrel selection of the native-fermented wine, which was aged for 15 months in 25–30% new French oak. The wine shows lovely, bright lemon-driven aromatics with excellent weight and tension. There’s perhaps a hint of lychee, but the profile is predominantly saline, layered with rich lemon and lime notes. Crisp orchard fruit carries through the palate, finishing long and expressive with loads of saline mineral character and vibrant freshness.

2023

Auteur

Durell Vineyard Chardonnay

With Durell Vineyard, Kenneth Juhasz works with the flatter section of the site near the riverbed, close to the town of Sonoma. He began working with Durell in 2008, initially producing Pinot Noir from the vineyard. This wine is whole-cluster pressed, allowing for gentler extraction from the intact clusters and resulting in greater finesse. Fermentations are native and carried out cold, with no malolactic fermentation, followed by 15 months of ageing in neutral, tight-grained, light-toast French oak. The nose is supremely elegant, offering notes of lemon, anise, and sea-spray minerality. On the palate, a lovely creamy mid-palate is supported by a core of citrus-kissed acid tension, finishing with crushed-rock minerality. The wine is both generous and refined, yet remains focused, vibrant, and precise. It is a beautiful expression of this exceptional site, owned by Three Sticks Wines founder Bill Price.

2023

Auteur

Gap's Crown Vineyard Bolt Block Pinot Noir

Kenneth Juhasz says he had first choice of this vineyard, blending some parcels but sourcing most of the fruit from what he calls the “Bolt Block,” a super-rocky section of the site. Made entirely from Dijon Clone 667, the wine builds in the glass with dark-fruit and cocoa nib intensity accented by elegant cedarwood notes. The texture is off the charts—velvety, silky, and satiny, nearly luscious yet still pure-fruited—finishing with an earthy richness and fruit-driven depth that complements the wine’s dark, brooding profile. Quite exceptional.

2023

Auteur

Green Acrers Chardonnay

The Green Acres Vineyard bottling builds with gorgeous richness and fragrance, marked by zesty lemon and ginger, lemon oil, and a chamomile-like depth on the medium-bodied palate. A saline-driven acidity runs through the wine, carrying a subtle white pepper note and lending palpable tension throughout. The grape clusters here are notably small, likely contributing to the wine’s concentration and energy. Aged for 15 months in 30% new French oak, the oak is beautifully integrated, allowing the wine to remain balanced, focused, and vibrant from start to finish. The site, located near the town of Sonoma and owned by the Sangiacomo family, was planted in 2001 and is now more than 20 years old.

2023

Auteur

Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay

In 2023, the fruit was destemmed before pressing and crushed, followed by native fermentations carried out cold, with no malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged for 15 months in neutral oak. It is strikingly aromatic and fresh, driven by floral, fragrant notes and a distinct sea-spray character. On the palate, there’s a wonderful lemon oil richness—something Kenneth attributes to the pressing style—building alongside beautifully smooth, velvety tannins. Layers of lemon zest, orange essence, and orchard fruit unfold through the mid-palate, finishing with lingering brightness and crispness from the wine’s highly expressive acidity. Importantly, that acidity is fully integrated—never sharp or jagged—resulting in a wine that feels seamless, elegant, and refined.

2023

Auteur

Labyrinth Vineyard Pinot Noir

Labyrinth Vineyard lies near the town of Forestville and is planted entirely to Pommard clone, organically farmed with tight vine spacing and low yields achieved through careful thinning. The wine builds in the glass with classic Pommard character—rich cherry and spiced plum fruit layered with deep, woodsy, almost truffle-like notes and loamy earth tones. Dark cherry flavors carry across the palate, joined by earthy humus nuances in a full-bodied wine with a rich mid-palate and exceptional length. I love this wine—it’s so delicious and full-flavored.

2023

Auteur

Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir

The Savoy Vineyard bottling opens with fragrant forest berry aromatics and dark berry fruit, building on a foundation of very ripe, structured tannins. A saline-driven acid tension carries notes of blood orange and cherry, underscored by a distinct wet-slate mineral character. The site itself is rugged, and that ruggedness shows in the wine—but it remains remarkably delicious and expressive, anchored by a solid core of juicy dark berry fruit and spice. Long, layered, and generous, this was perhaps the most powerful and tannin-driven wine I tasted during my visit, yet still balanced and compelling. Aged in 60% new French oak for 15 months.

