Kurt Schuster

9.2

Look, I work in agriculture, a farming, family, but damn farmer wine is good. I have not had any farmer or co-op wine in a long time that just meets the threshold of wow for this one. I mean just the color is beautiful clear Ruby and Claret with no obscuring whatsoever. This is not something we’re gonna be like oh a dissect the flavors for 30 minutes. It is good, solid amazing wine with clarity of color, absolute focus of flavor in beautiful concentration of the grape and the expression of the land and the spices, and a perfect balance of the acidity structure they’re in. I wish I would’ve bought more of this.  — 2 months ago

with Frank, Deborah and 1 other

Brandon Thiessen

9.3

Gorgeous and still so lively. Light body, bright acidity. Stewed cherry, purple plum, moist earth, fallen leaves, sage. Concentrated. Mature. Beautiful. — 3 years ago

Martinez

9.2

The estate’s flagship wine, Samsara is 100% Petit Verdot from Ronda in southern Spain, a region that is gaining certain notoriety for its Petit Verdot. A late ripening grape variety, Petit Verdot is a minor ingredient in Bordeaux blends where it often fails to ripen properly. But it seems to thrive in warmer regions like Australia, certain parts of California and here in Ronda, where it was first introduced in the early 1990s. Grapes are sourced from El Juncal vineyard, a very cool site at about 2,800 ft elevation, on clay-sandy soils. Fermented with indigenous yeasts (50% whole-cluster) and aged in French and Hungarian oak for 9 months. Dense, dark ruby color. Dark fruit on the nose and palate. Herbal and balsamic notes and a whiff of cinnamon. Complex, structured, very smooth tannins. — 5 years ago

Victor Hsu

8.9

Spanish Sidra and French White Grenache had a funky love child! Cloudy, fermented, a bit fizzy and a lot of fun. Excellent food wine. My wife and I enjoyed this rustic beauty at the Pizzana/Truly Pizza collab in Marina del Rey. 2023 vintage. Salud! — 3 months ago

Raun Kupiec

9.0

2023 Whisky Advent Calendar, Day 20: Smells of grape juice and chocolate. Taste with hints of rich fruitcake, with honey and dates. — 2 years ago

Jordan Franceschini

9.7

Floral bright and energized. Incredibly pure without any weight. Singular expression of the grape and place. Special. — 4 years ago

Raff

9.0

A bit of purple mixed in with a lot of red. Red cherries, autumn leaves, and allspice on the nose. Ripe, shiitake mushrooms,dried figs, lingonberry. Medium finish, low acid and tannins with a bit of tobacco at the end. Really different expression of the grape, lighter than an old world montepulciano, and gives it an aspect of drinkability. — 5 years ago

Doug Powers

9.2

Very juicy dark grape jelly aromas and flavors, solid structure, this will need some aging (3-5 years?) to really hit its stride, long finish, lovely!! Current release. — 4 months ago

with Jim

David Kline

9.0

Chalky grape and balsa, blackberry, and plum nose with soft smoke and jasmine with a sweet petrol gloss. Soft mouthfeel turns bing cherry and underripe blueberries bordering green. Chewy. Big fruit tannins. A spicy pepper that always turns piquant-fruit. Young in every way, would love to see this chrysalis emerge.


#lajotavineyardco #laJotahowellmountainestate #lajota #howellmountain #merlot #napa #napavalley — 3 years ago

Jeff Miller

8.9

Classic California Zin from one of the top producers of this grape varietal. Notes of black pepper, ripe blue and black fruits (wild blueberry, blackberry) and plum skin. On the riper, jammier side of the scale, but it was well balanced with a freshness on the palette that kept me coming back for more. Delicious wine. — 5 years ago