California Wine

From a great site outside of Santa Maria the 2020 Chardonnay Le Souvenir Sierra Madre Vineyard is another ripe powerful Chardonnay revealing musky notes of melon honeyed lemon toasted bread and hints of almond paste and chalky... Read More

Coming from a site in the Santa Maria Valley the 2021 Chardonnay Le Souvenir Sierra Madre Vineyard offers more minerality and salinity with crisp citrus and orchard fruits medium to full body bright juicy acidity terrific mid-palate... Read More

Last of the Pinot Noirs the 2020 Pinot Noir Kokoro is a selection from the single vineyards and there are a tiny 900 bottles made. Its light ruby/plum color is followed by a Burgundian bouquet of ripe cherries spiced strawberries... Read More

I always find an incredible sense of minerality from this site and the 2021 Pinot Noir Lancelot Pisoni Vineyard has bright red fruits white flowers crushed stone and violet-like aromas and flavors. Rich medium to full-bodied tight... Read More

Looking at the Sta. Rita Hills releases the 2020 Pinot Noir Seabiscuit Zotovich Vineyard has a complex bouquet of spiced red berry fruits as well as forest floor loamy earth baking spices and some sea-like brine and iron nuances.... Read More

Lighter ruby-hued the 2021 Pinot Noir Seabiscuit Zotovich Vineyard comes from a great site in the Sta. Rita Hills and was destemmed and raised in new French oak. Wild strawberries raspberries rose petals baking spices and loamy... Read More

The 2020 Space Cadet is the star in this range from Paul Lato. Silky and aromatic the 2020 is hauntingly beautiful from the get-go. Inky red/purplish fruit sage cedar tobacco incense and dried flowers are some of the many notes... Read More

The 2020 Pinot Noir Suerte Solomon Hills Vineyard comes from a great tiny site outside of Santa Maria and was destemmed and spent 17 months in 52% new French oak. It has some classic Santa Maria minerality and marine-like iodine... Read More

A good portion 85.1% of this "Wine of the World" comes from America. In fact the American component all comes from Napa. "There are some great vineyards going in here" Peter Gago informed me. "We are buying some fruit for this... Read More

The first release of this new iconoclastic label the 2018 Quantum Bin 98 is labeled as a "Wine of the World" although the AVA is the United States and technically 87% is American wine (Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley) while... Read More

In 2009 Peter Michael purchased the former Showket Vineyard in Oakville on the hillside below Continuum and above Dalla Valle. That is the source for the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Au Paradis a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon 16%... Read More

Blended with 3% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Au Paradis comes from a vineyard in Oakville near Dalla Valle around 500-600 feet in elevation. It has a deep ruby-purple color and opens slowly to warm... Read More

10 Dec 2021 – This is very perfumed with blackberry and pine-cone aromas as well as raspberries and black cherries. Full-bodied with firm velvety tannins that are tight-grained. Creamy and beautiful. Currant and graphite flavors... Read More

The 2020 Les Pavots is made up of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon 14% Merlot and 3% Petite Verdot and includes fruit from some of the oldest vines at Peter Michael planted in 1989. Unusually there is no Cabernet Franc in the blend this... Read More

I tasted the 2021 Pinot Noir Le Caprice as a finished barrel sample a week before it was racked to tank and bottled. Made from destemmed grapes and matured in 40% to 50% new French oak it has a medium ruby-purple in color and... Read More

The 2021 Autrement is a bright pleasantly rustic blend of 40% Gamay 30% Mondeuse Noire and 30% Pinot Noir. It has a medium ruby color and is loaded with spicy aromas of tree bark leather tobacco bitter citrus graphite pepper and... Read More

The 2021 Gamay Noir is reminiscent of amaro with loads of earthy spicy accents and a pleasing bitters-like character. It has pretty aromas of cranberries cracked pepper pine and Angostura and the light-bodied palate is energetic... Read More

Medium ruby the 2021 Mondeuse has spicy aromas of toast allspice cinnamon cranberries and black cherries with touches of Angostura bitters and saddle leather. The medium-bodied palate has a chalky texture and mouthwatering acidity... Read More

Inspired by Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley the 2021 Nithya Massa Vineyard is a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Malbec. It has aromas of red and black currants bell pepper violet cracked pepper and graphite. The medium-bodied... Read More

Vibrant ruby-purple in color the 2021 Trousseau opens with some flinty tones that slowly give way to sour cherries bitters mossy bark and woodsmoke. The light-bodied palate is soft and energetic with generous earthy details complementing... Read More

The 2017 Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley has a pale to medium ruby color and opens with gravel dust violet Earl Grey tea orange oil autumn leaves and earth with dried red cherries dried cranberry red licorice and wild blackberries.... Read More

The 2019 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills cuvée is a wonderful wine and a terrific introduction to the Racines Chardonnays. Creamy and layered in the glass the 2019 has so much to offer. Lemon confit white flowers mint white pepper... Read More

The 2018 Chardonnay Wenzlau Family Vineyard speaks with tremendous authority. A wine of real direction and personality the 2018 has so much going on. Pear lemon confit white flowers crushed rocks and dried herbs are beautifully... Read More

The 2019 Chardonnay Wenzlau Family Vineyard is a compelling wine from this site. The pedigree is evident from the first taste. Orchard fruit mint white pepper and beams of salinity play off a distinctly phenolic feel. The Wenzlau... Read More