2023

Auteur

Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

In general, Kenneth Juhasz’s Chardonnay wines do not undergo malolactic fermentation. He works primarily with Old Wente Clone—virus-infected, low-yielding, and later-ripening, true Old Wente material. The grapes are night-harvested and hand-picked. Kenneth explains that it’s less about stem inclusion and more about solids and trace amounts of sulfides, which he likes. Some lots see stem inclusion, while others do not. All fermentations are carried out in barrel using tight-grained, lighter-toast oak, with roughly 20% new oak for the Sonoma Coast bottling; some single-vineyard wines see no new oak at all. Ferments are native, long, and cool, generally topping out at 55–60°F, with a bit of lees stirring. As soon as the wines are dry, he keeps them cold to inhibit malolactic conversion. He believes that when working with great sites, a great clone, and exceptional fruit, this approach yields the best results. The Sonoma Coast is a blend of several single-vineyard sites, including Durell, Green Acres, and Bacigalupi. The wine is aged for 15 months in oak prior to bottling. Because it does not undergo malolactic fermentation, he uses cross-flow filtration. The finished wine is lemony-bright, packed with energy and tension. Expressive cedarwood notes mingle with lemon and lime, alongside hints of Parmesan rind that become more embedded on the palate. Orchard fruit and citrus fruit intertwine, carried by bright crushed almond and white floral notes through the finish.

2023

Auteur

Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

The Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ages in 30% new French oak for 15 months, racked just once prior to bottling, with no fining or filtration. The resulting wine is robust yet balanced, marrying power and elegance with bright, crunchy red fruit layered with brown baking spices, a hint of caramel, and deep forest bark and spicebush notes. Tension builds across a luscious core of red berry fruit framed by grippy apple-skin tannins. Long and flavor-packed, the wine maintains impressive focus and energy despite its breadth and generosity on the palate. A blend of fruit from Labyrinth, Gap’s Crown, Starkey, and Balinard vineyards.

2023

Auteur

Wendling Vineyard Pinot Noir

Kenneth Juhasz’s ideal approach is to pick individual Pinot Noir clones separately and co-ferment them. At Wendling Vineyard, the mix includes Calera, La Tâche, and Vosne-Romanée suitcase selections, all rooted in the far northern reaches of Anderson Valley, near the Pacific Ocean, where the Navarro River empties into the sea. The vineyard is owned by Paul Ardzrooney, who also serves as the site’s vineyard manager. The resulting wine is powerful yet refined, built around rich, dark cherry fruit and elegant brown baking-spice notes. Fresh spicebush and redwood forest nuances add aromatic depth, while the palate shows greater dimension, supported by velvety tannins and delicate floral tones that weave seamlessly through the wine. The finish is long and fruit-driven, marked by blood orange oil and expressive acid tension. It’s a big wine, but delivered with poise, elegance, and restraint.

2023

B Cellars

Calesa Vineyard Chardonnay

What a luscious, lovely, rich, and creamy Chardonnay — with plenty of acid verve. Delicious vanilla shows on the back palate alongside well-integrated cedarwood spice. There’s ample crunchy acidity to keep it fresh, bright, and classy. From Calesa Vineyard, all night-picked, whole-cluster pressed, given a two-day settle, then treated with a small sulfur adjustment before native-yeast fermentation. Some lots underwent native malolactic fermentation. Bâtonnage starts with more frequent stirring and tapers off as the wines age in roughly 35% new French oak for 15 months. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.

2023

B Cellars

Calesa Vineyard Pinot Noir

Sourced from Calesa Vineyard, a Petaluma Gap site perched on a high plateau with northwest-facing slopes and soils flecked with gravel and quartz. The nose is absolutely gorgeous — dark cherry fruit, warm brown baking spices, a hint of soy, black truffle, and velvety tannins, with a touch of sea-salt savor. The palate shows impressive depth: grapefruit peel, black sea salt, a broad, velvety texture, and a refined, seamless expression. Terrific grip and tension, yet still lush and inviting. Super cool — this one will fire you up.

2023

B Cellars

Manzana Vineyard Pinot Noir

From Manzana Vineyard, planted to Clones 777 and 828, and blended together. The site sits off Occidental Road, a hillside parcel close to Kanzler. The nose is elegant and expressive — cherry fruit, sagebrush, bay laurel — like walking in a cool Redwood grove — all building into medium richness with sweet baking spices woven around dark cherry and raspberry. Medium-bodied, with velvety tannins and a touch of cola root, plus lovely ironstone and earthy minerality and a hint of black-truffle charcuterie on the finish. Bâtonnage begins with more frequent stirring and gradually tapers off, after which the wine is racked into roughly 35–45% new French oak for 15 months. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.

2023

B Cellars

Monte Rosso Vineyard Zinfandel

This is a spectacular Zinfandel, with gorgeous red- and black-toned aromatics, loamy earth, robust tannins, and impressive acid grip. Beautiful, lacy ironstone minerality and apple-skin tannins bring freshness, verve, and drive, all framed by sturdy, firm structure that underscores the juicy, ripe, concentrated fruit from 130-year-old vines. Impressively long and layered for a Zinfandel. Aged in 40% new French oak.

2023

B Cellars

Nightwing Vineyard Pinot Noir

Nightwing is super silky and luscious, built around a core of dark berry fruit and rich brown baking spices. The palate is wonderfully broad — velvety and silky at the same time — filling in all the gaps and finishing with a fabulous, laser-like line of complexity. It’s classic Venge style: hitting all the broad-palate markers yet finishing with lift, lightness, and brightness.

2023

B Cellars

Zinfandel

From Hambrecht Vineyard at the top of Dry Creek Road, this Zinfandel was aged for 16 months in three-year-dried American oak barrels. It is robust and powerful — a fitting send-off, as it is the last Zinfandel B Cellars will make. Dark-fruited and savory-spiced, with ample tannins and rich brown baking spices, it shows fig paste, cherry fruit and gorgeous length.

2023

Balletto Vineyards

Teresa's Chardonnay

From the Sexton Valley Vineyard in the Sebastopol Hills, this Chardonnay is whole-cluster pressed, undergoes partial malolactic fermentation, and is aged entirely in stainless steel. The result is a bright, energetic wine that’s light on its feet yet full of character. Aromas of lemon oil, lemon zest, and white flowers lead to a palate brimming with tangerine peel, crunchy kumquat skin, and vibrant acidity. The finish lingers with stony, wet minerality and subtle notes of lemon curd.

2023

Banshee

Cabernet Sauvignon

The Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon comes from estate fruit across Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Mountain, and Knights Valley. At its suggested retail price of $30, this is a fantastic value. It delivers a generous punch of savory Sonoma character—sagebrush, wild thyme, and bay laurel—wrapped around beautifully pure cassis and blackberry fruit. Elegant cedarwood spice adds lift, while fine tannins and earthy tension shape the palate. Super-pristine fruit and balanced structure make this a killer wine for the price.

2023

Banshee

Pinot Noir

This Pinot is not 100% Pinot Noir—there’s a small portion of Sangiovese and Grenache Noir in the blend. It’s sourced mostly from the estate, with additional fruit coming from select Sonoma Coast sites. Fermentation takes place warm in stainless steel and moves relatively quickly before the wine is barreled down for 10 months in 15% new French oak. There’s a real forest-floor, underbrush, wild-berry character here, accented by a pop of minty freshness, violets, and blue-fruit notes. Pomegranate-seed tannins and velvety textures frame the palate, finishing with lengthy blood orange and zesty grapefruit. The wines in the Banshee portfolio are better than ever—bright, fresh, and full of tension.

2023

Becker Vineyards

Chardonnay Reserve

Becker’s Reserve Chardonnay is sourced from Canada Family Vineyards in Plains, near the New Mexico border, and Tallent Vineyards in Mason within the Texas Hill Country AVA. Fermented and aged for 24 months in 100% new French oak, it’s a lush, full-bodied, and supple Chardonnay built on a rich, toasty oak profile—more buttered croissant than dark toast. Layers of apricot cream, pineapple crème brûlée, and salted lemon unfold across the palate, leading to a lemon curd finish. Generous yet balanced throughout.

2023

Becker Vineyards

Jolie Rose

The “Jolie” Rosé from Becker Vineyards is a vibrant wine that feels like a fruit salad in the glass with notes of strawberry, watermelon, white peach, and a touch of spring flowers. Medium-bodied with lasting richness and tension, this rosé is both approachable and layered. The surprise comes on the finish, where subtle hints of white pepper and coriander cream await.

2023

Becker Vineyards

Montepulciano

This blend of 95% Montepulciano with about 1.5% each of Tempranillo, Dolcetto, and Barbera was aged for 16 months in neutral French and American oak barrels. The wine is meaty and medium-bodied, offering dark chocolate–covered cherry fruit, loamy earth, violets, and maple-cured bacon notes. Soft, supple tannins frame a sweet-fruited finish laced with brown spice.

2023

Billsboro Winery

Albariño

100% Albariño from Sawmill Creek Vineyards. Still a rarity in the Finger Lakes, this wine showcases lime-bright aromatics and a zesty spine of acidity. Light-bodied and energetic, it delivers a core of citrus fruit wrapped in chalky minerality, finishing with a persistent lime zest snap.

2023

Billsboro Winery

Apres

100% Vignoles from Hunt Country Vineyards in Branchport, NY. A lush, tropical white with ripe mango and papaya aromas, lifted by honeysuckle florals. The palate is generous and juicy, finishing with impressive length.

2023

Billsboro Winery

Cabernet Franc

100% Cabernet Franc from Sawmill Creek Vineyards in Hector, NY. Aged for nine months in 4–5-year-old French oak barrels. This is an elegant, red-fruited expression of Cabernet Franc, layered with notes of espresso bean, brown spice, and a zesty infusion of tangerine and grapefruit. A stony minerality anchors the palate.

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Vintage

Wine

Type

Color

Rating

$

2023

Producer

Name

A beautifully full and expressive red wine, offering red cherry and blackberry fruit with graphite, fleshy new-wood cedar, and a savory olive-tapenade character. The palate is super creamy and richly textured, driven by pristine dark-berry fruit that leads into mulberry and blueberry. The tannins are gorgeous — cedar-kissed, full-framed, elongated, almost beam-like — and the finish carries a seductive mineral intensity that stretches out over lingering fruit and stone. Just splendid in 2023. Aperture’s Oliver Ranch surrounds the Michelin-starred restaurant Cyrus in Alexander Valley. Winemaker Jesse Katz has worked with this fruit since 2010 and produced his first single-vineyard bottling from the site in 2014. Designed by famed viticulturist Phil Freese in the 1980s on an old riverbed of polished stones, much of the 3.6-acre ranch is dry-farmed.

2023

Producer

Name

Wow — this is something. Positively stellar, full-bodied, with chewy tannins that are perfectly framed, elongated and almost sensual in the way they caress the palate. The wine is rich, full-bodied, generous and complexly layered with mixed-berry fruit, yet it is overwhelmingly mineral and tension-filled. A distinctly gravelly complexity is evident, thanks to the vineyard’s soils — gravelly clay and gravelly volcanic deposits spread across the site — and the result is a wine of unimaginable freshness. It is spectacular. The SJ Ranch in Alexander Valley is a 7.9-acre vineyard of volcanic soils adjacent to Verité off Thomas Road. Cabernet Sauvignon Clones 337 and 7 are blended and aged for 22 months in 90% new French oak, then bottled unfined and unfiltered.

2023

Producer

Name

The Bastard Tongue Pinot Noir is a Sonoma County appellation blend, drawn from exceptional fruit sources. As winemaker Justin Harmon puts it, “Every single one of our Pinots has a shot at becoming this cuvée.” The final blend is often anchored by Swan selection, as it is in 2023, and incorporates fruit from seven sites. Fermented in stainless steel and aged for 22 months in 85% new French oak, the wine delivers on its promise year after year. This is a dark, brooding, and expansive Pinot Noir, packed with rich, night-dark fruit and a mineral intensity so pronounced it might have a Texas oilman sniffing for liquid gold in the glass. Full-bodied and deeply expressive, it shows off-the-charts rose petal floral intensity alongside dark brown baking spices and Asian spice notes, with crushed river stone minerality adding further complexity. There is real tannic intensity here—powerful yet nicely integrated—ensuring graceful ageing, all driven by a vibrant core of bracing acidity.

2023

Producer

Name

This is the kind of Chardonnay I could drink from morning to morning. Bennett Valley, an ancient geological crater bordered to the west by Sonoma Mountain and the Petaluma Gap AVA, traps cold air as it spills over the mountain, creating a bowl-like effect that necessitates frost protection throughout the growing season. Fruit from this site was gently whole-cluster pressed and sent directly to barrel for fermentation with native yeasts, including roughly 25% new French oak. Aged for 16 months, the resulting wine is bright and focused on the nose, with inviting aromas of candied citrus peel, baking spices, toasted oak, and a hint of candied ginger. Medium- to full-bodied on the palate, it mirrors the aromatic complexity, with warming notes of vanilla, crushed Marcona almonds, and citrus peel carried through a lengthy, layered finish. Rich yet precise, this is a beautifully composed and texturally compelling wine.

2023

Producer

Name

From the renowned Kanzler Vineyard, the 2023 Pinot Noir bursts with vivid freshness and tension, offering bright notes of ruby red grapefruit, blood orange, and savory sage. Aromatics of anise, mint, rose petal, and rose stem lend complexity and lift, while crisp, woody tannins provide structure. Juicy, spicy acidity laced with saline and pine forest character underscores the wine’s impeccable grip and precision. Compared to the softer, more supple 2022 vintage, the 2023 is taut and energetic, built for longevity. Enjoy the generosity of the 2022s now—by the boatload—while the 2023s continue to evolve toward their full potential.

2023

Producer

Name

Le Rayon Vert is a barrel-select cuvée that undergoes extended élevage, spending 14 months in oak followed by six months in stainless steel, with additional time in stainless steel prior to bottling. The wine is then held for a further six months before release. Fruit is sourced from three sites in Bennett Valley: two hillside vineyards and one valley-floor site. The aromatics are super bright and expressive, led by citrus peel and flinty minerality, with subtle toasted cedarwood and spicy ginger notes. On the palate, there is a radiant core of electric acidity and saline mineral tension that brings terrific focus and energy. As with the previous vintage, the finish is long and layered, marked by bright, crunchy apple spice and a lingering wet-slate mineral note.

2023

Producer

Name

This wine bangs hard — In a great way! Sourced from both hillside and valley floor vineyards within the Sonoma Mountain AVA, this wine showcases striking vitality and spice-driven aromatics. The nose is bold and expressive, with notes of blood orange, grapefruit zest, fragrant pine forest, and wild underbrush. Medium-bodied on the palate, it unfolds with vibrant citrus tones and firm yet elongated velvety tannins. Rose petal lifts the lengthy, perfumed finish. Grapes were destemmed, then cluster- and berry-sorted before undergoing a seven-day cold soak in stainless steel with inactive yeasts naturally propagating. Fermentation began spontaneously as the must warmed, driven entirely by native yeasts. Following fermentation, precise press cuts separated free-run and press juice before barreling. The wine was aged for 16 months in 87% new French oak, resulting in a complex, richly textured expression of Sonoma Mountain fruit.

2023

Producer

Name

This is a Méthode Champenoise–style Grenache sparkling wine. It is fermented in large-format neutral oak casks and aged seven years en tirage, with late disgorgement and a 5 g/L dosage. The wine is delicious, showing crunchy, delicate mixed-berry fruit alongside toasted hazelnut nuances. Bright and precise, it features a persistent, finely textured mousse that builds richness across the palate, finishing with a zesty mid-palate lift and blood orange–driven acidity on the long, energetic finish.

2023

Producer

Name

The 2023 Simpatico Ranch Chardonnay marks a textural departure from the 2022 vintage. Whereas the 2022 was softer and suppler, the 2023 is fresher, more dynamic, and longer on the palate, with focused tension and a deeper layering of candied ginger and rich brown baking spices—almost like brown sugar spice—unfolding along the finish. Sea spray minerality carries the day, complemented by lemony citrus and tangerine zest, alongside characteristic apple blossom and nutty, spiced nuances that emerge on the lingering finish. Captivating and mouth-watering.

2023

Producer

Name

This Syrah from Sonoma Mountain was aged for 22 months in 50% new French oak. The resulting wine bursts with aromas of violets, white pepper, blood orange, and cherry, framed by expressive pine forest notes. The palate is rich yet lifted, carrying those vibrant elements through a long, beautifully attractive finish. As it opens in the glass, the wine builds with additional layers of white pepper, cedarwood, and blackberry and black cherry fruit, accented by a hint of charcuterie. Powerful tannins and a dark slate–driven mineral character frame the wine, while blood orange notes, zesty acidity, and palpable tension keep everything fresh and focused. It feels super fresh and a bit coiled at this stage. Winemaker Justin Harmon notes, “Syrah should be farmed like Pinot—but it’s so vigorous you need a machete to the canopy, or the sun will never reach the fruit.” To ensure proper exposure, the vineyard is farmed down to one cluster per shoot, yielding around 2.5 tons per acre.

2023

Producer

Name

(Barrel Sample) This polished, expressive, and medium-bodied Mourvèdre offers crunchy red berry fruit, sweet spices, and cedarwood, all framed by firm, inviting tannins that lay a solid foundation. Already in great condition, the wine shows great promise. I’m excited to taste and rate the finished wine in the coming year, as it holds a lot of potential.

2023

Producer

Name

(Barrel Sample) This multi-vintage blend of Mourvèdre is already in fantastic condition, offering ripe red cherry and brambly red berry fruits that mingle beautifully with sweet baking spices, elegant cedarwood, and bright rose florals. The medium-bodied palate is supported by polished tannins, making for a very fresh, racy, and captivating wine. I can’t wait to taste the final product, and I believe consumers will be equally thrilled with the direction these wines are heading. Since Napa-based consultant Jean Hoefliger began making the wines in 2021, big changes have been happening at Arrowhead Creek each vintage. This is definitely a wine to watch.

2023

Producer

Name

Leading with vivid, earthy aromatics and fragrant red berry fruit, this estate-grown Cabernet Franc (sourced from sustainably certified vines in the Niagara Escarpment AVA) is laced with spicy wild herbs and grilled Padrón pepper nuances. Supple tannins carry a slightly sappy texture, framing notes of black currant and a brown sugar–spiced charcuterie quality on the finish.

2023

Producer

Name

Tank fermented with twice-daily pumpovers and oxygen exposure via gravity feed sump, this wine was aged for two years in stainless steel prior to bottling. The result is a crisp, clean, and vibrant expression of red berry fruit, accented by vivid cinnamon spice, cedarwood nuances, and firm, cedar-rich tannins. Zesty blood orange and grapefruit peel acidity adds lift and energy to the finish. Sourced from 100% estate-grown fruit in Sustainably Certified, herbicide-free vineyards in the Niagara Escarpment AVA.

2023

Producer

Name

This 100% Sauvignon Blanc sourced from the Nella Terra and Sunol Highlands Vineyards was barrel-fermented in American oak, then aged in stainless steel barrels. And wow—this is something else. Supercharged aromatics leap from the glass: toasty oak, slivered dried coconut, and sugar-dusted lemon bar meet lemon curd. On the palate, the wine shifts into sport mode, revealing refined apricot and white peach notes, lemon oil, and crunchy kumquat skin. Bold, burly, and full of personality, it’s highly recommended for camping trips, backyard BBQs, or anytime you want to pour something that feels profound without breaking the bank. Go for gold.

2023

Producer

Name

This 51% Sémillon / 49% Sauvignon Blanc blend, sourced from Bodegas Aguirre’s vineyard, was barrel-fermented in American oak and aged in stainless steel barrels. It’s not as bold as the pure Sauvignon Blanc, but offers similarly rich aromatics—think toasty oak, slivered coconut, butterscotch, and toffee, with maybe a hint of incense. On the palate, the wine becomes more refined, with lemon, lime, and Granny Smith apple acidity, plus a green apple skin grip. The finish is medium in length, with good tension and mineral drive.

Vintage

Wine

Type

Rating

$

2023

2023 Kosta Browne Treehouse Vineyard Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$$$

2023

2023 Kosta Browne Volnay Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$$$

2023

2023 Kriselle Cellars Albariño

Still Wine

N/A

2023

2023 La Velentía Blanc de Blancs

-

$$

2023

2023 La Velentía Fire Oak Vineyard Red Blend

-

$

2023

2023 Lakewood Vineyards Bubbly Candeo

Sparkling Wine

$

2023

2023 Lakewood Vineyards Cabernet Franc

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Lakewood Vineyards Vignoles

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Landmark Vineyards and Marchelle Lot #31. ‘A Lorenzo Legacy’ Lorenzo Vineyard Chardonnay

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Landmark Vineyards Escolle Road Pinot Noir

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 Landmark Vineyards Starr Ridge Vineyard Chardonnay

Still Wine

$$

2023

2023 Las Positas Vineyards Estate Albarino

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Las Positas Vineyards Estate Moonlight Reserve Verdelho (Black Label)

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Las Positas Vineyards Estate Moonlight Verdelho (White Label)

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Las Positas Vineyards Estate Reserve Verdelho (Black Label)

Still Wine

$

2023

2023 Las Positas Vineyards Estate Verdelho (White Label)

Still Wine

$

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